Young boxer Mose Auimatagi Jr reckons his NZ and Samoan roots helped him to a sensational last-second upset win in Cardiff this morning.
Auimatagi Jr's bout with Welsham Morgan Jones kicked off the undercard for the blockbuster heavyweight unification fight between Anthony Joshua and Kiwi Joseph Parker at the Principality Stadium this morning.
The 22-year-old Aucklander started well but was staring down the barrel of a points loss even before he was floored by a Jones right hook early in the sixth and final round.
He recovered superbly to unleash a combination of body shots which sent Jones running, the referee stopping the fight with just eight seconds to go and victory looming for the hometown hope.
Auimatagi Jr said he's resilience came from his roots.
"I think I showed some Kiwi heart and Samoan strength!" he laughed.
"I took a lot of big shots, I think the past five rounds I was getting hit all day and coach told me to pull one out of the bag and I did."
Auimatagi Jr had Jones on the ropes more than once in the opening round and unleashed a late flurry in the second but that was as good as it got for him in the early stages.
Jones came to life late in the third, an uppercut and an overhead right bringing applause from the sparse crowd and allowing him to dictate terms until Auimatagi's late fightback.
The New Zealander's record moved to 10-1-2 (6 KOs) with Jones tasting defeat for the first time in his 13-fight professional career.
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