Thunderdome 55: Owen Corrigan faces Paolo Ratumaikoro

Owen “Bomber” Corrigan will defend his unbeaten momentum against Fijian Paolo Ratumaikoro at Dragon Fire Boxing’s Thunderdome 55 on August 28. The bout will take place at Metro City Arena in Perth after the original opponent, Cole Smith, was replaced during fight week.

Several fighters were affected by injuries during Corrigan’s preparations, forcing changes to the planned matchup. Ratumaikoro has now stepped in for the contest, giving the Australasian light heavyweight champion an opponent with considerable experience against high-level opposition.

Ratumaikoro arrives after a controversial split-decision defeat by Abdul Abdulrahman, who has a 16-2 record. Their bout was regarded as one of the year’s most entertaining contests. The Fijian has also shared the ring with unbeaten prospect Omar El-Abdallah, as well as Kirra Ruston, Donald Jones and Benjamin Hussein.

Corrigan has continued preparing at the Dragon Fire Boxing Gym under Angelo Hyder and Tony Nobbs, whose gym has also been home to current and former world champions Andrew and Jason Moloney. Rather than viewing the late change as a setback, Corrigan considers Ratumaikoro a more demanding and stylistically intriguing opponent than Smith.

The fight comes after Corrigan broke into the Australian Top 15 rankings. He remains unbeaten and holds the Australasian light heavyweight title, but regards the ranking as an early milestone in a division he considers highly competitive. He has also made clear that his immediate focus is the task in the ring, while maintaining respect for Ratumaikoro for accepting the bout at short notice.

Corrigan has credited his supporters for helping him progress and described their commitment to attending his fights as an important part of his rise. Thunderdome 55 will give him another test against a durable opponent with a record of facing established names, while Ratumaikoro gets the opportunity to challenge the unbeaten champion in Perth.