Rocky Jerkic and Shannon King show the value of an Australian title

 
FOR those watching, Saturday night was a reminder as to why they fell in love with the sport.

 
An intelligent but unproven prospect battled adversity before rising to lift the coveted national title against an equally determined but ultimately outgunned veteran. It was a grudge match to settle an old score.

 
The audience knew Rocky Jerkic had talent to burn, but they were also aware that defending national champion Shannon King had knockout power. Something had to give and it took eight hellacious rounds to find out what.

 
Jerkic (now 12-0, 9 KOs) showed the composure of a veteran, tuning out a hostile crowd at the Mansfield Tavern and honing in on the cumbersome style of King (now 9-2, 7 KOs), stunning him with a lunging left hook.

 
The Indigenous ace landed a plethora of swarming blows on King, enough to have floored many men, but not the durable veteran standing across from him. At times Jerkic looked discouraged by King’s unwillingness to go down.

 
In a remarkable display of will, King survived multiple onslaughts from Jerkic – and despite looking in big trouble on more than one occasion – he rallied to take a slender lead ahead of the final two rounds.

 
King, 37, showed an incredible ability to recuperate between rounds, eating an offensive assault like none other that he had previously faced in his short boxing career.

 
Nevertheless, he battled on.

 
Although the markings around both fighters faces grew as each round passed, King maintained an aggressive attack to Jerkic’s body which appeared to take a lot out of the undefeated prospect.

 
With the fight on the line and with a losing deficit to battle, Jerkic pulled out a game changing play.

 
A looping overhand right separated King from his senses, before a blistering sequence of thirteen unanswered blows brought the reigning champion to the canvas. A second knockdown followed and the fight was called.

 
With the hatch buried, both fighters showed an appreciation for the efforts put in, the type that usually follows an exceptional battle of attrition. With the little energy they had left, the pair heaped praise on each other.

 
“I turned 38 in January, so I’m pretty old,” said King in his post-fight interview.

 
“I thought I was breaking Rocky’s spirit, but with someone as talented as Rocky, you’ve got to be on your game at any time. I was breaking him but just his speed and his talent got me,”

 
“I should’ve been wary of that the whole time,”

 
“I just want to say it was a might effort from Shannon King,” said a clearly fatigued Jerkic post-fight.

 
“The guy has been around for a long time, he’s the toughest guy in Brisbane I believe, if not one of the toughest customers in Australia. To overcome him is like climbing Mount Everest,”

 
“To be honest that wasn’t me boxing at all, I couldn’t find my legs from start to finish. I just had to let Shannon come in. He was throwing a lot of shots and I was taking my time, picking my shots,”

 
“I don’t know what round it was, but when I hurt him, I had to jump on him. I’m sure he would’ve done the same,”

 
In an era where most fighters carry regional baubles and paper ratings, it was a welcome change to see two of the countries best battle for bragging rights and the honour of being called an Australian champion.

 
Rocky Jerkic may go on to win a cabinet full of titles on his long professional journey, some with worth, many without. But from Saturday night onwards, he will do so having proved he is the best in his backyard first.

 
 
Words: Brock Ellis
Photo: DownUnderBoxing