Maltese boxer Haithem Laamouz was crowned the new IBO Intercontinental Super Lightweight champion after defeating British fighter James Flint at Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster on Friday.
Laamouz, dubbed the Flash, produced a very strong performance against his British opponent, who was hampered by a shoulder injury suffered in the second round, to go on and seal a crucial victory and bring home the title belt.
In the end, the scores favoured Laamouz with unanimous scores of 98-93, 98-92 and 96-94 and can now look forward to higher objectives in the near future.
“I am so happy with my performance,” Laamouz was quoted as saying.
“I have been here in the UK for the past seven weeks to prepare for this fight, and it was all worth it. There is always room for improvement, but tonight I gave it my all.
“When I stepped into the right, I said to myself to give it my best shot and whatever happens, happens. I followed my coach’s instructions and whatever my opponent gave me, I tried to give it back to him harder, and in the end, I managed to get the win I was craving for.”
Laamouz said that during his camp in England he worked on new shots which in the end turned useful in helping him get the win.
“I worked a lot on the shots in the body, both left and right, since I came to train here,” the Maltese fighter said.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel I used my right shot enough and that is something I need to improve on but I was always confident of myself.
“It was a great fight as my style of fighting and that of James are very compatible and I said before that we would be putting a great show, and that is what happened and I only have great respect for James Flint.”