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Usmanee wins NABA title

Arash Usmanee and Pedro Navarette engaged in a battle of wills Friday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, but in the end it was Usmanee’s strength,

Arash Usmanee and Pedro Navarette engaged in a battle of wills Friday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, but in the end it was Usmanee’s strength, stamina and willpower that brought him the unanimous decision win and the North American Boxing Association super featherweight title.

“We knew this guy had a strong will as well, and we were similar in styles,” said the former Red Deer Boxing Club member.

“I think I did everything a little bit better than he did and when things are that close the willpower is going to have a big effect on the outcome of the fight.”

Usmanee, 10-0 with five KO’s, set the tone of the bout in the opening round, landing an overhand right that stunned Navarette, 25-10-3. The right hand would find a home for the Montreal-based boxer all night long.

Each round would start in a similar way ,with Usmanee setting the tone and pace. Navarette would try to work his way back into the round and contest, and just when the momentum of the fight seemed to be shifting Usmanee would hit a higher gear and force the Mexican fighter back into his defensive shell.

“I really noticed his experience and how he used experience,” explained the NABA champion. “This was his 39th fight and my 10th fight, and he definitely used his experience. He was very slick. If I hit him with one shot he never stood there for another clean shot. He didn’t make it very easy for me.”

Halfway through the fifth round, Usmanee backed Navarette into the ropes and threw a combination that culminated with a body shot which dropped the more experienced fighter to one knee.

“The thing with body shots is it is an investment and I am not a very good investor,” said the former five-time Canadian Amateur Champion. “They (my corner) were telling me body, body, so I threw a couple of body shots, he was hurt and ran to the ropes and I just hit him with another uppercut to the solar plexus and he went down.”

Navarette, however, got back up and was extremely resilient while trying to fight his way back into the round and the bout. The seventh round was one of Usmanee’s best as he landed two big right hands and finished the round strong, as it started to appear that his strength and aggression was too much for the Mexican fighter.

By the ninth round Navarette went into survival mode, showing more signs of tiring than his less experienced opponent.

“It (10 rounds) was a lot easier than I expected it,” explained Usmanee. “I should have known. My punch output is a lot higher than the average boxer and I have always had great natural stamina. Not having gone 10 rounds that was the only difficulty. Now I know I can keep my pace for 10 rounds and there are not many boxers who can keep my pace.”

The last 30 seconds of the bout saw both fighters giving everything they had to the delight of the crowd. In the end Usmanee prevailed by scores of 98-91, 99-90, and 97-92.

In April, Navarette fought the No. 1 featherweight prospect in the world in Miguel Angel Garcia, losing by scores of 77-75, 79-75 and 78-74. On Saturday night, Garcia, 24-0 with 20 KO’s, knocked out Canadian Olivier Lontchi, 18-2-2, in the fifth round.

Stepping up against a more experienced opponent was a good learning experience and measuring stick for the undefeated Usmanee.

“I didn’t give away easy shots,” said Usmanee. “I think I got hit with two overhand rights and a left hook, everything else I caught them, I picked them and I rolled with them. That is one of the biggest things I am happy with. There is a huge list of things I have learned from this fight. I need to relax a little bit more. I think my whole team learned something. This was a major fight for me.”

Usmanee’s former amateur coach, Doug Bolianatz ,who worked the corner with Daniel Trepanier, was pleased with the boxer’s performance, but also feels that spectators only caught a glimpse of Usmanee’s potential.

“It was a good performance,” said the coach. “After the fight Navarette came over to the corner and he said ‘very strong, very strong’. I think he (Arash) fought at 60 per cent of his capability. I know what he can do and he has a lot more than he showed.”

With the win, the Red Deer boxer will now be ranked in the top 20 in the world by the World Boxing Association.

Doug Rowe is a Red Deer freelance writer who specializes in boxing and the martial arts