Tag Archives: Mora

Posted on 11/01/2019

By: Sean Crose

“Kovalev looks relaxed,” Sergio Mora tells me. “I didn’t expect him to be this big in person.”

If there’s one thing a brief conversation with former WBC junior middleweight champion Mora can convey it’s the fact the guy is personable with a capital “P.” It’s just a few seconds into our talk when it becomes obvious why DAZN picked the Californian up as a broadcaster. He’s a natural talker, one unafraid to let his thoughts and words flow. “It’s been the chance of a lifetime for me,” he says of DAZN, who he’s been with since it’s US debut last year. “It’s really great to be a part of something from the foundation.”

It’s been an interesting year for the 38 year old Mora, and for DAZN, as well. For it was the streaming service that covered Andy Ruiz’ stunning upset of Anthony Joshua last June at Madison Square Garden live. And it was Mora who was right there at ringside as part of the broadcast team when it happened. Now, just a few months later, Mora will be on hand to cover another high level matchup for DAZN, this time in Las Vegas rather than New York.

“This is a huge, calculated risk by Canelo,” he says here in the lead up to Saturday’s bout between boxing’s top star, Canelo Alvarez, and WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. Still, Mora’s been in the game too long, be it as a broadcaster, a titlist, or as the star of The Contender, to be under any illusions. “We know that Canelo, he’s a 5-1 favorite,” says Mora, adding that “Vegas never loses.” And Mora also has other reasons for thinking Canelo should have the edge walking into Saturday night, as well.

“Only great fighters come back from brutal knockouts,” he says in reference to Kovalev, whose been stopped not once, but twice in the ring. Mora adds, though, that the Russian fighter has “greatness in him.” Mora can also empathize with Kovalev in the sense that neither man has been a star of Canelo’s caliber. “I can relate to what Kovalev is going through, but not Canelo,” he says.

Although Mora knows better than most how surprising the sport of boxing can be, he makes it clear during our brief chat that he wants to be consistently good at his job ringside. “I know when I’m stepping out of line with BK,” he says honestly. Whether it’s in or out of the ring, this is a man who enjoys stepping up his game.

Posted on 09/10/2016

Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs and Robert Easter, Jr. Win in Reading!
By: Ken Hissner

Big time boxing returned to Reading, PA, at the Santander Arena with two world title fights. Marshall Kauffman’s King’s Promotions and Corona brought the show here and aired it over SPIKE TV. An estimated attendance was about 4,000 fans.

Middleweight WBA World champion Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs, 32-1 (29) out of Brooklyn, NY, in a mismatch and a rematch with Sergio “the Latin Snake” Mora, 28-5-2 (9), out of L.A., scored a stoppage with 3 knockdowns in the seventh round.

When this rematch was signed the WBA placed Mora in at No. 15 so it would be sanctioned as a title fight. The other 14 contenders must be asking “what do we have to do to get a title fight?”

In the opening round Mora was hitting “air” for over a minute while Jacobs wasn’t throwing a punch just stalking. By the end of the round less than a half dozen punches landed. In the second round Jacobs went to the body hurting Mora who almost hit the canvas. Jacobs switched to southpaw. In the third round Jacobs continued to stalk but is less impressive as a southpaw. He rocked Mora just prior to the bell with a right hook to the jaw.

In the fourth round a left uppercut on the chin by Jacobs dropped Mora. In the fifth round a chopping right by Jacobs was half on the side and half behind Mora’s head knocking him down. In the sixth round you knew by now Mora didn’t have the power to hurt Jacobs. In the sixth round Jacobs went back to orthodox trying for the knockout. A frustrated Jacobs pushed Mora to the canvas when he came in low and ruled a no knockdown. In the seventh round a pair of right hands by Jacobs dropped Mora twice. On the third knockdown referee Gany Rosato put us out of our misery. At best this should have been a non-title fight. No. 6 Tureao Johnson would be a much better opponent in Jacob’s next outing. For Jacobs to “call out” Gennady “GGG” Golovkin is a joke! If he is serious sign on the bottom line.

Lightweight 2012 Olympic alternate and ranked No.4 Robert Easter, Jr., 18-0 (14), out of Toledo, OH, took the vacant IBF lightweight title by split decision over No. 3 ranked Richard Commey, 24-1 (22), from Ghana, over 12 rounds. The No. 1 and No. 2 spots are vacant.

In the opening round Easter’s height and reach seem to be bothering the shorter Commey in a feeling out round. In the second it was more of Easter up until the final seconds of the round when Commey landed a left upper cut that rocked Easter. In the third round Commey went after Easter and having a good round. There are as many misses as hits.

In the fourth round of a non-descript fight the fans are standing in the aisles cheering Easter on shouting “USA, USA”. In the fifth round Easter controlled with his jab while Commey kept ducking to get inside. In the sixth round Easter was scoring well with the jab and an occasional right. He rocked Commey with a lead right at the bell.

In the seventh round Easter landed 4 unanswered punches to the body of Commey. In the eighth round a short right by Commey to the jaw of Easter rocked him making his right glove touch the canvas counting as a knockdown by referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. The knockdown in the previous round seemed to wake him up. He had Commey covering up.

In the tenth and eleventh rounds Easter continued to have his way with Commey who was doing more retreating than fighting. In the twelfth and final round Easter had Commey’s knees buckled forcing him to hold on. At the bell the fans were on their feet yelling for an Easter knockout that didn’t come. Neither fighter looked like a champion. Anthony Peterson is 37-1 and can’t get ranked. Go figure. Maybe this 72 year-old writer has been around too long and seen so many good fighters in the past like my all-time favorite Carlos Ortiz.

The judges had it 115-112 Easter, 114-113 Commey and 114-113 Easter with this writer having it 116-111 Easter.

Heavyweight Travis “My Time” Kauffman, 31-1-1 nc (29), out of Reading, PA, stopped Josh “Jaw Breaker” Gormley, 22-6 (21), Torrence, CA, at 0:47 of the second round when Gormley took a knee with what seems to be an injured left shoulder by a Kauffman right. “I don’t think he wanted to fight. I wanted someone better but we had a lot turning us down. I will be lighter the next fight,” said Kauffman.

Kauffman entered the arena to a hugh reception to the hometown fighter. In the opening round Kauffman controlled switching to southpaw and back after landing a good right on the head of Gormley. In the second round Kauffman landed a power right to the left shoulder of Gormley dropping him. When he got up he was holding his shoulder and moved about 10 feet away from Kauffman and took a knee without getting hit. Referee Clark waved it off. It was a disappointment for both Kauffman and the fans.

Super Middleweight Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker, 11-1 (5), out of Philly, won a majority decision over Elvin Ayala, 28-8-1 (12), out of New Haven, CT, over 8 rounds.

In the opening round the much larger Brooker against the slick Ayala didn’t live up to what we hoped to possibly be the fight of the night. In the second round the usually exciting Brooker was having his hands full with the much more experienced Ayala but still did enough to take the round. In the third round there was too much holding. In the fourth round Ayala seemed to out work Brooker inside.

In the fifth round they could have held this one in a phone booth. Ayala has taken away the power of Brooker but not good enough to be ahead. In the sixth round Brooker continues to maul Ayala but can’t get enough space to land a big punch. Ayala continues to be the stalker though he is the lighter puncher. In the seventh round the mauling continued. Brooker usually runs over his opponents so this fight will be a learning fight. This one could have been on WWE. In the eighth round the fans are once again yelling “Elvin, Elvin” who was raised in Reading before moving up to New England. There was very little action in the last round. “This was a learning experience and he had many more fights than me and even though I thought I won 7 rounds I was glad to get the win,” said Brooker. He’s a very likeable young man.

Judges had it 76-76, 77-74 and 79-73 while this writer had it 77-74.

In the final fight of 11 bout the former IBF welterweight champion Kermit “El Asesino” Cintron, 38-5-2 (29), out of Reading, stopped Manny “Shake em’ Up” Woods, 15-6-1 (5), out of St. Petersburg, FL, at 2:28 of the seventh round of a scheduled 8.

In the first round Cintron did enough to pull out the round in a feeling out round. In the second round it was close with Woods best punch so far was a left hook to the jaw of Cintron. In the third round a clash of heads opened up a small cut along the left eyebrow of Woods. In the fourth and fifth rounds Cintron continued to control the fight but it seems he’s not pulling the trigger. It’s possibly to an old hand injury. It’s his third fight back and he’s a fan’s favorite in Reading. In the seventh round Cintron hurt Woods who fell into Cintron and both went down. Shortly thereafter Woods decided to retire for the night. Cintron did not go without injury but his cut-man the ever popular Rich Ormsbee sealed up the cut by his left eye.

“I felt better tonight than I did in my two previous fights and the opponent was even better this time,” said Cintron. His trainer had this to say “the first three rounds were excellent for he did exactly what I told him to do. In the fifth and sixth he let his opponent get his way. I got a flash of his greatness tonight and his punching power showed well,” said Joe Pastore, Jr.

Light heavyweight Earl “Flash” Newman, Jr., 10-0 (7), out of Brooklyn, NY, won an easy 6 round decision over Leo “Young Guns” Hall, 8-2(7), out of Detroit.

In the first round Newman controlled with a jab. They took turns who was the aggressor. In rounds two and three it was more of the same with Newman landing a hard right to the jaw of Hall in the third. In the fourth round a right hook by Newman dropped Hall. In the fifth round Hall rocked Newman with a straight right to the jaw driving Newman back several feet into the corner and with that had Newman holding on. In the sixth and final round it was Newman going for the knockout while Hall danced around like he had the fight won.

Scores were 60-54 and 59-54 twice with the writer having it 59-54.

Super featherweight southpaw Frank Santos De Alba, 20-2-2 (9), out of Reading, PA, scored two knockdowns with right hooks and Evans could not beat the count of referee Esteves, Jr. at 3:04 of the second round over Kiun Evans, 12-3-1 (6), out of Little Rock, ARK, in a scheduled 8. It was a good showing for De Alba who is a local favorite.

In the first round De Alba got started after about a minute and was having his way with combinations. In the second round De Alba scored a pair of knockdowns with right hooks. Evans struggled to get up while referee Esteves wisely waved it off.

No. 1 WBC middleweight contender, southpaw Jorge Sebastian
“El Gaucho” Heiland, 28-4-2 (15), out of Buenos, Argentina, scored 3 knockdowns stopping Angel “The Upset” Hernandez, 17-19-1 (13), Gary, IND, in the second round at 0:46 in a scheduled 6. I can’t see Heiland challenging Gennady “GGG” Golovkin at this stage of his career being No. 1 or not.

Heiland got off to a slow start but dropped Hernandez halfway through the round when a left uppercut from Heiland dropped him. In the second round Heiland scored a pair of knockdowns causing the fight to be stopped by referee Benjy Esteves, Jr.

Super welterweight southpaw Nicholas Hernandez, 5-1 (1), out of Lebanon, PA, scored an easy 4 round decision over Randy Hedderick, 1-6 (1), out of Gulfport, MS.

Hernandez took the first two rounds with accurate punching over the shorter Hedderick who had no quit in him. In the third round it was all Hernandez until halfway thru the round Hedderick landed a good lead left to the head. Hernandez landed another lead left causing Heddericks nose to start bleeding. In the fourth and final round it was all Hernandez trying for a knockout but Hedderick hung right in there.

All 3 judges and this writer had it 40-36. Clark was the referee.

Super lightweight southpaw Kashon Hutchinson, 2-0 (1), out of Reading, PA, won a hard fought decision over Jordan Morales, 1-2 (1), out of Bethlehem, PA, over 4 rounds.

In the first round the taller Hutchinson used a good jab while Morales landed lead rights to the chin of Hutchinson. In the second round Hutchinson landed more punches. In the third round a right from Morales to the chin of Hutchinson rocked him. In the fourth and final round they exchanged punches on several occasions. Morales got a right hand in just before the bell.

All 3 judges had it 39-37 as did this writer. Shawn Clark was referee.

In the opening bout super welterweight southpaw Erik Spring, 8-1-1 (1), Reading, PA, won a majority 6 round decision over Simon “Bullet” Henriksson, 4-1 (1), out of Ystad, SW.

“It was a good opponent and a good win for me,” said Spring.

In the first round both boxers had their moments. In clinches Henriksson is getting away with hitting behind the head without warning from referee Clark. In the second round Spring went to the body with success taking a close round. In the third round both boxers were letting it all hang out at the bell after a round dominated by Spring.

In the fourth round Spring was still having his way but it wasn’t easy. At the 10 second warning Spring landed a four punch combination. In the fifth round Henriksson came back well though Spring used his long jab and lead left’s to the head. In the sixth and final round Henriksson seemed to tire but still used his best punch “the rabbit punch” right up to the end. Spring just had too much energy for Henriksson.

Judge Braslow scored it 57-57. He was overruled by Bruni and McKaie had it 58-56 as did this writer for Spring. “It was a good win for me tonight,” said Spring. This was probably the most competitive fight of the night.

Posted on 09/07/2016

Jacobs vs. Mora II and Easter vs. Commey at Santander Arena in Reading, PA, Friday!
By: Ken Hissner

Two World Title fights headline Friday night at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA! King’s Promotions bring’s big time boxing to Reading on SPIKE TV with co-features starting at 9pm. Jacobs-Mora II and Easter and Commey for vacant title should be nothing but fireworks!

Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs, 31-1 (28), of Brooklyn, NY, defends his WBA World middleweight title against former WBC super welterweight champion and No. 15 contender Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora, 28-4-2 (9), of L.A. in a rematch from August of 2015. In December Jacobs scored a sensational knockout over former WBO champion Peter Quillin in the first round. Mora has not fought since August. Several weeks ago on a conference phone call Jacobs said “If he’s saying I didn’t knock him down that caused him to twist his ankle I felt the contact it in my hand,” said Jacobs. “He grazed the back of my head but my ankle was already twisted,” said Mora. Both boxers are managed by Al Haymon. The call ended with “Go F yourself. I’ll see you in two weeks old boy,” said Mora. “Well let’s do it on September the 9th. You already know Sergio I’m coming for you brother,” said Jacobs. There is obvious bad blood between the two since their first fight which should make for a very interesting contest.

In the other co-feature 2012 Olympic alternate Robert Easter, Jr., 17-0 (14), of Toledo, OH, and Richard Commey, 24-0 (22), of Accra, GH, fight it out for the vacant IBF Super lightweight title.

“Yeah I am very excited coming to Reading and fight for the IBF title. I hope Richard Commey is bringing his A game because I will be bringing mine,” said Easter. “I’ve worked very hard to get this opportunity as I’m sure Robert Easter, Jr. has too so it should be a great fight,” said Commey. Commey is No. 3 and Easter No. 4 with both the No. 1 and No. 2 vacant.

There are a dozen bouts on the undercard at this point but several will fall out or the Boxing Director Greg Sirb will see to it you don’t have much more than 7 bouts. In 8 round bouts former IBF welterweight and interim WBC champion Kermit “El Asesino” Cintron, 37-5-2 (28) of Reading continues his comeback. Local favorite super featherweight Frankie De Alba is in an 8. Another local favorite super Heavyweight Travis “My Time” Kauffman, 30-1 (22), of Reading is in a 10.

In a pair of 8 round bouts from Philadelphia crowd pleaser super middleweight Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker, 10-1 (5) steps up to meet Elvin Ayala, 28-7-1 (12), of New Haven, CT. Light heavyweight Earl Newman, 9-0 (7), of Brooklyn will meet Leo Hall, 8-1 (7), of Detroit. Also scheduled yet without an opponent is Argentina’s Jorge Sebastian Heiland, 27-4-2 (14), who is the No. 1 WBC middleweight contender.

Super welterweight Erik Spring 7-1-1 (1), super welterweight Miguel Martinez, 2-2 (0), and super lightweight Kashon Hutchinson, 1-0 (1) all of Reading are in 6 round bouts. Also, from Philadelphia, the popular super featherweight Thomas “T.J.” Velasquez, 5-0 (4) out of the Danny “Swift” Garcia camp is in a 4 round bout. He is still without an opponent.

Posted on 08/09/2016

Boxing Insider Notebook: Kovalev, Ward, Jacobs, Crawford, Mora, and more…
By: William Holmes

The following is the Boxing Insider notebook for the week of August 2nd to August 9th, covering the comings and goings in the sport of boxing that you might have missed.

Kovalev vs. Ward Officially Set for November 19th

On Saturday, Nov. 19 the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer will be crowned. Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), the WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion, and Andre “S.O.G.” Ward (30-0, 15 KOs) Two-Time World Champion, officially announced their long-awaited showdown following Ward’s victory over Alexander Brand at the conclusion of the live HBO World Championship Boxing® telecast Saturday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Kovalev vs. Ward will take place Saturday, Nov. 19. The event will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT and is presented by Main Events, Roc Nation Sports, Krusher Promotions and Andre Ward Promotions.

Kovalev and Ward are currently ranked the number two and number four pound-for-pound boxers in the world, respectively, by The Ring Magazine, making their hotly anticipated fight only the third bout in the history of The Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list to pit two undefeated top-five ranked pound-for-pound fighters against each other. Odds makers and pundits have this fight evenly matched at 50-50 and it is poised to be a sure-fire 2016 Fight of the Year candidate. History will be made on Nov. 19th!
Making the fight even more intriguing, Kovalev and Ward are polar opposites. The Russian Wrecking Ball Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev is an unbeaten knockout artist sitting atop boxing’s light heavyweight division. With his ferocity in the ring and his charisma outside of it, Krusher is on his way to becoming the sport’s next big star. The last American man to win an Olympic Gold Medal in boxing, Andre “S.O.G.” Ward is already a future Hall of Famer. Known for his strong character and integrity outside the ring and his warrior’s instinct inside it, Ward has not lost a fight, amateur or professional, since he was 12-years-old. Kovalev’s seemingly unstoppable offense-first approach stands in stark contrast to Ward’s slick, defensive style that has been an unsolvable riddle for every foe he’s taken on.

Neither man has faced an opponent like this before. Who will be the next “Pound for Pound” king? Find out Saturday, Nov. 19!

Additional details for the event, including ticket information, will be released shortly.

When asked about whether or not Ward is ready to face him Kovalev said, “I think he is ready. I am ready too. The fight against Chilemba was similar to how it is going to be against Andre Ward. He is a really great champion and he proved this today. I just want to say, let’s do it November 19 on HBO.”

Ward responded, “I am excited, man. I am looking forward to it. I want to be the light heavyweight champion of the world. I got past this step. He got past his step. We will see you in November. I have been doing this for 22 years and if I am not ready to fight the best now then I will never be ready. I have been preparing for these moments since I been a kid. You got to respect Sergey for the way he has gotten to where he has gotten. He didn’t have any soft touches. He wasn’t protected. He wasn’t really pushed by the media. He is a guy who should get a lot more credit than he has. The winner of this fight could possibly be pound-for-pound #1.”

Daniel Jacobs Set to Rematch Sergio Mora

Middleweight world champion Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (31-1, 28 KOs) will defend his title in a rematch against former world champion Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora (28-4-2, 9 KOs) that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on Spike, Friday, September 9 from Santander Arena, in Reading, Pa.
Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and features undefeated lightweights colliding for a vacant world title as Robert Easter Jr. (17-0, 14 KOs) takes on Richard Commey (24-0, 22 KOs). Also on the card, heavyweight contender Travis “My Time” Kauffman (30-1, 22 KOs) will be featured in a 10-round fight.

Jacobs and Mora met in an August 2015 firefight that saw both men hit the canvas in round one. Mora was floored by a Jacobs right hand but the tricky veteran recovered and caught Jacobs with a clean left that put Jacobs on the ground. The action was halted in round two after Jacobs knocked Mora down again, rendering him unable to continue after fracturing his ankle on his way to the mat.

“This is business for me, but it is also more personal than any fight I have ever had,” said Jacobs. “Sergio has been using these antics online to get this rematch and he has gotten under my skin. There has been a lot of back and forth as far as people’s opinions as to who would have won the fight had he not gotten hurt. I am looking at this as an opportunity to clarify that I am the real champion. I want to shut his trap in primetime.”

“I don’t think Jacobs wanted this rematch, but it was destined to happen and now he has to deal with it,” said Mora. “I thought the first fight was going my way. I knocked him down in the first round and was out boxing him in the second round. He knows that I have enough power to hurt him. He has more to worry about going into this fight than in the first fight. Look at my resume, I have fought solid opposition. Jacobs doesn’t have that type of resume.”

Video Shows Terence Crawford Confrontation

NBC news out of Omaha, Nebraska is reporting they have a video which shows a confrontation between Terence Crawford and an auto body shot owner in Omaha, Nebraska. Michael Nelson claims that Terence Crawford forcefully took his vehicle from his auto body shop before paying for the repairs that was owed. However, Crawford’s attorneys claim that the auto body shop owner never did the work that the WBO Junior Welterweight Champion paid for.

A court date for this matter is scheduled for September 21st. You can read more at http://www.wowt.com/content/news/New-video-shows-Terence-Crawford-confrontation–389562621.html?abc=6lktzRrU

Caleb Plant to Face Juan De Angel

Undefeated prospect Caleb “Sweet Hands” Plant (13-0, 10 KOs) will square off against hard-hitting Colombian Juan De Angel (18-4-1, 17 KOs) in a 10-round middleweight matchup that serves as the main event of Premier Boxing Champions TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS on FS1 and BOXEO DE CAMPEONES on FOX Deportes Tuesday, August 23 from Sands Bethlehem Events Center in Bethlehem, Pa.

Televised coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a pair of undercard bouts as unbeaten prospect Earl Newman (9-0, 7 KOs) takes on Detroit’s Leo Hall (8-1, 7 KOs) in eight-rounds of light heavyweight action while Carlos Gongora (5-0, 4 KOs) faces Ronald Mixon (7-0, 6 KOs) in an eight-round matchup of undefeated light heavyweight prospects.

“It’s a blessing to be headlining on my own show,” said Plant. “It’s all thanks to my family and my team. I’m happy with how far I’ve come in my career. I’ve had obstacles in front of me my entire life and I have had to rise to the occasion. I know De Angel is a tough guy, but I have too much in my game for him.”

“I had a great camp in Colombia and I’m going to Florida to put the finishing touches on training,” said De Angel. “Plant is strong and he counters well, but he gets hit hard and often. I’ve had experience in big fights and I’m going to do my best to put my hands on him. I’m thankful for this opportunity and I’m going to make the most it.”

All Long Island Undercard Added to Star Boxing’s Karperis vs. Duran August 13 Main Event

A spectacular undercard with a true, Long Island flavor will accompany the junior welterweight standout Anthony “Showtime” Karperis (12-2, 4 KOs, Hicksville, NY) vs. Ariel Duran (9-8-1, 5 KOs, Queens, NY) 10-round New York State Junior Welterweight Championship bout at Rockin’ Fights 25 at The ‎Paramount in Huntington, New York presented by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing‎ on Saturday night, August 13.
All five companion bouts assembled by matchmaker Ron Katz feature a Long Islander stepping through the ropes in quality competition.

In the co-featured attraction on the 25th installment of the wildly-popular “Rockin’ Fights” series, Huntington’s Johnny Hernandez (7-1, 1 KO) will be facing off against Seifullah Wise (3-2, 1 KO) of Philadelphia in an eight-round junior welterweight contest.

In a four-round battle of north vs. south, undefeated Terrell Bostic of Wyandanch (2-0, 1 KO) will take on Utica’s Neyeine Muang (2-2-2) in the welterweight division.

Another match up between Long Island and Philadelphia will take place when Elmont’s Tyrone James (3-0, 2 KO) meets Philly’s Rakym Dyer in his pro debut in a four-round welterweight bout.
A middleweight clash will see East Hampton’s Juan Mancilla makes his professional debut against Brooklyn’s Phillip LeGrand (1-3, 1 KO).

Rounding out the card will be a battle of Long Island where super middleweights Vinny D’Angelo (1-0) of Glen Cove takes on Farmingdale’s Dan Cion, who is debuting as a professional.

‘Bravo’ Brant Stops Fitzpatrick in Three, Continues March to Middleweight Title Shot

Current WBO NABO and WBA NABA Middleweight Champion and WBA #4- and WBO #7-rated middleweight Rob “Bravo” Brant (21-0, 14 KOs) of Saint Paul, Minnesota, kept his momentum plowing forward and continued to impress tonight with a one-sided beatdown of Chris “The Irish Ghost” Fitzpatrick (15-5, 6 KOs) of Cleveland.

Fighting in the 10-round main event of CBS Sports Network Championship Boxing from the Grand Ballroom of the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, Brant had too many weapons for the game Fitzpatrick.

The event, a televised quadrupleheader, was Presented by Greg Cohen Promotions in association with the International Championship Boxing League (ICBL), Ringside Ticket Inc., and David Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions.

Brant moved smoothly around the ring, landing at will. He dropped Fitzpatrick with an uppercut in round two (Fitzpatrick nearly fell out of the ring) and finished it with another knockdown at 1:18 of round three.

Typically candid, Brant said the game plan was to not let Fitzpatrick get a toe hold in the fight. “He’s the type of guy, if you let him hang in there, he’ll hang for a number of rounds,” said Brant, post-fight. “I wanted to make an example of him and make sure I put him down.”

The future looks bright for the red-hot Brant, who seems to tighten up his game with every performance. “Under the tutelage of Derrick James, I’ve learned to sit down on my punches and stay defensively sound at the same time,” he continued, “but now it’s time to step up the level of competition. As nice as it is to get these kinds of win, it’s a lot nicer to get them up a level.”

In the co-main event, Fort Worth, Texas, slugger “No Surrender” Skender Halili made quick work of Silver Springs, Maryland, veteran Ben Odamattey.

Halili, with a record of 11-1, 11 KOs, caught Odamattey with his proven power early and it quickly became apparent he couldn’t handle it. Odamattey tried bravely to keep his feet under the hell fire. He rose from a knockdown but was quickly under siege again and with Odamattey’s legs betraying him, Referee Ray Corona waved it off at 1:17 of the first.

Odamattey slips to 16-15-3, 9 KOs. Halili, never in a bad fight, is becoming “must see TV” with his action-packed way of doing things.