Marion Ah Tong Victorious In His Pro Boxing Debut
Marion Ah Tong Right
Photo: Supplied
Marion Ah Tong emerged victorious from his professional boxing debut against Ratu Rakuro Domocokai last Friday evening at the Next Generation Judgement Day 2022 held at Gym-2 Tuanaimato.
The hundreds of boxing fanatics that gathered at the event were able to witness one of Samoa's boxing sons, Marion Ah Tong, showcase some of his skills against his Fijian opponent.
In the first round of the clash, both fighters started things slow and tried to figure out each other's gameplan in the opening seconds. Marion however was more successful, landing jab after jab to Rakuro's face, while the latter tried his best to steer clear of Marion's punches.
During the second round, Marion was the more aggressive fighter as he put Ratu under a lot of pressure with a left hook to the face which almost made him stagger, but Ratu showed a lot of resilience and was able to make it to the end of the second round.
The third round of the match was filled with a lot of mishaps, Ratu's mouthguard flew out, and the fighter also slipped when he was clinching with Marion, and also managed to lose a shoe during the fight.
Round four was similar to round three, with Marion warned by the referee for striking Ratu in the back of his head.
In round five, Marion tried his best to hunt down his foe, but Ratu was able to dodge his devastating left hook which missed just by inches.
The final round of the bout had fans worried as Marion was attended to by his corner for an irritation bothering the eye of the fighter.
Marion's coaches were able to fix the irritation and get the fight back on track. The fight went to the judges scorecards, and all the judges awarded Marion Ah Tong the unanimous decision victory.
After the win, Marion thanked his family, friends and supporters, and the people of Samoa for supporting him as he began his journey as a professional athlete. Marion also acknowledged the support of fellow boxer and close friend Ato Plodzicki Faoagali for helping him become the fighter he is today.