Clout Controls Comeback Bout
Illawarra Mercury
Monday March 21, 2005
DAPTO boxer Wade "Pit Bull" Clout made a successful return to the ring with a second-round stoppage of Paul Tapley in their welterweight bout at Southport RSL Club on the Gold Coast on Friday night.
Although Queenslander Tapley was rated ahead of Clout, it was the hard-hitting "Pit Bull" who controlled the contest from the outset, using his left jab and combinations to take the points in the opening round.Clout had been inactive for nine months because of injury and scheduled bouts falling through.He took the advice of his father Ross Clout, who was in his corner as trainers Jeff Fenech and Billy Hussein were in Las Vegas attending to Hussein Hussein's unsuccessful World Boxing Council flyweight eliminator against Mexico's Jorge Arce."When he came back to the corner my advice to him was to take his time and let Tapley come onto his right hand, he had been circling towards Wade's right hand," Ross Clout said yesterday."I knew if Wade was to take a step back he would allow his opponent to move onto a well timed overhand right."This is exactly what happened. Wade waited to bring him onto the right hand and was able to hit his opponent at will with some beautiful straight lefts and jabs. "Then he noticed that Tapley was beginning to mount an assault of his own, Wade stepped back and swayed to avoid Tapley's punch and countered with an awesome overhand right that tore Tapley above the eyebrow."On the advice of the ringside doctor, the referee stopped the fight about a minute into round two. After the fight Tapley received 10 stitches in the wound.
© 2005 Illawarra Mercury
