Tag Archives: sparrow

Posted on 09/13/2019

By: Sean Crose

The DAZN streaming service will host a live fight card from the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California Saturday night featuring the 33-0 WBO world junior middleweight champ, Jaime Munguia. The 40-3 Patrick Allotey will be Munguia’s opponent. Although he’s won six straight fights since 2016, Allotey, a largely unknown commodity, is being regarded as stay busy opponent for the hard hitting Munguia. While his last two fights have ended in his favor via decision, the Tijuana, Mexico native has an impressive twenty knockouts on his resume. Having won the belt by stopping Saddam Ali in 2018, Munguia has had five successful title defenses.

Despite his record being impressive, Munguia’s last opponent, Denis Hogan, gave the defending champion a very hard time when the two men met in Monterray, Mexico last April. Hogan boxed well, then engaged effectively with the defending champion. Munguia walked away with the decision win, but the victory didn’t come without a question mark. In other words, the man arguably should have lost the fight. With that being said, Munguia showed an intense level of heart during the Hogan bout. What’s more, it’s said Munguia is looking to move up to middleweight after Saturday’s match against Allotey.

The Munguia-Allotey super lightweight title matchup is scheduled for 12 rounds.

The popular Ryan Garcia will also appear on Saturday’s card. The 18-0 Californian will be stepping inside the ring to face 10-1 Philly native Avery Sparrow. Garcia is clearly being marketed as a rising superstar, yet the 21 year old won’t be facing any slouch. Sparrow has only lost one fight – and that was by disqualification seven fights and nearly four years ago. Also, despite the fact that he only has a handful of knockouts on his resume, Sparrow was able to drop the respected veteran Hank Lundy when the two battled last March in Philly.

Still, it’s worth keeping in mind when it comes to the sport of boxing that popularity can count in a big way after the final bell rings. And Garcia is nothing if not popular. He’s been groomed for success for a while now. Add that to the fact that he’s a legitimate social media star, and it’s clear that people are invested in Garcia. Having not stopped an opponent in his last six bouts, Sparrow may have quite the mountain to climb if he wants to walk away with the win on Saturday night.

Not that Sparrow only has to worry about the judges. Garcia may be well liked, but he’s also a talented rising star with very impressive power. No one, after all, has handed him the fifteen knockout wins he’s earned so far. It takes more than good looks and a huge Instagram following to truly make it in boxing, a fact Garcia is clearly aware of, as he’s taken what may be a dangerous fight for him this weekend.

The Garcia-Sparrow fight is scheduled for 12 rounds in the lightweight division.

Posted on 03/26/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Philly’s Avery Sparrow puts all his trust in his promoter IBHOF promoter/matchmaker J Russell Peltz. He is currently No. 14 in the WBO ratings due to a victory over previous No. 5 Jose Lopez.

This is what Peltz had to say about his fighter when he was introduced first while fighting an opponent from Nogales, Mexico on the first pro show at Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA, on March 9th.

“When I mentioned this to Brittany Rogers who coordinated the smoothly run show, she remarked “since when did J Russell Peltz care about such things as who enters the ring first?” Never once did Sparrow mention it to me later that shows he has bought into the Peltz Boxing system for which we need a name. You’ve heard of the West Coast offense in football and the Triangle in basketball, but we need a name for the Peltz Boxing system. Something like, as Michelle Rosado coined last week: “If you want a tune-up, go to Midas!”

Avery Sparrow never said one word about being introduced first. He never moaned that he was making substantially less money for March 9th than he made for November 30th when he upset Jose Lopez, the No. 5 ranked WBO junior lightweight contender in the world, on ESPN. He never argued that Jesus Serrano, 17-4-2, was not exactly “a walk in the park type of opponent”. He never threatened to pull out when he was 8 pounds over the contract weight 48 hours before the weigh-in. He simply went out there and destroyed a credible opponent in less than 2 rounds to secure his rating with the WBO and hopefully open the eyes of the other ranking organizations.

I cannot sit here and tell you that Avery Marcus Sparrow will win the world title but I can tell you that after 49 years in this sometimes wonderful, sometimes rancid business of professional boxing, I am grateful that he believes in me as much as I believe in him. I’m not going to worry if, when the money comes in, that some moron on the street will fill his head with negative thoughts about me. That’s part of the business, but as I head to the top of the stretch of my career, I am enjoying the ride.

Sparrow is 10-1 (4) and turned 24 in January. He turned professional in July of 2014 winning his first 4 fight, 2 by stoppage, before losing for the only time in his career so far by DQ in the 6th and final round to Jerome Rodriguez, 6-3-3, in October of 2015. He came back in March of 2016 to score a first round knockout in Dubai Night Life in Charlotte, NC.

Sparrow didn’t fight again until March of 2017 when he was pitted against one time Philly prospect Anthony Burgin, 10-2, when he won an 8 round split decision. In June he was up in The Sands in Bethlehem, PA, defeating Isaelin Florian, 6-0, of the DR and Reading, PA. In September he was put in with another 6-0 boxer named Joey Laviolette from Nova Scotia, Canada who he defeated by majority decision in 8 rounds. Two months later he defeated Lopez, who was 19-1-1 (14), at the MGM National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, MD. This put him into the WBO Super Featherweight ratings.

In December of 2015 Peltz took Camden’s Jason Sosa who was 18-1-3, on a trip to a world championship. Sosa only had one 10 round bout prior to this. Sosa was pitted with Nicholas Walters the WBA World Super Featherweight champion who Sosa drew with in a non-title bout. In his next fight in June of 2016 Sosa defeated Javier Fortuna in Beijing, China, for the world title that Walters had given up.

Will Peltz lead Avery Sparrow to a world super featherweight title the same way? Only time will tell!

Posted on 03/14/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Philly’s Avery Sparrow puts all his trust in his promoter IBHOF promoter/matchmaker J Russell Peltz. He is currently No. 14 in the WBO ratings due to a victory over previous No. 5 Jose Lopez.

Photo Credit: Kenny Ludwig

This is what Peltz had to say about his fighter when he was introduced first while fighting an opponent from Nogales, Mexico on the first pro show at Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA, on March 9th.

“When I mentioned this to Brittany Rogers who coordinated the smoothly run show, she remarked “since when did J Russell Peltz care about such things as who enters the ring first?” Never once did Sparrow mention it to me later that shows he has bought into the Peltz Boxing system for which we need a name. You’ve heard of the West Coast offense in football and the Triangle in basketball, but we need a name for the Peltz Boxing system. Something like, as Michelle Rosado coined last week: “If you want a tune-up, go to Midas!”

Avery Sparrow never said one word about being introduced first. He never moaned that he was making substantially less money for March 9th than he made for November 30th when he upset Jose Lopez, the No. 5 ranked WBO junior lightweight contender in the world, on ESPN. He never argued that Jesus Serrano, 17-4-2, was not exactly “a walk in the park type of opponent”. He never threatened to pull out when he was 8 pounds over the contract weight 48 hours before the weigh-in. He simply went out there and destroyed a credible opponent in less than 2 rounds to secure his rating with the WBO and hopefully open the eyes of the other ranking organizations.

I cannot sit here and tell you that Avery Marcu Sparrow will win the world title but I can tell you that after 49 years in this sometimes wonderful, sometimes rancid business of professional boxing, I am grateful that he believes in me as much as I believe in him. I’m not going to worry if, when the money comes in, that some moron on the street will fill his head with negative thoughts about me. That’s part of the business, but as I head to the top of the stretch of my career, I am enjoying the ride.

Sparrow is 10-1 (4) and turned 24 in January. He turned professional in July of 2014 winning his first 4 fight, 2 by stoppage, before losing for the only time in his career so far by DQ in the 6th and final round to Jerome Rodriguez, 6-3-3, in October of 2015. He came back in March of 2016 to score a first round knockout in Dubai Night Life in Charlotte, NC.
Sparrow didn’t fight again until March of 2017 when he was pitted against one time Philly prospect Anthony Burgin, 10-2, when he won an 8 round split decision. In June he was up in The Sands in Bethlehem, PA, defeating Isaelin Florian, 6-0, of the DR and Reading, PA. In September he was put in with another 6-0 boxer named Joey Laviolette from Nova Scotia, Canada who he defeated by majority decision in 8 rounds. Two months later he defeated Lopez, who was 19-1-1 (14), at the MGM National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, MD. This put him into the WBO Super Featherweight ratings.

In December of 2015 Peltz took Camden’s Jason Sosa who was 18-1-3, on a trip to a world championship. Sosa only had one 10 round bout prior to this. Sosa was pitted with Nicholas Walters the WBA World Super Featherweight champion who Sosa drew with in a non-title bout. In his next fight in June of 2016 Sosa defeated Javier Fortuna in Beijing, China, for the world title that Walters had given up.

Will Peltz lead Avery Sparrow to a world super featherweight title the same way? Only time will tell!

Posted on 11/29/2017

By: Eric Lunger

On Thursday night, Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN presents two ten-round bouts featuring some of the brightest prospects in the super featherweight division. The broadcast will be live from the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD, on ESPN Deportes (8:00 p.m. ET), with a tape delay rebroadcast on ESPN 2 (11:00 p.m. ET).

Photo Credit: Golden Boy Promotions

Lamont Roach, Jr., (15-0, 6 KOs) is an undefeated prospect from Marlboro, Maryland, with an extensive amateur pedigree, including two National Junior Golden Gloves championships. Roach has been brought along carefully by his manager/father Lamont Roach, Sr., and Thursday will mark his third test at the ten-round distance. At 22 years old, the five-foot-seven orthodox boxer is a busy young man: he currently attends the University of Maryland, where he is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. Stylistically, Roach is a tight and controlled fighter, with an accurate and short lead left hook. Lamont will appeal to boxing purists who appreciate technical proficiency and attention to defensive fundamentals.

Ray Perez, 27, hails from Santa Rosa City in the Philippines. As his record (21-8, 6 KOs) indicates, he’s had a mixed career. He has been in the ring against some high-level opposition – notably a seventh round KO loss to Jesse Magdaleno in February of 2016 – but he has yet to achieve that signature win to propel his career forward. The five-foot-six orthodox fighter offers a fairly uncomplicated style, staying in the pocket and relying on his innate toughness to take a shot in order to land one. He is not to be underestimated, however. Perez can throw an effective uppercut if his opponent gets lazy and leans in. Can Perez bring more aggression than Roach’s technique can handle? Or will Roach’s skill level be too much for the Filipino?

Jose “Wonder Boy” Lopez (19-1, 14 KOs) vs. Avery Sparrow (8-1, 3 KOs) is also set for ten rounds at the super featherweight limit. Lopez, 23, is five-foot-nine, tall and rangy with good knockout power. The Puerto Rico native fights out of the orthodox stance with a come-forward aggressive style. His overhand right is very dangerous, but he can leave himself open while seeking to land it. Nonetheless, Lopez is as dynamic and exciting as they come.

Sparrow, 23, represents the great fighting tradition of Philadelphia, PA, and has been busy in 2017, as Thursday will mark his fourth tilt of the year. Sparrow can be overly aggressive to the detriment of his defense, and he will need to tighten up the wide, loopy hooks he tends to throw if he wants to be successful against Lopez. If styles make fights, Lopez vs. Sparrow promises to be wide open and full throttle.

The other notable bout of the evening features Manuel Avila (22-1, 8 KOs) taking on Nick Otieno (31-12, 13 KOs) of Kenya in an eight-round featherweight bout. Avila, fighting out of Vallejo, CA, is looking to bounce back after his first defeat last May at the hands of undefeated Joseph Diaz.

Posted on 03/11/2017

Anthony “Bad Boy” Burgin loses split decision to Avery Sparrow in an All Philly War at 2300 Arena Friday!
By: Ken Hissner

Peltz Boxing, BAM Boxing, Joe Hand Promotions and Raging Babe returned to the 2300 Arena in South Philly with an all Philly main event. J Russell Peltz and BAM Rodgers served as matchmakers. This was the way Philly boxing should be!

In the main event lightweight Anthony “Bad Boy” Burgin, 10-3 (2), of N. Philly, lost a split decision to returning after a year Avery Sparrow, 6-1 (3), of N. Philly, over 8 rounds. Burgin was dropped once.

In the opening round Sparrow showed his quickness outworking Burgin. In the second round Sparrow continued being the quicker of the two but Burgin landed a “bolo punch” right to the midsection of Sparrow. It was a close round. In the third round Burgin came alive. It was a good round for Burgin who had been very methodical up to this point.

In the fourth round Sparrow landed a 3-punch combination getting Burgin’s attention. Burgin continued being the aggressor for the most part. A hard left hook by Burgin to the chin got Sparrow’s attention with about a minute left in the round. It was another close round. In the fifth round Sparrow outmaneuvered Burgin scoring points. Sparrow continues with hands low dancing around using angles to score points. In the sixth round Burgin drove Sparrow into the ropes with a combination. A right uppercut by Sparrow dropped Burgin to the canvas. He was able to box his way out of the round. In the seventh round Sparrow kept stepping around landing the jab but Burgin was landing the harder punches with left hooks to the head of Sparrow. In the eighth and final round Sparrow looked spent but kept moving as Burgin landed powerful left hook’s to the body. Both fighters let it all hang out right up to the bell.

Judge Myra Grant 76-75 Burgin, Judge Steve Weisfeld 76-75 Sparrow and judge John Poturaj 77-74 Sparrow as did this writer. Gary Rosato was the referee.

Super welterweight Fred Jenkins, Jr., 10-4 (1), of N. Philly, suffered a mild upset losing to Panama’s Roque Zapata, 3-1-3, of Culpeper, VA, by decision over 6 rounds. That’s two in a row for Zapata over Philly fighters.

In the first round Jenkins worked well to the body but got tagged midway by a right from Zapata on the chin. Just prior to the bell a short right by Zapata to the chin of Jenkins dropped him to a knee. He was up immediately but took the count from referee Bashir. In the second round Jenkins outworked Zapata who had a sneaky right that came out several times on the chin of Jenkins stopping him in his tracks. In the third round Jenkins did a workman like job and knocked out the mouthpiece of Zapata with a left hook to the chin.

In the fourth round Zapata started getting busier than he had in the first two rounds. He rocked Jenkins with a hard left hook to the chin. Jenkins lands punches well but leaves himself open for a counter. In the fifth round Zapata was beating Jenkins to the punch. An overhand right from Zapata to the chin rocked Jenkins. A Zapata right to the chin of Jenkins just prior to the bell had him wobble back to his corner. In the sixth and final round Zapata was looking for the knockout landing several power punch rights to the head of Jenkins who seemed to be fighting on instinct after being hurt bad at the end of the previous round.

Judge Jasper 57-56, judge’s Poturaj and Weisfeld 59-54. This writer had it 58-56.

Heavyweight Cassius Chaney, 9-0 (5), of W. Philly, won a majority lack luster decision over Tommy Washington, Jr., 6-10-1 (2), of Lansing, MICH, over 6 rounds.

In the opening round Chaney used his height and reach to out box Washington until a minute left in the round when Chaney landed 3 power punch right hands to the chin of Washington. In the second round Chaney continued to box Washington until a minute left in the round when Washington had enough and let it all hang out swarming over Chaney. By the end of the round Chaney was back in control. In the third round Chaney continued using his jab in a slow round.

In the fourth round at the halfway point Washington backed Chaney into a corner and landed a flurry of punches. Once back into the middle of the ring Chaney regained control. In the fifth round Chaney seemed to be running out of gas as Washington became more and more aggressive. In the sixth and final round of a close round Chaney rocked Washington with a right hand to the chin knocking him back several feet but he tied Chaney up until the bell sounded.

Judge Gail Jasper 57-57, John Poturaj and Steve Weisfeld 59-55 for Chaney. This writer had it 58-56 for Chaney.

Super welterweight Isaiah Wise, 4-1 (3), of S. Philly, stopped Jeffrey “The Prototype” Wright, 4-6-1 (4), of Milwaukee, WI, at 0:32 of the 4th round of a scheduled 6.

In the opening round it was all Wise with double left hooks to the body and head. The only moment Wright had was at the midway point of the round landing a stunning right to the chin of Wise having him hold on until his head cleared. In the second round Wise had Wright going thru the ropes and kept punch him before referee Rosato finally pulled Wise off. Wise was dishing out plenty of punishment until a right hand from Wright landed on the chin of Wise and down he went taking a knee.

In the third round it was all Wise with wicked body shots until a left hook to the body dropped Wright who beat the count but was dangerous to the end of the round. In the fourth round a flurry of punches by Wise dropped Wright. He beat the count but was obviously finished. Referee Rosato wisely stopped the bout.

Lightweight Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 3-0 (3), of Allentown, PA, electrified the fans and stopped Marco Ocano, 1-1 (1), of Agua Prieta, MEX, at 0:45 of the first round. Referee Bashir counted him out.

Ocano came out aggressively running into several left hooks by Adorno. Adorno landed an overhand right to the chin of Ocano having him out on his feet when referee Bashir wisely stepped in and stopped it. Adorno’s many fans went ballistic with the quick stoppage.

Lightweight southpaw PR Victor Padilla, 3-0 (3), of Berlin, NJ, scored a pair of knockdowns stopping Carlos Castillo, 4-5 (3), of Tucson, AZ, at 0:48 of the first round to the delight of his many fans.

Castillo raced out but ran into a left hook from Padilla and down he went. Shortly after Castillo got up he attacked Padilla with both throwing bombs until a Padilla left hook dropped Castillo face first to the canvas. He beat the count and argued with referee Blair Talmadge that he wanted to go on but the fight was over. Padilla had many fans going wild with the quick stoppage.

Super middleweight Chris “Sandman” Thomas, 5-0 (2), of Beachwood, NJ, easily defeated Mike Rodriguez, 0-5 (0), of Springfield, MASS, over 4 lopsided rounds. Referee Bashir had to break up the fighters throughout due to the holding of Rodriguez.

In the opening round Thomas took it to the much taller Rodriguez who spent the entire round doing more holding than punching. In the second round referee Ron Bashir saw enough of the holding and took a point from Rodriguez. In the third round and fourth round the awkward Thomas continued to outwork Rodriguez who continued holding.

Judges Jasper 39-36, Poturaj and Grant 40-35 as did this writer.

Super bantamweight PR Crystian Pequero, 1-0 (1), of NE Philly, made a sensational debut stopping Alonzo Davis, 0-1 (0), of W. Philly, at 2:12 of the third with a vicious body attack for the count.

In the opening round both fighters came out going at it. In the final minute Pequero landed hard rights to the side of Davis on two occasions hurting him. In the second round Pequero continued with the body shots until near the end of the round also going to the head having Davis out on his feet at the bell after receiving four body shots from Pequero.

In the third round with his fans yelling “Pequero, Pequero” Pequero continued working the body of Davis. A right uppercut to the midsection sent Davis down taking the count on one knee from referee Talmidge. In the corner of Pequero was Javier Varella.

In the opening bout flyweight Basyzbek Bartov, 1-1-1 (0), of KYR, NE Philly, won a split decision over Tyrone “T-Bone” Arzeno, 0-0 (0), of N. Philly, in an all action bout.

In the opening round both boxers let it all hang out. It was back and forth with Arzeno possibly having a slight edge. In the second round it was all Baratov putting pressure on Arzeno having him hurt against the ropes just prior to the bell. In the third round it was more of the Baratov did what he does best and slug. Arzeno’s round.

Judge Poturaj 39-37 Arzeno, Judge Grant and Jasper 39-37 Baratov. This writer had it 38-38. Chuck Diesel in Baratov’s corner and Chino Rivas in Arzeno’s corner.

Flyweight Ernesto Almodovar, 1-0 (0), of NE Philly, scored a knockdown and won a decision over 34 year-old debuting southpaw Steven Lopez, 0-1 (0), NE Philly, who never stopped trying, over 4.

In the opening round the southpaw Lopez boxed well keeping Almodovar on the defense until a lead right hand by Almodovar landed on the chin of Lopez dropping him. In the second and third rounds Almodovar used the lead right to keep Lopez in check. In the fourth and final round Lopez Almodovar got the better of the mix though it was Lopez coming forward not able to block the right.

Judge’s Jasper and Poturaj had it 39-36 while judge Weisfeld and this writer had it 40-35.

Ring announcer was Steve Mittman while Mike Mittman and Marc Abrams did the commentating for GFL-TV. Next show is June 2nd.

Posted on 03/08/2017

Two Philly Boxing Events This Weekend Friday & Saturday!
By: Ken Hissner

There have only been 3 events in Pennsylvania this year and 2 of them were in Philly and sub-par shows. This weekend the two top promoters bring shows in Peltz Boxing and Kings Promotions.

On Friday at the 2300 Arena in South Philly J Russell Peltz brings in what he does best in Philly vs Philly on top! Underneath he will have 10 more fights which is quite unusual for Peltz.

In the main event lightweight Anthony “Bad Boy” Burgin, 10-2 (2), has spent the last 8 weeks in Puerto Rico under trainer Raul “Chino” Rivas. “The new things I learned and did there helped bring my talent to another level physically and mentally. The feeling of fighting the main event in Philly is unbelievable. I have been sparring with Michael Perez and a few other guys from PR,” said Burgin.

His trainer Raul “Chino” Rivas had this to say “Anthony looks amazing like he’s fighting for a world title.”

In the opposite corner that night will be another Philly fighter in Avery Sparrow, 5-1 (3). “Camp has been the best ever. I feel the best I have ever felt in my whole career. We worked hard and smart,” said Sparrow. His trainer Greg Jackson had this to say, “Everyone knows what it is. Everyone is coming to see Anthony Burgin get his head chopped off. This is an execution!”

The semi-final will pit super welterweight Fred Jenkins, Jr., 10-3 (1), against returning visitor Roque Zapata, 2-1-3 (0), who in his last fight defeated Philly’s Isaiah Wise. “I saw him fight Isaiah Wise and it was a good fight. One thing I noticed he threw a lot of punches and Wise was still fighting,” said Jenkins, Jr. His father train had this to say “Fred looks superb. Whatever Zapata brings to the table Fred is ready to match it,” said Jenkins, Sr.

“I am not worried about coming to his backyard or being the underdog. In my MMA days and in boxing I’ve been fighting in the other guy’s back yard a lot and I love it,” said Zapata. His trainer Eric Zamora had this to say “he’s very focused and hungry for this fight. He’s put in enough hard work to have his hand raised on March 10th!”

On the undercard will feature two of the best Puerto Ricans from the area in separate bouts in Victor Padilla, 2-0 (2), of Berlin, NJ, and Joseph “Blessed Hands” Adorno, 2-0 (2), from Allentown, PA. Isaiah Wise, 3-1 will be back. Also returning from out of CT will be heavyweight Cassius Chaney, 8-0. Philly’s Marcel Rivers, 1-0 and Chris “Sandman” Thomas, 4-0, from Blackwood, NJ.

Completing the 10 undercard fights will be debuting Puerto Rican Crystian Peguero, of Philly and Basyzbek Baratov, 1-1-1, of KYR, and now Philly, Ernesto Almodovar debuting from Philly.

First fight will be at 7:30. Besides Peltz, BAM and Joe Hand Promotions along with Park Casino and Coors Light will handle the promotion.

On Saturday night Kings Promotion will have one of Philly’s knockout artists on top in Tyrone Brunson, 23-6-2 (22), facing Brandon Quarles, 18-3-1 (9), of Alexandria, VA. Philly’s David Gonzales, 8-1-2 (2), Tyrone Crawley, Jr., 6-0 (0), with Daquan Johnson, 2-0 (2), of Cherry Hill, NJ, will be taking on Philly’s Vincent Floyd, 1-2 (0). Carlos Rosario, 6-1 (3), of Pennsauken, NJ, Upper Darby’s Brandon Robinson, 1-1 (1), and debuting Philly boxer Terry Crowder as well as Philly’s Sam Orapeza will feature 8 fights.

The event will be at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly.