Sunday 15 March 2015 12:23, UK
Former Premier League footballer Leon McKenzie dazzled in his first 10-rounder as he swept aside Ivan Stupalo to claim the vacant super-middleweight International Masters title with a one-sided points win.
Fighting at Bethnal Green’s York Hall on the fifth anniversary Goodwin show - promoted by the world’s youngest female boxing promoter Olivia Goodwin - McKenzie was tasked with beating a fighter with a winning record.
But the former Crystal Palace, Coventry and Norwich striker leapt on his opponent straightaway, dominating the centre of the ring and hitting the Croat with powerful jabs freely in the opening rounds.
Frustrated by McKenzie’s constant pressure and accuracy, Stupalo began swinging wildly but McKenzie countered with right to the body and a left hook, staggering the 24-year-old from Split.
McKenzie - who took up boxing in 2013 - did not have it entirely his own way and was caught cleanly with a left hook in the sixth.
But the 36-year-old took the shot and returned to the boxing fundamentals instilled in him by father Clinton - a former British and European champion.
He went after his opponent in rounds eight and nine, doubling up on his jab and cutting off the centre of the ring as he unleashed a series of combinations on his opponent.
It was only McKenzie’s seventh professional contest but the result was never in doubt as Marcus McDonnell scored the bout 100–90, awarding every round to the south Londoner.
