Tag Archives: sugarhouse

Posted on 03/03/2018

By: Ken Hissner

At the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia Friday night unbeaten South Philly bantamweight Christian Carto defeated Kronks James Smith on a Kings Promotion before another sold out crowd in spite of a snow storm Friday night.

In the Main Event Bantamweight unbeaten Christian Carto, 14-0 (11), of South Philadelphia, PA, easily defeated James Smith, 12-2 (7), of Kronk out of Detroit, MI, over 8 rounds of action.

In the first round Smith landed first with a right to the chin of Carto who countered with a left hook to the chin of Smith. Carto used a double jab to the chin of Smith followed by a right to the head. Carto landed a left hook to the chin of Smith getting his attention. Smith ended the round with a left hook to the chin of Carto. In the second round a solid jab from Carto stopped Smith in his tracks. Both boxers were warned by referee Benjy Esteves, Jr. about hitting behind the head. Smith missed with several punches but Carto landed a right to the chin. Smith landed a left hook to the chin having Carto in a corner than Carto came back with half a dozen punches backing Smith up. Smith’s right fell short and Carto countered with a right to the chin. Smith landed a left hook and Carto countered with a right both to the chin at the bell.

In the third round Carto landed first with a right to the chin of Smith. He followed with a combination to the head. Smith drove Carto into the ropes with a left hook but Carto blocked the follow-up right. Carto missed with a lead right but landed a left hook to the chin of Smith. Both landed well until a Smith right went low. Referee Esteves, Jr. gave Carto a minute rest. Against the ropes Carto landed a right to the chin of Smith who came back with a right of his own but missed.

In the fourth round Smith landed first with a right to the chin of Carto. They exchanged left hooks. Smith turned southpaw and got hit with a Carto left hook to the chin. Smith landed a left hook to the chin of Carto but got countered with a combination to the head. Carto rocked Smith with a left hook to the chin. Carto landed a straight right to the chin of Smith and seconds later landed a left hook to the chin of Smith just prior to the bell. The many Carto fans showed their appreciation.

In the fifth round Carto landed a right over a jab to the chin of Smith. Carto landed a 3-punch combination starting with a right hand. Carto landed a wicked left hook to the body of Smith. Carto landed a right to the head of Smith at the bell. In the sixth round Carto used his hand speed with several jabs followed by a right to the chin of Smith. Carto landed a left hook to the chin of Smith knocking him off balance. Carto landed half a dozen punches without return from Smith. Smith landed several left hooks to the body of Carto.

In the seventh round Carto landed several left hooks to the chin of Smith. Carto landed a left hook to the chin of Smith knocking him back a step. Carto missed with a right but landed a double left hook to the chin of Smith. In the eighth and final round Smith came out fast knowing he was well behind trying to land a wild left hook but missed. Smith ducked into a Carto left hook to the chin. Smith missed with a wild right looking exhausted. Carto kept Smith off balance with jabs. Carto landed a 3-punch combination just prior to the ending of the round and the fight.

Judge Steve Weisfeld had it 79-73 while Judges Marc Werlinsky and Dewey LaRosa had it 80-72 as did this writer. Mickey Rosati, Jr. and Frankie Carto worked the Carto corner.

“He’s a strong kid and a good fighter. I’m only getting better with every fight. And thanks to my fans for coming out and Wendy Hamilton of SugarHouse,” said Carto.

In the co-feature Philly’s Super Middleweight Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker, 13-5 (5), in a hard fought fight defeated Jamaal “Da Truth” Davis, 16-13-1 (7), formerly of Philadelphia and now out of Harrisburg, PA, winning the vacant WBF Super Middleweight title. President James Gibbs presented the belt to Brooker.

In the first round due to too much wrestling it was halfway through the round before Brooker landed the first punch a short right to the chin. Just prior to the end of the round Brooker landed a solid left hook to the chin of Davis hurting him. In the second round both fighters went to the body of one another. Davis pinned Brooker against the ropes with a flurry of punches. Davis came back with a left hook to the chin of Brooker in the middle of the ring. Brooker hurt Davis with a left hook to the chin.

In the third round both boxers went back to wrestling. Brooker landed the first significant punch a left hook to the chin of Davis at the midway point of the round. Brooker backed Davis into a corner landing a right to the chin but Davis landed the final punch a left hook to the chin of Brooker. In the fourth round in the middle of the ring a fight broke out with Davis landing a left and Brooker a right to each others chins.

In the fifth round a Davis left hook to the chin drove Brooker back several steps. Inside Davis landed several left hooks to the chin of Brooker. They exchanged right hands to the chin.

Brooker drove Davis into the ropes with a flurry. In the sixth round the in fighting continued with both landing left hooks to the chin. Davis coming up in weight for this one has the experience while Brooker the strength.

In the seventh round Davis landed a chopping right to the head of Brooker who came back with a left hook to the chin of Davis. Davis started boxing more with a jab but left hand low got caught with a right by Brooker on the chin. In the eighth and final round inside Brooker landed a right uppercut to the chin of Davis. Then Brooker came back with a solid left hook to the chin of Davis getting some noise from the crowd. A lead right from Brooker to the chin of Davis rocked him. Brooker followed up with another right having Davis in trouble. The fight ended with Brooker having Davis on the ropes.

Judge Walinski and Weisfeld had it 79-73 and judge LaRosa 77-75 with this writer having it 78-74. Blair Talmadge was the referee.

Super Lightweight Tyrone “Butterfly” Crawley, Jr., 7-1 (0), of Philadelphia, PA, retired after the third round, losing to Anthony “Club Man” Mercado, 11-3 (10), of Arecibo, PR, due to an injury in a scheduled 8.

In the first round Crawley landed a right hook to the chin of Mercado with the first punch of the round. Crawley continued to dominate with his jab keeping Mercado off balance. In the second round Crawley landed a straight left to the chin of Mercado rocking him. Crawley switched to orthodox and back to southpaw making Mercado miss quite a bit. Just prior to the bell Mercado went to throw a right but Crawley got there first with a right to the chin dropping Mercado who got up quickly.

In the third round Crawley landed a 3-punch combination to the chin of Mercado. Mercado continued to chase Crawley and walked into a right uppercut to the chin from Crawley. Mercado landed a left hook to the chin of Crawley who was against the ropes just before the bell. Crawley couldn’t continue due to an injured rib on the left side after the third round. Tyrone “Butterfly” Crawley, Sr. and Ivan “Mighty” Robinson were in Crawley’s corner. Crawley easily won the first 3 rounds.

Super Lightweight David “Two Gun” Gonzales, 8-3-2 (2), of Philadelphia, PA, was stopped by Victor Vazquez, 10-3 (4), of Yonkers, NY, at 1:56 of the first round of a scheduled 8.

In the first round Vasquez dominates from the bell switching from orthodox to southpaw. The much shorter Gonzales looked beat from the bell. A left hook from Vasquez on the chin dropped Gonzales and upon rising referee Esteves, Jr. wisely stopped the mismatch. Vasquez is now 4-0 against Philly boxers. Angel Pizarro, Sr. worked the corner.

Heavyweight Dominique “Majik” Mayfield, 0-1 (0), of South Philadelphia, PA, got stopped by Ronny “Big Country” Dion Hale, 4-11 (4), of Alabama, at 1:40 of the first round.

In the first round racing from his corner Hale dropped Mayfield twice with rights to the chin. There was another in between but referee Talmadge called it a non-knockdown. The official third knockdown came with another Hale right to the chin ending it as far as referee Talmadge saw it. Mayfield had many fans cheering his entrance.

Welterweight Rasheed “Sugar Sheed” Johnson of Philadelphia agreed to fight giving a 7 pound advantage to overweight Vincent Floyd but the commission declined. So he fought Rondel McGee from Yonkers, NY, in a 3 round exhibition and stopped him in the second when referee Talmadge saw enough and halted it.

Super Flyweight Jerod “The Golden” Miner, 1-1-1 (1), of Philadelphia, PA, drew with Rondarius “Too Fast” Hunter, 1-2-1 (1), of Atlanta, GA, over 4 rounds in the opening bout.

In the opening round Hunter landed the first punch a lead right to the chin of Miner. Miner came right back and landed a left hook on the chin of Hunter knocking him sideways several steps. Miner is the aggressor but got caught with the final punch of the round because he stood in front of Hunter not throwing anything and got hit with a right on the chin. In the second round Hunter landed a combination. Hunter keeps landing a lead right and a right uppercut that Miner ducked into. Miner is doing more missing than landing.

In the third round time after time Hunter lands a right hand as Miner walks right into it with hands down. Hunter ended the round landing another right hand to the chin of Miner. In the fourth and final round Hunter landed a combination. Miner dropped Hunter twice with right hands to the chin. Hunter was exhausted holding on but referee Talmadge allowed it to go the distance. The first knockdown looked more like a push.

Judge Weisfeld had it 39-35 for Miner. Judge’s La Rosa and Werlinsky had it 37-37 as did this writer.

Kings will be back at the 2300 Arena April 6th and back at SugarHouse May 11th per ring announcer Alex Barbosa. Event covered by 11 Sports Network with Marc Abrams and Rich Quinones doing the commentating.

Posted on 03/01/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Philly’s unbeaten bantamweight Christian Carto was a National Golden Gloves champion. He decided to turn professional on July 2nd 2016 at the Santander Arena in Reading, PA, on a Kings Promotion. He was just 19 and being trained by Mickey Rosati, a former PA Golden Gloves Champion and owner of Rosati’s Gym which is located at 1937 S. Chadwick St., in South Philadelphia over his Rosati’s Auto Repair shop. His father Mickey Sr. was 11-1 from 1954-55.

Christian Carto has a 13-0 record with 11 knockouts. The two of them have “South Philly” written all over them. Carto turned 21 last December and will be headlining Friday at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia against Detroit’s James “O.G.” Smith, 12-1 (7), coming off a first round knockout win and promoted by Dmitriy Salita.
Carto stopped his first eleven opponents. One story Rosati tells is during the referee’s instructions on a particular fight the opposing trainer said “you have been fighting boy’s, tonight you are fighting a man!”

Before you knew it the “man” was face down in his own corner and Carto who is a young man of few words pointed to the trainer and was said to say “there’s your man!” Carto won’t talk about it for he is a very confident but humble boxer.

Philly is minus and world champions at present but there are a young group of boxers than have champion written all over them and Carto is one of them! His brother Frank who was a novice champion handles the managing of who his brother fights. They have been fighting for two promoters and it looks like Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions has taken over putting young Carto in the main event Friday at the SugarHouse Casino.

“Camp has been good. I have done a lot of sparring with different sparring partners,” said Carto. As stopping his first eleven opponents in September he defeated Alfonso Melendez, 14-1 and in his last fight in December defeated Luis Fernando Saavedra, 7-3, both going eight rounds.

“It would have been nice to have kept the streak going, but I am not upset. I actually thought in my last fight with Luis Saavedra I was close to getting him out of there but he did a good job in hanging in there and going the distance. It was a good experience going eight-rounds. I spar 10-12 rounds so I knew I could go eight rounds,” said Carto.

This will be Carto’s seventh appearance at SugarHouse Casino, and the venue has taken a liking to Carto to the point that a 40-foot billboard was erected over I-95, and a million motorists can see Carto each day.

“Smith seems to be a good fighter. I have watched a couple of his fights, and even in the fight he lost, he fought well until he got caught,” said Carto.
This writer has seen all his fights and can honestly say “Carto is the real deal and one of if not the most exciting young boxer in Philly rings today”.

“I want to thank Wendy Hamilton of the SugarHouse. It was good to see the billboard and see myself presented like that. It’s very exciting to see that. That is something I never thought I’d see. I just want all my fans to come out Friday night. It’s going to be a good fight, and I look forward to seeing everybody there,” said Carto.

Ten of his thirteen fights have been in Philly with two in Atlantic City and as mentioned his debut in Reading. There will be six additional fights on the undercard with several Philly against Philly bouts and you know they will be wars!

Super middleweight Christopher Brooker, 12-5 (5), takes on Jamaal “Tyson” Davis, 16-12-1 (7), in an 8 round all-Philly match-up. The son of former world contender Philly’s Tyrone “Butterfly” Crawley who will be in the corner in Tyrone Crawley, 7-0 (0), taking on Anthony Mercado, 10-3 (9), of Arecibo, PR, in a Super lightweight 8. Philly’s David Gonzales, 8-2-2 (2), takes on Victor Vazquez, 9-3 (3), of Yonkers, NY.

Vazquez is 3-0 fighting in Philly defeating Philly boxers Anthony Burgin, Jerome Conquest and Seifullah Jihad Wise.

In addition there will be three 4 rounder’s. In an all Philly welterweight fight Rasheed Johnson, 3-1 (1), takes on Vincent Floyd, 3-4-1 (2). Philly Super Flyweight Jerrod Miner, 1-1 (1), takes on Rondarius Hunter, 1-2 (1), of Atlanta, GA. Philly Heavyweight Dominique Mayfield makes his debut taking on Ronny Hale, 3-11 (3), of Austin, TX.

There will be a press conference Wednesday at SugarHouse Casino at 6pm.

Posted on 01/27/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Former world Cruiserweight and Heavyweight champion Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield’s THE REAL DEAL BOXING made their promotional debut in Philadelphia Friday night before a sold out crowd at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly!

It was a smashing success with all four Philly based boxers turning in wins. In the Main Event for the WBF North American Regional lightweight title Philly’s Steven Ortiz, 8-0 (3), stopped solid opponent Joshua “Dynamite” Davis, 11-3 (5), of D.C. at 2:21 of the second round in a scheduled eight.

In that round Ortiz landed a counter left hook to the chin of Davis dropping him. After referee Gary Rosato administered the 8 count Davis got up smiling like it was an accident. Well, the right hand that dropped Davis again was “no accident”. Determined not to being stopped Davis landed a right to the head of Ortiz putting him back a couple of steps. Ortiz came right back with a right to the head of Davis dropping him for the third and final time as referee Rosato waved it off. WBF President James Gibbs and VP Greg Hackett, Sr. presented the belt to the winner Steve Ortiz.

Asked if he was nervous being his first main event Ortiz said “I’m usually somewhat nervous but was cool with this fight. I didn’t get warmed up until the second round and he was a good opponent.”
“Steve turned in a good performance considering he hadn’t fought for over a year. He signed with Real Deal recently. Considering he was under house arrest it wasn’t easy at times getting him into the gym but when the fight came up he spent six days in the gym and should be about 10-0,” said trainer Raul Rivas.

In the co-feature co-promoted by Chris Middendorf’s Victory Promotions the best prospect in Philly since 1984 Gold Medalist Meldrick Taylor welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis, 18-0 (16) scored another victory with a technical stoppage at 2:14 of the fourth round over durable Mexican Gustvo “Vitamina” Garibay, 13-10-2 (5), in a scheduled six.

“I was just having fun out there,” said Ennis. It was another brilliant showing by the 20 year-old brilliant prospect Ennis who has won eighteen fights in twenty-one months behind Middendorf’s Victory Promotions. “He needed the rounds,” said father-trainer “Bozy” Ennis. He should know being the best trainer in Philly.

Manager Dave McWater who has a stable of some thirty-five fighters should be quite pleased having two of them post victories on the show. First in the opening bout welterweight Janelson “Figuero” Bocachica, 9-0 (6), of Detroit, MI, scored a second round knockdown after receiving a small cut under the right eyebrow from an accidental head butt (cut-man Joey Eye kept the cut in tact).

Bocahica would go onto score a clean knockout stopping his game Mexican opponent Victor Eddy Gaytan, 2-4 (1), at 0:13 of the fifth round with a right hand to the chin. Referee Rosato didn’t even have to count. “The cut was from a head butt. I set him up for that right hand,” said Bocachica.

In McWater’s most recent signee Philly’s National Golden Glove champion welterweight Poindexter “The Savage” Knight, 2-0 (2), made short work of Jordan “F4J” Morales, 2-4 (2), of Sunbury, PA, at 2:10 of the first round. Knight scored the first knockdown with a 3-punch combination with the left dropping Morales. He then came right back with a right hook scoring a second knockdown forcing referee Rosato to call a halt. “It was Savage Time,” said the happy Knight!

Super middleweight Brandon “Silver Back” Robinson, 9-1 (7), of Upper Darby, PA, scored a knockout at 1:50 of the first round over Juan Celin Zapata, 5-12-2 (3), of Honduras now living in the Bronx, NY. It was a perfect right at the beltline ending if for the exciting Robinson.

Rosato was the referee in this scheduled six.

Cruiserweight southpaw Kennedy “The Shadow” Katende, 3-0 (1), from Uganda living in the West Hampton’s, of New York scored a first round knockdown helping him win a solid six round decision over the taller Lyubomyr Pinchuk, 4-1 (3), from the Ukraine now out of Pittsburgh, PA. Judge Anthony Lundy had it 58-55 while judges Adam Friscia and Dave Braslow scored it 59-54 as did this writer. The fourth judge Gail Jasper never had a chance to score a bout since this was the only one to go the distance in the seven bout card.

Asked why Katende only fought orthodox in the third round after dominating the other five rounds he shrugged it off saying “I am from Uganda who I represented in the 2008 Olympics in China and moved to Sweden who I represented in the 2012 Olympics in Rio”. On the back of his trunks was “God Walks With Me” and that didn’t hurt him any. He suffered a small cut in the third round from an accidental head butt. Eric Dali was the referee.

In a scheduled six round middleweight bout 20 year-old Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga, 7-0 (7), kept his record perfect stopping Jaime Barboza, 19-14 (9), of San Jose, Costa Rica at 2:42 of the first round. He scored a first knockdown with a right to the chin and a second knockdown with a combination to the chin forcing referee Dali to wave it off.

In attendance was former World Heavyweight champion Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes, recent title challenger Tevin “The American Idol” Farmer who lost a disputed decision and should be getting a rematch, former world contender Kevin Howard, Lionel Byarm who was Holyfield’s first opponent and the popular former IBF Super welterweight champion Buster Drayton, all from Philly except Holmes.

Posted on 01/23/2018

By: Ken Hissner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 12/02/2017

By: Ken Hissner

At a sold out (in 3 days) SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia Friday night Hard Hitting Promotions with Manny Rivera and Will Ruiz (matchmaker) put on as good a show as I have seen in Philly in many a year featuring Philly heavyweight Joey “the Tank” Dawejko, in the main event with some of the best talent in Philly in years on the undercard of an event full of excitement by the promotion and great matchmaking.

Heavyweight Joey “The Tank” Dawejko, 19-4 (11), of Philly, used a knockdown to defeat Kelvin Nunez, 15-1 (14), of Carolina, PR, for the vacant WBC FECARBOX Title, over 8 hard fought rounds.
In the first round Dawejko is throwing every punch including jabs with bad intentions keeping Nunez on the defense.

A counter right from Dawejko off a Nunez miss rocked the latter. It was all Dawejko in this round. In the second round both fighters were exchanging with Nunez becoming more active but not enough to win the round. In the third round Dawejko landed a solid right uppercut to the chin of Nunez. Dawejko landed the better of the punches in a round of action.

In the fourth round the bout became very tactful on the part of both fighters.
Nunez finally seemed to get an edge in this round. In the fifth round Nunez came out firing until Dawejko landed a right hand to slow him down. Nunez turned southpaw and back to orthodox. It was a very close action round on the part of both fighters. In the sixth round Nunez was going to the body while Dawejko was countering with left hooks to the head. In the seventh round Nunez turned to the referee Shawn Clark complaining of who knows what and he got hit with a left hook from Dawejko that almost drove him through the ropes. In this writers opinion it was the difference in the end.

Dawejko had a big round landing some eight solid punches to the head of Nunez just prior to the bell. In the eighth and final round Nunez fought back possibly figuring he needed a knockout to win as he kept coming to Dawejko with too little too late. “I hurt my back in the first round,” said Dawejko. Nunez kept leaning on him doubling him over throughout the contest. Referee Clark warned him several times.

Judge John Poturaj had it 77-74 as did Dave Braswell while judge Frescia had it 76-75 while this writer had it 77-74.
Unbeaten Philly bantamweight Christian Carto, 13-0 (11), of South Philly, won a lopsided spirited decision over Luis Fernando Saavedra, 7-4 (3), of San Luis Potosi, MEX, over 8 rounds.

In the first round of feeling each other out Saavedra landed the first punch a straight left to the chin of Carto. Carto stalked Savvedra falling short with most jabs as Saavedra had his hands held high.

Saavedra switched back to orthodox from southpaw. Carto opened up with a flurry of punches just prior to the bell to the head of Saavedra. In the second round a solid left hook from Carto to the chin dropped Saavedra for an eight count from referee Eric Dali before getting up.

In the third round Carto landed a 3-punch combination to the head of Saavedra. Saavedra keeps switching from southpaw to orthodox. Carto went to the body of Saavedra who is countering sparingly.

Carto does better when Saavedra is orthodox. At the bell both fighters were throwing leather. In the fourth round Carto stalked and outworked Saavedra hurting him with follow-up right hands off of his jab.

In the fifth round Carto opened the round with a lead right to the chin of Saavedra now fighting southpaw. Carto was now on the move countering Saavedra well with combinations to the head. In the sixth round Carto landed a flurry of punches that had the crowd responding. Saavedra was stalking but walking into punches from Carto. It was Carto outworking Saavedra though the latter was coming forward.

In the seventh round Carto landed a hard right and left to the head of Saavedra who was up against the ropes. At the bell it was Carto landing punches with Saavedra doing more feinting than punching. In the eighth and final round it was all Carto with Saavedra more interested it seemed in going the distance than winning the fight.

Judge had it 80-71 as did this writer.

The Referee was Eric Dali.

Lightweight 18 year-old prospect Branden “The Gift” Pizarro, 8-1 (4), of Philly, was upset in a close decision by Christian Rivera, 7-0 (5), of Bayamon, PR, over 6 rounds of action.

In the first round Pizarro was the aggressor. Pizarro opened the round with a right and left to the head of Rivera. Pizarro drove Rivera into the ropes with a flurry of punches. A hard left hook landed by Pizarro rocked Rivera on the chin. A 3-punch combination from Pizarro to the head of Rivera got his attention.
Rivera’s face was red from the punches he received. In the second round Rivera landed a combination that was countered by a flurry of punches from Pizarro. A left to the chin from Rivera dropped Pizarro who seemed more embarrassed than hurt. Rivera tried to follow-up but was countered by Pizarro. Pizarro ended the round with a lead right to the chin of Rivera.

In the third round Pizarro hurt Rivera to the head with a right hand driving him into a neutral corner. Another right from Pizarro drove Rivera across the ring.

Pizarro had Rivera hurt in the corner but was countered by a left that momentarily dropped him to a knee. He was up as referee Clark counted and went after Rivera when the round ended. In the fourth round Pizarro was on the offense as Rivera countered with chopping left hands. Pizarro landed a pair of rights to the chin of Rivera that kept him on the move. Rivera landed a solid combination to the head of Pizarro getting his attention. It was a close round but Pizarro rebounded nice.

In the fifth round a lead left from Pizarro on the chin got Rivera’s attention. Rivera’s face is well marked while Pizarro’s is unmarked. Pizarro was once again on the attack while Rivera countered with less offense. In the sixth and final round Rivera opened up with a solid lead left to the chin of Pizarro.

Pizarro rocked Rivera with a left hook to the head. Pizarro knocked out the mouthpiece of Rivera causing referee Clark to halt the action. Pizarro was on the attack when this happened. It was one great fight full of action.

Judge John Portaju had it 58-54, Dave Braswell 58-55 and Adam Frescia 57-56 while this writer had it 56-56 with 4 rounds to Pizarro and 2 the knockdown rounds to Rivera.

Salvation Of Sorrows Inc. a non-profit organization at intermission with Abby (President) and Chris Anderson giving gifts to three youngsters including free training at the Hard Hitting Gym.

Celebrity boxers and trainers being introduced were Ray “Tito” Serrano, “Hammerin” Hank Lundy, former WBA champion Jason “El Canito” Sosa and title challenger on December 9th the American Idol Tevin “Successful” Farmer along with trainers Raul “Chino” Rivas and Rashiem Jefferson. Also in attendance was Philadelphia Eagle Malcolm Jenkins.

Lightweight Liberian “Tsuanami” Sammy Teah, 12-1-1 (5), of Philly, defeated “Mr. Marvelous” Maynard Allison, 9-3 (6), from NC, now living in Philly, in a spirited six rounds.

In the first round Teah was the aggressor using a good jab. The first punch landed by Allison a right to the head of Teah was countered by a right by Teah that had Allison holding on. Both landed right hands to the chin at the same time with Allison getting the worst of it. A left hook from Teah to the chin hurt Allison as the bell sounded. In the second round Teah lines up Allison with jabs to the mid-section with right hands following.

The fighters got into a heated exchange of punches with Teah getting the better of it. Teah landed a double right to the head while Allison came back with a right rocking Teah. Teah came back driving Allison into a neutral corner and on his bike.
In the third round controls with his jab keeping Allison at bay. Allison landed a good right uppercut to chin of Teah. The round ended with a Allison right to the chin of Teah. In the fourth round both fighters landed left hooks to the chin at the same time. Teah continued to stalk Allison when another exchange from both fighters had the sold out crowd yelling. The last two rounds were close but Teah seemed to pull them out.

In the fifth round Teah landed half a dozen punches hurting Allison who pushed Teah back against the ropes only to have Teah rock him with several uppercuts and a chopping right hand hurting Allison. It turned into a war. The fighters ended up slugging it out in the corner of Allison. In the sixth and final round there was a clash of heads making referee Dali halt the action. Allison pushed Teah to the canvas receiving a warning from referee Dali. Teah chased Allison around the ring trying for the knockout. Allison was warned for the second time for pushing off. Teach landed a good combination to the head of a retreating Allison as the fight drew to a close. The fans showed their appreciation.

All three Judge’s Vargas, Freisca and Braswell had it 60-54 as did this writer.
Heavyweight from Philly Darmani “Rock Solid” Rock, 10-0 (6), made his hometown debut a successful one stopping Carlos Cotto, 8-2 (5), of Carolina, PR, at 2:59 of the first round.

In the first round Rock used a good jab. Cotto missed with a right uppercut and Rock countered with a hard right to the head rocking Cotto. Rock landed a good combination to the head of Cotto making him blink with both eyes showing redness.

Rock missed with a right and countered with a left to the side of Cotto’s head dropping him to a knee. He struggled to get up at nine but was in no condition to continue as referee Shawn Clark wisely waved it off. The ring physician examined Cotto who was holding his right ear from the left hook that dropped him. “I saw he was scared so I went in for the finish,” said Rock.

In the opening bout Lightweight southpaw Jeremy Cuevas, 6-0 (5), of Philly, halted Jose Miguel “The Hammer” Castro, 5-10 (3), of Carolina, PR, at 2:05 of the fifth in a scheduled six round bout.

In the first round southpaw Cuevas used a good jab countering Castro. Cuevas hammered Cuevas into the ropes with half a dozen punches before Castro spun off the ropes. Referee Dali warned Castro to watch using his head which has reddened the nose of Cuevas. In the second round Cuevas landed a lead straight left to the head of Castro. Cuevas followed up with a right uppercut and left to the head. Both fighters exchanged punched to the head at once. In the middle of the ring Cuevas landed half a dozen unanswered punches.

Just prior to the bell Castro landed a right to the head of Cuevas who jumped all over him landing over half a dozen punches before the bell sounded.

In the third round Cuevas landed half a dozen unanswered punches in the middle of the ring. Castro continues to be the aggressor but has been on the defense when Cuevas opens up. Both fighters have red abrasions on their faces. In the fourth round both fighters get into an exchange of punches. Castro landed a hard right to the head of Cuevas bringing noise from the crowd. Castro turned away and Cuevas went after him rocking him with a pair of left hands to the head. A lead left from Cuevas to the chin of Castro rocked him at the bell.

In the fifth round Cuevas drove Castro into the ropes with a vicious variety of punches having him out on his feet when the corner of Castro threw the towel in causing referee Dali to wave it off.

“My corner said I was breaking him down by going to the body and I could see he was starting to cover up so as I was pounding on him the referee called it off,” said Cuevas.

Posted on 11/30/2017

By: Ken Hissner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 08/12/2017

By: Ken Hissner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 05/13/2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 05/11/2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 03/13/2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 02/04/2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 02/02/2017

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

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

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

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

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

Posted on 01/27/2017

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

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

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

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