Valiant Gibbs Falls Short Against Lee
Willie Gibbs came up short in his quest to upset heavily touted middleweight prospect Andy Lee, Saturday night in Lee's hometown of Limerick, Ireland, however, not before his durable chin, toughness, and heart won over the likes of Andy Lee and all of the Irishman's fans in attendance.
Though Lee controlled the action throughout most of the bout, and ultimately earned a tenth-round stoppage of the Philly native, "The Gladiator's" straight-ahead, relentless attack gave the hometown hero all he could have bargained for. "He is a gladiator," Lee stated following the action-packed affair. "He was my toughest opponent ever! Right until the very end, he kept trying to land that big one."
While Lee utilized his height, reach, and movement to keep Gibbs at bay throughout the majority of the bout, Gibbs kept coming, all the while seeking to land one of his two heavy hands on the face of the man heralded trainer Emmanuel Steward touts as "The best middleweight in the world." Gibbs did manage to land some big punches on occasion, particularly his vaunted right. However, every power punch Gibbs landed seemed to act as a reminder to Lee, who was stopped in his previous bout - a shocking upset loss at the hands of Brian Vera, that he must not remain in harms way.
Lee seemed to appear to be at the ready for the former USBA Middleweight champ from the onset, utilizing a full array of offensive weaponry - landing from all angles, and with a variety of combinations to both the head and body of the upset-minded Gibbs. Much to his credit, Gibbs, ever resilient, took them all in stride and continued to move forward.
In the tenth and final round, Gibbs thew caution to the wind, and nearly landed the one fight-altering punch he had so anxiously been seeking, as two consecutive overhand rights from Gibbs not only stunned Lee, but also opened up a large gash upon the forehead of the Irishman. And just as Gibbs is to be credited for his chin and toughness, so too must Lee. After having taken the best Gibbs had to offer, Lee fired back with a vicious right hand of his own, introducing Gibbs to the canvas with less than a minute remaining in the bout. Gibbs, to nobody's surprise, immediately climbed back to his feet, more than willing to carry on - albeit on rather unsteady legs.
Lee, recognizing the trouble his foe was in, went for the finish - throwing numerous ill-intended punches that appeared to have Gibbs in trouble once again. This time, believing their fighter had endured enough punishment, and knowing that Gibbs himself would never surrender, the Gibbs' corner threw in the towel, thus prompting the referee to call a halt to the action.
Time of the stoppage was 2:46 of the tenth round.
Orr Victorious at The Castle!
Donald "Donnie Boy" Orr earned his second consecutive victory while fighting under the Cappiello Promotions banner, with an eight-round unanimous decision over 14-year, 84-fight veteran Roberto Valenzuela (44-38-2, 37 KO's).
Orr controlled the action from bell to bell, to include a picture-perfect right uppercut / left hook combination that dropped Valenzuela to the canvas toward the end of the first round. Valenzuela manage to climb back to his feet at the count of eight, and then hung on to Orr to survive the final ten seconds of the round.
The win for Orr, a 2004 Canadian Olympian, upped the unbeaten middleweight prospects record to 13-0, 5 KO's. Orr's victory came in the co-feature bout of Saturday night's "Hassle at The Castle," in Boston, Massachusetts, where Orr's Irish heritage has quickly garnered him quite a fan base.
While Orr quite handily controlled the fight, he did incur a small amount of damage, as an accidental clash of heads in the second round left Orr bleeding profusely from just above his left eye. While Orr admits the cut did give him some temporary problems with his vision, it obviously did nothing to thwart Orr's success throughout the eight round affair. "This was the second fight in a row now, that this happened to me in the second round," Orr stated. "I couldn't see out of the eye in the second, as everything was just a white blotch in my vision, but it cleared after that, and didn't bother me anymore in the fight."
Orr doesn't believe the cut will put him on the shelf for any significant period of time, and wants to get back in the ring as quickly as possible. All three judges at ringside had Orr winning the fight decisively, with 80-71 verdicts on each of their respective cards, much to the liking of promoter Rich Cappiello. "Donnie really looked great out there tonight," Cappiello boasted. "He worked his jab very well, and followed it up with great combinations as well. He pitched a perfect shutout, plus a knockdown, against an incredibly well seasoned opponent. That was impressive!"
Results From Mohegan Sun
'Best Damn Fight Night Period'
Cappiello Promotions, in association with Hollybrook Regency Inc., held the first-ever all-female boxing event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, much to the delight of the 1,550-plus in attendance, and the nation-wide viewing audience on Fox Sports Net's 'Best Damn Fight Night Period' telecast.
"This was an incredible night of boxing," stated Cappiello Promotions president Rich Cappiello. "I've always been a big fan of women's boxing, but to have actually been a part of this great event, I now have an even greater respect for the talent these women truly have! It was my tremendous pleasure to have been able to work with the likes of IFBA President, Judy Kulis, her husband Rick, son Corey, and all the wonderful people from Fox Sports Net! Anyone who had the great fortune of watching this event, either live or on Fox Sports Net's 'Best Damn Fight Night Period', had the opportunity to watch some of boxing's most action-packed fights, and it was an honor to be a part of this fight card!"
Brown Outpoints Ashley
Retains Junior Featherweight Crown!
In the main event of the evening, Ontario, Canada's Lisa "Bad News" Brown earned a ten-round, split-decision victory over Westbury, New Yorks's Alicia "Slick" Ashley, thus retaining her IFBA Junior Featherweight Title. Judges at ringside, at least two of the three, opted for Brown's straightforward, aggressive style, to that of Ashley's evasiveness. Scorecards were tallied as follows: Don Trella and Tom Kaczmarek had the bout 97-93 for Brown, while Clark Sammartino scored the bout 96-94 for Ashley.
With the win, Brown improves her professional record to 15-3-3, 4 KO's, while Ashley falls to 14-8-1, 1 KO.
Emery Decisions Martinez!
In the co-feature bout of the evening, Jill Emery (9-2, 3 KO's) earned a unanimous ten-round decision victory over Dallas, Texas' Angelica Martinez (6-5-1, 1 KO), in capturing the vacant IFBA Welterweight Championship. Emery, a 38-year-old New York City native, utilized her reach, and southpaw stance to control the action from the onset. While judges Glen Feldman (99-91) and Clark Sammartino (97-93) had Emery winning rather easily, judge Tom Kaczmarek had the bout somewhat closer, scoring the victory for Emery 96-94. Following the bout, Martinez was taken to a nearby hospital for precautionary observation.
Nunez Decisions Stizes!
In the most action packed fight of the night Ela Nunez was awarded a unanimous decision victory over Jerri "Fists of Fury" Stizes (14-8-1, 6 KO's). While Stizes, a native of Springfield, Missouri, managed to introduce Nunez to the canvas in the fourth stanza, via a thunderous straight-right hand, judges at ringside felt Nunez did more than enough, throughout the six-round affair, to earn the nod. The victory for "Bam Bam" Nunez (7-3, 2 KO's) was her second victory, in as many fights, at the Mohegan Sun Arena. In her first bout at the 10,000-seat venue, Nunez earned a unanimous decision over hometown favorite Addy Irizzary, back on April 6, 2007. All three judges (Kaczmarek, Feldman, and Trella) scored the bout 58-55.
Cooper Stops Biggers In Four!
In her much-anticipated return to the ring, Melinda Cooper (19-0, 11 KO's) showed little signs of ring rust, following her 16-month layoff, stopping South Carolina's Donna "Nature Girl" Biggers (19-8-1, 6 KO's) in the fourth round. While most at ringside felt this bout, between the two heavy-handed women, would not likely reach the final bell, the dramatic fashion in which Cooper dominated her more experienced foe was nonetheless impressive. Picture-perfect left hooks from Cooper landed almost from the onset, and the impact they had on Biggers' face was even quicker. With Biggers right eye almost immediately blackened and swollen, Cooper then utilized an onslaught of right hands to do similar damage to the left side of the face of her Sourth Carolinian opponent. As the bell tolled to end the third round, and with both of Biggers' eyes then grotesquely swollen, fight fans had to wonder whether referee Dick Flaherty would even allow the action to continue. He did, but not for long! After several more Cooper barrages landed to the already beaten face of Biggers, Flaherty, upon the advice of the ringside physician, called a halt to the bout, earning Cooper a fourth-round TKO victory.
Reid Escapes With A Draw!
IFBA Flyweight Champion, and fan-favorite, Elena "Baby Doll" Reid (19-4-6, 5 KO's) walked away with a hard-fought draw with 19-year-old upstart, Ava Knight (3-0-1, 1 KO), in a six-round, non-title bout. Reid was originally slated to defend her flyweight crown against Russian challenger Anastasia Toktaulova (who was forced off the card due to visa problems), and then against substitute opponent Crystal Hoy (who was unable to receive medical clearance), wound up in the fight of her life against Knight, a former San Fransisco Golden Gloves Champ. While Reid escaped with a tough six-round draw, she credited both the opponent change, and the fighting ability of Knight. "I prepare for ten rounds of boxing," Reid stated. "That makes it difficult to fight a six-rounder, as I'm usually just getting going around that point. I get stronger as the fight moves along, and that makes it more beneficial to me to fight a ten round fight. However, Ava took the fight, and came to fight. We knew, going in, she was the real deal."
Ringside judges scored the bout as follows; Don Trella 58-56 - Knight, Clark Sammartino - 58-56 Reid, and Glen Feldman tallied the bout 57-57.
5/7/2008
ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights Results
Cappiello Promotions and ESPN2 boxing had the city of Boston rocking Wednesday night, as this week's installment of Wednesday Night Fights provided the jam-packed audience with upsets, knockouts, and action throughout. "It was a fantastic night of boxing," stated Cappiello Promotions president Rich Cappiello. "This card had it all, and because of the tremendous knockout ability some of these fighters had, ESPN2 was able to broadcast the entire event."
The atmosphere at The Roxy has always been something special on fight night, but on this occasion it even surpassed the norm. The Roxy has been known to have a cult-like following for boxing events for years, and although this event was held midweek, it was no exception. "All you had to do was look out into the crowd, and you knew it was a great card," Cappiello stated. "The fans that come out to watch the fights we put on at The Roxy are incredible. They truly appreciate the action and the effort the fighters put forth. They were on their feet more than they were in there seats!"
Lopez Upsets Oliver
In the main event, thirty-four-year-old former two-time world title challenger Reynaldo Lopez (29-5-2, 20 KOs) scored a shocking third-round knockout victory over previously undefeated IBF #2 super bantamweight Mike "Machine Gun" Oliver (21-1, 7 KOs). Oliver, who appeared to be in command until the sudden one punch ending, was caught flush with a tremendous hook from the Colombian native. The Lopez left hook leveled Oliver, forcing him to spiral face down to the canvas. Though Oliver managed to climb back to his feet, around the count of seven, veteran referee Dick Flaherty, seeing that Oliver still didn't have his legs completely under him, called a halt to the bout. The official time of the stoppage was 1:22 of the third stanza.
"I had an extra three pounds to work with, and I felt stronger than ever," an elated Lopez stated. "He wasn't moving his legs, and he left himself open every time he threw a punch. I thought he'd have more power, so I took it to him"
While Lopez entered the bout coming off two consecutive losses, and quite a bit of inactivity, both of those defeats were suffered at the hands of current world champions. In November 2006, Lopez lost a competitive twelve round decision to Cristian Mijares in an eliminator for the interim WBC super flyweight title, and in September 2007, Lopez moved up two weight divisions and competed in a toe-to-toe battle with current WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon.
Much to his credit, Oliver, who had expected a shot at a world title to come to fruition prior to tonight's bout, has been more than willing to maintain his activity level, rather than sit around idly, until a title shot cam about. Since winning an IBF title elimination bout over Cruz Carbajal last summer, a fight that never transpired into a shot at Molitor's crown, Oliver earned a unanimous decision victory over Al Seeger to capture the IBO title, and the Hartford, Connecticut native took the fight with the seasoned veteran Lopez.
Following the fight, Oliver, though disappointed, remained very positive about his future. "I'm good. I'm fine," Oliver declared. "No excuses, but he caught me in the back of the head, just prior to the knockdown, and I just never got a chance to recover. I'm going to get right back in the gym. No time off, just get right back to it. I'd love a rematch with Lopez, or I'd still love to fight Molitor. Maybe, Molitor won't be afraid of me now, and he'll take the fight with me, but I doubt it He'll probably use my loss as another excuse! It don't matter, I'll fight anyone!"
As for the 34 year-old Lopez, he has definitely shown that he is a test for any fighter between 115 to 122 pounds. Unfortunately, for Lopez, he might now have to deal with the same situation as Mike Oliver has been forced to deal with for quite some time no. Unfortunately, for Lopez, he might now be too good, too dangerous, for his own good.
"The Truth" Prevails
In the co-feature bout of the evening, Miami, Florida's Antwone "The Truth" Smith (10-1, 6 KO's) scored a third-round knockout victory over "The Contender's" Aaron "Two Guns" Torres (16-7, 6 KO's). In the second round of their welterweight affair, Smith followed a stiff left jab with a perfectly placed left hook, immediately dropping Torres to the canvas. "I dropped him with a good shot in the second round, but he still got up," stated Smith.
Following the knockdown, Smith continued to land clean, hard punches against Torres, but didn't seem overly anxious in pursuing a potential stoppage, and Torres survived to fight another round. "I was trying to pace myself for eight rounds," Smith would later explain. Smith's concern for going the distance, would soon become irrelevant, as a big right hand, just prior to the 2:30 mark of the third stanza, seriously wobbled Torres, introducing him to the canvas for the second time. This time, Torres would remain kneeling on the canvas as the referee counted to ten.
Despite the disheartening loss, Torres' manager, Paul Tyler, told Fightnews.com that "Although Aaron is very disappointed right now, we already have another fight lined up for him." While that fight is yet to be finalized, Tyler expressed his desire to see Torres return to the 140-pound junior welterweight division. "I'd like to see him back down at 140 pounds. That is where he is at his best." The official time of the stoppage came at 2:35 of the third stanza.
Eklund Decisions Velasquez
In the second bout of the evening, Lowell, Massachusetts junior welterweight Sean Eklund (6-2, 1 KO), who is trained by his uncle "Irish" Micky Ward, won a four round unanimous decision over Worcester, Massachusetts' Jose Velasquez (0-3). With Eklund, having already earned a split-decision victory over Velasquez back in February, he managed to have an easier time with the tall and lanky stature of his opponent on this night, earning a unanimous four round decision. "He really gives you a different look," Eklund stated. "This was my second time fighting him, and it still took a little bit to try and get accustomed to him."
While it may have taken Eklund a few rounds to adapt to the style of his foe, a few extra punches and a head butt from Velasquez, all coming after the bell, and requiring the need for referee Dick Flaherty to separate the two upon completion of the third round, may have given him some added incentive. In the fourth, and final round, Eklund picked up the pace tremendously, much to the delight of his legendary uncle, Ward. "He just has a tendency to start off slow, and that makes it difficult when you are only fighting four-rounders," Ward stated. "He's got to start the fight, the way he fought that fourth round."
Judges at ringside scored the bout 40-36, 40-36, 39-37.
Caminero Pummels Butler
Heavy-handed Lawrence, Massachusetts middleweight Eddie "Thunder" Caminero continued his winning ways, with a third-round technical knockout victory over Philadelphia pro-debut-er Adrick Butler (0-1). Caminero (4-0, 4 KO's) wasted little time in forcing his will upon Butler, charging across the ring, throwing ill-willed punches from the onset, yet he later accredited his victory to, ironically enough, his jab. "I hit him with some big shots, but it was my jab to the body that seemed to gradually wear him down," Caminero stated. "I just kept jabbing him in the solar plexus, and I could hear him grunt every time I landed."
Whether it was the result of the jab, or the bombs Caminero consistently hailed down upon Butler, the affect eventually took its toll. In the third round, Caminero managed to drop Butler to the canvas three times, utilizing a variety of different onslaughts, before referee Javier Lopez finally waived off the bout, thus saving Butler from any further punishment.
Following the action-packed victory, Caminero's trainer, Sean Farley told Fightnews.com that he was content with the win, and Eddie's preparation for the fight. "Eddie can really punch, and, again, that is what you saw tonight. He has power in both hands, and that is a rarity in boxing," Farley stated. "He was very well prepared, and he is in as good of shape as you could expect for a four round fighter."
Trader Decisions Rosario
In the fifth and final bout of the evening, all of which found their way onto the nationally televised ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights' broadcast, former Philadelphia amateur standout Frank Trader (1-0) earned a unanimous decision victory over Springfield, Massachusetts' Luis Rosario (4-13, 2 KO's). Though Rosario hadn't fought in over thirteen years, the thirty-five year-old veteran of sixteen fights presented Trader with a tough challenge for his pro debut.
In his last bout, back on November 8, 1994 , Rosario suffered a first-round knockout defeat at the hands of former USBA Featherweight Champion Angel Vazquez.
While Trader controlled the action throughout, Rosario did have his moments, giving the debuter a good introduction into the professional ranks. Judges at ringside all had the bout tallied at 40-36, in favor of Trader.
4/12/2008
"Ethnic Invasion" Rocks The Roxy
If the age old adage 'Big things come in little packages' ever rang true, the Cappiello Promotions "Ethnic Invasion" fight card was certainly a testament to the phrase. With 126-pound, Vietnamese-American featherweight, Dat "Dat Be Dat" Nguyen (12-1, 6 KO's) earning a a majority decision victory over Providence, Rhode Island native Robert Daluz (10-111-2,9 KO's), and the originally slated eight-bout card, having been reduced to four bouts, "Ethnic Invasion" was still a big hit in Boston. "Unfortunately, we were only able to give the Boston fight-fans four bouts," stated promoter Rich Cappiello. "However, they definitely got their money's worth on this night!"
While the eight-bout card was forced down to four professional bouts (two due to injury and a subsequent two bouts that were refused by the Massachusetts boxing commission), the Boston boxing fans still came out, in force, to take in the event. "We have always put on great show here, in Boston," Cappiello stated. "And, the fact that the fans still came out to support us, given the unfortunate turn of events, goes to show that the boxing fans know what they are going to get when they come to a card at The Roxy."
Nguyen Decisions Daluz
Once-beaten, Buddy McGirt-trained featherweight, Dat Nguyen (12-1, 6 KO's) earned a hard-fought, majority decision over Providence, Rhode Island's Robert "Dont Lose" Daluz, in what was DaLuz's (10-11-2, 9 KO's) first-ever New England professional appearance. "I was in the Navy for four years, and I have fought most of my career in Florida. This was my first time fighting back home."
While Nguyen started out fast and furious, DaLuz hung in there tough, standing his ground throughout. Nguyen's vicious body attack, in the early going, was relentless, and paid dividends as the late rounds wore on. "I hadn't fought in seven months," Nguyen stated. "I felt good, against a very tough opponent. He had the heart and wanted to win, but my desire and how much I wanted to win was just a little bit more. I had to shake off the ring-rust, and I felt I did that tonight."
Not only did Nguyen shake off the ring-rust, but he was also able to test his chin, and a very durable one at that, as the heavy-handed DaLuz managed to land some big right hands throughout the eight-round headlining bout." I caught hi with some big right hands," DaLuz stated. "We knew he would want to fight inside, so I tired to keep him outside and slip in some big ones whenever I could. I would have liked the majority decision to have gone the other way, though." Judges at ringside scored the bout 76-76, 78-74, and 78-74 for Nguyen.
Orr Decisions Taylor
Donald "Donnie Boy" Orr (12-0, 5 KO's) pitched a near perfect shutout in decisioning twenty nine fight veteran, Clarence Taylor (12-15-2, 6 KO's), in the evening's co-feature bout. Though Orr suffered a serious cut over his left eye, in the first round, as a result of an accidental clash of heads, the 2000 Canadian Olympian was unaffected, and dominated the action throughout the eight round affair.
Taylor, a slick veteran didn't make it easy for Orr, as the Delaware native tried to either remain elusive, or bully his way inside - typically head first. "Donald did a great job with an awkward fighter, " Cappiello stated. "Taylor was very slick, and very defensive minded, but Donald took every opening he left available. I thought he fought very well tonight, and he will develop a great following here in Boston." Though Orr is a Canadian native, his strong Irish ancestry brought out the Boston Irish in droves, with chants of "Ole, Ole, Ole," bellowing throughout the venue nearly every time Orr threw one of his many combinations. Judges at ringside tallied the bout 79-73, and 80-72 twice.
Rodriguez Stops Osborne
Two-time National Amateur champion, Edwin Rodriguez (4-0, 3 KO's) scored the only knockout of the evening, with a fourth round stoppage of Davenport, Iowas' Jeffrey Osborne (4-11-2, 1 KO), in what turned out to be an all action affair. While Rodriguez brought in all the credentials, the rugged Osborne never took a step back, as the two exchanged punch after punch throughout the four round slug-fest! Rodriguez landed combinations, body shots, and accurately placed head punches throughout, but Osborne simply kept moving forward gamely. In the final round, Rodriguez landed a big left hook to the head of Osborne, causing Osborne to immediately paw at his ear. The punch was the beginning of the end for Osborne, who was last stopped in 2006 by Ronald Hearns. Rodriguez then backed his game opponent into the corner, where he began to unleash a barrage of heavy handed punches, forcing referee Mike Ryan to jump in and call a halt to the action. Though there were only five seconds remaining in the bout, Ryan should be commended for making a tremendous call in ceasing the action, and saving Osborne from any further punishment. Time of the stoppage was 2:55 of round four.
Dunwell Outworks Antoine
Massachusetts' junior welterweight prospect, Simeon Dunwell (6-0, 2 KO's), fighting a serious case of the flu, put on a tremendously gutsy performance in decisioning thirty two fight veteran Damon Antoine (7-23-1, 3 KO's). While Dunwell's illness left him appearing to be out on his feet even prior to the first bell, the Peabody, Mass. native showed his heart in this one, outworking his most seasoned foe to date, throughout the six round action packed bout. Dunwell, in an effort to utilize what little energy he had on this night, counter-punched with great effectiveness. Dunwell used slick head movement in avoiding Antoine's attacks, then followed up with big left hooks and right hands, snapping back the head of Antoine throughout the bout.
Upon the announcement of the decision (59-56, 58-57, and 58-56), Dunwell dropped to his knees in sheer exhaustion. Though Dunwell had to be thrilled with his win, unfortunately you never would have been able to tell, as the gutsy junior welterweight had to be carried out of the venue, and into a car awaiting outside. Dunwell's brave performance in this bout can not be commended enough.
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2/8/2008
Escalante Defeats Beranza
WBO #7 junior featherweight contender Antonio Escalante defeated Jose Angel Beranza by ten round unanimous decision on Friday night at The Castle at Park Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts on the fight card promoted by Cappiello Promotions in association with Golden Boy Promotions. Scores of the bout were 100-92, 96-94, 98-92. FightNews scored the fight 98-92 for Escalante. With the win the twenty two year old Escalante, of El Paso, Texas, who has won thirteen of his last fourteen fights, will continue to rise in the junior featherweight ranks as he advanced his record to (18-2, 10 KOs) while the seasoned veteran Beranza levels at (30-13-2, 25 KOs).
In the first four stanzas, Escalante controlled the pace and showed ring generalship with a fluid, loose style. He was the more active and mobile fighter, with heavy handed punching to the head and body of his foe.
Beranza seemed timid, patient, and content to jab points when the opportunity presented itself.
By the end of the fourth round, Escalante seemed to have each round in hand. The only problem for him however was that it appeared fatigue was setting in as he sat on his stool at the end of the round gasping for air.
Beranza picked up the pace in the fifth round and scored with the more aggressive jabs some of which kicked Escalante's head skyward. Escalante appeared to have run out of gas as it was clear that he lost the round.
In the sixth and seventh rounds, Escalante kept his distance when Beranza came forward and he was able to score effectively by counter-punching his opponent. This caused Beranza to put his knee on the canvas as referee Charlie Dwyer waived it off as only a slip. Escalante seemed revitalized and resumed his earlier control of the fight's pace. As the bell rang for the eighth round, Beranza advanced with more determination probably on the advice of a concerned corner that the fight was not going the Mexican's way. He clocked Escalante hard with a powerful right jab that sealed the round for him. Escalante turned the heat back on for the final two rounds. The opponent, Beranza, received the cheers of the appreciative crowd for a fantastic trade of jabs and head shots that concluded the fight as a worthy main event.
After the fight, Escalante spoke to FightNews and said, "It's one more step to get a championship of the world. This was like a big test for me. He's an experienced fighter with twenty-five knockouts. I got him because I was sticking him and moving. He didn't even move. He was coming in and head butting and I would lean over too, but I busted out, I busted him. I did get tired about the fourth or fifth round, but I got my second wind."
Escalante continued by saying, "The cold conditions in the arena and especially downstairs in the dressing rooms, it was as cold as outside made it tough to warm up and prepare for the fight. I didn't really warm up until about the second or third round. It was that cold! I was staying busy out there, moving around and throwing a lot of jabs. So it was kind of hard for me to warm up. Keep looking at me because I'm going to be doing big things!"
Restro Defeats Tapia!
Good match making is the stuff that brings boxing fans back again and again. The co-main event of the evening evidenced such a great competitive fight as exciting welterweights, Jeffrey Resto, of the Bronx, New York, took on Tijuana, Mexico's Humberto Tapia. In the end, a late rally by Resto gave him a 77-75 lead on two cards, while Tapia prevailed 77-76 on the third card. A deserving and flashy Jeffrey Resto advances his record to (21-2, 13 KOs) while his game opponent Humberto Tapia settles at (12-6-1, 5 KOs).
The first three rounds showed the fighters fairly even as they traded fan pleasing power punching back and forth. Resto seemed to have the advantage in the fast paced action as he began to beat Tapia to the punch.
Throughout the fourth round and into the fifth, the pace slowed as Resto kept a distance and returned to his jab. Resto's locomotion and output increased in the last minute of each round to catch the judges' attention.
Tapia had Resto against the ropes in the sixth round and plugged away at the body. Resto defended Tapia's attempted onslaught by covering his head with gloves. He then nodded to Tapia, as if to say, "Bring it on!"
Resto liked fighting with his back against the ropes in counter punch mode. He again, during the last half minute of the round, was able to speed up his offense to finish the round effectively.
They touched gloves to start the seventh round and Restro used his height and reach advantage to tag Tapia with four good jabs. Tapia countered and scored effective body shots, while Restro circled and jabbed.
The eighth round saw the game fighters still at a fast pace, jabbing and counterpunching to the final bell, to the crowd's delight. Although Resto left the ring with the split decision victory, Humberto Tapia left the ring with the respect of his opponent and the fans in attendance.
Resto stated after the fight that his opponent, "was a tough guy and maybe because of my recent inactivity I didn't look as good as I thought I would. I do like fighting the ropes. Sometimes I like to slow down my pace to throw off my opponents, and then come on fast. It's part of the game."
Eklund Squeaks By Velasquez!
Junior welterweights Sean Eklund and Jose Velasquez battled it out for four rounds, with Eklund getting the judges split decision nod at 40-37 twice to Velazquez' 40-38. Eklund, of Lowell, MA, climbed to (5-2, 1 KO) while Jose Velasquez remains winless at (0-2).
Sean Eklund, with his uncle and legendary fighter "Irish" Micky Ward working his corner, has six professional bouts under his belt. Velazquez, with only one prior professional fight under his own belt gave Eklund a run for his money as the game Worcester, MA native showed great promise as he challenged in each and every round.
Velasquez said to FightNews after the fight, "I think I lost because I didn't let go of my hands. I was supposed to let my hands go and I think I waited too long. I give credit to Sean. He's a good fighter, and Micky Ward in his corner is one of the best. They did their job and did what they had to do. If I was in better shape, I trained like three weeks for this fight, and I just came from the street. So, if I had more notice and a little more time to train, I'm positive that it would have been a different outcome."
Sean Eklund commented afterwards, "I wasn't as impressive as I wanted to be, but he was awfully tall and rangy. It wasn't a pretty fight, but it was good to get a "W" against a guy like that, because it is hard to look good against a guy like that."
Micky Ward, who worked Eklund's corner, commented on his fighter's performance. "He fought well. It was a bit of a test for him and there are little things Sean needs to work on you know. In boxing you don't learn overnight. You got to put the pieces together. Tonight he tried to box a boxer and you can't do that. You gotta get underneath those punches and when you stay outside you can't do it," said Ward.
Rodriguez Wins Again!
Worcester, Massachusetts' highly touted super middleweight, Edwin Rodriguez (2-0, 2KOs) gained his second professional win with a resounding technical knockout of Ashboro, North Carolina's Fitzgerald Johnson at 2:47 of the fourth round.
Rodriguez displayed calm ring generalship as he repetitively clocked his opponent time after time with effective hook shots to the head and body. When referee Charlie Dwyer waived the fight off as Johnson lay on the canvas, a large partisan Worcester fandom paraded their rising star out of the ring.
The 22 year old, six foot tall Rodriguez, the 2005 USA Boxing national champion and 2006 Golden Gloves national champion, remains undefeated with two professional wins, both by technical knockout. Johnson returns home at (1-3, 1 KO).
Rodriguez spoke to FightNews after the fight about his opponent, "At the weigh in Johnson was giving me the stare-down and telling me that 'it's on,' and I stared him back and told him 'it's on, and you better be ready!'
"I tried to settle in, in the first round, and see how he feels. I knew that he was going to be a tough kid, and that he wasn't going to go down easy, so I just worked and the knock out came. I was surprised that he kept getting up after I knocked him down a couple times, because I hit him with some hard shots to the body and head," said Rodriguez.
He continued by saying, "I was a little bit punched out by the action but, when I felt he was going down, I needed to be 2-0 with knockouts! But he was a tough kid and I take my hat off to him. I did what I had to do tonight and thanks to God. I'm just very grateful."
Rodriguez manager, Attorney Larry Army, Jr., commented to FightNews about Rodriguez, "I saw that Edwin can make a hit, a big hit. That was really impressive. I thought it was a great fight, not one most boxers would have until they had seven or eight fights. When he got hit, he came back, and he did a great job working the body. To be honest with you, I don't know how that kid (Johnson) got up!
LaMonica Knocks Out Hatcher!
South Boston's junior welterweight, Anthony LaMonica pulverized an overmatched Scorn Hatcher of Akron, Ohio in a four round rout that saw Hatcher's mouthpiece making more appearances than his fists in the ring as he landed on Hatcher repetitively knocking him to the canvas.
Most the knock downs were from LaMonica's right and the final knockdown was sounded by a powerful left hook that saw the referee calling the fight off, and the paramedics in, as Hatcher had to be carried out of the ring afterwards medical treatment.
LaMonica grabs his fourth knockout, and remains undefeated (5-0, 4KOs), while Hatcher may want retire with at (0-4).
Caminero Remains Unbeaten!
Lawrence, Massachusetts' Eddie "Thunder" Caminero took less than one round to defeat Kevin Bartlett, of Eden, North Carolina in a scheduled four rounds bout in the super middleweight division.
After Bartlett was hit with a resounding left hook in the first stanza, the referee saw the writing on the wall and inquired of Bartlett if he wanted to go on, and the dazed North Carolinian knew it was not his day, allowing the ref to waive the fight off.
Caminero remains undefeated at (3-0, 3KOs) while Bartlett's loss posts him at (0-3) with all three losses by way of knockout.
Miller Pummels Calloway
Unbeaten Providence, Rhode Island heavyweight Phillip "Killa" Miller maintained his unblemished professional record (3-0, 2 KO's), scoring a devastating first-round, one-punch knockout victory over Virginia's Justin Calloway (0-2). Miller, a United States Coast Guardsmen, landed a powerful right hand to the top of Calloways head, immediately dropping the Virginia native, and forcing the referee to call a halt to the bout without even administering the full ten-count. Time of the stoppage was 28 seconds. Calloway was taking by ambulance to a nearby hospital for evaluation. Both Calloway and Hatcher were evaluated and released that evening.
