February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
With the women of the Dunne clan -? wife Pamela, sister Debra, 8-week-old niece Amber, mother Angela and aunt Betty ?- at ringside, Dunne was made to work for his win down the stretch at the Pala Casino in Pala, Calif., despite decking Mora in the fourth stanza.
The 24-year-old featherweight sensation hurt his troublesome right hand in the second stanza but still did enough against his heavier foe to pitch a near shut out. He won all the rounds on one scorecard (60-53) and five of the six on the other two (59-54) to earn a unanimous points decision.
Dunne, who?d first injured his hand against Alejandro Cruz Ramirez last November, improved to 13-0 (8 KOs), while Mora, who?s 26, suffered one of his more respectable losses on any of his two conflicting records obtained by the Echo.
According to ESPN2, which televised the bout, Mora entered the ring with a 7-9 log (3 KOs). But the authoritative Boxrec.com Web site lists Mora as a lightweight (135-pounder), now 1-9 after last week?s defeat, who?d only fought at featherweight (126 pounds) once before.
This probably explains why the Mexican was able to withstand Dunne?s big shots whenever the explosive-punching Dubliner opened up.
?It wasn?t a major issue,? the Los Angeles-based Dunne said later, dismissing Mora?s size. ?Nearly all my opponents have been heavier than me.?
?I thought that I boxed extremely well. I hurt my right hand in the second round and that made up my mind on what my tactics would be.?
For most of the contest, Dunne worked behind a quick left jab, boxing methodically and throwing a repertoire of punches.
He landed cleanly and often, but Mora, who?d been knocked out seven times in the last two and a half years and was coming off a first-round stoppage loss six months ago, took the shots well.
That was until the fourth round, when Dunne opened up with a right hook, and left and right combination to the head that put Mora down for an eight-count.
Dunne went for the kill when the fight continued. He pounded away at the Mora but could not land the killer shot.
?I tried to finish him off and then stepped back. I didn?t want to [aggravate] my hand,? he explained.
Ironically, the knockdown seemed to invigorate the Mexican, who came on strongly in the last minute, connecting with a few nice shots of his own.
On his back heel before hitting the canvas, Mora was more competitive afterward, as Dunne appeared to tire.
Nonetheless, the featherweight prospect still closed the show with several thudding blows, including a right hook that stunned Mora in the middle of the ring.
Dunne, who ended a five-month layoff, landed 118 of the 426 punches he threw, while Mora connected on 51 of 343 attempts.
Dunne will have his right hand examined this week. Depending on the severity of the injury, he could return on Aug. 19 on the East Coast, in a fight to be broadcast by the Showtime cable network.
GAVIN STRICKEN
Al Gavin, the gentle giant and cutman to some of boxing?s greatest fighters, suffered a massive stroke at his Bethpage home last week. By press time, the 70-year-old remained in a coma in a Long Island hospital.
The son of a County Wicklow plumber, Gavin was the big, quiet figure seen frequently in Lennox Lewis’s corner during the retired former world heavyweight titlists?career.
Gavin also worked with bantamweight Junior Jones, featherweight Kevin Kelly, heavyweight Bruce Seldon and super bantamweight Tracy Harris Patterson, among others, during their world championship reigns.
Micky Ward, Martin O?Malley and light middleweight John Duddy are some of the Irish fighters he?s been associated with.
The co-recipient of the Boxing Writers Association of America’s 1999 James J. Walker Award for “Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing,” Gavin is regarded as the best cutman in the business.
Asked in an Echo interview earlier this year if he had any plans of retiring after nearly half a century in boxing, Gavin said, ?When I can’t get up the [ring] stairs, I’ll stay home.?