Maselino Masoe

Maselino Masoe Francis ( born June 6, 1966 in Apia, Samoa ) is a former professional boxer from New Zealand of Samoan origin and former WBA world champion at middleweight.

Maselino Masoe was born in Apia, the capital of the western part of the Samoan Islands, and is the older brother of Chris Masoe, a rugby union player. His father, his older brother Mika and two of his uncles are also boxers. He began at the age of five years with the boxes and played 86 amateur fights in his homeland. In 1993, he won the 16 -ocean in the light middleweight championships. For American Samoa, he participated three times in the Olympic Summer Games; 1988 welterweight and 1992 and 1996 in the light middleweight. In 1988 he was defeated in the second round of the U.S. world champion Kenneth Gould and was ranked 9th in 1992 he was defeated in the quarterfinals György Mizsei from Hungary and finished in 5th place while he lost in 1996 in the first battle against the Tunisian Mohamed Marmouri. His brother Mika in 1988 and 1992, also at the Olympic Games in part and twice reached the quarter-finals in the light heavyweight division.

In 1997 he moved to New Zealand and became a professional boxer in the middleweight division. He quickly made a name as a hard puncher; he won his first 14 fights, including 13 by knockout. He won in February 1998, the Oceanic Championships and in November the same year, the Pan - Pacific Championship title of the IBF.

On March 5, 2000, he suffered in Las Vegas the first defeat of his professional career when he technical knockout in round 5 lost to eventual WBA champion and also -hitting Santiago Samaniego (29 wins, including 24 KOs ). After four more knockout wins, he was defeated on 10 December 2000 in Illinois, the Central American champion of the WBA Tito Mendoza technical knockout in Round 3

On 2 December 2001, he won the Pan -Asian Championship title with a technical knockout in round 6 against Peter Mokomoko and defended it six times by Ko, which he eventually opened the chance for a world title fight.

On 1 May 2004 he pushed for the vacant WBA heavyweight title against the unbeaten, living in Denmark Kenyans Evans Ashira and won the title with a technical knockout in round 2 This, however, he lost in his first title defense on 11 March 2006 by points defeat to Felix Sturm. The duel against storm, it initially balanced. Storm developed in the aftermath benefits and caused quite a points lead, which he, however, the end of the fight only defended and increasingly withdrew from the fight to prevent the risk of Lucky punches. For this tactical defensive behavior was storm, although he had won the title, criticized by the public and given whistles.

On 8 July 2006 he boxed against Randy Griffin to another chance at the WBA title but lost on points. After moving to the next higher weight class, the super middleweight, he won in June 2008, the New Zealand championship title and in November the Asia -Pacific Championship title of the WBO.

On April 25, 2009, he boxed against the unbeaten Károly Balzsay for the WBO world title but lost by KO in the 11th round.

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