Tag Archives: ennis

Posted on 06/01/2017

“Hammering” Hank Lundy & Jaron “Boots” Ennis in Philly Friday!
By: Ken Hissner

Lightweight “Hammering” Hank Lundy, 27-6-1 (13), returns to Philadelphia for the first time since 2009. Also on the card is Philly’s welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 11-0 (9), the best looking prospect in Philadelphia since 1984 Olympian Meldrick Taylor. Peltz Boxing, BAM Boxing and now Raging Babe continue to bring the fans competitive bouts.

Peltz is an IBHOF promoter and matchmaker. Brittany Rogers is one of the youngest promoter-matchmakers in the country and though in her 20’s knows her boxing especially learning from Peltz who goes back to 1969 when he promoted his first show.

There was a press conference Wednesday night at the Xfinity Center in South Philadelphia. There are eleven bouts scheduled but by fight night Friday several will probably be cut out. Boxing Director Greg Sirb gets quite upset when there are more than seven bouts. Raging Babe speaks Spanish and was able to speak to the main event opponent of Lundy in Danny Evangelista, Jr., 20-7-2 (16), from Mexico City in a scheduled 8 round bout.

Lundy is quite outspoken and though failed in a title fight with unbeaten Terrance Crawford at 140 proclaims he will be the 135 champ. He has lost 3 of his last 5 fights and was backed by his promoter from CES Promotions out of Rhode Island telling all in attendance about Lundy fighting Crawford with an injury.

When boxers return to their home base Peltz said in so many words they are at the end of their career. Lundy is 33 and in his eleventh year of boxing. He has returned to his trainer “Cornbread” Ramey who is one of the most respected trainers in Philadelphia.

On the other hand Ennis is trained by his father “Bozy” Ennis who may be the best or one of the best trainers in the city and runs “Bozy’s Dungeon” in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. His son has won all 11 fights in but his fourteenth month since turning professional in April of 2016 under manager Cameron Dunkin. Dunkin chose Chris Middendorf’s Victory Promotions instead of Top Rank who are one and have been one of the best promotional groups in the country for years. Middendorf promoted a pair of shows in Philadelphia and hopefully won’t be returning after the mismatches he put on. Ennis has fought 6 of his 11 fights in Philadelphia and another in close by Bristol, PA. His bout is against Wilfredo “EllZurdo” Acuna, 16-20 (12), of Mauagua, NIC, scheduled for 6 rounds.

Also on hand were super welterweight Mark Daniels, Jr., 3-0 (1), a Native American from Crandon, WI, who as Peltz said was “not hesitant to come to Philadelphia to fight a Philadelphian in Isaiah Wise, 4-1 (3), who is a tough opponent and that’s the way Peltz does his matchmaking putting on competitive fights. This is for 6 rounds.

Well known trainer Don Turner now having a camp in Arapahoe, NC, is from the Philadelphia and brings in a pair of boxers to debut here knowing this area will develop out of town boxers as it did in “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler and Eddie Mustapha Muhammad. He has brought with him super welterweight Ishmael Altman who will face Philadelphia’s Tyree Crowder also in his debut. The other from NC is southpaw Heriberto Polanco who will fight Brooklyn’s Omar Kabary Salem, both in their debuts.

In a welterweight bout two out of state boxers face each other in a 6 round bout in Juan Reyna, 6-6-1 (2), of Brownsville, TX, against Alvin “Iron Majik” Varmall, Jr., 10-0-1 (8), of Catskill, NY. Philadelphia’s prospect Scott Kelleher, 5-0 (3), is returning to action after 13 months and will meet Dion Richardson, 1-1 (1), of Newark, NJ. Another prospect from Philadelphia is Crystian Peguero, 1-0 (1), who made his debut in March. He will meet Saquan Felton, 0-1, from Rochester, NY. Peltz said “I’m bringing a match between lightweight Marko Bailey, 4-0 (3), of Durham, NC, and Vinnie Denierio, 1-1 (10) of Geneva, NY, who I was told was a barnburner in their recent meeting.

Peltz doesn’t always care if the boxers are from the city if he knows they will give the fans something to cheer about.
Philadelphia’s super lightweight Nahir Albright, 1-1 (0), will meet debuting Sultan Zamir Uulu, of KYR now living in Philadelphia. Finally Philadelphia’s welterweight Marcel Rivers, 1-0 (1), meets Jamaal Gregory, 1-0 (1), of Charlotte, NC.

First bout is at 7:30PM and you know a Peltz show always starts on time. It is at the 2300 Arena at 2300 S. Swanson St. at the Front and Oregon area. Peltz said the event is already sold out.

Posted on 05/16/2017

Jaron “Boots” Ennis Wins Eleventh Straight in Thirteen Months!
By: Ken Hissner

Philadelphia’s best prospect since Meldrick Taylor who was the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 11-0 (9), won his 11th fight in 13 months of boxing. He comes from a fighting family with brothers Farah who was 22-2 and held the NABF super middleweight title and Derek “Pooh” Ennis, 24-5-1, who held the USBA super welterweight title.

“Boots” father Derrick “Bozy” Ennis was 4-1 over six years. He decided to become a trainer for his own sons and other boxers like Anthony “The Messenger” Thompson, 24-3. He works with Angel Pizarro, Sr. for the younger of his two sons 17 year-old Branden “The Gift” Pizarro 5-0 in 7 months. The youngest Ennis is 19 and was a great amateur being the 2016 Olympic alternate splitting with Gary Russell’s brother before losing a controversial box off fight in their third bout to make the team.

“Boots” decided to turn professional in April of 2016 in of all places St. George, Utah. In May he made his Philadelphia debut. In June he was in Springfield, VA. That was three fights all ending in the first round! In July he was in Rio Rancho, New Mexico scoring a stoppage in the fourth and final round. In August he was in Bristol, PA, just outside of Philadelphia scoring a second round knockout. In September he was back in Philadelphia winning his first decision which was over four rounds. He would return in November in South Philadelphia in his first six round bout stopping Chris Alexander, 4-2 in the 4th round. In December another fight in Philadelphia stopping a stubborn Marcus Beckford, 3-4-3, who was determined to go the full 6 rounds but was stopped in the 6th and final round.

“Boots’ would open 2017 in January knocking out veteran Elvin Perez, 26-16-4 in 0:35 of the 1st round back in Philadelphia. In March he was up against one rough and dirty veteran in James Winchester, 20-12, who managed to go the full 6 rounds. Earlier in the bout a frustrated Winchester body slammed “Boots” and punched him in the face while he was on his back. The referee not only didn’t DQ him but never took away a point. Winchester would have been fortunate if he was DQ’d. “Boots” got up and put on a body attack that would make Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum proud. “Boots” also cut his opponent winning every round.

In “Boots” last fight on May 13th he would travel back to Virginia, Norfolk this time taking on another tough veteran in Eduardo Flores, 25-26-3. In checking the record of the opponents Flores was in with and their records it’s like a who’s who! He went the distance twice with David Zegarra when he was 10-0 and 24-0 over 10 rounds. He went the 10 round distance with former WBC champion Carlos Baldimor, 46-13-6. Then there was Ebenezer Lamptey, 14-0, over 12 rounds.

Kamat Islam 11-0, losing a 9 round decision. Franklin Mamani, 10-1-1, over 12 rounds. Diego Chaves, 18-0, being stopped in 9 rounds. Erick Bone, 9-0, in another 9 round decision. Australian Wale Omotoso, 23-1, in the 8th round.

Contender Brad Solomon, 23-0, over 8 rounds. Khiary Gray, 11-0, over 10 rounds. Sammy Valentin, 11-0, over 6 rounds. Skender Halil, 13-1 over 6 rounds. Former IBF welter champion Kermit Cintron, 35-5-2, over 6 rounds. Achour Esbo, 13-0, over 6 rounds. Anthony “Juice” Young, 12-2, 6 rounds. Junior Castillo, 8-0, stopped in 5th round.

Thomas “Cornflake” Lamanna, 21-2, 8 rounds. So “Boots” stops Flores, in 4 rounds which was quite an accomplishment!
Going the distance or more than four rounds Flores was to be one tough opponent. Speaking of Lamanna, he is promoting and fighting on his June 10th bout at the Claridge Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, and has “Boots” scheduled for 6 rounds. “In the first round he boxed Flores who tried roughing him up.

“Boots” in the second round put on a body attack. In the third Flores stepped on his foot and hit him. “Boots” went up to his highest weight of 149 to Flores 151. He fought at 143 in the amateurs and is 5’10”. In the fourth round he had Flores out on his feet before the fight was stopped. “Boots” only got hit three times,” said “Bozy”.

“Cameron Dunkin is one of the best managers around or the best. He knows how to maneuver his fighters around. A lot of people wanted to sign “Boots” but I dealt with Cameron when I had Anthony Thompson so it was an easy pick,” said “Bozy”.

“Boots” will fight half the fight or more as a southpaw before switching back to his natural orthodox. He goes side to side like the old timers. He looks so relaxed in the ring it’s like a sparring session in “Bozy’s Dungeon” in North Philadelphia over top of the Harrowgate Gym. This young man is a church going member and he doesn’t play around in or out of the ring! Its Philadelphia boxers like him who will put the City of Brotherly Love, or Brotherly shove like I like to call it back on the fistic map in the next couple of years! Remember the name Jaron “Boots” Ennis!

Posted on 05/05/2017

Philly’s Fab Four Turned Professional in 2016 and Are 31-0-1!
By: Ken Hissner

The year was 2016 that five Philly boxers were to go to the Olympic in Brazil! The best looking prospect to come out of Philly since 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor in this writer’s opinion is Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 10-0 (8), from the Germantown section of Philly at 19. He was 58-3 in the amateurs. His father Bozy Ennis is his trainer and possibly the best in the city. Cameron Dunkin is his manager and Victory Promotions his promoter. He could have signed with Top Rank but Dunkin chose Victory Promotions promoted by Chris Middendorf. Top Rank Promotions were not thrilled with Dunkin’s decision who he usually works with.

Ennis defeated Gary Antuanne Russell in his first fight in the Olympic Trials and followed it with two more wins. Then in the box-off he lost back to back matches to Russell who was one of four men to go to the Olympics in Brazil. Bozy Ennis was not happy with the two losses but said “we beat him but they stole it. I’d give Russell the third time.”

Ennis made his professional debut in April in St. George Utah and stopped Cory Muldrew in 0:42 of the first round. He defeated Luis Ramos in 0:23 in Philly in May for his second win. In June he stopped Deshawn Debose in 0:20 of the first round in Springfield, VA, for his third win. Then in July for his third win he stopped Tavorus Teague at 1:38 of the fourth round in Rio Rancho, NM, for his fourth win.

In August in his fifth win he stopped Matt Murphy at 2:52 of the second round in Bristol, PA, for his fifth win. “Murphy had just stopped a 3-0 boxer in his previous fight,” said Ennis. He won his sixth fight when he defeated Eddie Diaz at 2300 Arena in Philly on September 15th. Diaz was from Compton, CA, one of the toughest areas in the country. Ennis is 5:10 and after competing at 141 in the amateurs he’s now a welterweight but just a couple of pounds over 141.”He’s doing pretty good defeating all the opponents he’s fought so far. Even I don’t always realize when he switches from orthodox to southpaw. After seeing him in the Diaz fight I am moving he up to 147 and no more 143 fights,” said Ennis.

“Boots” won his seventh fight on November 11th at the 2300 Arena where he stopped Chris Alexander, 4-3, in 4 rounds. Then he won his eighth fight on December 10th at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, stopping Marcus Becker, 3-4-3, in the sixth and final round. “I will be back in the ring January 28th at the 2300 Arena that my promoter Chris Middendorf of Victory Promotions is running. On January 28th “Boots’ knocked out Elvin Perez, 28-17-4, at 0:35 of the first round at the 2300 Arena. On March 31st at the 2300 Arena, Ennis won his tenth straight in a rough and tumble bout that saw him body slammed to the canvas and punched while on the mat. His opponent James “Shotgun” Winchester, 20-12, paid the price taking a vicious body attack and a cut over his right eye. He was looking to be DQ’d to prevent more of a beating but was able to stay on his feet for the entire six rounds losing 60-53 on all judge’s score cards.

“Boots” two brothers have been pro’s first. Farah “Quiet Storm”, 22-2 (12), won the NABF Super Middleweight while the oldest brother Derek “Pooh” Ennis, 24-5-1 (13), won the USBA Super welterweight and the PA Super welterweight titles. “Boots” has a combination of both brothers and then some of his own. He is orthodox but fights some of his bouts southpaw. He trains at “Bozy’s Dungeon” in North Philly run by his father over top of Harrowgate’s Boxing Club on E. Venago Street off Kensington Avenue.

In 2015 “Boots” won the National Youth title in January. In May he won the National Golden Gloves title. He took lost in the Olympic Trials in December and was asked to be an alternate but his father turned it down to turn professional. At the Olympic Trial Qualifiers in Philly he won all five bouts.

Joshua Jones, 4-0-1 (2), signed with Dunkin and Victory Promotions along with Ennis. He trains at Shuler’s Gym and is trained by Hamza Muhammad. Jones is 23 and a Super lightweight. He made his debut in April in Utah along with “Boots” stopping Jason Thompson at 2:33 of the third round.

In June of 2016 both Jones and Ennis were on the Springfield, VA, show where Jones stopped Christopher Kuhn at 1:52 of the first round. In July he fought to a majority draw with Ahmet Kayretli in Erie, PA, getting a 39-37 vote with the other two having it 38-38. “He could have done better but he certainly deserved the fight. The opponent came in at 139 and was 150 at fight time. Jones has a fight scheduled for November 11th in Philadelphia at 2300 Arena meeting Corey Edwards, 2-1.

“I believe Boots, Tight and Christian are great and I believe we will all do big things in boxing,” said Jones. He returned to the ring after four months on March 31st taking a decision over Dustin Arnold, 1-0, by scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37, at the 2300 Arena in South Philly.

Darmani “Tight” Rock, 8-0 (5), is a super heavyweight at 6:05 and averaging just under 250. He is trained by his father Wayne “Wiz”. They go between their own Rock Solid Boxing Gym at 2840 Chatman Street in Frankford section of North Philly. His promoter is Jay Z’s Roc Nation. In 2014 he won the Youth World Title in Bulgaria and in 2015 the US Nationals. He also won the 2015 National Golden Gloves. He made it as far as the Olympic Trials semi-finals.

In May Rock turned pro in D.C. stopping Carlos Black at 1:54 in round one in D.C. In June he stopped Bobby Favors who weighed 402 lbs. at 1:46 of round one in Quincy, MASS. In July he stopped Hassan Lee at 2:21 in round one in Pittsburgh. In August he won over Mike Kyle in Oakland 40-35 and a pair of 39-37’s. He is 20. In October he stopped John Orr in Winchester, VA. On November 19th in Las Vegas, NV, he defeated Brice Ritani Coe, 4-4-1, by decision, November 19th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Rock knocked out Solomon Maye, 3-7-2, January 20th at Bally’s Event Center in Atlantic City, NJ. “My dad has trained me since I started at 12 or 13. I feel that I will get better and better with each fight,” said Rock. On March 18th he won a 6 round decision over Jon Bolden, 8-10-1, at the Mountaineer Casino Ballroom, in New Cumberland, WV. At the 2300 Arena show he had his right hand bandaged which he said the injury went back to the Maye knockout.

The final one of the Fab Four is Bantamweight Christian Carto, 9-0 (9), of South Philly was an Olympic Trials Bronze medalist and went to the training camp in Colorado to help others after the trials. He is trained by Mickey Rosati, Jr. Mickey was a PA State GG champion. His gym is over his Business Rosati’s Auto Repair Shop at 1937 S. Chadwick St., in South Philly. “He is a rare breed who comes in the gym six days a week. I’ve trained him for the past 3 years. He’s a pleasure to train because he listens. He’s up to bantamweight,” said Rosati.

Carto was the 108 National Golden Gloves Champion in 2014 defeating Leroy “Lucious” Davila who was No. 1 in the nation and 4-0 now as a pro. “I was with him when he beat Davila who was the best in the country,” said Rosati. Carto finished third in the 2015 Golden Gloves. His father Frank is always there to support his son who is 20. His brother Frank, Jr. won the Novice at 141 in the Golden Gloves this year.

Carto turned pro at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA, stopping Rahkeem Parker who wouldn’t come out after three rounds. In his second bout he stopped Christopher Nelson at the Claridge Casino in Atlantic City in the third round just 20 days later after his debut. In August in his third bout he stopped Jonathan Hernandez at 1:02 of the second round at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly. In his fourth bout on October 28th Carto stopped Angel Carvajal, 2-4, in the second round.

In his fifth fight on November 12th he stopped Leonardo Reyes, 5-10, in the second round. Carto has a big following which showed in his last fight with all the Carto shirts. He boxes well with good balance and is finding some punching power in the professionals. He won his sixth straight at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly on December 16th. He knocked out Harold Reyes, 2-6-1, in the second round. During the referee’s instructions to start the bout Reye’s trainer said “now you are in with a man.” Carto’s trainer Mickey Rosati said “I can’t believe he said that. That’s just not right.” After the first round of which Carto won big he pointed to the trainer of Reye’s in the corner saying something. After knocking Reye’s out in the second round Carto again pointed to the trainer with some choice words. In his seventh fight he stopped Sergio Najera, 12-28-2, of Mexico, at 2:06 of the third round at the SugarHouse Casino. In his eighth fight he stopped Rudolph “the Cutting Edge” Hedge, 10-4-3, of Jamaica after four rounds and not coming out for fifth round at the Fillmore, in Philly.

Carto on April 29th at the Liacouras Center won his 9th straight by stoppage over Samuel Gutierrez, 14-18-5 at the end of 5 in a scheduled 6.

Posted on 04/01/2017

Jaron “Boots” Ennis Wins Tenth Straight in Eleven Months Friday in Philly!

By: Ken Hissner
Welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 10-0 (8), the hottest prospect out of Philadelphia since the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor in the main event at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia Friday, defeated James “Shotgun” Winchester, 20-13 (8), Reidsveille, NC, over six rounds on all cards 60-53 by judges Rose Vargas, James Kinney and Bernard Bruni as did this writer on the Victory Boxing Promotions show.

In the first round Ennis dominated with a body attack over the veteran Winchester through half the third round. Frustrated Winchester picked Ennis up and body slammed him and punched him before referee Shawn Clark pulled him off. This was the start of Winchester’s dirty tactics the remainder of the fight trying to get DQ’d to prevent further punishment Ennis was dishing out. In the fifth Ennis cut Winchester over the right eye. The entire last three rounds referee Clark continuously pulled Winchester off of Ennis especially when he would get him on the ropes.
Ennis went from southpaw to orthodox and it was like the bull against the matador as Ennis gave Winchester a vicious body beating but somehow stayed on his feet. In the sixth and final round Ennis pummeled Winchester with head shots having him beat to a pulp but got tied up immediately whenever Winchester was close enough to grab him. The referee could have stopped the fight at any time from the third round on but to the delight of the fans Ennis gave him a beating. “I want to thank all my fans for coming out tonight and my corner (his father and trainer Bozy),” said Ennis.
In the co-feature super bantamweight Manny “Major Pain” Folly, 10-0 (8), of Philly, continued his unbeaten streak stopping veteran Luis “Barcello” Hinijosa, 30-11 (17), of Santo Domingo, DR, after scoring a pair of knockdowns at 2:10 of the second round.

Referee Eric Dali counted him out on one knee. Folly is a Philly policeman with trainer Buddy Osborn in the corner. Folly is a top prospect who trains out of Osborn’s Rock Ministry Gym in the Kensington section of Philly.
“I worked hard in the gym and thank my opponent for taking the fight on short notice and the fight itself was easy,” said Folly.
Super middleweight Darren “Venom” Goodall, 5-0 (4), of New Milford, NJ, scored a technical stoppage at 1:51 of the second round over Juan Zapata, 4-11-2 (2), of the Bronx, NY.
Goodall scored knockdowns in the first and second rounds with combinations to the head of Zapata on both knockdowns. He brought plenty of fans from NJ who cheered him on. Goodall was very impressive in this win. “I went in the box him but when the openings came I put the punches together dropping him,” said Goodall. Top Cut-man Joey Eye was in his corner. It was the ninth time in Zapata’s eleven losses he was stopped.
17 year-old welterweight Brandun Lee, 2-0 (2), of Pasadena, CA, defeated overmatched Seth Basler, 0-1 (0), out of Marion, IL, at 2:12 of the first round. Basler was on the defense the entire round getting dropped once before referee Dali wisely stopped the onslaught.

When both fighters were announced with one a National Amateur champion and the other a debuting MMA fighter it was obvious what the outcome was going to be before the first bell sounded.
In the opening bout Joshua, “Hands of Stone” Jones, 4-0-1 (3), out of Philly, had an easy night defeating the muscular Dustin Arnold, 1-1 (0), of Coral Springs, FL, by scores of judges Vargas and Kinney of 40-36 as did this writer and 39-37 by judge Bruni.
Jones used angles on Arnold who occasionally landed an overhand right to the head of Jones. Otherwise he was completely outclassed. “It felt good getting back into the ring (3 postponed fights) and winning before my fans tonight,” said Jones.
The half-filled arena fans were very disappointed expecting at least an eight bout card that by fight time was reduced to five bouts by the promoter/matchmaker Chris Middendorf. Box Rec had twelve bouts scheduled during the week with only the top two bouts opponents listed. When people like this writer sat in $75 ringside seats (barred from press row) that’s $15 per fight. The fans deserve more than this.
Philly’s Keenan Smith, Elijah Vines and Angel Pizarro were scheduled up until the week of the fight only to find out at the Thursday weigh-in none of their opponents showed and had to return sold tickets. This is back to back lopsided fights by Victory Boxing Promotions with their shows especially lacking the Spanish boxers that Philly fans fill the arenas. How the Boxing Director continues to allow these mismatches is a mystery. Middendorf is a veteran boxing man who previously worked for TKO Boxing and Mike Tyson’s promotion with both ending up out of the business.
Discombobulating Jones was the ring announcer doing his usual fine job.

Posted on 03/31/2017

Jaron “Boots” Ennis Seeking Tenth Win in Eleven Months Friday!

By: Ken Hissner

Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 9-0 (8), the hottest prospect out of Philadelphia since the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor will be headlining at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia Friday on a Victory Boxing Promotions show.

Ennis is looking for his tenth win in eleven months since signing with manager Cameron Dunkin who is currently managing super lightweight champion Terrence Crawford.

“His career is going good and we are on the right track,” said Bozy Ennis (father and trainer).The 19 year-old Ennis is following in the footsteps of his brothers Derek “Pooh” Ennis, the former USBA super welterweight champion and Farah Ennis, the former NABF super middleweight champion. At Bozy’s Dungeon on Venango Street in North Philadelphia he’s been sparring with WBC contender “The New” Ray Robinson (whom Bozy trains), 23-2, Elijah Vines, 3-0, who will be on the show Friday, New York’s Steve Martinez, 17-3 (who is managed by Philly’s Brian Cohen) who will be on an April 7^th show in Puerto Rico that Philly’s Hard Hitting Promotions is involved with and Kyrone “Shut It Down”Davis, 12-1, from Wilmington, DE, who won Tuesday on Fox Sports-1.

Ennis turned professional in April of 2016 in St. George, UT, scoring a first round knockout in 0:42 on a Victory Boxing show, a first round stoppage in 0:23 in May in Philly at the PA Sheet Metal Workers Hall on a Hard Hitting show, in June in Springfield, VA, another first round knockout in 0:20, in July in Rio Rancho, NM, with a fourth round stoppage on a Victory Boxing show, in August at the Grundy Arena in Bristol, PA, on a D&D Promotions show scoring a second round knockout, in September winning his only decision at the 2300 Arena in Philly on a Peltz Boxing show, in November at the 2300 Arena in Philly with a fourth round stoppage over Chris Alexander, 4-2, in his first scheduled six round bout on a Victory Boxing show, in December at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly he scored a sixth round stoppage in a scheduled six, over Marcus Beckford, 3-4-1, on a Hard Hitting show and in January at the 2300 Arena on a Victory Boxing show scoring a first round knockout over Elvis Perez, 28-16-4, in 0:35.

There were just five fights at weigh-in down from twelve bouts scheduled as of Thursday. Angel Pizarro, 2-0 (1), of Philly (trained by Bozy) was to meet Christopher Nelson of Louisville, KY but was not at weigh-in. Manny “Major Pain” Folly, 9-0 (7), who is a Philly policeman, Joshua Jones, 3-0-1 (2), Darren Goodall, 4-0 (3), and Brandun Lee, 1-0 (1). There are just 24 rounds with 52 shown on box rec? Five fights for $75.00 ringside?

Doors open at 6pm and first fight scheduled at 7:00pm.

Posted on 01/29/2017

Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Manny Folly Win Saturday in Philly!
By: Ken Hissner

Headlining Saturday at the 2300 Arena in South Philly in a Victory Boxing Promotions with CEO Chris Middendorf put on a “knockout of a show” with all seven fights failing to go the distance. The best prospect this writer has seen out of Philly since 1984 Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor is Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 9-0 (8), will be in his ninth win in nine months in the main event! Show theme was “Super Braw”.​

In the main event Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 9-0 (8), of Philadelphia, scored a sensational knockout in 0:35 of the first round over Elvin Perez, 28-17-4, from NIC, fighting out of Hamacao, PR, in a scheduled six.

In the opening round Perez came at Ennis who landed a left to the body followed by a right to the chin and finished Perez off with a left hook to the mid-section. Perez took the count on a knee from referee Shawn Clark. “Bozy” Ennis father of Jaron worked the corner.

In the co-feature Philadelphia Policeman super bantamweight Manny “Major Pain” Folly, 9-0 (7), scored a sensational knockout in the first round over Carlos “Gallito” Morgan, 12-5 (6), Ensenada, MEX, at 2:28 of the round. Referee Eric Dali didn’t even have to count. Trainer “Buddy” Osborn of Rock Ministry worked the corner for Folly.

Welterweight Hungarian knockout artist Zolt “Phenom” Daranyi, Jr., 10-0 (10) out of Toronto, CAN., scored a knockout over Lenwood “Mr. Composure” Dozier, 10-16-2 (5), of Suitland, MD, at 2:11 of the second round.

In the opening round it was all Daranyi with Dozier mostly covering up. In the second round Daranyi landed a right hand to the chin of Dozier’s who made no effort to get up as referee Dali counted him out. “Bozy” Ennis worked the corner for Daranyi.

Welterweight Carlos “El Tiburon” Sanchez, 12-0 (11), out of Felipe, MEX, stopped southpaw “Majic Man” Somner Martin, 6-4 (4), of Martinsville, VA, at 2:16 of the third round of a scheduled six.

In the opening round Sanchez seemed to have an edge with both mixing it up. In the second round it was more of the same but neither boxer is standing out in a close round. In the third round Sanchez was knocking a defense minded Martin all over the ring until referee Clark wisely stopped the bout.

Super middleweight Darren “Venom” Goodall, 4-0 (3), of New Milford, NJ, stopped Gary Hudson, 1-2 (0), Chicago, IL, at 1:37 of the second round.

In the opening round Goodall worked the body of Hudson. Goodall rocked Hudson with a right hand driving him across the ring as the bell sounded. In the second round referee Shawn Clark called a halt as Goodall kept going to the body without any return from Hudson.

Super featherweight southpaw Don “No Love” Smith, 4-0 (3), of Philadelphia, scored a pair of knockdowns stopping southpaw Chris “Too Smooth” Johnson, 1-3 (0), of Louisville, KY, at 1:11 of the fourth and last round.

The first two rounds had both boxers feeling each other out with Smith landing a bit more than Johnson. In the third round Smith continued to be the aggressor occasionally catching up to Johnson landing combinations with Johnson countering with one punch and moving out of the way. Smith landed a right hand to the body dropping Johnson. Referee Dali counted to 8 and then picked up the mouthpiece of Johnson’s that gave him a bit of a time to re-coup. In the fourth round Smith dropped Johnson for a second time with a right to the body. As Johnson got up Smith went on the attack forcing referee Dali to call a halt.

In the opening bout Welterweight Brandun Lee, 1-0 (1), scored a pair of knockdowns stopping Christopher Johnson, 0-3, Southbend, IN, at 1:33 of the first round, of a scheduled four with referee Clark waving it off.

Victory Boxing Promotions will return March 31 to the 2300 Arena per Emily Pandelakis.

Posted on 12/27/2016

Philly’s Fab Four Turned Professional in 2016 and Are 23-0-1!
By: Ken Hissner

This was to be the year that five Philly boxers were to go to the Olympic in Brazil!The best looking prospect to come out of Philly since 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor in this writer’s opinion is Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 8-0 (7), from the Germantown section of Philly at 19. He was 58-3 in the amateurs. His father Bozy Ennis is his trainer and possibly the best in the city. Cameron Dunkin is his manager and Victory Promotions his promoter. He could have signed with Top Rank but Dunkin chose Victory a new name on the block ran by Chris Middendorf. Top Rank Promotions were not thrilled with Dunkin’s decision and neither was this writer.

Ennis defeated Gary Antuanne Russell in his first fight in the Olympic Trials and followed it with two more wins. Then in the box-off he lost back to back matches to Russell who was one of four men to go to the Olympics in Brazil. Bozy Ennis was not happy with the two losses but said “we beat him but they stole it. I’d give Russell the third time.”

Ennis made his professional debut in April in St. George Utah and stopped Cory Muldrew in 0:42 of the first round. He defeated Luis Ramos in 0:23 in Philly in May for his second win. In June he stopped Deshawn Debose in 0:20 of the first round in Springfield, VA, for his third win. Then in July for his third win he stopped Tavorus Teague at 1:38 of the fourth round in Rio Rancho, NM, for his fourth win.

In August in his fifth win he stopped Matt Murphy at 2:52 of the second round in Bristol, PA, for his fifth win. “Murphy had just stopped a 3-0 boxer in his previous fight,” said Ennis. He won his sixth fight when hedefeated Eddie Diaz at 2300 Arena in Philly on September 15th. Diaz was from Compton, CA, one of the toughest areas in the country. Ennis is 5:10 and after competing at 141 in the amateurs he’s now a welterweight but just a couple of pounds over 141.”He’s doing pretty good defeating all the opponents he’s fought so far. Even I don’t always realize when he switches from orthodox to southpaw. After seeing him in the Diaz fight I am moving he up to 147 and no more 143 fights,” said Ennis.

“Boots” won his seventh fight on November 11th at the 2300 Arena where he stopped Chris Alexander, 4-3, in 4 rounds. Then he won his eighth fight on December 10th at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA, stopping Marcus Becker, 3-4-3, in the sixth and final round. “I will be back in the ring January 28th at the 2300 Arena that my promoter Chris Middendorf of Victory Promotions is running.

“Boots” two brothers have been pro’s first. Farah “Quiet Storm” won the NABF Super Middleweight while the oldest brother Derek “Pooh” Ennis won the USBA Super welterweight and the PA Super welterweight titles. “Boots” has a combination of both brothers and then some of his own. He is orthodox but fights some of his bouts southpaw. He trains at “Bozy’s Dungeon” in North Philly run by his father over top of Harrowgate’s Boxing Club on E. Venago Street off Kensington Avenue.

In 2015 “Boots” won the National Youth title in January. In May he won the National Golden Gloves title. He took lost in the Olympic Trials in December and was asked to be an alternate but his father turned it down to turn professional. At the Olympic Trial Qualifiers in Philly he won all five bouts.

Joshua Jones, 3-0-1 (2), signed with Dunkin and Victory Promotions along with Ennis. He trains at both Marion Anderson and Bozy’s Dungeon. Aaron Ford is assisted by“Bozy” Ennis. Jones is 23 and a Super lightweight. He made his debut in April in Utah along with “Boots” stopping Jason Thompson at 2:33 of the third round.

He was to fight in Philly along with “Boots” but hurt his hand. He is now scheduled to fight January 28th in Philly. In June both boxers were on the Springfield, VA, show where Jones stopped Christopher Kuhn at 1:52 of the first round. In July he fought to a majority draw with Ahmet Kayretli in Erie, PA, getting a 39-37 vote with the other two having it 38-38. “He could have done better but he certainly deserved the fight. The opponent came in at 139 and was 150 at fight time. Jones has a fight scheduled forNovember 11th in Philadelphia at 2300 Arena meeting Corey Edwards, 2-1. “I believe Boots, Tight and Christian are all great and I believe we will all do big things in boxing,” said Jones.

Darmani “Tight” Rock, 6-0 (4), is a super heavyweight at 6:05 and averaging just under 250. He is trained by his father Wayne “Wiz”. They go between their own Rock Solid Boxing Gym at 2840 Chatman Street in Frankford section of North Philly. His promoter is Jay Z’s Roc Nation. In 2014 he won the Youth World Title in Bulgaria and in 2015 the US Nationals. He also won the 2015 National Golden Gloves. He made it as far as the Olympic Trials semi-finals.
In May Rock turned pro in D.C. stopping Carlos Black at 1:54 in round one in D.C. In June he stopped Bobby Favors who weighed 402 lbs. at 1:46 of round one in Quincy, MASS. In July he stopped Hassan Lee at 2:21 in round one in Pittsburgh. In August he won over Mike Kyle in Oakland 40-35 and a pair of 39-37’s.He is 20.In October he stopped John Orr in Winchester, VA. On November 19th in Las Vegas, NV, he defeated Brice Ritani Coe, 4-4-1, by decision.

Rock is next scheduled January 20th at Bally’s Event Center in Atlantic City, NJ. “My dad has trained me since I started at 12 or 13. I feel that I will get better and better with each fight,” said Rock.

The final one of the Fab Four is Bantamweight Christian Carto, 6-0 (6), of South Philly was an Olympic Trials Bronze medalist and went to the training camp in Colorado to help others after the trials. He is trained by Mickey Rosati, Jr. Mickey was a PA State GG champion. His gym is over his Business Rosati’sAuto RepairShop at 1937 S. Chadwick St., in South Philly.“He is a rare breed who comes in the gym six days a week. I’ve trained him for the past 3 years. He’s a pleasure to train because he listens. He’s up to bantamweight,” said RosatiHe is managed by Jimmy Binns, Jr.of Binns Management out of Las Vegas.

Carto was the 108 National Golden Gloves Champion in 2014 defeating Leroy “Lucious” Davila who was No. 1 in the nation and 4-0 now as a pro. “I was with him when he beat Davila who was the best in the country,” said Rosati.Cartofinished third in the 2015 Golden Gloves. His father Frank is always there to support his son who is 20. His brother Frank, Jr. won the Novice at 141 in the Golden Gloves this year.

Carto turned pro at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA, stopping Rahkeem Parker who wouldn’t come out after three rounds. In his second bout he stopped Christopher Nelson at the Claridge Casino in Atlantic City in the third round just 20 days later after his debut. In August in his third bout he stopped Jonathan Hernandez at 1:02 of the second round at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly. In his fourth bout on October 28th Carto stopped Angel Carvajal, 2-4, in the second round.

In his fifth fight on November 12th he stopped Leonardo Reyes, 5-10, in the second round. Carto has a big following which showed in his last fight with all the Carto shirts. He boxes well with good balance and is finding some punching power in the professionals. He won his sixth straight at the Sugar House Casino in Philly on December 16th. He knocked out Harold Reyes, 2-6-1, in the second round. During the referee’s instructions to start the bout Reye’s trainer said “now you are in with a man.” Carto’s trainer Mickey Rosati said “I can’t believe he said that. That’s just not right.” After the first round of which Carto won big he pointed to the trainer of Reye’s in the corner saying something. After knocking Reye’s out in the second round Carto again pointed to the trainer with some choice words.

Two other Philly boxers Paul Kroll won the Olympic Trials but didn’t qualify for the Olympics while Mark Dawson fought to a draw in his debut and won his first fight in the Olympic Trials but suffered a cut and wasn’t able to go onto the next round. He is with Split-T Management under David Mc Water. He’s a former 2012 Jr. National PAL, 2013 Nation Silver Gloves, 2013 National Jr. Olympics and 2015 Youth Nationals champion with 75 amateur bouts. He is 19.

Posted on 10/02/2016

Philly’s Fab Four Turned Professional in 2016 and Are 15-0-1!
By: Ken Hissner

This was to be the year that five Philly boxers were to go to the Olympic in Brazil! The best looking prospect to come out of Philly since 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor in this writers opinion is Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 6-0 (5), from the Germantown section of Philly at 19. He was 58-3 in the amateurs. His father Bozy Ennis is his trainer and possibly the best in the city. Cameron Dunkin is his manager and Victory Promotions his promoter. He could have signed with Top Rank but Dunkin chose Victory a new name on the block ran by Chris Middendorf. Top Rank Promotions were not thrilled with Dunkin’s decision and neither was this writer.

Ennis defeated Gary Antuanne Russell in his first fight in the Olympic Trials and followed it with two more wins. Then in the box-off he lost back to back matches to Russell who was one of four men to go to the Olympics in Brazil. Bozy Ennis was not happy with the two losses but said “we beat him but they stole it. I’d give Russell the third time.”

Ennis made his professional debut in April in St. George Utah and stopped Cory Muldrew in 0:42 of the first round. He defeated Luis Ramos in 0:23 in Philly in May for his second win. In June he stopped Deshawn Debose in 0:20 of the first round in Springfield, VA, for his third win. Then in July he stopped Tavorus Teague at 1:38 of the fourth round in Rio Rancho, NM, for his fourth win.

In August he stopped Matt Murphy at 2:52 of the second round in Bristol, PA, for his fifth win. “Murphy had just stopped a 3-0 boxer in his previous fight,” said Ennis. He defeated Eddie Diaz on September 15th. Diaz was from Compton, CA, one of the toughest areas in the country. Ennis is 5:10 and after competing at 141 in the amateurs he’s now a welterweight but just a couple of pounds over 141.”He’s doing pretty good defeating all the opponents he’s fought so far. Even I don’t always realize when he switches from orthodox to southpaw. After seeing him in the Diaz fight I am moving he up to 147 and no more 143 fights,” said Ennis.

“Boots” two brothers have been pro’s first. Farah “Quiet Storm” won the NABF Super Middleweight while the oldest brother Derek “Pooh” Ennis won the USBA Super welterweight and the PA Super welterweight titles. “Boots” has a combination of both brothers and then some of his own. He is orthodox but fights some of his bouts southpaw. He trains at “Bozy’s Dungeon” in North Philly run by his father over top of Harrowgate’s Boxing Club on E. Venago Street off Kensington Avenue.

In 2015 “Boots” won the National Youth title in January. In May he won the National Golden Gloves title. He took a 40-2 record into the Olympic Trials in December. He was asked to be an alternate but he and his father turned it down to turn professional. At the Olympic Trial Qualifiers in Philly he posted he won all five bouts.

Joshua ”Handsofstone” Jones, 2-0-1 (2), signed with Dunkin and Victory Promotions along with Ennis. He trains at both Marion Anderson and Bozy’s Dungeon. Aaron Ford is assisted by “Bozy” Ennis. Jones is 23 and a Super lightweight. He made his debut in April in Utah along with “Boots” stopping Jason Thompson at 2:33 of the third round.

He was to fight in Philly along with “Boots” but hurt his hand. In June both boxers were on the Springfield, VA, show where Jones stopped Christopher Kuhn at 1:52 of the first round. In July he fought to a majority draw with Ahmet Kayretli in Erie, PA, getting a 39-37 vote with the other two having it 38-38. “He could have done better but he certainly deserved the fight. The opponent came in at 139 and was 150 at fight time. Jones has a fight scheduled for November 12th in Philadelphia at 2300 Arena. “I believe Boots, Tight and Christian are all great and I believe we will all do big things in boxing,” said Jones. He has a two month old son named Shooby.

Darmani “Tight” Rock, 4-0 (3), is a super heavyweight at 6:05 and averaging just under 250. He is trained by his father Wayne “Wiz”. They go between their own Rock Solid Boxing Gym at 2840 Chatman Street in Frankford section of North Philly. His promoter is Jay Z’s Roc Nation. In 2014 he won the Youth World Title in Bulgaria and in 2015 the US Nationals. He also won the 2015 National Golden Gloves. He made it as far as the Olympic Trials semi-finals.

In May Rock turned pro in D.C. stopping Carlos Black at 1:54 in round one in D.C. In June he stopped Bobby Favors who weighed 402 lbs. at 1:46 of round one in Quincy, MASS. In July he stopped Hassan Lee at 2:21 in round one in Pittsburgh. In August he won over Mike Kyle in Oakland 40-35 and a pair of 39-37’s. He is 20.

“My dad has trained me since I started at 12 or 13. I feel that I will get better and better with each fight,” said Rock.
The final one of the Fab Four is Bantamweight Christian “The Ice Man” Carto, 3-0 (3), of South Philly was an Olympic Trials Bronze medalist and went to the training camp in Colorado to help others after the trials. He is trained by Mickey Rosati, Jr. Mickey was a PA State GG champion. His gym is over his Business Rosati’s Auto Repair Shop at 1937 S. Chadwick St., in South Philly. “He is a rare breed who comes in the gym six days a week. I’ve trained him for the past 3 years. He’s a pleasure to train because he listens. He’s up to bantamweight,” said Rosati He is managed by Jimmy Binns, Jr. of Binns Management out of Las Vegas. Carto was the 108 National Golden Gloves Champion in 2014 defeating Leroy “Lucious” Davila who was No. 1 in the nation and 3-0 now as a pro. “I was with him when he beat Davila who was the best in the country,” said Rosati. Carto finished third in the 2015 Golden Gloves. His father Frank is always there to support his son who is 19. His brother Frank, Jr. won the Novice at 141 in the Golden Gloves this year.

Carto turned pro at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA, stopping Rahkeem Parker who wouldn’t come out after three rounds. In his second bout he stopped Christopher Nelson at the Claridge Casino in Atlantic City in the third round just 20 days later after his debut. In August he stopped Jonathan Hernandez at 1:02 of the second round at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly. Carto has a big following which showed in his last fight with all the Carto shirts. He boxes well with good balance and is finding some punching power in the professionals. He is scheduled for the SugarHouse Casino in Philly October 28th and November 12th in Atlantic City’s Claridge Casino.

Paul Kroll was on the Olympic team but didn’t qualify for the Olympics. Mark Dawson fought to a draw in his debut and won his first fight in the Olympic Trials but suffered a cut and wasn’t able to go onto the next round. He is with Split-T Management under David Mc Water. He’s a former 2012 Jr. National PAL, 2013 Nation Silver Gloves, 2013 National Jr. Olympics and 2015 Youth Nationals champion with 75 amateur bouts. He is 19.

Posted on 08/07/2016

Chazz Witherspoon Returns with Knockout in Bristol Saturday!
By: Ken Hissner

At the Grundy Arena, in Bristol, PA, D&D Promotions and Silver Spoon Promotions returned for their second show with 8 bouts with a much better attendance than their first show in the same Arena.
Main Event heavyweight Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon, 35-3 (21), of Paulsboro, NJ, scored 3 knockdowns and stopped Mike Marrone, 21-6 (15), Vero Beach, FL, @ 1: 31 of the third round in a scheduled 6 changed from an 8 by Boxing Director Greg Sirb.

In the opening round Witherspoon dropped Marrone with a right to the temple. Before the round was over Witherspoon dropped Marrone a second time. In the second round a right cross dropped Marrone who never recovered from the first knockdown. His corner threw in the towel for referee Hurley McCall to stop the fight.

Witherspoon will be back in action on October 1st at the Sun Center in Trenton, NJ. Prior to the professional show will be amateurs from NJ vs NY which should be interesting. Witherspoon has now won 9 of his last 10 fights with all his wins by knockout. His next fight will be for 10 rounds which should not be a problem with the NJ commission.​

Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor, 20-4 (14), Edgewood Arsenal, MD, knocked out southpaw Carlos “Zurdo” Aguillera, 10-18 (4), NIC/MEX, at 2:07 of the third round of a scheduled 8.

In the first two rounds the fighters each won a round. There was little difference though Taylor was a heavy favorite. In the third round Taylor dropped Aguillera with a combination to the mid-section as he took the ten-count on his knees from referee Blair Talmadge.

Super lightweight Liberian Samuel “Sunami” Teah, 8-1-1 (2), Philadelphia, won an easy decision over defense minded Sammy “Lion’s Den” Amoako, 21-13 (15), Accra, GH, Silver Springs, MD, over 4 rounds.

Teah had his way in the first round. In the second round Teah used an effective jab followed by straight rights to the head. In the third round Amoako was only throwing jabs. Like a lot of Ghana boxers they get stiff after stiff in their homeland. He showed little offense mostly holding his gloves up in front of his face. The bottom rope came out just prior to the fourth and last fight. It took about 15 minutes to repair by Johnny Rivera. In the fourth and final round Teah was doing whatever he wanted with the defensive minded Amoako who seemingly was satisfied to go the distance up until the last 10 seconds when he started throwing punches. Former 3 time PA GG champ Rashiem Jefferson who is one of the top upcoming trainers worked the corner of Teah. Teah had in the front of his trunks on the belt line Isaiah 40:3 says “make straight in the desert a highway for God”. On the back I asked him if “that was the day you were born again?” He said “yes!”

All 3 judges had it 40-36 as did this writer. Referee was Blair Talmadge.
Cruiserweight Mike Hilton, 3-0 (3), Trenton, NJ, stopped Cortez Reed, 1-3 (1), Atlanta, GA, at 1:57 of the fourth and final round. ​

In a sloppy first round Hilton had the edge. In round two Hilton hurt Reed and had him holding on until the bell sounded. In the fourth round the wrestling continued until Hilton had Reed out on his feet causing referee McCall to call a halt in the fourth and final round.

LeShawn Rodriguez, 4-0 (3), of Shirley, NY, scored 3 knockdowns stopping Jason “Warrior” Wahr, 4-13-4 (1), Virginia Beach, VA, at 1:55 of the first round.
In the opening round Rodriguez dropped Wahr with a right to the body. Shortly after this Rodriguez landed a right to the head and a left hook to the body which dropped Wahr a second timeThen came the third knockdown knocking Wahr across the ring as referee McCall saw enough and waved it off. Wahr showed nothing and the commission should think before allowing him to come back to Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia junior middleweight Elijah Vines, 3-0 (3), stopped Julian Valerio, 3-3 (2), of Brooklyn, NY, @ 2:30 of the third round in a fight they exchanged knockdowns in a scheduled 4. It was the “fight of the night!” “He was tough,” said Vines.

It was a close opening round. In the second round all hell broke loose. First Vines slipped to the canvas and Valerio complained saying it was a knockdown to referee McCall. Afterwards his trainer talked to Boxing Director Sirb who said “the referee made a mistake and should have called a knockdown. Vines came over and dropped Valerio with a lead right to the chin. In the last minute of the round it was Valerio’s turn dropping Vines with a left hook to the chin. In the third round Vines has Valerio in trouble and referee McCall halted the fight. Valerio was upset with the stoppage as well as his trainer. It was a war from the opening bell with these two.

Philadelphia’s Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 5-0 (5) stopped Matthew Murphy, 1-3 (1), of E. St. Louis, MO., at 2:52 of the second round. Ennis is the best looking prospect out of Philadelphia since Meldrick Taylor the 1984 Olympic Gold medalist and later a professional world champion. He takes control of a fight and looks so relaxed in there.

It was all Ennis in the first round coming out fighting orthodox and switched to southpaw after about 20 seconds. In the second round Ennis dropped Murphy with a body shot. Shortly later in the round Ennis dropped the oncoming Murphy with a left to the chin. Referee Talmadge had seen enough and called a halt. It was quite a showing on the part of Ennis who has fought once a month for the past five months. Murphy was a tough customer. He’s the third son to turn professional. Farah Ennis was a NABF super middleweight champion and Derek “Pooh” Ennis a USBA super welterweight champion.

When asked about the change from amateur to professional Ennis said “It’s better for me without the head gear. He just beat his last opponent who was 3-0.” Ennis was a 2016 Olympic alternate. His father “Bozy” who is possibly the best trainer in Philadelphia said “He has to get more rounds but this kid was tough.”
In the opening bout Super featherweight Luis Perozo, 2-1 (1), New York, NY, scored a knockdown which was the difference as all 3 judges had it 39-36 over southpaw Alberto Martinez, 0-2 (0), Tilton, GA, over 4 rounds.

In the second round Perozo dropped Martinez with a left hook body shot. Martinez got up after referee Talmadge counted to 8 and went after Perozo. Martinez later in the round pushed Perozo to the canvas really hard as if it were a MMA match. In the fourth and final round Perozo had Martinez holding at the halfway mark. Both were out of gas by the end of the fight.