Tag Archives: casino

Posted on 01/23/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Former 2-division world champion & Olympic Gold Medalist Evander “Real Deal” Holyfield is bringing his REAL DEAL Showcase Series 1 to the SugarHouse Casino Events Center on Friday January 26th! First bout 7pm.

The weigh-in is scheduled for 5pm on Thursday January 25th. This is also at the SugarHouse Casino 1001 N. Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia. There are 10 bouts scheduled. Matchmakers Eric Bentley and Kevin O’Sullivan.

Philadelphia’s young lightweight prospect Steven Ortiz, 7-0 (2) will be making his main event debut against D.C.’s Joshua Davis, 11-2 (5), scheduled for 8 rounds.

Philadelphia’s most outstanding prospect Welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 17-0 (15), meets Mexico’s Gustavo “Vitaminas” Garlbay, 13-9-2 (5), Distrito Federal, MEX, over 6 rounds. Female Middleweight Kali “KO Mequinonoag” Reis, 13-6-1 (4), in a rematch with southpaw Sydney “Ginger the Ninja”, 4-5-1 (0), of Gretna, LA, over 6 rounds.

Super Middleweight Edgar Berlanga, 6-0 (6), of New York City, takes on Osbaldo Camacho Gonzales, 6-1 (4), of Tulsa, OK, over 6 rounds. Cruiserweight Lyubomyr Pinchuk, 4-0 (3), of Pittsburgh, PA, takes on Kennedy Katndem, 2-0 (1), of Uganda and NYC, over 6 rounds.

Super Middleweight Brandon Robinson, 8-1 (6), of Upper Darby, PA, takes on Juan Celin Zapata, 5-11-2 (3), of Honduras and The Bronx, NY, over 6 rounds.

Welterweight Janelson Bocachica, 8-0 (5), of Detroit and Super Featerweight Joshafat Ortiz, 2-0 (1), of PR-Reading, PA, will be in separate 6 round bouts.

Philadelphia’s Marcel Rivers, 3-0 (2), takes on Rafael De Jesus, 0-1 (0), of PR-Allentown, PA, over 4 rounds.

Philadelphia’s Poindexter Knight, 1-0 (0), takes on Jordan Morales, 2-3 (2), of PA.

Posted on 11/30/2017

By: Ken Hissner

Yes, a writer’s nightmare this Friday in Philly thanks to the Pennsylvania Boxing Commission. We can only make one!
Both promoters Manny Rivera of Hard Hitting Promotions (SugarHouse) and Marshall Kauffman of Kings Promotions (2300 Arena) held press conferences Wednesday night. At SugarHouse Casino most of the boxers on the card were at this event with approximately 100 people in attendance. The show is was sold out in three days per promoter Manny Rivera of Hard Hitting Promotions.

At SugarHouse Casino the main event has Philly heavyweight Joey “The Tank” Dawejko, 18-4-4 (11), meeting Kelvin Nunez, 15-0 (14), of Carolina, PR, over 8 rounds. “I look forward to bigger fights and feel I will be champion someday. I want to thank my manager Mark Cipparone for believing in me. My trainer Freddie Roach is in with Miguel Cotto but I feel confident about this fight and am not looking past it. I am at the crossroads of my career. This fight could put me in the WBC rankings where I belong,” said Dawejko.

The co-feature has Philly’s fast rising bantam Christian Carto, 12-0 (11), meeting Luis Fernando Saavedra, 7-3 (3), of MEX, over 8 rounds. “I want to thank the promoter Manny Rivera and matchmaker Will Ruiz and that’s about all I have to say,” said Carto. He’s a young man who lets his fists do his talking in the ring.

Philly’s Pizarro brothers were scheduled to fight but only 17 year-old lightweight Branden, 8-0 (4), will be in with Christian Rivera, 6-0 (5), of Bayamon, PR, over 6 rounds. Branden keeps asking to step up the competition and this fight should be his toughest opponent. The older brother feather Angel Jr., 3-0 (2), was scheduled to fight but his opponent failed to show.

Philly Lightweight Sam Teah, 11-1-1 (5), meets Maynard Allison, 9-2 (6), from NC, who is now living in Philly, in a 6. Philly Heavyweight making his Philly debut is former amateur champion Darmani Rock, 9-0 (5), meeting Carlos Cotto, 8-1 (5), of San Juan, PR, in a 6. This should be a fight with plenty of fireworks when the “big boy’s” start slugging it out. “It’s good to finally fight in front of my home crowd,” said Rock.

Philly’s Jeremy Cuevas, 5-0 (4), meets Jose M Castro, 5-9 (3), of Carolina, PR, in a lightweight 6. “I want to thank God and for the opportunity to fight on this card. Cuevas is a “Diamond in the rough” who has gotten little recognition and he can fight. Super featherweight Gadwin Rosa, 4-0 (3), of Ocala, FL, meets veteran Jesus Lule, 11-24-1 (8), of Ft Myers, FL, in a 4. Kurt Wolfheimer is the PR man and did a fine job MC’ing the press conference.
“I want to thank the fighters for without them this wouldn’t be possible. Please come and see old school boxing at its best. There are five fighters on this card that could be the main event. We appreciate promoter Greg Cohen for allowing us to have Joey Dawejko in the main event.

At the 2300 Arena the main event is Philly’s super welter Tyrone Brunson, 25-6-2 (23), meeting Manny Woods, 16-6-1 (6), of St. Pete’s, FL, in a 10 rounder. The co-feature is Wilmington lightweight Omar “Super O” Douglas, 17-2 (12), facing Mexican Isaias Martin Gonzales, 22-9 (14), of Tucson, AZ, in an 8.

Also from Wilmington is middleweight Kyrone “Shut It Down” Davis, 12-1 (5), meeting Jaime Barboza, 19-12 (9), of Costa Rica, 8 rounds. Super middleweights both from Philly are Brandon “Brob” Robinson, 7-1 (6), and Christopher “Ice” Brooker, 12-4 (5), which promises to possibly “steal the show”.

Possibly the best prospect in Philly Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 16-0 (14), at welterweight is a late addition and will meet knockout artist George “El Terrible Sosa” Rosa, 15-10-1 (15), of NJ. Heavyweight Joe Hanks, 21-2 (14), of Newark, NJ, takes on Joe Caudle, 7-0-1 (5), of Raleigh, NC, 8 rounds. Super bantamweight Marcus Bates, 7-0-1 (6), of DC, meets Antonio Rodriguez, 11-19-1 (5), of Durango, MEX, over 6 rounds.

In 4’s will be super bantam Romuel Cruz of Philly making his debut meeting Rondarius Hunter, 1-1 (1), of Atlanta, GA. Welter Rasheed Johnson, 2-1 (1), of Willow Grove, meets Readings, Kashon Hutchinson, 3-3 (1). Philly Super lightweight Shamsuddeen Justice, 1-0 (1), takes on Latorie Woodberry, 1-5 (0), of Roanoke, VA. Philly Lightweight Christopher Burgos, 0-1, meets Mexican Gerardo Tiburcio, 1-0 (1), of Coatesville. Heavyweight Colby Madison, 4-0-1 (3), of Owings Mill, MD, meets Randy Easton, 4-9-2 (4), of Sunbury, PA. Marc Adams is the PR man.

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 08/12/2017

By: Ken Hissner

Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions in Association with David Feldman returned before a standing room only crowd to the SugarHouse Casino Friday night with a 10 bout card.

In the Main Event South Philadelphia sensation Christian Carto, 11-0 (11), stopped Ugandan out of St. Paul, MN, Phillip Adyako, 7-10 (4), at 2:43 of the second round.

As Carto took his walk to the ring the many supporters of him were on their feet cheering. In the opening round Carto looked much taller than Adyako and used his jab effectively keeping Adyako on the defense. Carto landed a right to the body followed by a left hook to the head of Adyako. Halfway through the round Carto landed a lead right followed with a left hook both to the head rocking Adyako. Just prior to the bell Carto landed a pair of left uppercuts to the chin and followed by a left hook to the head of Adyako.

In the second round Carto landed a left hook to the head of Adyako knocking him back several feet stunning him. Carto jumped on Adyako landing a dozen unanswered punches without return causing referee Gary Rosato to wave it off.
Carto is scheduled September 22nd at the SugarHouse Casino. In the corner for Carto were trainer Mickey Rosati, Jr., and cut-man Joey Eye.

In the co-feature super welterweight southpaw Erik Spring, 10-1-2 (1), of Reading, pulled out a majority decision over southpaw David Wilson, 5-1-1 (1), out of New Haven, CT, over 6 rounds.

In the opening round both southpaws used their jabs for the first minute until Wilson opened up with Spring countering. A lead left from Wilson to the chin of Spring rocked him. In the second round both boxers opened up with wild right hooks. Wilson used several left uppercuts to the body and chin of Spring to control the round having Spring on the defense.
In the third round Spring landed a good combination making Wilson tie him up. It was a wild swinging round with more misses than landing punches.

In the fourth round Wilson continued to be the aggressor landing lead overhand lefts followed by right uppercuts keeping Spring on the defense. Both continued throwing haymakers with few landing. In the fifth round Spring started fast going to the body of Wilson digging in uppercuts. Spring became more aggressive backing Wilson up though the latter got his punches in. Spring seemed to pull out the round. In the sixth and final round Spring came out fast landing right hooks to the head of Wilson who came back with little in return. It was the best round of the bout with Spring rocking Wilson with a lead left to the chin. Wilson suffered a slight cut to the left eye brow. Referee was Blair Talmadge.

Judge LaRosa had it 57-57 while judges Hill and Poturaj had it 58-56. This writer had it 57-57.

Both boxers were returning to the ring after 2 years. Whitmore entered the ring with his usual Afro wig, gold chain and sun glasses to the delight of the fans. Cruiserweight Khalib “Big Foot” Whitmore, 6-2 (5), of Philly, was stopped by Elvin Sanchez, 8-3-1 (6), Paterson, NJ, at 1:54 of the second round scoring a knockdown.

In the opening round Whitmore landed a straight left to the chin of Sanchez stopping him in his tracks. Sanchez midway through the round landed a solid left hook to the head of Whitmore. Both showed some ring rust. In the second Sanchez came out southpaw and it was bombs away for both fighters with Whitmore getting the best of it. A left uppercut by Sanchez to the chin of Whitmore put him down. He got up after referee Rosato’s count but looked out of it. Sanchez jumped all over Whitmore driving him into a neutral corner causing referee Rosato to call a halt. Whitmore wasn’t happy with the stoppage but it looked like the right call.

In the fight of the night Super featherweight Antonio “The Tiger” Dubose, 9-2-1 (2), of Philly, scored a knockdown in an action packed fight defeating Josh Manuel Crespo, 7-5-3 (3), of New Haven, CT, over 6 rounds.

In the opening round Dubose rocked Crespo with an overhand right to the chin. Crespo came right back with a right to the chin of Dubose. In an all action packed round Dubose seemed to pull it out. In the second round it was Dubose rocking Crespo with a straight right to the side of the head. Dubose landed five unanswered punches before Crespo landed a body shot. Dubose got the fans to their feet dropping Crespo with a flurry of punches. After referee Talmadge’s 8-count from a Dubose flurry of punches Crespo got up but seemed lucky to be saved by the bell. In the third round Dubose used a variety of punches easily taking the round as Crespo seemed to take the round off.

In the fourth round the action continued with Crespo going to the body with uppercuts. Dubose was on the defense up until the 10 second warning and had Crespo out on his feet starting with a lead right to the chin following up with a combination at the bell. In the fifth round a low blow by Crespo gave Dubose only about 15 seconds to rest. Near the end of an action packed round Dubose missed with a lead right but followed with a left hook to the head of Crespo getting his attention. In the sixth and final round Crespo looking for a knockout landed a 3-punch combination to the body and head of Dubose who was using an effective jab up until then. Crespo’s legs seemed shaky but kept plodding forward until a Dubose right to the chin stopped him in his tracks near the end of the round and the fight. The fans appreciated this scrap.

Judges Adam Friscia and John Poturaj scored it 58-55 while judge Dewey LaRosa and this writer had it 60-53.

Super middleweight Brandon “B-Rob” Robinson, 5-1 (4), of Upper Darby, PA, destroyed Shane Pearson, 2-2 (2), of Statesville, NC, at 0:25 of the second round by technical KO.

In the opening round Pearson was the aggressor though throwing few punches as Robinson was content in countering and doing it well. In the second round Robinson returned to form and landed a dozen unanswered punches. Referee Talmidge was stepping in and backed out until Pearson hit the canvas face down. Talmidge immediately called in the ringside physician without a count.

Welterweight southpaw Vinnie Floyd, 3-3-1 (2), of Philly, lost to Marquis “Marvelous” Taylor, 7-1 (0), out of Houston, TX, over 6 round’s.

In the first round it was ugly with too much holding mostly on Taylor’s part. Floyd did just enough to take the round. Floyd was trying to make it a fight but Taylor was jabbing and grabbing. In the second round Taylor pushed Floyd to the ropes with borderline punches with Floyd landing one chopping left getting Taylor off of him. Floyd followed up with a pair of straight lefts to Taylor’s head knocking him back several feet. In the third round it was more of the same with Taylor getting away with rabbit punches and questionable low punches.

In the fourth round Taylor landed another rabbit punch on the back of Floyd’s head getting a warning from referee Rosato. Taylor keeps coming in low landing body shots. Floyd allows Taylor to push him to the ropes landing only too few counter lefts to the head of Taylor In the fifth round Taylor rocked Floyd with an overhand right to the chin. Taylor got warned for a low blow from referee Rosato. Floyd can’t seem to get untracked with Taylor pushing him to the ropes and using so many dirty tactics. In the sixth and final round Taylor landed a solid left hook to the chin of Floyd. Taylor landed half a dozen unanswered punches having Floyd backed to the ropes. For Floyd it was a learning experience.

All 3 judges, Hill, Frisica and LaRosa had it 60-54. This writer had it 59-55.

Super lightweight Demetrius Williams, 1-3 (0), of Philly, lost a lackluster decision to Reading southpaw Kashon Hutchinson, 3-3 (1), over 4 rounds.

In the opening round southpaw Hutchinson seemed to take an edge in a close round. In the second round it was Williams taking control in taking the round. In the third round it seemed Williams got very defensive giving Hutchinson the round. In the fourth and final round with Hutchinson continuing coming forward mostly landing the jab and an occasional straight left seemed to want it more. Williams landed several lead rights but not enough to take the round. Talmadge was the referee.

All 3 judges along with this writer had it 39-37.

Bantamweight Jerrod “Golden” Minor, Philly, 1-0 (1) halted Steven Lopez, 0-2 (0), of Philly, at 2:34 of the 4th and last round. Referee Rosato’s stoppage was questionable even though Minor won every round. Lopez deserved to go the distance. It was a slugfest throughout all four rounds.

Super lightweight southpaw Shamsudden “Silent Killa” Justice, 1-0 (1), of Philly, in his debut halted late sub Matthew “Titos” Gosalves, 0-3 (0), of Lancaster, PA, at 2:11 of the 4th and final round.

In the first round it was all Justice trying to go for an early knockout. Halfway through the round Gosalves finally settled down from being on the run to stand his ground. Gosalves was a late substitute. In the second round Justice chased and Gosalves survived. Near the end of the round Justice finally decided to go to the body with a three punch combination hurting Gosalves.

In the third round Justice continued with uppercuts to the body. With plenty of fans behind him Justice seemed to want to play to the crowd instead of concentrating on doing what his father-trainer Zahir Justice wanted him to do. In the fourth and final round you could sense referee Rosato wanted to stop the lopsided match and did to the regret of Gosalves.

Houston, TX, Cruiserweight Christian Montano, 2-0 (1), scored 3 knockdowns in stopping Dameron Kirby, 0-1 (0), of Wash. DC.

Marc Abrams was the publicist. Alex Barbosa was the Ring Announcer. Fred Blumstein was the timekeeper. Kings Promotion will be back September 29th at the 2300 Arena.

Posted on 08/03/2017

By: Ken Hissner

Mis Downing Promotions and Square Ring Promotions will have a nine bout card at the Claridge Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, Saturday night! In a ten round boutunbeaten 2008 Olympic heavyweight Silver Medalist from China southpaw Zhilei “Big Bang” Zhang, 16-0 (12), who has scored nine knockouts in his last ten fights. He is No. 13 in the WBO rankings. His opponent is Nick “2 Gunz” Guivas, 13-7-2 (9), out of Topeka, KS.

Headlining in an eight round bout is Glassboro, NJ, Super middleweight southpaw Derrick “TakeIt to the Bank” Webster, 23-1 (12), seeking a ranking in one of the four organizations taking on Lamar Harris, 9-13-4 (5), of St. Louis, MO, in an eight round bout.

In the co-feature 6 round bout returning to the ring after an eight year layoff and holder of the WBC Continental Americas, WBO NABO, World Boxing Foundation, CABOFE, IBC Inter-Continental and PA State titles is Camden, NJ, cruiserweight Prince BadiAjamu, 27-3-1 (15), who won eight of his last nine fights only losing to Roy Jones, Jr., taking on Edgar Perez, 7-21 (3), of Chicago, IL. Perez holds a win over Atlantic City’s Lavarn “Baby Bowe” Harvell, who was 13-0 at the time. “What better way to bring the attention to child abduction which is a big problem in this country than to be in the ring and get this message out there”. He would also like a rematch with Jones who as co-promoter will be in attendance.

Another match-up of two NJ middleweights is former Olympian Terrance “Heat” Cauthen, 36-8 (9), of Trenton, NJ, after a five year absence taking on Nick Valliere, 5-2 (2), of Forked River, NJ. Trenton’s cruiserweight Mike Hilton, 6-0 (6)trying to make it seven straight ko’s against Willis Lockett, 14-20-6 (5), of Takoma Park, MD, who holds a win over Wildwood, NJ, boxer Chuck “The Professor” Mussachio.Camden, NJ, unbeaten featherweight Vidal Rivera, 6-0 (4), is listed against tba. These three are over six rounds. In four round bouts Newark, NJ, super lightweight Dion Richadson, 3-1 (2), meets FelipNazario, 0-7, of the Bronx, NY. Shady Gamhour, 1-0 (1), of Pensacola, FL, meets Jesse Singletary, 0-2, of D.C. and Philly cruiserweight Lamont McLaughlin, 0-1, meets Tahlik Taylor, 1-7, of Freeport, NY.

There will be a press conference at 5pm Thursday at the Flagship Hotel, 60 North Main Avenue in Atlantic City. The first bout Saturday will be at 7pm.

Posted on 05/13/2017

Brooker and Conquest Win at the SugarHouse Casino Friday in Philadelphia!
By: Ken Hissner

Kings Promotions once again sold out the SugarHouse Casino Friday night for the second straight show. They will be back in a week at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia with Carlos Rosario taking on Joshua Davis in the main event.

In the main event super middleweight Christopher “Ice” Brooker, 12-3 (5) out of Philadelphia, defeated southpaw Oscar Rojas, 14-8-1 (4), of Monterrey, MEX, in an action packed 8 round bout.

In the opening round Brooker was having problems against his second straight southpaw opponent while his trainer was encouraging him to come forward. In a close round Rojas landed more punches. In the second round Brooker drove Rojas into the ropes only to be hit by countering combinations. Brooker finally broke past the jab of Rojas driving him into the ropes with body punches. In the third round Rojas landed a solid lead left to the chin of Brooker who comes back with a left hook of his own knocking Rojas into the ropes which should have been called a knockdown by referee Esteves, Jr. In the fourth round Brooker goes into a crouch and gets caught with a flurry of uppercuts from Rojas. Brooker caught Rojas with a solid left hook to the head out of a clinch.

In the fifth round Brooker came forward with a double right to the head of Rojas. Brooker drove Rojas into the ropes but got countered with left uppercuts from Rojas in a round almost to hard to call. In the sixth round Brooker landed several left hooks driving Rojas back several steps. Brooker finally lands a lead right to the chin of Rojas. Brooker was much busier as Rojas slowed down. In the seventh round Brooker drove Rojas into the ropes with a flurry of punches. Both fighters knocked heads causing a lapse in the action. A right hook by Brooker to the head of Rojas almost scored a knockdown. In the eighth and final round a counter left hook by Brooker to the chin of Rojas got his attention. Rojas drove Brooker into his corner with a double left hook. At the bell Brooker landed a solid right to the chin of Rojas.

Judges Poturaj, Jasper and Rubenstein all had it 78-74 while this writer had it the same at 78-74.

Lightweight southpaw Jerome “The Conqueror” Conquest, 7-2 (1), of Philadelphia, pitched a shutout over game Daniel Perales, 10-10-1 (5), of Saltilo,
MEX, over 6 rounds.

In the co-feature opening round with Perales coming forward Conquest landed a good combination to the head of Perales. Conquest kept the jab in the face of Perales allowing him to get any offense going. In the second round Conquest counters Perales with combinations to the head. A solid right-hook from Conquest knocked the head of Perales back. The hand speed of Conquest is keeping Perales on the defense. A 3-punch combination by Conquest had Perales head spinning. In the third round Perales finally lands a lead right to the chin of southpaw Conquest. At the bell Conquest from the corner landed a solid left to the head of Perales.

In the fourth round Conquest landed a left uppercut knocking Perales off balance. Perales landed a solid left hook to the head of Conquest who countered with a left to the head. Conquest continued to beat Perales to the punch. In the fifth round Perales knowing he was behind starts throwing punches in bunches until a left to the head from Conquest stops him in his tracks. Perales started showing his frustration as Conquest is landing punches in bunches right up to the bell. In the sixth and final round Conquest is catching Perales coming forward in desperation but getting hit in the head. Peales lands a flurry of punches backing Conquest into the ropes bringing a smile to the face of Conquest. It was Conquest the rest of the round dealing out punches to the head of Perales.

Judges Poturaj and Gradowski 60-54 and Rubenstein 59-55 while this writer had it 60-54.

Super middleweight Blake Mansfield, 4-1-1 (2), of Burlington, NC, lost a hard fought majority decision to southpaw Henry Beckford, 5-6 (1), of
Coram, NY, over 6 rounds.

In the opening round the much taller Beckford used a solid jab keeping Mansfield at bay before coming in under the jab with some uppercuts to the chin of Beckford. A lead right to the chin by Mansfield rocked Beckford at the bell. In the second round Beckford’s jab is keeping Mansfield looking for an opening landing several uppercuts when he gets inside. Beckford’s been warned several times by referee Esteves, Jr., for leaning on top of Mansfield and using his forearm to the head. In the third round another warning to Beckford for holding behind the head and hitting by referee Esteves, Jr. Once again Beckford uses the foreman to the throat of Mansfield and gets away with it. A lead right by Mansfield to the chin of Beckford had him holding on. Mansfield had a welt under his right eye by the end of the round.

In the fourth round several uppercuts to the chin by Mansfield had Beckford holding on. Beckford landed an overhand left to the head of Mansfield then Beckford fell backwards barely staying on his feet. Mansfield turned southpaw landing several right hooks to the head of Beckford who looks like he is out of gas by continuing to grab Mansfield into a clinch. In the fifth round Mansfield lands an overhand right to the head of Beckford who had his right hand caught on a rope strap. Beckford was losing his trunks as referee Esteves again pulled them up. In the sixth and final round Mansfield continued to come forward knocking the trunks of a holding Beckford. Mansfield got inside working uppercuts with both hands to the mid-section of Beckford. Beckford continues to push Mansfield to the ropes while holding him completely out of gas. Mansfield gets in several rights at the bell almost knocking Beckford off his feet.

Judges Poturaj 57-57, Gradowski and Jasper had it 58-56 while this writer had it 57-57.

Cruiserweight southpaw Sam Orapeza, 2-0 (1), of Philadelphia, scored a pair of knockdowns in a wild brawl defeating Kyle McNutt, 1-3 (1), of Battle Creek, MI, who had Orapeza out on his feet at the final bell in a 4 round bout.

In the opening round McNutt came out using his jab as Orapeza was throwing leather to the body an ending it with a solid left to the head of McNutt. A lead straight left by Orapeza to the chin of McNutt and down he went taking the count of referee Bashir. A lead left by Orapeza to the head of McNutt drove him into the ropes. In the second round both fighters exchanged shots to the head. Orapeza was landing lead lefts to the head with McNutt covering up. McNutt came back with a good body attack. A lead left by Orapeza to the chin of McNutt rocked him. McNutt landed several uppercuts making Orapeza fall into him. Then McNutt ended the round with three left hooks to the head of Orapeza. In the third round McNutt used his jab well while Orapeza may be tiring. Orapeza came back driving McNutt into the ropes but McNutt countered Orapeza back blooding his nose. Orapeza with his many backers screaming for him started throwing punches in bunches. In the fourth and final round a lead right by McNutt landed well on the chin of Orapeza who came back landing an overhand left on the chin of McNutt dropping him to the canvas. Referee Bashir gave him the 8 count. Both fighters landed solid punches as McNutt had Orapeza out on his feet at the bell.

Judges Jasper 38-37, Gradowski 39-35 and Rubenstein 39-36 with this writer having it 39-36.

Super lightweight Jeffrey Torres, 3-0 (1), of Philadelphia, defeated southpaw Kashon Hutchinson, 2-3 (1), of Reading, PA, over 4 rounds.

In the opening round Hutchinson used a jab to keep Torres at bay. Hutchinson landed a left uppercut to the mid-section of Torres whose defense is wide open with hands to his side. In the second round Torres landed a left hook to the chin of Hutchinson knocking him back several steps. Torres pinned Hutchinson against the ropes getting half a dozen punches in before Hutchinson spun out. A solid left hook by Torres at the ten second mark was followed by another seconds later knocking the mouthpiece out of Hutchinson. In the third round both boxers were exchanging head shots forgetting the body blows. Hutchinson landed a 3-punch combination with no return from Torres. A counter left hook by Torres rocked Hutchinson. In the fourth and final round Hutchinson started using his jab as he did in the first round but Torres was countering with lead rights to the head. Torres can’t miss with those lead rights down the pike landing on Hutchinson’s head.

Judges Rubenstein and Poturaj 39-37 and Gradowski 40-36 with this writer 39-37.

Bantamweight Harold Lopez, 1-0-1 (1), of Allentown, PA, scoring a knockdown had to settle for a draw with Basyzber Baratov, 2-1-2 (0), of Philadelphia, over 4 rounds.

In the opening round a counter right to the head from Lopez rocked Baratov. Half a round later it was Baratov with a right to the head rocking Lopez. There was no feeling out in this round. In the second round Baratov rocked Lopez with a combination to the head. In this round there were more wild misses than punches landed. In the third round a Baratov lead right caught Lopez on the side of his head getting his attention. Lopez landed a straight right to the chin of Baratov driving him into the ropes. Baratov came back with a right to the head of Lopez. Then Lopez rocked Baratov into the ropes and shortly after dropped him with another right which was a questionable call by referee Bashir. In the fourth and final round both are swinging for the fences with as many misses as hits. It got very sloppy in there until Lopez rocked Baratov with a right to the chin.

Judges Gradowski 39-38 Lopez, Rubenstein and Jasper a 38-38 draw, and this writer 38-37 Lopez.

In the opening bout super featherweight Chaise Nelson, 5-1 (3), of Dayton, OH, came off the canvas to gain a narrow decision over southpaw Bryan Nevarez, 2-5-1 (1), of Carolina, PR,

Nelson took the first and was winning the second round when a straight left from Nevarez dropped him just before the bell. Referee Esteves, Jr. counted as the bell sounded and Nelson was up. In round three Nelson came back to take a close round. In the fourth and final round both boxers were trying for the knockout. Elson was landing some haymakers but Nevarez hung in there.

Judges Rubenstein, Jasper 38-37 Gradowski 39-37 this writer 38-37.

Posted on 05/11/2017

Christopher “Ice” Brooker Headlines at SugarHouse Casino Friday!
By: Ken Hissner

Kings Promotions with CEO Marshall Kauffman and David Feldman come back looking for another sold out arena Friday night at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia!

A press conference was held at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia Tuesday on 1001 N. Delaware Avenue. There will be seven bouts with a total of 38 rounds of competitive boxing. First bout at 7pm.

Philadelphia’s ever popular super middleweight Christopher “Ice” Brooker, 11-3 (5), will be in the main event looking to stop a two fight losing streak as he takes on southpaw Oscar Riojas, 14-7-1 (4), from Monterrey, MEX, over 8 rounds.

Promoter Kauffman said “no soft fights for the fighter’s only entertaining fights. We sold out the arena in our first show and expect to do it again in our second show here at the SugarHouse Casino come Friday night”.

“I made the mistake of trying to box instead of my usual aggressive style in my last fight. There will be none of that this time,” said Brooker. He had a new trainer in his corner last fight named Muhammad Aziz who will be there again. “I didn’t have a big amateur career so every fight is a learning experience for me,” said Brooker.

First boxer to speak was Philadelphia’s cruiserweight Sam Orapeza, 1-0 (1), a cruiserweight and former MMA fighter at 13-3 with all knockout wins. “I look to knockout every opponent they put before me,” said Orapeza. He debuted at the SugarHouse Casino March 11th scoring a first round knockout! He will face Kyle McNutt, 1-2 (1), of Battle Creek, MI. Like BrookerOrapeza is all action!

The co-feature will be headlined by Lightweight Jerome “The Conqueror” Conquest, 6-2 (1), of Philadelphia who had his trainers Wade and Randy Hinnant there. “I broke my foot but wasn’t diagnosed properly and did my roadwork for 17 weeks before it was discovered broke. I was out for 6 months but it feels fine now,” said Conquest. He is matched with veteran Daniel Perales, 10-9-1 (5), out of Monterrey, Mexico, over 6 rounds.

David Feldman let all in attendance know that “Sam, Chris and Jerome didn’t have it easy growing up and it prepared them for the sport of boxing”. Bantamweight Harold Lopez, 1-0 (1), who is out of Allentown and who was on the Puerto Rican Olympic team is backafter scoring a first round knockout on the last show. He faces Sergio Aguilar, 2-5 (2), of Mexico City, Mexico. Anytime a Puerto Rican and Mexican meet it usually means fireworks!

From out of state will be Featherweight Chaise Nelson, 4-1 (3), of Dayton, OH, will be in a 6 round bout. He will be in against his sixth straight Latino opponent in Bryan Perez Nevarez, 2-5-1 (1), of Puerto Rico. Also from out of state is lightweight Jeffrey Torres, 2-0 (1), out of CT, who takes on Kashon Hutchinson, 2-2 (1), of Reading. Torres wins were both in Philadelphia. In a 6 rounder is super middleweight Blake Mansfield, 4-0-1 (2), coming in from Burlington, NC, taking on Henry Beckford, 4-6 (1), of Coram, NY.

Also on Saturday at the Grundy Arena in Bristol, PA, on 475 Beaver Street will feature southpaw Derrick “Take It to The Bank” Webster, 22-1 (11), out of Glassboro, NJ, who will face southpaw Frankie “The Freight Train” Filippone, 22-5-1 (7), from Norfolk, VA, who is on a 6 fight winning streak for the WBFInternational super middleweight title over 10 rounds!

There will be a female bout in the co-feature with super lightweight Tunisian IkramKerwat, 7-1 (5), out of Frankfort, Germany against Atlantic City welterweight Althea “Lady Thunder” Saunders, 3-3-2 (0), who is known at times to sing the National Anthem. It will be for the WBF Junior Regional title over 6 rounds.

On the undercard will be Trenton’s Mike Hilton, 5-0, Camden’s Vidal Rivera, 5-0, New York’s MikkelLesPierre, 15-0-1, Asbury Park’sDarryl Bunting, 3-1-2, and Pensacola’s Frederick Wilhite, 5-0.
New to the area will be promoters Deuce Promotions, Mis Downing Promotions and K5 Promotions per Marc Abrams who is the PR man for both shows.

Posted on 03/13/2017

Tyrone Brunson Wins split decision over Brandon Quarles in Philly Saturday!
By: Ken Hissner

Kings Promotions had a packed house at the SugarHouse Casino Saturday with a good under card with the co-feature and main event falling short of expectations. The fans seemed to enjoy the action overall

In the main event middleweight Tyrone “Young Gun” Brunson, 24-6-2 (22), of Philly, took a mauling split decision over Brandon “The Bulldog” Quarles, 18-4-1 (9), of Alexandria, VA, over 8 dull rounds.

In the opening round there wasn’t much action but seemed Quarles did the most work. In the second round Quarles had Brunson on the ropes and then would get tied up by Brunson. In the third round it was more of the same and not until seconds to go in the round did referee Steve “SS” Smoger called time so Brunson’s corner would put his mouthpiece in. In the fourth round Brunson got his best punch of the night in with a left hook to the chin of Quarles who would come back and do the same to Brunson.

In the fifth round Brunson started throwing bombs having Quarles in a defensive mode. Then by the end of the round it was Quarles out punching Brunson for the first real fighting round of the fight. In the sixth round Brunson put some punches together in one of the better rounds of this fight. In the seventh round it was Brunson holding on. Halfway through the round they decided to start fighting again. Brunson had a welt under his left eye as Quarles seemed to get the better of the mix. In the eighth and final round Brunson started moving around and clowning like he had the fight won. Then they started fighting ending a not so good bout.

Judges had it 77-75 for each boxer with the final judge 78-74 for Brunson. This writer had it 77-75 for Quarles.

In the co-feature super lightweight David “Two Gunz” Gonzales, 8-2-2 (2), of Philly, lost a split decision to Juan Rodriguez, 7-6-1 (5), of Haymarket, VA, due to point take from him over six rounds. This was more of a wrestling match thanks to Rodriguez.

In the opening round Gonzales used and effective double jab while Rodriguez would land a punch and immediately tie up Gonzales. Referee Eric Dali warned him for continuous holding. In the second round Gonzales was very frustrated with the holding from Rodriguez and threw little while Rodriguez would continue to land a punch and grab Gonzales. In the third round an overhand right by Rodriguez had Gonzales holding and receiving a warning from referee Dali. Rodriguez bull rushed Gonzales and almost pushed him out of the ring.

In the fifth round it’s turned into a UFC match with both holding. Gonzales finally got in a flurry of punches. In the sixth and last round of a wrestling match referee Dali surprised by taking a point from Gonzales not Rodriguez.

Judge’s had it 57-56 for both with the final vote 58-55 for Rodriguez. This writer had it 57-56 for Rodriguez due to the point taken from Gonzales.

Lightweight southpaw “Mighty” Mike Fowler, 5-6 (2), Milwaukee, WI, got blown out by southpaw Victor “El Flacco” Vazquez, 7-2 (3), of Yonkers, NY, at 1:38 of the first round.

In the opening round it was all Vasquez who landed a crushing right to the right ear of Fowler who took the count by referee Dali on a knee holding his ear. Vasquez entered the ring in a red superman cape.

Lightweight Carlos “Rock Hands” Rosario, 7-1 (4), of Pennsauken, NJ, scored a technical stoppage at 0:46 of the third round over Lance “Lay Them Down” Williams, 7-8 (7), Muscatine, IA, in the third round of a scheduled six. It was an exciting short lived bout.

In the opening round it was all Rosario going to the body with Williams on the defense. In the second round a lead right by Rosario to the chin of Williams dropped him but he was up immediately and took the 8-count from referee Smoger. Shortly later it was Williams landing a right to the chin of Rosario dropping him. He too was up immediately taking the 8-count from referee Smoger. In the third round Rosario came right out landing a smashing right to the chin of Williams and down he went. He beat the count but was in no condition to continue. Referee Smoger waved it off.

Welterweight southpaw Vincent Floyd, 2-2-1 (0), of Philly, stopped Blaine “Styles” Donkor, 0-1 (0), Wash DC, at 1:35 of the second round.

In the opening round Floyd went right after Donkor having him on the ropes for both the first round. In the second round he had Donkor out on his feet against the ropes when referee Smoger wisely called a halt.

Light heavyweight Brandon “Brob” Robinson, 2-1 (1), of Upper Darby, PA, scored a knockdown in shutting out southpaw Lamont McLaughlin, 0-1 (0), of Philly, in a very exciting 4.

In the opening round both fighters to the delight of the fans went at each other. The round went back and forth with southpaw McLaughlin possibly holding an edge. In the second round a lead right by Robinson stopped McLaughlin in his tracks. A left hook by Robinson knocked McLaughlin back several steps into a corner. Both exchanged punches one after the other to the chin. The fans were on their feet for this two.

In the third round Robinson has McLaughlin against the ropes with both throwing punches. Robinson had McLaughlin in a corner with little in return. Considering both are in their debut the fans are treating this like it’s the main event. In the fourth and final round a combination from Robinson dropped McLaughlin who was up immediately as referee Dali gave him the 8-count. McLaughlin came forward and walked right into a left hook. McLaughlin came back and rocked Robinson with a lead left to the chin. The fans sure enjoyed this one.

All 3 judges had it 40-35 while this writer had it 39-36.

Cruiserweight southpaw Sam Orapeza, 1-0 (0), of Philly, landed a vicious left to the chin of Joe Parkinson, 0-1 (0), of Philly, knocking him out before he hit the canvas at 0:35 of the first round for about 5 minutes before the EMT revived Parkinson. Referee Smoger immediately called it a knockout.

In the opening bout of the night super middleweight Sharif “Bam Bam” Jones, 0-1-1 (0), Philly, was lucky to get a draw with southpaw Edward “The Hunter” Ortiz, 3-0-1-1, (0), San Antonio, TX, over 4 rounds.

Talk about a feeling out round this was it. In the second round Ortiz worked the body of Jones having him against the ropes. Jones landed a nice 3-punch combination just prior to the bell. In the third round a fight broke out. Ortiz kept Jones on the ropes mostly going to the body except on one occasion a lead left from the southpaw rocked Jones on the chin. In the fourth and final round Ortiz had Jones out on his feet. Jones kept trying to hold to get through the round. Referee Dail warned him on this.

Judge Frisca had it 39-37 Ortiz, Judges Carter and Rubenstein 38-38. This writer had it 40-36 for Ortiz. The fans were not happy with out of towner Ortiz not getting the decision.

Kings will be having a big event per ring announcer Alex Barbosa on March 17th in Reading with Travis “My Time” Kauffman taking on Amir “Hardcore” Mansour.

Posted on 02/04/2017

“The New” Ray Robinson Wins in Philly’s “Friday Night Boxing”!
By: Ken Hissner

Hard Hitting Promotions continue filling up the seats at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia with co-promoters Manny Rivera and Will Ruiz leading the way!

In the Main Event the WBC No. 9 welterweight contender “The New” Ray Robinson, 22-2 (11), Philly, knocked out Edwin Palacios, 12-5-1 (8), NIC, at 2:39 of the second round posting his eleventh straight win.

In the opening round the southpaw Robinson used an effective jab. Palacios landed a straight right to the chin of Robinson getting a reaction from the crowd. Just prior to the bell an overhand left by Robinson drove Palacios into the corner and down. He was up as the bell sounded.

In the second round Robinson became very aggressive landing a good body punch with a left hook. A straight left dropped Palacios who was holding his nose taking the count on one knee as referee Gary Rosato counted him out.

“I didn’t know until the weigh-in that Palacio was so tall. After a feeling out round my trainer (“Bozy” Ennis) and I figured it out to go to the body and it worked,” said Robinson. This win puts Robinson one step closer to moving up in the rankings and a title fight.

Bantamweight Christian Carto, 7-0 (7), of Philly, stopped Sergio Najera, 12-29-2 (6), of MEX, at 2:06 of the third round.

In the first round on two separate occasions a Carto jab put Najera back several steps. Near the end of the round Najera had Carto in a corner and landed several punches to the head of Carto who came back as the bell sounded. In the second round a roundhouse right by Najera landed on the neck of Carto. A lead right hand by Carto drove Najera into the ropes. With about ten seconds left in the round Carto rocked Najera with a right to the chin.

In the third round Najera continued to throw wild punches as Carto countered him well while avoiding those wild swings. Carto opened up with punches in bunches having Najera backing up taking a beating time and again when referee Talmadge saw enough and stepped in and waved it off saving Najera from any unnecessary punishment. Najera came in nine pounds over the contracted weight but was able to take three pounds off with Carto giving away five pounds. “I knew he was heavier than me but knew I would eventually catch up to him,” said Carto. That’s seven straight knockouts in as many fights.

Lightweight prospect Branden “The Gift” Pizarro, 3-0 (2), of Philly, knocked out Abdiel Padilla, 1-1 (1), of PR, at 2:52 of the first round.

In a mismatch Pizarro chased Padilla who mostly covered up but for some reason would end up in a corner and Pizarro would pummel him. When Padilla ended up in the opposite corner it was all over as Pizarro landed a flurry of body punches dropping Padilla to the canvas and not making an effort to get up as referee Bashir counted him out.

Super featherweight Cuban Hairon “El Maja” Socarras, 15-0-2 (10), of Miami, FL, outpointed German “Pan Teonero” Meraz, 55-41-1 (32), of Sonora, MEX, over six dull rounds.

About a minute into the round a combination from Socarras to the head and down went Meraz. Referee Rosato gave him the eight count and Meraz got up and managed to get to the end of the round. In the second and third rounds Socarras simply landed more punches then Meraz with some good left hooks to the body.

In the fourth and fifth rounds the pace continued with Meraz seemingly looking to coast to the distance. In the sixth and final round Socarras did enough to win the round and just before the bell sounded he landed his best punch since the first round a left hook to the chin of Meraz.

All three Steve Weisfeld, Alan Rubenstein and Anthony Lundy scored it 60-53 for Socarras.

Super featherweight Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 2-0 (2), out of Allentown, PA, knocked out Jonathan Hernandez, 0-4, PR, at 0:18 of the first round.

Adorno threw one punch a right hand to the head of Hernandez and down he went. The referee Blair Talmadge waved it off without a count knowing Hernandez was out before he hit the canvas. The ring physician immediately came into the ring. After close to ten minutes Hernandez was able to get up on his own and leave the ring.

Lightweight Victor Padilla, 2-0 (2), of Berlin, NJ, knocked out Tony Wilson, 0-2 (0), VA, at 0:30 of the first round.

Padilla went out fast looking for the knockout and it came that fast landing a combination to the chin of Wilson. Referee Bashir counted Wilson out on a knee.

Super flyweight Harold Lopez, 1-0 (1), of Allentown, PA, made his debut a good one when he knocked out Argenis Armando, 0-1 (0), at 0:57 of the first round in a mismatch.

In the opening round hit Armando about four times and down he went refusing to get up until the referee Talmadge said “ten”!

The opponent for Kali Reis, who is a former world champion never showed up. Kita Watkins who challenged for the world title three times made the weigh-in Thursday night but didn’t show up for the fight.

The fans seemed to enjoy all the early knockouts and continue to fill the arena at the SugarHouse Casino. A ten count was given for veteran trainer George James, the manager of Christian Carto Jimmy Binns, Jr., and the father of top cut-man Joey Eye after a long illness.

Posted on 02/02/2017

Robinson, Socarras, Reis, Carto, Pizarro, Cuevas, Padilla & Adorno Friday in Philly!
By: Ken Hissner

Hard Hitting Promotions continues to fill the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia with fans and great fights! On Friday February 3rd it continues with Co-Promoters Manny Rivera and Will Ruiz featuring world contender southpaw “The New” Ray Robinson, 20-2 (10), in the main event for the second time in an 8 round bout.

At a Press Conference Wednesday night at the SugarHouse Casino nine showed up for the nine bout card. “Ray Robinson will be fighting for a world title by the end of the year (2017),” said Manny Rivera. Robinson is No. 9 in the WBC rankings dropped down from No. 5 after an auto accident sidelined him for 18 months. He makes no bones about it he wants a world title fight with fellow Philadelphia boxer and the WBC welterweight champion Danny “Swift” Garcia, 33-0 who is in a unification bout in March with WBA champion Keith Thurman. “I’ve been asking for this fight with Danny for years,“ said Robinson.

The undercard has Cuban Hairon “El Maga” Socarras, 14-0-2, out of Miami who meets 90+ bout veteran German “Pan Teonero” Meraz out of Sonora, MEX, over 6 rounds. Socarras is trained by legendary Cuban trainer Jorge Rubio. The boxer is returning to action after posting his second draw which was held in MEX in November of 2015. Now a super featherweight he won the interim WBC Latino super bantamweight title in Spain in 2014. Both he and Meraz were present.
In the other 6 round bout females Kali “KO Meainonoag” Reis, out of Providence, RI, the former WBC world champion takes on Kia Watkins, out of Tyler, TX, a former 3-time world title challenger in a middleweight bout. Former Philadelphia bantamweight National GG champion Christian Carto, 6-0 (6), takes on 40+ veteran Sergio Najera, of MEX, over 4 rounds.

Four of the top Latino prospects in the country help fill out the card featuring Philly’s 17-year old Branden Pizarro, 2-0 (1), against Abdiel Padilla, 1-0 (1), of PR, in a lightweight 4. “Branden Pizarro is a future world champion,” said Manny Rivera. Southpaw Philly lightweight Jeremy Cuevas, 2-0 (2), Allentown-Philly’s super featherweight Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 1-0 (1), Victor Padilla, 1-0 (1), out of Berlin, NJ, and Harold Lopez, Allentown-Philly’s debuting super flyweight are all featured in 4’s.
Doors open at 6pm and first bout at 7pm for this “Friday Night Boxing” event!

Posted on 01/27/2017

“Boots” Ennis & Eight Unbeaten Boxers Saturday at Philly’s 2300 Arena!
By: Ken Hissner

Headlining Saturday at the 2300 Arena in South Philly in a Victory Boxing Promotions will be the best prospect this writer has seen out of Philly since 1984 Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor. Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 8-0 (7), will be in his ninth fight in nine months in the main event against Todd Manuel, 12-12-1 (1), of Rayne, La., over 6 rounds in the welterweight division.

In the co-feature is Philadelphia Policeman super bantamweight Manny “Neek” Folly, 8-0 (6), against Luis Rivera, 3-3 (0) of Boston, MASS. Hungarian super welter knockout artist Zsolt “Phenom” Daranyi, Jr., 9-0 (9) out of Toronto, CAN., against Lenwood “Mr. Composure” Dozier, 10-15-2 (5), of Suitland, MD, welterweight Mexico’s Carlos “El Tiburon” Sanchez, 11-0 (10), out of Baja, CA, against Somner Martin, 6-3 (4), of Martinsville, VA, all six round bouts.
Philadelphia’s super lightweight Joshua “Hands of Stone” Jones, 3-0-1 (2), pitted against Jeff “The Hawk” Farmer, 3-7 (0), out of Des Moines, IA, super middle Darren Goodall, 3-0 (2), of New Milford, NJ, against Corvin Farmer, 1-1 (0), of N.C., and making their debuts will be Philadelphia’s super middle Atif Oberlton, welter Brandun Lee and lightweight Christian Camarena, all four’s.

Doors open at 6pm and first bout at 7pm
At the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City Saturday headlining will be super welterweight Thomas “Cornflake” Lamanna, 21-2 (9), and in the co-feature light heavyweight Chuck “The Professor” Mussachio, 19-3-2 (5), out of Wildwood, NJ. Eleven bouts are scheduled!

Posted on 08/27/2016

Sell Out Crowd at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia on Friday Night!
By: Ken Hissner

Before a sellout crowd and then some boxing made their debut at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia Friday night with 10 bouts. Hard Hitting Promotions continues to put on good and competitive bouts headed by Manny Ramirez with Will Ruiz doing the matchmaking.

In the Main Event Milton “El Santo” Santiago, 15-0 (3), of Philadelphia, won a hard fought decision over Dominican Ken Alvarez, 7-5-2 (3), of PR, in a very close fight over 8 rounds.

In the first round was close with each fighter having their moments. In the second round Santiago rocked Alvarez with a right hand to the chin. The fans are pro Santiago and he is started to pick it up. In the third round Santiago did enough to take the round. In the fourth round the 19 year-old Philly boxer came out and scored with left hooks and chopping rights to the head of Alvarez. Santiago got rocked halfway through the round by Alvarez who out of the southpaw position landed a powerful straight left to the chin of Santiago having him grabbing Alvarez not recovering well the rest of the round.

In the fifth round both fighters had their moments but it looked like Alvarez may have pulled it out. In the sixth round Alvarez seemed to outwork Santiago. In the seventh round it was back and forth with Alvarez once again outworking the younger Santiago who may be running out of gas. In the eighth and final round it was the best of the fight. Santiago hurt Alvarez who was on the ropes. When Santiago hurt him the fans roared and Alvarez tied up Santiago and looked over to Santiago’s cheering section and came right back firing punches. It was a close round.

Judge’s Adam Friscia had it 79-73 while Lindsay Page and Alan Rubenstein had it 78-74 while this writer had it 76-76. Since changing trainers Santiago has had a pair of lack luster performances. He dropped the best trainer in Philadelphia in Bozy Ennis to return to bringing in his father who had him for his entire amateur career. Only on rare occasions does a father and son corner work out and this doesn’t seem to be one of them as of yet.

Featherweight Ricky Lopez, 17-4 (6), of Colorado Springs, CO, won a hard fought decision over Josue Bendana, 10-7-4 (6), of Managua, NIC, over 6 rounds.

In the first round Lopez may have had the edge with both landing well. In the second round it could have gone either way with Bendana taking more chances but Lopez landed well in a close round. In the third round Bendana landed good combinations in taking the round.
In the fourth round Lopez came alive and had Bendana hurt at different times during the round. In the fifth round Bendana landed a low punch and was warned by referee Clark giving Lopez a short rest. Lopez came back just before the bell landing a big right driving Bendana several steps back into the corner. In the sixth and final round Lopez rocked Bendana with a left uppercut and came back with a right rocking Bendana who seemed to have run out of gas.
Judges had it 59-55 and 58-56 twice. This writer had it 58-56.

Super Featherweight two-time Olympian and Silver medalist in 2012 John Joe Nevin, 8-0 (4), of Mullingar, IRE, easily defeated a tough Jesus Lule, 8-19-1 (1), of Ft. Myers, FL, over 6 rounds.
In the opening round Nevin landed a dozen punches without return having Lule hurt but he backed off. Nevin was landing a high percentage of his punches and gliding around the ring like a much more experienced pro though having several hundred amateur fights. In round two Lule must have been given a pep talk by his corner for he came out landing more punches as Nevin was staying stationery. Only problem is as Nevin turns his back the referee Clark allowed Lule to punch him there which is illegal before finally warning him. In the third round Nevin got back into it landing the more effective and harder punches as Lule came in attacking the body bit being hit almost at will by Nevin.

In the fourth round Nevin was slipping punches and rocking Lule again and again. One would wonder what’s holding Lule up? In the fifth round Lule continues to come forward showing a lot of heart but he is met with a barrage of counter punches. An overhand right by Nevin rocked Lule. Shortly afterwards a left hook by Nevin rocks Lule again. In the sixth and final round Nevin continues to counter the oncoming Lule who did all he could do to hang in there but was outgunned from the third round on and losing the first round. The fight was entertaining.
All 3 judges had it 60-54 with this writer scoring it 59-55. Nevin looks like a good prospect. Only one of his fights was held back in Ireland. He is currently living in Pennsylvania.

In the co-feature Super featherweight Luis “Popeye” Lebron, 6-0-1 (3), of San Juan, PR, came into the ring with the promoter and matchmaker leading the way with American and Puerto Rican flags. One wondered what was going in the mind of Luckey. Lebrone did enough to win a majority decision over Tyrone “Braveheart” Luckey, 8-6-4 (5), of Neptune, NJ, over 6 rounds. I believe the fans and this writer expected more out of Lebrone.

In the opening round it was Lebron doing the chasing but landed very few punches as Luckey got lucky taking the round. In the second round Lebron got Luckey’s attention with a lead straight right hand. Luckey returned the favor with a left hook of his own. In the last minute of the round Luckey rocked Lebron with a left hook to the chin. In the third round both fighters exchanged left hooks to the chin. Luckey was surprising the crowd with the way he is handling Lebron.
In the fourth round Lebron finally found the target rocking Luckey with a right hand to the chin. Luckey may have been tiring. In the fifth round it was close with neither fighter overpowering the other. In the sixth and final round with the fight up for grabs both fighters had to know this. Lebron rocked Luckey with a right hand knocking him back several steps. Luckey came right back and seemed to outwork Lebron the rest of the way.
Judge George Hill 59-55 for Lebron, Alan Rubenstein 60-54 for Luckey and Lindsay Page 57-57. This writer had it 58-56 Luckey. Referee was Blair Talmadge.
In the opening bout Heavyweight Pedro “The Bull” Martinez, 7-10 (3), of Philadelphia, seemed to get the short end of the stick in losing to Lamont “Too Smooth” Capers, 7-8-2 (0), of Hawley, PA, over 6 rounds.

In the opening round Martinez kept Capers on the ropes as he did in the second round getting come overhand rights to the head in. In the third round Capers turned the tables around having Martinez on the ropes and in the middle of the ring. Martinez is at his heaviest weight.

In the fifth round as Martinez came in to push Capers to the ropes he got hit with a left uppercut to the body. Referee Talmadge has his work cut out for him with a lot of inside fighting and grabbing one another. In the sixth and final round Capers went on the attack having Martinez on the ropes. Martinez got off the ropes and was backing Capers up. This has been a action round with both fighters trying to pull out the win.
Judges all had it 59-55. This writer had it 57-57.

Light heavyweight David “One-Two” Murray, 5-1 (4), of Wilmington, DE, stopped Maurice “Static” Amaro, 2-10 (1), of Philadelphia, at 2:35 of the first round.
In the first round Murray dropped Amaro with a powerful right hand to the chin. Murray is all action especially in the first round of his fights. Amaro beat the count of 10 but Murray was all over him punching him at will until referee Talmadge wisely stopped the fight.

Super featherweight Egar Cortes, 2-3 (0), of Vineland scored an easy decision over Alex Barbosa, 5-3-1 (1), of Philadelphia, NJ, over 4 rounds.

In the opening round with both boxers fighting southpaw it was close but Cortes landed the more effective punches. In the second round Cortes was landing uppercut after upper cut rocking Barbosa whose timing seems way off. In the third round it was more of Cortes landing jabs and follow-up with lefts to the head of Barbosa. In the fourth and final round it had the most action with Barbosa having his best round but not good enough to overcome the pin point punches of Cortes.
All the Judge’s had it 40-36 as did this writer. Talmadge was the referee.

Bantamweight Christian Carto, 3-0 (3), Philadelphia, stopped Jonathan Hernandez, 0-3 (0), of Nava, MEX, at 1:02 of the second round.

In the opening round it was all Carto but the southpaw Hernandez did a lot of holding and moving. In the second Carto rocked Hernandez with a left hook and he went after Hernandez. Carto almost dropped Hernandez with a right hand. He jumped on Hernandez until the referee Clark wisely stopped it. Carto is a cool and calm local crowd pleaser. Former PA GG champion Mickey Rosato was in the corner with Joey Eye working the cuts. Carto was an Olympic alternate and is a real prospect.

Super bantamweight Angel Pizarro, 1-0 (0), of Philadelphia, in his debut easily defeated tough Marquis Pierce, 1-10 (0), of Newark, NJ, over 4 rounds.

In the opening round Pizarro landed many more punches than Pierce who keeps throwing but with little accuracy. In the second round Pizarro picked his spots and punished Pierce who is no quitter. In the third round Pizarro had Pierce out on his feet with about 30 seconds to go in the round but Pierce managed to weather the storm. In the fourth and final round Pizarro was looking for the knockout but it didn’t come though he took the round. Good showing in his debut for Pizarro who has his father in the corner.

All 3 judges had it 40-36 as did this writer. Referee was Talmadge.

Bantamweight Laurie Shiavo, 1-0 (0), of Philadelphia, won an action packed split decision over Mary O’Leary, 0-1 (0), of Springfield, MASS, over 4 rounds. It could have gone either way.

The first two rounds the boxers seemed to split. In the third round again little could be seen. In the fourth and final round both boxers let it all hang out and it could end up in a draw in an all action fight.

Judges had it 40-36 and 39-37 for Shiavo and 39-37 for O’Leary. This writer had it 38-38. Neither boxer deserved to lose in this one.

This writer looks forward to Hard Hitting Promotions return to the SugarHouse Casino but placed in an area without so much traffic walking in front of them. All in all this promotion has not put on a bad show yet.

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.

Posted on 04/16/2016

ShoBox Results: Young and Potapov Fight to a Draw, Bejenaru and Menard Victorious
By: William Holmes

Tonight’s edition of ShoBox The New Generation was broadcast live from the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. Three fights were broadcast tonight and several foreign fighters were featured.

The first fight of the night was between Constantin Bejenaru (10-0-1) and Alexey Zubov (10-0) in the cruiserweight division. Bejenaru had experience fighting in the heavyweight division, but was the shorter man in length and in height.

Both boxers spent most of the opening round feeling each other out, but Bejenaru was beginning to land some combinations as the round came to an end.

Bejenaru had a very strong second round as his straight left hands were landing cleanly at the end of combinations as well as lead right hooks. Bejenaru’s activity continued to dominate in the third round as he used his superior foot movement to bounce in and out and connect with quick combinations.

Bejenaru at times was too aggressive as he slipped often in this bout, including the third and fourth rounds, but Zubov had no answer and by the fifth round Bejenaru 48 punches dwarfed the meager sixteen punches that Zubov landed.

There was a lot of tying up in the sixth round and Zubov kept the round close. Zubov scored an unexpected knockdown in the seventh round when Bejenaru appeared to have been knocked down from a punch, but in actuality slipped.

Zubov needed a knockout in the final round but instead was warned for a rabbit punch. Zubov had no answer for the activity of Bejenaru.

The judges scored it 77-74, 78-73, and 78-73 for Constantin Bejenaru.

The next bout of the night was between Eduy Bernardo (21-0) and Mason Menard (30-1) in the lightweight division. Menard was giving up four inches in height and seven and a half inches in reach, and neither boxer had much experience fighting outside of their locale.

The first round was more of a feel out round as Bernardo solely threw his jab and Menard attempted to find his range with little significant offense from either side.

Menard picked up the pace in the second round and was able to land a hard right hook right cross combination that hurt Bernardo and followed it up with a head snapping uppercut. Bernardo looked close to going down in the second, but was able to survive.

Menard started off the third round patiently and bided his time before landing an eye opening right hand to the chin of Bernardo that knocked him out instantly.

The referee immediately waived off the fight as Mason Menard won by a stunning knockout at 2:11 of the third round.

The main event of the evening was between Nikolay Potapov (14-0) and Stephon Young (14-0) in the bantamweight division.

Potapov had only fought twice in 2013, 2014, and once in 2015, but his ring rust did not show inside the ring.

Both boxers spent most of the first round feeling each other out, with Potapov throwing and landing to the body while Young appeared to have the quicker rounds.

In the second round Potapov picked up the pace and was successful with his straight right hands to the body of Young. Young did not throw enough combinations in the third round and would only throw one punch at a time while Potapov stayed active with a variety of punches. Young however was able to stagger Potapov near the end of the third round with a crisp straight hand.

Young’s counter punching was slightly more effective in the fourth round and he nearly scored a knockdown with a three punch combination that caused Potapov to lose his balance, but the referee ruled it a slip.

Young maintained a high defensive guard in the fifth round and landed the harder shots despite the fact Potapov threw more punches. Young’s counter right hook was sharp in the sixth round and he dictated the action in the ring and moved Potapov where he wanted.

Young stepped off the gas pedal in the seventh round and Potapov’s activity may have stolen him the round. Young’s punches were short in the eighth round and Potapov looked like he caught a second wind and boxed decently from the outside.

Young’s corner told him he needed a knockout in the final two wins in order to win the fight, and he responded positively in the ninth round and had Potapov backing away from his power shots as the round came to an end.

The fight was likely close on the scorecards in the final round and both boxers had their moments, but Potapov likely won the final round solely based on the fact he looked to be the least tired boxer.

The judges scored it 96-94 Patapov, 95-95, and 95-95 making it a majority draw.