BOXER Tristan Maskell has won the Australian amateur cruiserweight title with a second-round stoppage of Tasmanian Casey Lockett.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Maskell, 20, of Bonnells Bay, earned the technical knock-out victory at the Australian Amateur Boxing Championships in Hobart.
Maskell felled the Tasmanian early in the second round. The bout continued but the referee soon called a halt.
Maskell earned his place in the title fight when he scored a unanimous points decision over Queenslander Bodie Benyon over four rounds.
A tall and powerful orthodox boxer, Maskell trains at Team Machine Boxing Club gym, in Toronto.
Trainers Daniel Ford, Chad Griffiths, Matt Ford and World Boxing Foundation super lightweight champion, Blake Minto, are overseeing Maskell’s development.
Last month, Maskell defeated highly rated Bathurst boxer Mitchell Stevens to win the Global League International Boxing Incorporated title at Nyngan RSL and Civic Club.
“Tristan won that with a third-round TKO against Stevens who was probably Tristan’s strongest opponent to date,” Griffiths said.
“Tristan started off a bit slowly and probably lost the opening two rounds.”
But Maskell upped his work rate in the third, and the referee intervened.
Griffiths said it was exciting to be in Maskell’s corner.
He said Maskell’s recent results vindicated the path the Team Machine Boxing Club crew had plotted for the boxer.
“It feels like all of the hard work we’re putting in is paying off,” Griffiths said.
A key component of Maskell’s transformation had been his twice-a-day cardio workouts which have enabled him to significantly increase his work rate in the ring.
His high work rate, long reach, and punching power is a combination that few opponents can cope with.
“This kid wants to be a world champ,” Griffiths said.
Maskell now holds the Global League International Boxing Incorporated belt, as well as the Northern NSW, NSW, and Australian amateur cruiserweight titles.
“We’ve given him two weeks off, then he’ll start training for what we hope will be another big year,” Griffiths said.
