Tag Archives: Durrell

Posted on 11/18/2017

By: Eric Lunger

​It was a home-coming for Anthony Dirrell tonight as the Flint, Michigan, native fought in front of his home crowd against veteran Denis Douglin, on a special Friday night edition of PBC’s Toe-to-Toe on Fox Sports. Dirrell (30-1, 24 KOs), a former WBC world champion at the 168-pound limit, was looking to get back on track for a title shot next year, while Douglin (20-5, 13 KOs), a 29-year old southpaw from Marlboro, NJ, was hoping to upset the home-town apple cart and grab that potential title shot.

Photo Credit: Silvia Jones/Premier Boxing Champions

​From the opening bell, Dirrell was calm and poised — efficient in his movement, and looking for his spots. And indeed, Dirrell found one late in the first round, catching Douglin with a straight right, wobbling him, and almost finishing the fight before the bell. Douglin rallied in the second, scoring to the body and showing the former world champion little respect, holding and fighting a bit ugly. Despite more holding and rough tactics in the fourth, the end of the round saw a flurry of action as Dirrell scored with a variety of heavy punches.

​In the sixth round, however, Dirrell suffered a cut in the corner of his left eye, hampering his vision. Ruled an accidental head butt by the referee, the fight was stopped and it went to the cards. Not surprisingly, the judges scored the five completed rounds unanimously for Anthony Dirrell (49-46, 48-47, 48-47).

In the co-main event, undefeated prospect Jamontay “the Quiet Assassin” Clark (12-0, 7 KOs) took on Domonique Dolton (19-1, 10 KOs) in an eight-round super welterweight bout. Clark, a 23-year old from Cincinnati, Ohio, is tall and rangy at six-foot-two, and he possesses a long, stinging jab. Dolton tried to get inside Clark’s jab but with little success. Although a tactical and defensive bout, the high skill level of both fighters made it a compelling contest. Dalton was effective when he could get “in the phone booth,” and Clark was clearly better when he was fighting from range.

An accidental clash of heads in the fourth opened a cut over Clark’s right eyebrow, with Dolton seeking to exploit the injury. The following rounds were competitive and difficult to score, though Clark did the better work from behind his long jab. The Cincinnati fighter showed impressive composure despite the cut, boxing and keeping a very determined Dolton at bay. Clark edged out the majority decision (76-76, 78-74, 77-75).

Earlier in the evening, Houston-based Ryan “Cowboy” Karl (14-1, 9 KOs) took on Kareem Martin (9-1-1, 3 KOs) of Washington, DC, in an eight-round welterweight contest. Karl, who has fought on PBC several times before, is a come-forward action fighter, often to the detriment of his defense. Tonight was no exception.

In a fight characterized by much offense and little defense, both men stayed on the gas pedal for the first three rounds.

The pace slowed in the fourth, but the fireworks resumed in the fifth, with both fighters swinging away for the knockout. At times, Martin protected himself with a high guard, almost as though he was inviting Karl to punch himself out. But Karl’s conditioning, not to mention his chin, held up. The Texan took control of the fight in the later rounds, fighting behind a remarkably effective jab.

Despite a wild eighth round, in which Martin was wobbled, the fight went to the judges who scored the bout unanimously for Karl (78-74, 78-74, 77-75).

Posted on 05/20/2017

Showtimes’ Wild Saturday Boxing Card: Davis and Russell Victorious
By: Sean Crose

Liam Walsh, 21-0, took a crack at the IBF junior lightweight title when he took on American champ Gervanta Davis, 17-0, in a sold out Copper Box arena in London.

Smith showed some nice range in the first, then refused to sit down in his corner. Davis, however, remained patient throughout the second, exuding terrific confidence in the process. It may have been a somewhat even round in the eyes of viewers and judges, but Davis acted as if he was completely in control. Perhaps he knew what would happen, for in the third he put his man down after several seconds of firing heavy shots. The Englishman got up, but that was polished off a few sharp punches later, when referee Michael Alexander wisely stopped the bout.

Showtime, which broadcast the bout, then went across the Atlantic to showcase a card live from the MGM National Harbor in Maryland. First up was Rances Barthelemy, the 25-0 junior welterweight from Vegas by way of Cuba. Barthelemy’s opponent was 21-1 Belarus native Kiryl Relikh. Barthelemy was well regarded walking into the fight, but Relikh had his man in trouble after dropping Barthelemy in round five. To add to the suspense, Barthelemy dropped Relikh three rounds later. It was an interesting, competitive bout and there was much unhappiness when Barthlemy ended up winning by UD via some very wide scores.

The controversy was followed up by super middleweight Andre Dirrell, 25-2 facing Jose Uzcategui, 26-1, for the chance to face multi-titlist James DeGale (for Dirrell, that fight would be a rematch). The first round wasn’t overly eventful, but Dirrell was jostled by Uzcategui in the second. Indeed, it looked like the man might go down. Dirrell, however, was able to survive the round. What’s more, he was able to work effectively at points, but Uzcategui remained aggressive.

Dirrell came back in the third by employing a very impressive jab and slick defense. By the fourth, Dirrell was in fine form, jabbing and keeping away from his foe proficiently. And Dirrell continued to keep Uzcategui from taking complete control throughout the middle of the fight. Then, at the end of the 8th, Dirrell was hammered after the bell. Referee Bill Clancy subsequently disqualified Uzcategui. Afterward, a rumble erupted and at least one member of Dirrell’s team took shots at Uzcategui.

Word came out that Maryland police were looking for Dirrell’s uncle while essentially keeping Uzcategui in protective custody. It was also reported that Dirrell’s brother may have become violent with a commission member. An ugly scene all around.

It was time for the main event. Featherweight Gary Russell, 27-1, looked to hop back into the public consciousness by looking impressive against 25-2 Oscar Escandon. It was Russell’s second defense of his WBC world title and he had the comfort of fighting within his home state of Maryland. Columbia’s Escandon, however, was planning to make the most of this opportunity. Russell, one of the sports’ more impressive slicksters, may have told the tale in the first round, but Escandon was able to get in his shots.

Both men traded shots effectively in the second, making it a fast paced, close quarters round. Russell, however, was able to drop his man in the third. Escandon got to his feet, but Russell was finding his mark and landing with noticeable power. By the end of the round, Russell was landing hard and often enough to make one wonder if the man would run out of gas should Escandon refuse to be stopped. Russell never had to worry about it. For he stopped Escandon in round seven after what was an exciting, high octane bout. Escandon was a true warrior, but referee Harvey Dock had seen enough of Russell’s power shots landing clean.

To his credit, Russell apologized for the wild antics of the evening – even though they had nothing to him. Boxing could use more of that kind of class.