Boxing: Now Masoe hunts big payday

By PETER JESSUP

The shadow of Don King will hang over any deals done regarding the card, venue and purse for Maselino Masoe's defence of the WBA world middleweight title he won at the weekend.

Masoe returned to Auckland early today after his round-two knockout of Evans "the African Warrior" Ashira, but may not be home for long.

King will want Masoe on one of his productions when the South Auckland-resident American Samoan completes the WBA-ordered match-up with challenger German Bert Schenk within 90 days.

Masoe's manager and trainer Mike Edwards is in negotiations with King already, but said yesterday that he would "love to bring the fight to Auckland, and I've got a big-money backer to do that".

There is court action challenging Edwards' contract with Masoe which runs to the middle of next year, but he and the fighter get along all right.

In the mixed-up world of boxing, King will doubtless have the last say because he has the biggest wallet.

Masoe's win in Miami at a convention centre seating around 3000 attached to a Hilton hotel was in stark contrast to his previous performance.

The Florida show was promoted as "an intimate evening with Don King and Tony 'the Tycoon' Brown", with tickets costing US$1500 or US$2000.

The card labelled Masoe-Ashira at a double-billing with a contest between Kelvin "Concrete" Davis and Ezra Sellers for the vacant IBF cruiserweight title, won by Davis with an eighth-round knockout.

Masoe's most recent fight was at the Dargaville Town Hall on September 9 last year where he beat Indonesian Henry Aritonang with a round-five knockout.

Before that he beat Korean Kwang Jin Choi at the Supersonique Club in Manukau City, Hemi Nahu in Tokoroa, Whid Khan at Sheepy's Bar in Papakura, and Epeli Naua, Setefano Vasuibau and Peter Mokomoko at venues including Alexandra Park, all with Edwards.

That was after returning from David Tua's Las Vegas camp under Kevin Barry's management, where Masoe had six wins and two losses in the US between December 1999 and October 2000.

Masoe got the fight against Ashira after winning the vacant Pan Asian Boxing Association middleweight title against Aucklander Peter Mokomoko in 2001.


Bernard Hopkins, the WBA super-champion, fights Robert Allen for his WBC and IBF title in June, but the outcome will not affect Masoe's hold on the WBA world middleweight belt.

As a realistic appraisal of where Masoe is, the Fightnews website, which evaluates rankings across all the organisations, had him at No 7 after the Ashira win.

At 37 he remains in great shape, and the right hand with which he stunned Ashira in round one before ending proceedings with a right overhead and left hook 44 seconds into round two, is well respected.


At that age, though, he will be looking for the biggest paydays possible.