Roc Nation Sports Makes Boxing Debut: Hernandez-Harrison Bests Rainone, Johnson Stops Theran
By Tyson Bruce
The Jay Z led promotional label Roc Nation gripped the attention of the boxing world this week with the acquisition of Shaw Promotions and the signing of one of boxing’s most gifted practitioners in Super Middle Weight champion Andre Ward. The big week for the company crested on Friday night when Roc Nation put on its first televised boxing card dubbed “Throne Boxing” from the Madison Square Garden Theater in Manhattan.
In the main event of the evening, welterweight prospect Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, 25-0-0-(13 KOs) won a virtual shutout decision over journeyman Tommy Rainone, 22-6-1-(4 KOs). Harrison, just twenty years of age, was the aggressor throughout the fight and used his superior talent and skills to dominate the bout.
Rainone seemed happy just to share the big stage with Hernandez-Harrison and was content to simply move around the ring and flick out the occasional jab. Harrison had a massive seventh round when he stunned his opponent with series of well-placed left-hooks.
The judges scored the bout 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91 to Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, who appears ready for a step up in opposition.
In the lead preliminary bout of the evening, the promising middleweight Tureano Johnson, 17-1-0-(12 KOs), toyed with the novice Alex Theran in a scheduled ten-rounder.
Johnson, known for his hyper-aggressive style, swept the early rounds by consistently being the aggressor. Johnson ramped up the aggression in the third round and forced Theran to take a knee as the result of a series of vicious body punches. Surprisingly, Theran managed to last until the fifth round when another left-hook to the body forced him to the canvas.
Theran did not come out for the sixth round, dubiously claiming an ankle injury. Theran now drops to 17-2-0 (9 KOs).