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Only 11 days after winning his last fight, unbeaten Brisbane fighter Kirra Ruston has gone and won himself a national title via brutal sixth round finish of Wollongong’s Tonga Tongotongo.
A former schoolboy rugby league star who played alongside Cleary, Tongotongo came into Wednesday night’s title blockbuster amid plenty of headlines and on a run of nine straight wins – all of them by knockout.
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Rushton, too, was undefeated in four fights, and had never been required to go beyond the second round.
As a result, fight week had been filled with predictions of the Australian title being won by KO – which is effectively what happened after Tongotongo retired on his stool, and with his left eye swollen shut, after the sixth.
Only minutes earlier, the former Penrith Panthers prospect had not only been caught in a corner, but refused a way out by Ruston – who unloaded, and eventually dropped his rival with a vicious flurry started by a brutal right uppercut.
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“Finally got a belt, let’s go,” the new champ said afterwards.
“I knew Tonga was a tough opponent and I had to be cautious.
“You’ve gotta take your time.
“I’m just stoked to be here.”
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While both fighters started cautiously, it was Ruston landing the more decisive blows by the fourth, before then doubling down in the fifth, most notably with two heavy right hands just before the bell.
Yet right throughout, Tonga continually threatened as you would expect a fella whose run through the amateurs and professional ranks had been 13 straight.
But then the sixth was a huge one for Ruston, who pushed his rival in the corner late and – with both swinging big – eventually dropped Tonga with an aggressive flurry led by that uppercut.
While Tongotongo found his feet as the bell sounded, and eventually found his way back to the stool, the fighter was retired before the seventh round began.