MOUNT Gambier boxer Bobby “Trigger” Trigg has returned from Queensland after a successful defence of his Australian Bantamweight title.
It was his first defence of the title he claimed last year, but there was no issue in standing up to the task Saturday night, with the fight stopped after four rounds as a TKO.
Trigg took on the taller Jarrett Owen in his own gym, but wasted no time taking control.
After defying the heat, humidity and a hostile crowd, Trigg went to work, hitting Owen hard in the opening round.
From there he simply continued to apply the pressure and sent Owen to the canvas late in third, with the bell preventing what could have been an early finish.
But it only took one more round before the referee had seen enough and called proceedings to an end.
Trigg said he was pleased with the result in his first title defence.
“It feels pretty good,” he said.
“I’m quite happy with myself, especially going over there and fighting in Queensland, in his home town and against his crowd.”
Trigg said the crowd was quiet when he first stepped into the ring, with no support apart from his own corner.
“That did not worry me at all,” he said.
“I was there to do one thing.”
Much of the damage was done with a solid left-hand jab, which hurt Owen early and helped Trigg overcome the taller fighter, with a big right hand dropping Owen in the third round.
Trigg’s trainer Colin Cassidy said it was a great fight to watch from his vantage point.
“Every time Bobby hit him he was shuddering,” he said.
“The power of his jabs was excellent.
“Bobby was ducking and weaving – it was a more composed fight.”
Apart from the vocal crowd, the heat and humidity played a major role, forcing Trigg to stick to a well-constructed plan.
“I thought I would go reasonably hard in the first round then slow up a bit to try not to tire myself,” he said.
“I knew I had him early so there was no point jumping the gun and trying to finish it then and there.
“I was thinking about it a lot more.
“By the fourth round it was there to finish, so I hardened up my punches to try to make them count.
“I was still worried about the heat, because you never know, he could have landed a good punch.”
With the crowd against him, Trigger simply went about his work in the tight confines of the venue, which was packed to capacity, with fans spilling outside, which he eventually won over.
“It was a small, cramped gym that reminded me of a boxing tent,” he said.
“When I was on top in the fourth round the crowd was screaming and cheering – for the fight, not me.
“It felt good to go up there and beat their boy up.
“After the fight a lot of the fans came up and patted me on the back for it.
“It felt pretty good to get some support from them.”
From here Trigg will re-evaluate his future, with a couple more fights previously arranged.
“We did have a couple of fights set up, but we will see if they still want to fight us,” Cassidy said.
“We may have to give our Australian title up and go for an Asian Pan Pacific rating, which puts us in the world rankings.”
