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Ramon Dekkers: vs. Gilbert Ballantine (Third Fight) |
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| Their final fight took place on 20-02-1994 also in
Sporthallen Zuid in Amsterdam. At that time Ramon had a big problem with his
ankle and Bas Boon, who was a promoter on the rematch became very nervous
after seeing that injury. This huge rematch against Gilbert Ballantine was
very important for Ramon. Watching that fight, you could see that Ramon was heavily relying on boxing techniques. Because of all the operations he had on his legs, (6 operations in 2 years) he just actually couldn’t really kick with his right leg – he had to do it all with the left one. But, he still was punching and kicking very strong in this fight with Gilbert Ballantine. Ramon couldn’t kick with his right leg, he could only use his left. His right hand was injured, so, it was 50% of Ramon in the ring. Half Dekkers against Gilbert. |
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| You could not help noticing the way they “eyed” each other,
these two guys. It was interesting because both these guys, on paper, have
similar styles because they’re both punchers and they both like to throw
wild kicks. But when you see the fight in its entirety, you realize that
even though they are punchers, they punch entirely different. Ballantine is,
in some ways, more of a brawler, more of a street fighter, where, Dekkers is
more of a technician. Ballantine really tried to snatch this fight away from
Dekkers. But it was Dekkers’ heart which eclipsed his injuries. It was that
big heart indeed plus the years of training that he had had that forged an
iron will. Even though he was only kicking with that left leg, the pain he
was feeling in the right leg did not deter him from taking this win against
his cross-town rivalry, Gilbert Ballantine. We shouldn’t forget that Ballantine was a great, great champion in his own right – a formidable fighter. And for Dekkers to be able, even at this stage in his career, to wage a war with Gilbert Ballantine is really an amazing feat. |
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In the first round Dekkers dominated with hard punches and kicks to Ballantine's body. In the second round, Dekkers dropped Ballantine with a cross which the referee did not count. After a minute, Dekkers dropped him again with a heavy series of punches and Ballantine went down again for the long count. In the third round, Ballantine fought defensively and Dekkers scored more kicks and knees to win the round. In the fourth round both fighters picked up the tempo and Ballantine did a very good comeback on points. This round is seen as a draw. In the final round Ballantine gave everything he had and won the round. The result was a win for Dekkers by decision. (Ballantine's camp has made it known that Dekkers outweighed Ballantine significantly.) After that fight there was no bad blood between them. There may have been at the initial time that they met. But after a war like this where these two warriors went toe to toe and head to head, they gained that mutual respect for one another. |
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Next: Pralomran |
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