Hectic schedule takes toll on ‘Lightning’ Luke

By Ed Merrison
A HECTIC fighting schedule finally took its toll on a young Gembrook boxer at the weekend.
‘Lightning’ Luke Woodham, 17, lost on the blood rule when the referee stopped the contest against 15-year-old Zac Dunn on Sunday, 4 December.
After a strong first round, Mr Woodham took a blow to the nose and started bleeding profusely.
Mr Woodham’s team was given two attempts to stop the bleeding, but the referee was given no choice but to end the contest in the second round under the strict HIV ruling.
Woodham’s coach Cory Parker said it was a shame the referee had to intervene.
“From a spectator’s point of view it was a fantastic fight up to that point. Both boys were fighting beautifully,” Mr Parker said.
The loss came a week after Mr Woodham suffered defeat on a 3-2 split points decision to 26-year-old former Oceania lightweight champion Casey Thompson.
Mr Woodham received a blood nose in that fight, which took place in front of a crowd of 800 in Bairnsdale.
Mr Parker said a week was not really enough recovery time, and said he hoped four or five weeks away from competition over Christmas would give Mr Woodham time to bounce back from a tough year.
On a more encouraging note, Mr Woodham, who has contested 17 fights in the past 12 months, has been invited to train at the Australian Institute of Sport from Sunday, 11 to Tuesday, 20 December.
There he will train with members of the Commonwealth Games team under the tutelage of national coach Bodo Andreass.
Meanwhile, Mr Parker is training another exciting local prospect.
Upwey resident Josh ‘Captain Chaos’ Kamoen, an Eastern Football League player for East Ringwood, had his first fight in Bairnsdale on Sunday, 27 November.
He took on Disco ‘Lights Out’ Bulmer and won on a points decision.
Mr Kamoen, 22, has been training in Tecoma for three years, but this is the first year he has decided to fight in the football off-season.
Having spent seven weeks on boxing preparation, Mr Kamoen said he enjoyed his first contest.
“It was definitely an experience. It was arguably the hardest thing I’ve ever done physically,” he said.
Having played team sports all his life, Mr Kamoen said he had wanted to have a go at an individual pursuit.
“In boxing there’s nowhere to hide,” he said.
Mr Kamoen is eyeing up February as a possible time to fit in another fight before the football season resumes.