Tag Archives: bethlehem

Posted on 04/14/2018

By: Ken Hissner

At the Sands Event Center in Bethlehem, PA, Friday night Marshall Kauffman’s King’s Promotion put on an 8 bout card.

In the Main Event Super Featherweight southpaw Frank Santos De Alba, 22-3-2 (9), of Allentown, PA, lost a disputed decision to O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster, 13-2 (8), of Houston, TX, over 8 furious rounds.

In the first round Foster landed first with a lead right to the chin with southpaw DeAlba returning the favor with a left to the chin of Foster. DeAlba landed a lead left to the chin of Foster. Foster landed a lead right to the chin of DeAlba making him shake his head. Foster countered with a solid right to the chin of DeAlba.

In the second round Foster landed a pair of rights to the chin with the second one rattling DeAlba. DeAlba landed a wide right hook to the head of Foster. DeAlba scored with a left to the chin of Foster. Plenty of action in this one and the DeAlba fans are standing and cheering.

In the third round Foster landed a lead right to the chin of DeAlba. Foster repeated with a lead right to the head of DeAlba. DeAlba was the aggressor but hadn’t fought for a year. Foster countered with a right to the chin of DeAlba. In the fourth round referee Gary Rosato warned Foster for using his forearm. DeAlba landed a straight left to the chin of Foster. Foster turned southpaw using his jab.

In the fifth round Foster rocked DeAlba with a lead right to the chin. He came back and rocked DeAlba again with a right to the chin. Foster landed a combination to the chin of DeAlba who came fighting back with a flurry of punches to the head of Foster. Foster landed a combination with DeAlba coming back with his combination as the action had the fans standing. DeAlba rocked Foster with a left to the chin at the bell.

In the sixth round Foster landed a right followed by a left that rocked DeAlba who countered with a left as the mouthpiece of Foster flew out of the ring. Foster landed a hard left hook to the chin hurting DeAlba. Foster landed a combination to the chin of DeAlba who came right back with a wicked right hook to the head of Foster.

In the seventh round Foster landed a right and DeAlba countered with a left both to the chins of one another. DeAlba landed a solid left to the chin rocking Foster. The pace was furious with the fans yelling “let’s go Frank!” DeAlba landed a right hook to the chin of Foster.

In the eighth and final round Foster rocked DeAlba with a right and DeAlba came back with a left of his own. The fight is up for grabs as both are throwing leather at a furious pace. A right hook from DeAlba landed on the chin of Foster. A hard left hook from Foster landed on the side of DeAlba’s head. This was repeated. DeAlba landed a hard right hook to the chin of Foster. What a fight!

Judge Pojuraj 76-76, McKaie 78-74 and Friscia 79-73 while this writer disagreed 77-75 for the loser.

In the co-feature Cruiserweight southpaw “Lights Out” Luther Smith, 10-2 (9), of Bowie, MD, stopped southpaw Elvin “KoKo” Sanchez, 8-4-1 (6), of Paterson, NJ, at 0:55 of the second round of a scheduled 8.

In the first round Smith lands a combination to start the action. A hard right hook from Smith landed on the chin of Sanchez who then turns to orthodox. A Sanchez left to the chin of Smith drops him making his gloves hit the canvas as he quickly stands upright to the 8 count of referee Ron Bashir. In the second round Sanchez landed a left hook to the body that was countered by a short chopping left from Smith dropping Sanchez for the 8 count from referee Bashir. A straight lead left from Smith dropped Sanchez to his knees forcing referee Bashir to immediately wave it off without a count.

Welterweight “Crackin” Craig Callaghan, 17-1-1 (7), of the UK out of Houston, TX, drew with Cesar Sorlano Berumen, 28-37-3 (17), of Iztacalco, MEX, over 6 rounds.

In the first round Callaghan the taller of the two used an effective jab. Berumen landed a lwft hook to the chin but walked into a vicious left hook to the side of his head. Callaghan fired a lead right to the rib cage of Berumen just prior to the bell. In the second round Berumen landed a double left hook to the chin of Callaghan and followed up with a roundhouse right to the head of Callaghan. Callaghan landed a right uppercut to the chin of Berumen. The fans got behind the “underdog” Berumen landing an overhand right to the chin of Callaghan. Good round for Berumen.

In the third round Callaghan used a jab to mid-section followed with a right to the chin of Berumen. Callaghan landed a right to the body and was countered by a left hook from Berumen to the chin. In the fourth round Callaghan landed double jab followed by a right to the chin of Berumen. Berumen landed a combination to the head of Callaghan. Both landed left hooks to the chin at same time. Berumen landed a glazing right on the head of Callaghan.

In the fifth round Callaghan landed several lead rights to the body of Berumen hurting him. Callaghan landed a lead right to the chin of Berumen. Berumen landed a 3-punch combination to the head of Callaghan. Berumen was cut outside the left eye.

In the sixth and final round Callaghan came out aggressively knowing the fight is on the line. Berumen landed a flurry of punches while both in the middle of the ring. Berumen landed a pair of rights to the head of Callaghan. Berumen landed a 3-punch combination to the body and head of Callaghan. Callaghan landed a lead right to the chin of Berumen. Callaghan landed a lead right and left hook to the chin ob Berumen just before the bell ending the fight. Referee was Ron Bashir.

Judge Poturaj had it 58-56 Callaghan, Worwinski and McKaie had it 57-57 as did this writer.

Featherweight southpaw Martino “Titan” Jules, 4-0 (0), of Allentown, PA, decisioned Vincent “Too Bad” Jennings, 5-5-1 (4), of Grand Rapids, MI, over 4 rounds.

In the first round the southpaw Jules controlled with his jab. At the ten second warning Jennings threw his first punch a lead right to the chin of Jules. In the second round Jules drove Jennings around the ring finally landing a big right hook to the head. Jules controlled the round with his jab.

In the third round Jules landed a right hook followed by a left to the chin of Jennings. Jennings came back with a right uppercut to the chin of Jules. Jules landed a right hook and a left to the chin of Jennings. In the fourth and final round the smaller Jennings landed a lead right to the chin of Jules. Too many clinches for a final round as referee Gary Rosato was breaking them apart.

Judge Worlinski 40-36 while McKaie and Friscia 39-37 as did this writer.

Welterweight Jesus Perez, 3-1 (1), of Reading, PA, lost a hard fought decision to Anthony “Ace” Sonnier, 4-0 (2), of San Francisco, CA, over 6 rounds.

In the first round Perez landed a right over a Sonnier jab to the chin. Perez landed a left hook to the chin of the taller Sonnier. Against the ropes Sonnier landed two left uppercuts to the chin of Perez who countered with a right to the chin. Sonnier landed several punches to the head while against the ropes while Sonnier who came back with a left hook to the chin. In the second round in a corner of the ring Sonnier landed a chopping right to the head of Perez and a left hook to the head. Sonnier landed a stiff jab to the chin knocking the head of Perez back. Perez landed an overhand right to the chin rocking Sonnier making him hold on. The inside fighting is furious with the fans really in it for the local Perez.

In the third round Perez walked into a right from Sonnier and was dropped to a knee taking the 8 count from referee Gary Rosato. Perez went right after Sonnier driving him against the ropes but getting dropped from a Sonnier chopping right to the head. Perez landed five punches without return having Sonnier pinned in a neutral corner. In the fourth round Sonniers landed a straight right between the guard of Perez on the chin. Sonnier using his jab followed with a straight right to the chin of Perez. Perez continued to chase Sonnier getting him against the ropes.

In the fifth round Sonnier used a steady jab in the face of Perez drawing blood from the nose until a counter right to the head from Perez landed. Inside both were landing hard body shots. Sonnier put Perez into a corner with a left hook to the head. Both were firing inside right up until the bell the last ten seconds of the round.

In the sixth and final round Sonnier landed a hard right to the head of Perez. Perez came back landing a lead overhand right followed by a left hook to the head of Sonnier. The fight was furious inside from both warriors. Sonnier landed half a dozen unanswered punches to the head of Perez who came back with a flurry of his own. Perez landed a pair of left hooks and a right to the head of Sonnier at the bell. The fans loved this one!

Judge Friscia had it 58-54 while Poturaj and McKaie had it 59-53 while this writer had it 57-57.

Welterweight James “Thunder” Robinson, 5-9-4 (1), of York, PA, won a majority decision over Greg “Lil Greg” Jackson, 8-6-1 (2), of Philadelphia, PA, over 6 rounds.

In the first round Jackson used his jab to keep Robinson at bay. He controlled the round with the jab until the final ten seconds when Robinson threw a flurry of punches mostly blocked by Jackson. In the second round Jackson came out southpaw and turned back to orthodox and got caught with a Robinson left hook to the chin. Robinson drove Jackson across the ring with a flurry of punches.

In the third round Robinson tore into Jackson driving him into the ropes making Jackson hold on. Robinson continued backing up Jackson. In the fourth round Jackson landed a chopping right to the head of Robinson. Jackson landed a hard lead right to the chin of Robinson getting his attention. Jackson missed with a right and Robinson countered it with a right to the chin of Jackson.

In the fifth round Robinson countered Jackson with a combination to the chin. Jackson turned southpaw using a jab sparingly. Jackson landed a lead overhand right to the head of Robinson who then chased Jackson right up until the bell. In the sixth and final round Jackson landed a hard right to the body of Robinson. Robinson landed three unanswered punches to the body and head of Jackson just prior to the bell ending the fight.

Judge Worlinski 57-57, judge Poturaj and Frisica had it 59-57 while this writer had it 58-56.

Posted on 11/22/2017

By: Ken Hissner

King’s promotions returned to the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, Tuesday night before the largest crowd seen here in years with plenty of Allentown boxers on the undercard.

The main event featuring Frank DeAlba fell out due to his opponent Ivan Najera coming in 15 pounds over weight per PR man Marc Abrams!

In the Main Event welterweight southpaw Mykal “The Professor” Fox, 15-0 (4), of Forestville, MD, easily defeated southpaw Manuel “Chino” Reyes, 11-4-1 (5), of Los Angeles, CA, for the UBF All America title over 8 rounds.

In the opening round the much taller Fox works the ring well countering a chasing Reyes with jabs and left hands to the chin. Fox outworked Reyes for the most part. The second round Reyes tries to make Fox turn it into a brawl but Fox is to smart for this countering Reyes well. Fox landed half a dozen unanswered punches to the head of Reyes who is walking into punches trying to land a big shot. Reyes lands a solid right hook to the chin of Fox. Both fighters ended the round going to each others body.

In the third round both fighters are working inside mostly to the body with plenty of holding for referee Gary Rosato to break up. Reyes continues to chase down Fox running into jabs and left uppercuts. In the fourth round Fox landed several chopping left hands to the head of Reyes. The light punching Fox is just to fast a hand for Reyes. In the fifth round Reyes finally got Fox in a neutral corner with a flurry of punches. Fox counters with a 3-punch combination to the head of Reyes. Reyes works hard trying to catch up with Fox but only to run into combinations to the head while landing a punch or two.

In the sixth round Reyes runs into a straight left to the chin by Fox. Reyes landed several good shots to the body and head of a retreating Fox when he stopped moving. In the seventh round Reyes works the body only to b countered by Fox going to the head. Reyes kept trying to swarm all over Fox but continues to run into counter chopping left hands to the head. In the eighth and final round Fox lands a hard straight left to the head of Reyes. Reyes drove Fox into a neutral corner with body shots. Fox spun out and continues to counter Reyes until they continue to clinch making referee Rosato’s job tough at times.

Judge Dave Braswell had it 78-74, Ron McNair 79-73 and Bernard Bruni 80-72 same as this writer had it.

Lightweight Victor “Skinny” Vazquez, 9-3 (3), of Yonkers, NY, scored 3 knockdowns defeating Ricardo “La Ley” Garcia, 14-1 (9), of Santo Domingo, DR, now out of Reading, PA, by majority decision over 8 rounds.

In the opening round Garcia landed the first punch a left hook to the head of the taller Vazquez. Vazquez was the aggressor while Garcia was backing up with his hands down to his side. Vazquez turned southpaw and Garcia hit him with half a dozen punches bringing blood from his nose. Vazquez drove Garcia into the ropes with a lwft hook to the head as the round came to an end. In the second round Vazquez was using a good jab as Garcia was moving backwards before landing a counter right to the chin of Vazquez. Vazquez was chasing Garcia with little success as Garcia would land an occasional right to the head. Vazquez landed a double left hook to the head of Garcia just prior to the bell. Referee Clark had to separate the two at the bell of a close round.

In the third round Vazquez landed a good left hook to the chin of Garcia dropping him to the canvas. Garcia got up and both were slugging it out in the corner of Vazquez as Garcia came out of it with a cut along his left eyebrow. In the fourth round Vazquez opened up with a lead right to the head of a retreating Garcia. Garcia landed a right to the head but was countered by a right to the head from Vazquez. Garcia countered with a solid right to the chin of Vazquez who continues to run after Garcia who stops on occasion to throw punches. Garcia landed a 3-punch combination to the head of Vazquez just prior to the bell.

In the fifth round Garcia landed a right to the head of Vazquez but was countered with a left hook to the head. Vazquez landed a right hand and fell to the canvas. He got up and continued to chase Garcia who ended the round with a combination to the head of Vazquez. In the sixth round Vazquez came out southpaw and switching back and forth still chasing Garcia who stops long enough to counter the taller Vazquez. It looked like Vazquez knocked Garcia down but referee Shawn Clark ruled a no knockdown. Vazquez drove Garcia into a corner with a flurry of punches. Both fighters exchanged left hooks at the same time to the head.

In the seventh round Vazquez raced out of the corner making Garcia fight. Garcia landed a solid lead right to the head of Vazquez. A double left hook from Vazquez to the head of Garcia drove him into a corner. Vazquez ended the round with a left hook re-opening the cut along Garcia’s left eyebrow. In the eighth and final round a Vazquez right hand dropped Garcia. Vazquez landed a combination dropping Garcia into the ropes and down for a second time.

Judge Bruni scored it 75-75 while judges Braswell and McNair had it 77-72. This writer had it 76-73. Philadelphia’s Angel Pizarro Sr. worked the corner of Vazquez. Shawn Clark was the referee.

Super featherweight top area prospect Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 5-0 (5), of Allentown, PA, scored his fifth straight stoppage at 2:58 of the second round over Corben “The Ram” Page, 5-16-1 (0), of Springfield, OR.

In the opening round after half a minute Adorno landed a left hook to the chin of Page. Page landed several jabs to the body of Adorno. Adorno landed a left hook to the body that had Page shaking his head “no.” In the second round Adorno landed a left uppercut to the body. He followed up with a left hook to the chin of Page dropping him. Page got up but ran into a couple of left hooks from Adorno who started show boating. Page ran into an Adorno right hand to the chin rocking him. He followed up with a flurry of punches to the head dropping Page in the corner of Adorno forcing referee Rosato to wave off the fight immediately.

Featherweight Juan “Ciclon Jr.” Sanchez, 4-0 (1), of Allentown PA, won a decision over James “Too Slick” Early, 2-2 (0), of Seat Pleasant, MD, over 4 rounds.

In the first round Sanchez opened up with a right hand to the chin of Early who keeps switching back and forth to southpaw. Sanchez continued to be the aggressor against the taller Early. Sanchez showed better hand speed. In the second round Early continued to switch stances but not working with Sanchez now the counter puncher. Early drove Sanchez on the ropes for a short flurry of punches to the head. Sanchez came back well and is complaining of Early’s dirty tactics.

In the third round Early moved Sanchez into the neutral corner only to get hit with a pair of combinations to the head. In this round Sanchez was back as the aggressor. Sanchez landed a combination to the body of Early just prior to the end of the round. In the fourth and final round Early moved Sanchez into a corner only to get countered to the head. Sanchez was against the ropes with Early landed several head punches before being warned by referee Clark for a low blow. This was probably the closest round of the fight.

All 3 judge’s McNair, Braswell and Bruni had it 39-37 as did this writer.

Light flyweight Harold Lopez, Allentown, PA, 2-0-1 (1), of Allentown, PA, defeated Jerrod Miner, 1-1 (0), of Philadelphia, PA, over 4 rounds.

In the first round they were feeling each other out for the first minute before Lopez landed a right hand to the chin of Miner. Lopez landed a right to the chin of Miner but was countered with a combination to the head. Lopez landed a right just prior to the end of the round to the chin of Miner. In the second round Lopez continued to hold his hands high when he and Miner both landed right hands to the head. Miner landed a right to the chin of Lopez in the neutral corner. Both fighters are doing their share of missing wild punches with too much posing but the Lopez fans are still screaming for their fighter. Referee Rosato warned Lopez for using his head. Miner landed a left hook to the head of Lopez who countered with a right to the head of his own.

In the third round Lopez landed a hard right to the chin of Miner who came right back with a right of his own to the chin of Lopez. Things finally started to heat up until Lopez was warned for a low blow by referee Rosato. Miner was chasing Lopez for the most part. Lopez was using an effective jab until he was hit by a Miner left hook to the chin. Lopez keeps looking to his corner for direction. Lopez went to the body just prior to the round ending. Miner was complaining of a head butt. In the fourth and final round it was Miner landed a left hook to the head of Lopez who came right back with an overhand right to the head of Miner. Lopez landed a right to the head of Miner who came back with a left hook to the head of Lopez. Both fighters are going to the body while inside with uppercuts. Lopez landed a right uppercut to the chin of Miner. Both fighters looked exhausted at the end.

Judges Bruni had it 40-36 while Braswell and McNair had it 39-37 as did this writer. Rosato was the referee.

Heavyweight prospect NY Golden Gloves champion Michael “’P.A.N.” Coffie, 1-0 (1), of Brooklyn, PA, scored a big knockout at 1:01 of the first round over Ralph Alexander Lanham, 0-2 (0), of Lanham, MD, in a scheduled 4 rounds.

In the first round the much larger Coffie drive Alexander back with the first right to the chin several steps. Another Coffie right hand to the chin and Alexander was out cold before he hit the canvas. Referee Clark didn’t need to count.

Super bantamweight southpaw “Homocide” Hector Bayanilla, 2-0-1 (1), of Allentown, PA, won in a war over Jose Elizondo, 2-4-1 (0), of San Antonio, TX, over 4 rounds.

In the first round both fighters let it all hang out. No feeling out for these two. Bayanilla landed a combination to the head of Elizondo who came back with a combination of his own to the head of Bayanilla. Bayanilla landed half a dozen punches without return before Elizondo returned a right to the head of Bayanilla. It was Elizondo landing the final punches of the round as referee Rosato had to come between them at the bell. In the second round a left by Bayanilla to the chin dropped Elizondo. He got up laughing for the moment. Elizondo got back into the fight with both fighters letting it all hang out. Bayanilla rocked Elizondo with a right hook at the bell.

In the third round with his back to the ropes Bayanilloa fought back as Elizondo had forced him to the ropes. Both fighters took turns rocking each other with nothing but head shots. In the fourth and final round it was Elizondo who rocked Bayanilla only to have him come back in a total war! Neither fighter would let up in this one. The crowd is going wild! Elizondo put Bayanilla on the ropes only to get countered. Elizondo got in the final punch a right to the head of Bayanilla.

Judges Braswell and McNair scored it 39-36 while Bruni had it 40-35 as did this writer.
Referee was Rosato.

Opening bout Featherweight southpaw Martino Jules, 2-0 (0), of Allentown, PA, won by majority decision over Weusi “The Truth” Johnson, 2-7 (0), of Wilmington, DE, over 4 rounds.

In the first round both boxers mixed it up well with Jules taking the round. In the second round Johnson came back to take the round. In the third round Jules missed a right hand and almost went through the ropes. Jules landed a overhand left to the chin of Johnson just prior to the end of the round. In the fourth and final round Johnson was landing with the lead right against southpaw Jules just about every time he decided to throw it.

Judge Braswell scored 39-37, McNair 40-36 and Bruni 38-38 as did this writer. Referee was Clark.

Posted on 11/20/2017

By: Ken Hissner

Reading’s southpaw super featherweight Frank DeAlba, 22-2-2 (9), returns for his fifth appearance at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, PA, Tuesday night. It’s a Marshal Kauffman King’s Promotions 10 bout event over USA FOX Sports 1. Doors open 6:30pm.

DeAlba will take on Ivan “Bam Bam” Najera, 17-3 (8), of San Antonio, TX, for the UBF International super featherweight title. “Everything is good. I put in a hard 8 week camp,” said DeAlba.

The co-feature will have unbeaten welterweight Mykal Fox, 14-0 (4), of Forrestville, MD, taking on Marlon Aguas, 9-1 (6), of Quito, ECU. Lightweight Victor Vasquez, 8-3 (3), of Yonkers, NY, takes on Ricardo Garcia, 14-0 (9), of the Dominican.

There will be about five boxers on the card from nearby Allentown. Top area prospect super featherweight Joseph Adorno, 4-0 (4), of Allentown looks to extend his knockout streak taking on Jahaziel Vasquez, 1-5, of Monterrey, MEX. Allentown featherweight Juan Sanchez, 3-0 (1), takes on James Early, 2-1 (0), of Seat Pleasant, MD. Allentown’s bantamweight Harold Lopez, 1-0-1 (1), takes on Jerrod Miner 1-0 (0), of Philadelphia, Allentown’s super bantamweight Hector Bayanila, 1-0 (1), takes on Jose Elizondo, 2-3-1 (0), of Reynosa, MEX. Allentown’s featherweight Martino Jules, 1-0 (0), takes on Weusi Johnson, 2-6 (0), of Wilmington, DE.

Featherweight Marcus Bates, 7-0-1 (6), of DC, takes on Antonio Rodriguez, 11-19-1 (5), of Durango, MEX. Heavyweight prospect from Brooklyn, NY, making his debut is Michael Polite Coffie who takes on Ralph Alexander, 0-1 (0), of Lanham, MD.

Posted on 04/05/2017

Omar “Super O” Douglas Robbed by Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry!
By: Ken Hissner

At the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, Tuesday night “the 3 Blind Mice” in a Kings Promotion Omar “Super O” Douglas of Wilmington, DE, got robbed while Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry of the Bahamas now out of Wauchula, FL, got an “early Christmas present”. If the Boxing Director Greg Sirb doesn’t at least check judge Morgan’s 98-92 there is something rotten in Denmark! “Sirb said they are all world class judges when I questioned the scoring,” said Mr. Douglas.

In the main event super lightweight Omar “Super O” Douglas, 17-2 (12), of Wilmington, DE, was robbed when Edner “Cherry Bomb” Cherry, 36-7-2 (19), of the Bahamas now out of Wauchula, FL, was given the 10 round decision.

In the opening round Cherry controlled with hard rights to the head of Douglas until the latter started going to the jab and body. In the second round Douglas adjusted well in another good round of boxing. He landed several nice overhand rights to the head as Cherry would go to his own left. In the third round with Cherry chasing Douglas showed good movement landing right hands following an effective jab. Two of Philly’s top trainers “Bozy” Ennis and “The Breadman” were calling out instructions. The trainer of Douglas is Doug Pettiford.

In the fourth round Douglas was moving up and down throwing Cherry off. It’s been a very competitive fight but Cherry seems to have problems with the movement of Douglas. In the fifth round Douglas landed a power jab that snapped Cherry’s head back. This was a major test for Douglas coming off his first loss in his last fight. In the sixth round a Douglas left hook to the body drove Cherry back several steps. A solid lead right by Douglas on the chin of Cherry got his attention. At the bell a Douglas left hook to the chin almost dropped Cherry.

In the seventh round both landed left hooks at the same time. Douglas is now chasing Cherry starting to land a jab to the body and a left hook to the head driving Cherry back several steps at the bell. In the eighth round Cherry is back to chasing knowing he is behind late in the fight. Cherry landed a hard right after the bell for the second straight round without warning from referee Gary Rosato.

In the ninth round it was first Douglas then Cherry who landed hard rights to the head. Douglas continued to work the ring very well with Cherry very slow afoot. In the tenth and final round both fighters continued another round of Cherry chasing but walking into counters by Douglas. In the final 10 seconds both went all out trying to steal the round.

When it was announced judge Kevin Morgan had it 98-92 this writer agreed not even considering he had voted for Cherry while Steve Weisfeld and Ron McNair had it 96-94. This writer had Douglas the winner 98-92. This show should be under investigation by Sirb.

In the first televised bout super featherweight southpaw Frank Santos DeAlba, 22-2-2 (9), of Reading, PA, won a controversial decision over Ryan “Polish Prince” Kielczewski, 26-3 (8), of Quincy, MASS, over 8 rounds in a good match-up. Once again it took too long for the scores.

In the opening round DeAlba was the aggressor working nice behind a jab while Kielczewski was countering well at times holding his hands too low but a little faster hand speed than DeAlba. In the second round with hands low and slipping punches Kielczewski rocked DeAlba with a lead right to the chin. In the third round it turned out to be the best up to that point for DeAlba who got his shots in as much as Kielczewski. The locals are trying to urge DeAlba on but he doesn’t need it being the professional he is. In the fourth round it was DeAlba landing a good combination to the head of Kielczewski who kept it in the middle of the ring and paid the price. Halfway through the round Kielczewski was back on moving more.

In the fifth round it was back and forth with Kielczewski having a good round being the faster of the two. In the sixth round Kielczewski with hands down stands in front of DeAlba daring him to hit him on the chin while countering DeAlba. In the seventh round the action picked up even more with both exchanging punches mostly to the head. De Alba knowing he is behind coming out for the eighth and final round knew he needs it bad. Within 30 seconds both butted heads. DeAlba is swinging for the fences as Kielczweski uses the ring with an occasional counter right to the head of DeAlba. It was a big round for DeAlba.

Judge McNair had it 80-72 and must have been watching the round card girls instead of the fight. Both Weisfeld and Morgan had it 77-75. This writer also had it 77-75 but for Kielczweski. Rosata was the ref.

Super lightweight Naim “The Dream” Nelson, 13-3 (1), of Philly, lost to southpaw Tre’Sean Wiggins, 8-3 (6), of Newburgh, NY, by technical decision at 0:34 of round 5 due to an accidental head butt forcing the judges to go to the score cards.

In the opening round Nelson seemed reluctant fighting a southpaw in Wiggins who did enough to take the round. In the second round Nelson was a little busier but Wiggins jab seemed to still take the round. In the third round Nelson used a good body attack when he had Wiggins against the ropes. Otherwise Wiggins seemed to be continuing to control in the middle of the ring.

In the fourth round Nelson’s right eye started to swell from right hooks by Wiggins. Nelson kept coming forward but Wiggins countered him well causing a cut over the right eye of Nelson. In the fifth round the cut was bad enough that referee Esteves, Jr., stopped the action and brought Nelson to his corner to get checked and the ring physician stopped the fight. The cut was caused by an accidental head butt. They went to the score cards and all 3 judges had it 50-45 as did this writer.

Featherweight Stephen “Scooter” Fulton, 11-0 (5), of Philly, returned to action after 9 months winning a action packed match over southpaw Luis “Zurdo” Rosario, 8-1-1 (7), of Cidra, PR, over 8 rounds.

In the opening round Fulton showed the skills the Philly fans were used to seeing. He easily handled Rosario. His lead right hands to the mid-section were something to watch. His quickness had Rosario on the defense with hands held high. In the second round Fulton continued doing well until halfway through the round when Rosario landed his best punch of the fight landing a straight left to the head of Fulton. It didn’t take long for Fulton to be back in control though it was Rosario’s best round of the first two.

In the audience supporting Fulton were Frank Carto (whose 8-0 son Christian followed Fulton into the ring), Philly’s top trainer Bozy Ennis ( with his unbeaten son Jaron “Boots” Ennis following Fulton into the ring) and unbeaten Todd Unthankmay coming off a March 11th draw. Also former WBC 2-division champion Danny “Swift” Garcia and his father/trainer Angel were at ringside.

In the third round Rosario started getting to Fulton more though it was relatively even halfway through the round. The second half of the round was Rosario’s. In the fourth round Fulton was getting pinned on the ropes and on the defense for most of the round. Rosario was landing power punches to the head.

Fulton was able to equal the power of Rosario but had better boxing skills. Fulton hit the canvas but it was ruled a slip by referee Benjy Esteves, Jr., who called it correctly. In the sixth round Fulton returned to take control for the first time since the second round. Keeping his distance is what Fulton did with Rosario still holding his own but not good enough to take the round. In the seventh round it was all Fulton changing his style daring Rosario to hit him while countering well especially to the body hurting Rosario at one point. In the eighth and final round Fulton continued his command of the fight slipping and countering well in return.

Judge Steve Weisfeld had it 79-73, Ron McNair 78-74 and Kevin Morgan out in left field had it 80-72. This writer had it 77-75.

Super featherweight Thomas “T.J.” Velasquez, Jr., 8-0 (5), of Philly, continued his winning ways defeating Wilfredo “Fredito” Garriga, 3-6-1 (2), of Juan Diaz, PR, over 6 rounds of action. Velasquez is out of the Danny “Swift” Garcia stable.

In the opening round Velasquez used a strong right hand to the body and head of Garriga but when he missed it went right over Garriga’s head. In the second round Garriga starting out using his jab but Velasquez was right on him. His jab was more of a range finder rarely landing but his follow-up right was strong to the head and body of Garriga. In the third round the same pattern seemed to follow with Velasquez being the more offensive while Garriga had little offense.

In the fourth round Velasquez had Garriga in the corner landing a number of punches until Garriga forced a clinch. In the fifth and sixth rounds Velasquez continued forcing the action and showed some defensive skills of slipping what little punches Garriga threw.

All 3 Judges had it 58-56 while this writer had it 60-54.

Super middleweight Jimmy Kelleher, 4-0 (3), of Scranton, PA, defeated Jose Valdaramma, 5-19 (3), of Manati, PR, in a well fought 4 rounds.

In the first 2 rounds Kelleher showed some nice skills especially on the offense. In the third round Valdaramma rocked Kelleher who came back gamely. In the fourth and final round the fans were on their feet for this one as both fighters were landing bombs. Kelleher comes from a fighting family with two younger brothers in the amateurs. The fans started chanting “Jimmy, Jimmy” to the exciting young Kelleher.

Judges McNair, Somma and Friscia along with this writer had it 60-54. For some reason it took 5 minutes to add up the scores. Dali was ref.

In the opening bout middleweight Ryan Wilczak, 3-0 (2), of Scranton, PA, stopped Courtney McCleave, 2-7 (1), Concord, NC, at 3:05 of the second round. Even though the bell sounded the referee still counts.

In the opening round McCleave was the aggressor in a close round up until he was hit in the right eye and dropped. He beat the count of referee Dali but his right eye was just about closed. A half a minute later Wilczak landed a right uppercut to the midsection of McCleave knocking him down for a second time in the round. He tried but didn’t beat the count as the bell sounded ending the round.

Super middleweight Devin “The Bearded Assassin” McMaster, 1-1 (0), of Allentown, PA, was stopped by Gregory Clark, 2-1 (1), of D.C. at 1:28 of the fourth and final round.

In the opening round it was Clark with hands to his side for the most part countering with rights to the head while McMaster was the aggressor always coming forward. In the second round it was all Clark dropping McMaster with a long right to the head. He beat the count of referee Dali but continued to take too much punishment.

In the third round it was all Clark almost landing at will. McMaster showed plenty of heart but little defense. In the fourth and final round Clark landed one right hand after another to the head. He pushed McMaster into a neutral corner and landed too many punches to count when referee Dali finally stopped it. Clark did too much showboating for the locals.

Super featherweight Hector Bayanilla, 1-0-1 (1), of Allentown, PA, and Jordan “Da Kid” Peters, 1-0-1 (1), of D.C., fought a war to a majority draw.

In the opening round that had plenty of action Peters jab may have pulled it out. In the second round all hell broke loose as Bayanilla was landing one right hand after another but showed little defense as Peters did his share of landing but not enough to take the round.

In the third round Peters used an effective jab trying to keep Bayanilla at bay. Once again in turned into a war with the Bayanilla fans going wild in a close round. In the fourth and final round both fighters took turns landing haymakers. This fight will be a tough one to follow. By the last 30 seconds Peters was landing the heavier punches.

Judge Mike Somma had it 39-37 for Bayanilla while judges McNair and Weisfeld had it 38-38 as did this writer. The referee was Rosato.

Timekeeper was Fred Blumstein.

Posted on 08/23/2016

PBC on Fox Sports Results: Plant Cruises to Victory, Grayton and Gongora Win by TKO
By: William Holmes

The Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was the host site for tonight’s broadcast of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox Sports 1.

Three bouts were televised tonight, and the opening bout was between Carlos Gongora (5-0) and Ronald Mixon (7-0) in the light heavyweight division.

Mixon had a three inch in reach and height on Gongora, but both boxers were the same age. Gongora was a former two time Olympian for Ecuador.

Both boxers tried to feel each other out in the opening minute of the round, but Gongora was able to land a hard straight left hand by the ropes that momentarily stunned Mixon. Gongora followed that up with another straight left hand seconds later and Mixon dropped to the mat.

Mixon struggled to get back to his feet, but he was still clearly shot and struggled to even get to his knees. The referee waived off the fight 1:16 of the first round, giving Gongora a TKO victory.

The next bout was between Kareem Martin (8-0-1) and David Grayton (14-1) in the welterweight division.

Martin and Grayton were former sparring partners and they wasted no time in going after each other. Martin was the better defensive boxer and landed cleaner and harder counters. Grayton, a southpaw, had difficulty avoiding the counter rights of Martin.

Martin’s counter punching was on point in the second round and he was able to open up a cut over the right eye of Grayton. Grayton’s pressure was much more effective in the third round and he was able to walk through the punches of Martin.

There were some very good exchanges in the opening minute of fourth round, but Martin was able to land the harder shots. Martin showed more movement in the fifth round and was able to counter while avoiding risky exchanges.

Grayton came out firing at the start of the sixth round and had Martin backing up and holding on to try to slow the assault down. Martin was able to land a few hard shots, but Grayton took them well and kept up the intense pressure. Martin looked tired at the end of the round.

Grayton was told by his corner to walk Martin down before the start of the seventh round, and he responded to his corner with a high volume of punches to the body and head of Martin. Martin just could not keep up with Grayton.

Grayton jumped on Martin at the start of the eighth and scored a knockdown with a good left hand. Martin got back to his feet but was on wobbly legs and covered up while Grayton unleashed another combination on him.

Martin wasn’t able to answer and the referee jumped in and stopped the bout.

David Grayton defeats Kareem Martin by TKO at 0:41 of the eighth round.

A swing bout between Eric Newell (8-3-3) and Wes Triplett (3-1) in the heavyweight division was also shown. Wes Triplett won it by TKO at 0:27 of the third round.

Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant (13-0) squared off against Juan De Angel (18-4-1) in the main event of the night in the middleweight division.

Plant, a Tennessee native, established control of the center of the ring in the opening round and was able to pop shot De Angel with jabs and lead hooks. De Angel was not able to mount much of an offensive attack.

De Angel was a little more aggressive at the start of the second round, but a good left to the body by Plant quickly slowed down De Angel. Plant had De Angel backing up in the third round and his right hand was finding it’s target with regularity.

Plant’s pressure paid off in the fourth round when he scored a knockdown with a left hook to the jaw of De Angel. De Angel was able to get back up before the count of ten and was able to survive the round.

Plant looked extremely comfortable in the fifth round and was battering De Angel from corner to corner while deftly avoiding any counter shots. Plant continued to outbox De Angel in the sixth round and was never seriously threatened. He mixed up his combinations well to the body and head in the seventh round.

De Angel was in pure survival mode in the eighth round and rarely went on the offensive attack. The only question in the final two rounds of the fight was whether or not Plant could stop De Angel, but that stoppage never came.

Caleb Plant won comfortably on the judges scorecards with scores of 100-89 on all three scorecards.

Posted on 08/22/2016

Boxing in Sands Casino in Bethlehem and Sugar House Casino in Philly This Week!
By: Ken Hissner

Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, continues to be busy thanks to Kings Promotions while Hard Hitting Promotions is the first running in the Sugar House Casino in South Philly.

The Sands event will be over Fox Sports 1 on Tuesday with a line-up of young talent with a total record of 60-6 versus some good record opposition. Headlining is Super Middleweight Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant, 13-0 (10), from Nashville, TN, against Dominican Juan “La Amenaza” DeAngel, 18-4-1 (17), over 10 rounds. Caleb is a top prospect who has fought in PA on three occasions including twice at the Sands.

There will be four 8 round bouts with Cruiserweight Earl Newman, 9-0 (7), of Brooklyn, NY, and Leo Hall, 8-1 (7), of Detroit, MI, Middleweight Dominican Junior Castillo, 10-1 (9), meets Khurshid Abdullaev, 7-1-1 (3), of Kyrgyzstan now out of Oxnard, CA. Light heavyweight Ecuador’s Carlos Gongora, 5-0 (4), out of Brooklyn, NY, takes on Ronald Mixon, 7-0 (6), out of L.A. Kyron “Shut It Down” Davis, 10-1 (4), of Wilmington, DE, with a TBA opponent. Four other bouts will open the nine bout show.

At the Sugar House Casino they will feature 19 year-old sensation Super Lightweight Milton “El Santo” Santiago, 14-0 (3), of Philly, against Dominican Ken Alvarez, 7-4-2 (3), out of PR, over 8 rounds. This is a 10 bout card with three 6 round bouts featuring Ricky Lopez, 16-4 (6), of Colorado Springs, David “One-Two” Murray 4-1 (3), of Wilmington, DE, and National GG champion Christian Carto, 2-0 (2), of Philly, John Joe Nevin, 7-0 (4), Two-time Olympian from IRE, a Silver Medalist in 2012 Olympics, Lebron “Popeye” Lebron, 5-0 (2), of San Juan, PR, Ring Announcing-boxer Alex Barbosa, 5-2-1 (1) , and debuting Angel Pizarro, both out of Philly. Making their debut will be Philly’s Laurie Shiavo against Mary O’Leary of Springfield, MASS. Philly Heavyweight Pedro Martinez, 7-9 (3), of Philly will also appear. There will be a press conference Wednesday 5:30pm at the Labor Union Hall Local 57, on 500-506 N. Sixth Street, in South Philly.