Boxing: Andrei Mikhailovich makes devastating return; Jerome ...

Andrei Mikhailovich made a triumphant return 12 months after his last bout. Photo / Photosport

It’s been a frustrating 12 months for Andrei Mikhailovich.

After improving his professional boxing record to 20-0 with a knockout win over Edisson Saltarin last April, the 26-year-old middleweight was set to meet Germany’s Denis Radovan in an IBF world title eliminator in December. Radovan was forced to withdraw due to injury, and the bout was expected to be postponed until May.

On Wednesday night in Sydney, Mikhailovich took advantage of a short-notice opportunity to get back into the ring, stopping Australian veteran Les Sherrington 84sec into the fight.

In his first fight under new Australian promoters No Limit, Mikhailovich provided a reminder of his talent.

It took just one perfectly placed left hand to the body to send Sherrington to the canvas, with the Australian audibly in pain. He struggled unsuccessfully to get back to his feet, and the referee waved the fight off after a count of five when it was clear Sherrington would not be able to continue.

The win saw Mikhailovich improve to 21-0 and, ranked No. 4 in the IBF, has big fights ahead of him.

He was the first of the fighters from Auckland’s Peach Boxing gym to appear on the card, with Jerome Pampellone falling to a majority decision loss in his IBF light heavyweight world title eliminator against Libyan Malik Zinad.

Both fighters came into the contest with impressive undefeated records; Pampellone ranked No. 4 in the IBF rankings and Zinad ranked No. 11. But it was the rangier Zinad who got the nod from the judges; two scoring the bout 117-111 in his favour and the other seeing a 114-114 draw.

It was a close, action-packed fight. Zinad fought well behind his jab and landed punches in bunches, while Pampellone started slow before finding his way into the fight, stalking Zinad and looking to land with power.

Pampellone did land a number of big shots on Zinad, but the Libyan wore them all well. However, Pampellone was often throwing single shots and in close rounds that would have been to his detriment with the judges.

The biggest moment in the fight came in the sixth round when Zinad followed a good jab with a short right hand that landed on the mark and wobbled Pampellone, but the Kiwi was able to compose himself and finish the fight strong.

Peach Boxing will end a busy week when Mea Motu, who holds the IBO super bantamweight world title, returns to headline Saturday night’s card at the Auckland Boxing Association in what could be her last fight on home soil for the foreseeable future.

Motu will venture above her regular weight class to meet Thailand’s Noppaket Srisawas (8-1) in a card that will also feature several up-and-coming athletes from Peach Boxing stable.

Coach Isaac Peach has indicated Motu (18-0) will be looking to secure a super bantamweight world title unification bout in the not-too-distant future. Motu is currently ranked No. 1 in the IBF rankings, while she is also No. 4 with the WBA.

Speaking to the Northern Advocate this month, Peach said the team had their sights set on Ellie Scotney, who unified the IBF and WBO titles with a unanimous decision win over Segolene Lefebvre this month.

“We’re very close to another title opportunity. In the meantime, we need to keep her active and winning.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.