FORMER unified middleweight champion Daniel Geale was knocked out by fellow countryman Renold Quinlan at the Silverdome Basketball Stadium in Tasmania on Friday. The fight was Geale’s first since getting stopped by future hall-of-famer Miguel Cotto in a middleweight championship match in New York City in the Spring of 2015.
Geale struggled to keep up with the much more active Quinlan in the opening round. Part way through the second, he was caught with a devastating Quinlan right hand that sent him straight to the canvas.
The ex-champion rose to his feet before the ten-count but struggled to stay upright. He stumbled forward, toward the ropes, and was caught by the official, who immediately waved the fight off at 1:14 of the second round.
“Obviously I’m very disappointed,” Geale said after the fight. “I got caught. That happens in boxing.”
With the victory, Quinlan improves to 11-1 and acquires the IBO World super-middleweight title. He is currently unranked by the four major sanctioning bodies but a victory over the big-name veteran may pave the way for higher profile bouts, and likely bigger paydays, in Europe or the United States. That is if he can prove that this week’s victory was no fluke.
As for Geale, after an impressive four-year run, in which he won eight straight matches and two world titles, the former champion has now lost four out of his last six fights, including a contested split decision to Darren Barker and a devastating knockout defeat at the hands of Gennady Golovkin in a title bout.
The Australian’s recent performance casts serious doubt on his ability to continue to compete at the elite level but he has yet to formally announce his plans for the future, one way or the other.
“I’ve been in the ring with some of the toughest fighters in the world and I’m still here and looking forward to whatever comes next.”
