Distraught Dunne denied by Poonsawat
Sunday, 27 September 2009 16:12Bernard Dunne's reign as WBA World Super-Bantamweight champion was ended in dramatic circumstances as the Neilstown man was floored three times in the third round as Thailand's Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym claimed a sensational victory at Dublin's O2, writes RTÉ Sport's Shane Murray.
Dunne boxed to perfection in the opening two rounds as he kept his tricky Thai opponent at distance and seemed well on course to retain his crown.
However, his good start was undone by three left-handers which saw the 29-year-old hit the canvas three times, and the match referee had no choice but to end the fight on the three knockdown rule after 2 minutes 57 seconds of the third round.
Dunne opened impressively as he followed his pre-fight gameplan to keep the Thai at bay by getting in and out quickly with quick left-handed jabs.
Poonsawat looked hungry, agile and was efficient with his punching, but there's no doubt he would have trailed in the judges' scoring at the start of the third round.
However, Dunne's tactics seemed to evaporate in a careless third round in which Poonsawat devastated the Dubliner with a succession of powerful and well-timed punches.
Having recovered from the first knockdown early in the round, a visibly shook Dunne seemed to have overcome the early storm.
But the Thai was not going to let this opportunity pass and Dunne was soon on the canvas again as Poonsawat connected with another heavy left-hander.
Dunne regrouped and bravely got to his feet as the sold out Dublin venue got behind their hero.
However, Poonsawat sensed victory and closed in on Dunne with the bell looming and connected with another devastating left-hander to ensure that the Dubliner's reign as World champion would end after just six months.
Dunne was visibly distraught at the end and, after getting the all-clear from the medical staff, he emotionally apologised for a disappointing display.
