Tuesday, December 31, 2019

2019 Philadelphia Boxing Round Up


The tremendous year of boxing in the “City of Brotherly Love” came to an end on Friday December 6th at The 2300 Arena.  Washington DC native, junior welterweight, Mykel Fox had his hand raised after winning a ten round unanimous decision over John Arellano of Texas signaling the end of a fabulous year of pro prizefighting. Fittingly the area’s most prolific promoter Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions delivered the action.

Kauffman once again was the most prolific promoter locally. In October, Kauffman in conjunction with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), brought world class talent to the area showcasing Robert Easter Jr.’s win over Adrian Granados, and top ranked junior middleweight Erickson Lubin in his hometown Reading, PA. Without Kauffman promoting close to a dozen shows in and around the Delaware River Valley, the area’s fight scene would hardly survive, yet alone thrive.

The excitement all started back in February when Michelle Rosado’s Raging Babe kicked the year off promoting her first event in Philly at the 2300 Arena. A solid fight card became mythological when flaming hot prospect, Christian Carto was poleaxed and laid out on the canvas by Mexican tumbler Victor Ruiz in round 2. Leaving the venue on a stretcher, Carto’s future was in doubt, meanwhile Rosado cemented her credentials as a promoter within the municipality.

“A night at the opera” - It appeared that Hard Hitting Promotions was going to a have a phenomenal year when close to 3,500 spectators packed into the newly refurbished Metropolitan Opera House (The Met) on North Broad Street. That night a couple of hometown undefeated participants of Puerto Rican extraction squared off in the main event for more than a victory. On the line for combatants Steven Ortiz and Jeremy Cuevas was neighbor and ethnic bragging rights. Ortiz won easily over eight rounds. Hard Hitting returned to “The Met” a few more times but nothing compared to the virgin experience in the opera house.

TOP RANK BOXING! Bob Arum is committed to bringing world renowned talent to Philadelphia. Checking the temperature of the water, Arum dipped his toe in last march when he promoted Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s successful WBC Light Heavyweight title defense against Doudou Ngumbu. Also seeing action that night, Philly native “the New” Ray Robinson drew with highly rank and touted Lithuanian Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Many of those ringside believed Robinson deserved the nod. Other spectators felt if Robinson turned it up just a notch he would have clearly been victorious. Egidijus went on to give a good account of himself in his next fight, before getting kayoed in nine rounds versus WBO Welterweight King Terence Crawford in December at Madison Square Garden.

The show must go on - A freak accident had Carl Frampton pulling out of his fight at the Liacouras Center in August, less than two weeks beforehand. No one would blame Top Rank for cutting their losses and canceling the festivities altogether. Instead, former junior lightweight champ Jason Sosa was bumped up to main event status and pitted against unheralded Haskell Lydell Rhodes. Sosa kayoed Rhodes in seven. With no time to promote the change in the main event, the show drew poorly.  A few months later, Sosa went on to unsuccessfully challenge WBC Super Featherweight Champion Miguel Berchelt, getting finished off in four rounds.

Now the coup de grace occurred when Top Rank chose to come back to the Liacouras Center to pit two undefeated knockout artists in a light heavyweight unification match between WBC King Oleksandr Gvozdyk and IBF Monarch Artur Beterbiev. This pairing would have sold out major arenas in Las Vegas, Manhattan or Chicago. By choosing Philadelphia, Top Rank made a statement that it plans on being a major part of this city’s professional pugilism. Beterbiev stopped Gvozdyk in the tenth. Quality over quantity is why Top Rank should be considered for The Briscoe Award Promoter of the Year.

Once again the British invaded Philadelphia. Contrary to the American Revolution, this time the City of Brotherly Love welcomed the red coats with open rams as Matchroom USA promoted Tevin Farmer’s homecoming at the Liacouras Center, in what turned out to be the best night of fights for 2019. Jono Carroll of Ireland put forth a spirited and gallant effort in trying to wrest the crown from IBF Super Featherweight king Farmer.  The undercard showcased two potential Briscoe Award Fights of the Year. Philly resident Gabriel Rosado’s late round come back against Polish Maciej Sulecki was epic. Rosado lost a ten round unanimous decision but showed he is still a threat in the middleweight division. Unbelievable, unless you were in the arena early to witness Hank Lundy vs. Avery Sparrow, you missed one of the best pairings of two rival Philly boxers in a long time. DAZN cameras had not started rolling when this fight was occurring. Close to 1,500 of Katie Taylor’s faithful fans flew into Philly from the Emerald Isle to see her easily defend her undisputed lightweight laurels.

I went down to DC metro area to see Philly fighters showcase impressive skills in May where the scraps took place on the abandoned campus of George Mason University. Classes ended the day prior to Julian Williams shocking upset of Jarred Hurd. Not only did Williams ruin Hurd’s homecoming, he walked away with his IBF and WBA Super Welterweights belts. West Philly had proud moments when Stephen Fulton put on a flawless performance on the undercard.

Happy New Year! Keep Punching!

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Friday, December 27, 2019

“The biggest event in Matawan”: The Evening World Champion Mickey Walker Came to Town


Most regular readers of this website know that I am a native of Matawan, New Jersey. Although family, the Army, and work took me away from my hometown in 2003, I still maintain ties to this Bayshore community by staying actively involved in the local American Legion Post 176. 

This year was an important year for many members of the American Legion as the veteran's organization celebrated it's 100th anniversary. The American Legion, which was founded by World War I veterans at the conclusion of hostilities in Europe, has lobbied for veterans rights and benefits since its inception on March 15, 1919 in Paris. Members of the American Legion come from a variety of backgrounds, and have included notable people ranging from presidents to actors. 

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The American Legion Weekly Magazine from 1906

At this point, you are probably asking yourself, "What does the American Legion have to do with Mickey Walker and boxing?" To answer this question, we will look back at the history of Post 176 in Matawan.  

Matawan is a commuter based suburban town located 40 miles from Manhattan, with a population just over 8,000 people. The town was settled in the 17th century by Dutch and Scots-Irish settlers, who moved to the town in search of land and a better life. During the American Revolution, the town was a hotbed for Patriot activities. The Burrowes family, whose mansion still stands on Main Street, were seen by Staten Island Loyalists as the ringleaders of local “rabble-rousers.” John Burrowes Sr. and his son, Captain John Burrowes, were targeted during a May 27, 1778 raid on Matawan (then Middletown Point), in which their furniture was burned, and the elder Burrowes was captured. Matawan was also home to the “Poet of the American Revolution’ Philip Freneau, who is the namesake for the Freneau section of the town. The town is arguably best known for a series of three shark attacks that shocked the quiet town on July 12, 1916. The attacks resulted in the deaths of a local boy, Lester Stillwell, and local man, Stanley Fisher. This event inspired the 1975 thriller film, Jaws. These shark attacks, and the people involved with it, are well chronicled in the 2016 book by John Allan (Al) Savolaine, Stanley Fisher:  Shark Attack Hero of a Bygone Age


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Growing up in Matawan, I never heard of my hometown’s connection to Jersey Shore boxing history. It was as a 32-year-old man and member of American Legion Post 176 that I learned about the popular fights that were once held in Matawan from town historian and then American Legion Post Commander Al Savolaine. Al helped me to discover that the American Legion's history has ties with sports other than little league baseball. 


In 1920, Matawan had a population of 1,910 people, while in 1930, the population “jumped” up to 2,264. The people of Matawan, much like most American sports fans, were huge boxing fans during this time. That is why it is no surprise that on September 28, 1927, 1,500 people packed into a vacant lot near the intersection of Main and Broad Streets to attend an American Legion Post 176 sponsored boxing benefit exhibition. Post 176 was a popular social organization during this time for local veterans. Members included the Matawan mayor at the time and future United States Congressman William Halstead Sutphin. The Legion boxing card featured six bouts, and hosted a “who’s who” list of local elected officials and celebrities including the Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World, Mickey Walker and famous ring announcer, Joseph “Joe” Humphreys. The evening of fights was billed by the local American Legion to be, “The biggest event in Matawan,” and the event did not disappoint. Eight hundred tickets were sold in advance, with another seven hundred seats sold at the gate.


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U.S. Congressman, Legionnaire, and Matawan Resident William H. Sutphin
Mickey Walker was a native of Elizabeth, New Jersey who held world titles in two divisions during a time when the world title field was not flooded with multiple belts. He held the World Welterweight Championship from November 1, 1922 to May 20, 1926, a title he claimed by defeating defending champ Jack Britton in a fifteen round contest. Walker went on to hold the World Middleweight Championship from December 3, 1926 to October 29, 1929 after defeating Tiger Flowers via a ten round decision. Nine years after his death in 1981, Walker was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.


Mickey Walker (right) poses with Tiger Flowers (left) leading up to their 1926 title bout.
Joe Humphreys was the Michael Buffer of his day, who announced thousands of boxing matches, and served as the longtime official ring announcer for Madison Square Garden from 1925 until his death in 1936. In 1997, Humphreys was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the non-participant category.


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Joe Humphreys
The September 28, 1927 boxing card was loaded with New Jersey and New York fighters. That evening in Matawan, Jack McGuire of South Amboy served as the referee for all 32 rounds of boxing. The main event featured welterweights Joe Harris of Elizabeth and Paddy Cula of Bayonne in an eight round bout. The local newspaper, The Matawan Journal, noted that the main event “was a real battle from start to finish. Neither man gave any quarter to the other and the shouts from the audience was evidence sufficient that the fighters were giving their best.” 

The popularity of this boxing match inspired American Legion Post 176 to host annual boxing shows in the area from 1928 to 1930. These shows were advertised and documented in both The Matawan Journal and Asbury Park Press. All three shows attracted over a thousand spectators, and featured popular fighters from the Jersey Shore including, “the knockout king of Matawan” George Russell, Perth Amboy’s Stanley Wilson, Port Reading’s Carl Zullo, “the blonde tiger of Perth Amboy” Eddie Marks, Long Branch’s Nick Laico, Red Bank’s Andy Sackowitz, and Red Bank’s Melvin Decker. 

The 1928 American Legion exhibition took place outdoors at the Keyport Baseball Park in Oak Shades Park. The money raised from this card was used to fund the construction of a new home for Post 176. The exhibition was hosted at the Matawan Arena (aka the Freneau Open-Air Arena) in the Freneau section of Matawan. Ringside seats for this event sold for only $2.50, as opposed to hundreds of dollars that ringside seats typically cost in the 21st century! The Monday, June 24th exhibition was a rain makeup day from the previous Thursday evening. Newspaper coverage made note of the ongoing rain that marred the evening’s boxing show, contributing to the American Legion not covering expenses for the bouts. The Matawan Journal did note that “they did give a good show and all those who came went away satisfied.”


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Map of Central New Jersey
In 1930, American Legion boxing returned to the Keyport Ball Park. Post 176 ran a quarter-page ad for the exhibition in The Matawan Journal with the slogan, “You always get your money’s worth”. This show faired far better than the 1929 show drawing a sizeable crowd, and creating financial gains for the post. It is interesting to note that the reporter who covered the card particularly enjoyed a clash between Leonard Musciato of Cliffwood and a Matawan delivery boy named Patsy Poppa. This goes to show the robust history of boxing, which was established from the grit of working class people.

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Saturday, December 21, 2019

Matchroom Boxing Presents: Jacobs vs. Chavez Jr.

By Steve Ward, Ringside

Arizona boxing fans received an early Christmas gift this evening as Matchroom Boxing presented a stacked card to close out the year from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix broadcasted live on DAZN. This event, originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, was moved to Phoenix after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. refused to submit to a random drug test in October, hence awarding him an indefinite suspension from boxing in Nevada. In addition to Jacobs vs. Chavez Jr., there were several other compelling fights that saw Maurice Hooker, Liam Smith, and Gabriel Rosado among many others in action for what proved to be an evening of season’s beatings.

Daniyar Yeleussinov (9-0, 5 KOs) vs. Alan Sanchez (20-5-1, 10 KOs) Ten Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Daniyar Yeleussinov via TKO in round 5

This was starting to become a rather entertaining fight after the first few rounds as the referee called a stop to the action on the advice of the ringside physician shortly after the opening bell of round five as a result of damage Sanchez suffered to his left eye. The win allowed “Kazakh Thunder” to remain undefeated in what appeared to be a fight he was arguably down on the cards in early on. Whether this was a testament to Yeleussinov’s power and precision or just luck is yet to be seen as Sanchez was the more active fighter and continued to move forward throughout the fight.

Josh Kelly (10-0-1, 6 KOs) vs. Winston Campos (31-7-6, 19 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Josh Kelly via UD (99-90, 99-90, 98-91)

In round one, Kelly dropped to the canvas after what the referee ruled to be a strike to the back of the head and subsequent slip. This seemingly got to Kelly as he proceeded to drop his hands quite frequently for the next few rounds in a taunting fashion. These rounds also became quite “chippy” as the two needed to be separated by the ref multiple times for headlocks and other nonsense.

The late rounds saw Josh Kelly settle in and display more of what one would expect from a former Olympian as he showed more poise as he landed with great precision and finally scored a knockdown early in round 10 with a stiff right to the body. While Campos displayed a solid chin and went the distance, he was not able to mount much offense as Kelly demonstrated superior speed and head movement that left him mostly unscathed.

Liam Smith (29-2-1, 16 KOs) vs. Roberto Garcia (42-5, 25 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Middleweights
Decision: Liam Smith via UD (99-91, 99-91, 98-92)

In rounds one through three, both fighters appeared very evenly matched as neither gained much of an advantage and a case could be made for each on the scorecards. In round four, Liam Smith took control and continuously walked down Garcia as he relentlessly worked the body to the point Garcia began to lean on him to seemingly catch a breather.

Garcia’s tactics must have worked as he entered round five with new vigor and had Smith’s back to the ropes for the duration of the round. Garcia walked back to his corner after the round showing no respect for his opponent as he kicked his feet towards him as if to mimic brushing dirt in his face. Following an evenly contested round six, Smith found himself on the ropes to open round seven. Garcia was unable to maintain the pressure, however, as Smith turned the tables and did some of his most effective work of the fight to that point as he went back to work on the body of Garcia. Unable to build momentum following round seven, the closing rounds were again rather evenly contested until the closing moments of round ten when Smith left a lasting impression on the judges with an overwhelming flurry. The close rounds clearly went to Smith as he won very decisively on the scorecards.

Reshat Mati (6-0, 4 KOs) vs. Rakim Johnson (6-9-1, 5 KOs)
Six Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Reshat Mati via TKO in round one

Well this one did not last long… Staten Island’s “Albanian Bear” Reshat Mati, a 2018 National Gold Gloves champion, made quick work of Rakim Johnson. Following a brutal liver shot that dropped Johnson to the canvas early in the round, Mati scored THREE more knockdowns before the referee had seen enough and mercifully called a stop to the action.

Maurice Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) vs. Uriel Perez (19-5, 17 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Maurice Hooker via TKO in round one

Following a setback TKO loss in July to Jose Carlos Ramirez, Maurice Hooker sought to get back on track this evening against Uriel Perez – also fighting for the third time in 2019 riding a two fight unbeaten streak. In another short affair, Hooker kept Perez at bay with the jab and in a rousing turn of events, landed a stiff right to the body of Perez followed by a vicious barrage to the head that dropped him to his knee. After a brief conversation with the referee, the “action” was abruptly ended – looks like Hooker’s redemption was a success.

Raymond Ford (5-0, 2 KOs) vs. Francisco Muro (3-7, 2 KOs)
Six Rounds, Featherweights
Raymond Ford via TKO in round one

In one of the swing bouts of the evening, Tucson, Arizona’s Francisco Muro squared off with Camden, New Jersey’s Raymond “Savage” Ford – a 2018 National Golden Gloves champion. It should also be noted that the undefeated Ford walked to the ring in full Christmas mode donning Santa Claus attire. From the opening bell, Ford was a man possessed as he unleashed a vicious assault of devastating combos on Muro leading first to a quick knockdown, then to a stoppage after he had no answer for Ford.

Co-Main Event
WBC World Flyweight Title
Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar (15-1, 12 KOs) vs. Cristofer Rosales (29-5, 20 KOs)
Twelve Rounds, Flyweights
Decision: Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar via TKO in round 9

Former Flyweight champion Cristofer Rosales went toe-to-toe with fast rising contender Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar for the vacant WBC Flyweight Championship in the co-main event of the evening. Round one was a blur of flying fists – much as is the case with flyweights – where Martinez seemed to carry a slight edge in pushing the action. Round two proved more of the same as Martinez continued to press Rosales although it was clear that Martinez was hurt by a stiff right to the face from Rosales that stifled one of the pugilists flurries.

Both fighters settled in during round four and it was apparent that they were landing with sniper-like precision as Martinez left the round with a cut under his right eye while Rosales had a stream of crimson flowing from his nose. In rounds five through seven we witnessed Martinez dig in and go to work on Rosales as he cut off the ring regularly and forced Rosales to become a counter-puncher.

In round nine, Martinez again cut off the ring and had Rosales pinned against the ropes where he proceeded to mercilessly measure him up with a bevy of straight rights and left hooks until the referee had seen enough and called a stop to the action in what was a very entertaining co-feature.

Main Event
Jacob Daniels (36-3, 30 KOs) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (51-4-1, 33 KOs) Twelve Rounds, Catchweight
Decision: Daniel Jacobs via TKO in round 5

In the main event of the evening, Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs made the move up to 168 pounds riding the heels of his unanimous decision loss to Canelo Alvarez back in May losing his IBF Middleweight Title in the process. Jacobs was opposed by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a veteran of 55 professional bouts despite being only 33 years old. Chavez Jr. enters this fight a winner of three out of his previous four contests – most recently in August when he knocked out Evert Bravo. It should be noted that prior to his August encounter, Chavez Jr. had not fought since May 2017 when he dropped a unanimous decision also to Canelo Alvarez.

There were several storylines associated with this fight (aside from the reason it was moved to Phoenix as I mentioned earlier) such as: How would Daniel Jacobs fair at 168 lbs? Would Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. rise to the challenge and earn what one could consider a signature win against a top tier competitor in more than seven years? Lastly, would Chavez Jr. coming in over the weight limit play a role in the outcome of the fight?

In round one, Chavez Jr. came out as the aggressor while Jacobs displayed patience in getting a feel for his opponent creating distance with the jab until he was able to land some well placed shots in the closing seconds. Round two saw Chavez Jr. continue to push the action while displaying effective head movement in avoiding some of Jacobs’ offense – clearly Chavez Jr.’s trainer Freddie Roach had a plan entering this encounter.  After a similar narrative in round three, round four elevated the intensity level to new heights as the fighters engaged in close quarter combat until the round ended with an exchange that brought the entire arena to it’s feet.

After another exciting round, round five concluded with Chavez Jr. bloodied in his corner. Before round six got under way, Chavez Jr.’s corner stated he was unable to continue ruling an end to the fight. After the ruling, the arena erupted as they showered the ring with boos and booze and cups of beer and other debris were propelled at the ring leaving no one – not even the media spared. Stay classy Phoenix…

Also of significant note, this marked the third fight I’ve attended that has ended in some sort of riot-like situation – the others being the riot at the LA Sports Arena following Amir Khan’s victory over Carlos Molina and Canelo Alvarez’ controversial stoppage over Alfredo Angulo in Las Vegas. That’s gotta be some sort of record, right?

Swing Bout
Gabriel Rosado (25-12-1, 14 KOs) vs. Humberto Gutierrez Ochoa (33-9-2, 22 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Super Middleweights
Decision: Rosado via UD (100-90, 100-90, 99-91)

This fight started roughly 45 minutes after the conclusion of the main event sadly in front of an empty arena – the spectators composed mainly of Matchroom Boxing crew, arena staff, and the few members of the media who remained.

King Gabriel Rosado came out with a chip on his shoulder in round one – deservedly so after waiting all day to fight when he should have had a spot on the main card – and let his fists fly. Rosado was added to the card as a contingency in the event Chavez Jr. didn’t make weight, which he didn’t, but the bout was saved after he paid a $1 million penalty. Since Rosado was not needed to step in against Jacobs (which arguably would have been a much more entertaining matchup), he squared off with Humberto Gutierrez Ochoa who proved to be a more than worthy adversary as he put in a gritty performance albeit without mounting much offense. Rosado on the other hand put on a 10-round clinic where he punished his opponent on his way to a unanimous decision victory.


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Sunday, December 15, 2019

WWE TLC 2019

By Steve Ward

WWE’s final pay per view of 2019, Tables, Ladders, & Chairs, emanated from the Target Center in Minneapolis this evening.  There were some glaring talent omissions and some questionable booking leading into this evening. The card was devoid of such top tier talent as AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, Rey Mysterio, and Brock Lesnar. Additionally, despite several of the champions being involved in matches, there were no singles titles defended. Nonetheless, let’s get to the recap!

Smackdown Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) (c) vs. The Revival
Winners: The New Day

This match was seemingly thrown together at the last minute as many speculated that The New Day would be defending their titles against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode until Roode was handed a 30-day suspension for his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. While it’s difficult to watch ladder matches after one has watched one of the classics involving The Hardys or Edge & Christian, these teams put forth an above average effort. Despite Big E being neutralized by The Revival after he was first suplexed through a horizontally suspended ladder between the turnbuckle and an upright ladder and then laid out across it to receive a punishing splash that crumbled the ladder beneath him, Kofi was able to scale the ladder in the end and retrieve the titles.

Buddy Murphy vs. Aleister Black
Winner: Aleister Black via pinfall

There was not much buildup to this bout other than Buddy Murphy accepted Black’s perpetual open challenge. Black withstood a devastating barrage of kicks, a brain buster, and a bloody nose - that Jerry Lawler labeled broken - to hit the Black Mass out of nowhere for the pinfall.

RAW Tag Team Championship Open Challenge
The Viking Raiders (c) vs. The OC (Gallows & Anderson)
Winners: No contest

The Viking Raiders issued an open challenge for their titles this evening that was predictably answered by The Only Club That Matters (OC). This match unfortunately ended up a total wash as the action spilled to the outside and ended in a double count out. The most entertaining portion of this bout was when the four fans seated at ringside behind a KFC sponsored table full of fried chicken and potatoes was taken away by the Viking Raiders and shattered as Karl Anderson was propelled through it.

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match
Roman Reigns vs. King Corbin
Winner: King Corbin via pinfall

“The Big Dog” sought retribution this evening after weeks of feuding with Team Corbin, including being handcuffed and showered in dog food two weeks ago on Smackdown. Just as it seemed the momentum of the match was swinging back to Roman Reigns as he Samoan Dropped Corbin through the announce table, Dolph Ziggler, Corbin’s personal security team, and The Revival came to his aid. The numbers game proved to be too much as Roman succumbed first to a Shatter Machine from The Revival and then The End of Days from King Corbin to solidify the pinfall victory.

The Miz vs. Bray Wyatt
Winner: Bray Wyatt via pinfall

This was an interesting match on the card. It was not a title bout and it was billed as Bray Wyatt, not The Fiend, facing The Miz. This match came to fruition when The Firefly Funhouse interrupted a recent installment of Miz TV and Bray initiated a series of mind games involving The Miz and his family. Sure enough Wyatt entered the ring with his Firefly Funhouse persona in full effect and thankfully we were spared from the god awful red lighting that has been present in every Fiend match to date. Wyatt made short work of the Miz as he quickly pinned him after executing the second Sister Abigail. After the bout, an image of The Fiend appeared on the big screen and Wyatt proceeded to procure a giant Harley Quinn-esque mallet from under the ring. Just as it appeared the lights were going to change to red, Daniel Bryan emerged to deliver several running knees. Bryan then proceeded to obtain the oversized mallet and as he was about to lay waste to Wyatt, the lights in the arena faded to black and when they again illuminated, Bryan stood alone.

Tables Match
Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley
Winner: Bobby Lashley

The latest installment of the ridiculous storyline involving Lashley’s affair with Rusev’s wife Lana continued this evening after a faux divorce paper signing Monday night on RAW. In the closing moments of the match, Rusev began to turn the momentum, however, that was abruptly stopped as Lana jumped onto his shoulders - flashing the audience in the process - allowing Lashley to regain control and suplex Rusev through a table propped up in the corner for the victory.

WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship - Tables, Ladders, & Chairs Match
The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) vs. Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch
Winners: The Kabuki Warriors

After several chairs, tables, and ladders were destroyed throughout the match, Asuka finally launched Flair off the top turnbuckle with a powerbomb through a table positioned on the arena floor. This created the opportunity for Asuka to scale the ladder in the center of the ring and retain the titles moments later.

After the match, an ongoing backstage brawl from earlier in the evening spilled out into the arena that culminated with Roman Reigns diving off into a crowd of Superstars including King Corbin closing the show with a pile of carnage on the arena floor.


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Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Julian Williams Press Conference

By Luis A. Cortes III

Check out audio from the Julian "J-Rock" Williams' (27-1-1, 16 KOs) press conference at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Williams discussed his January 18th match up against Jeison Rosario (19-1-1, 13 KOs), the Philadelphia boxing scene, and the current state of the super welterweight division, among many other topics.

You can listen to audio from the press conference on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Julian William Press Conference on SoundCloud

Julian Williams Press Conference on iTunes


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Sunday, November 24, 2019

WWE Survivor Series 2019


The WWE Universe jam packed a sold out Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois this evening for Survivor Series. This year’s theme, as it has been several times, was the battle for brand supremacy. For this year’s 33rd installment, however, WWE decided to shake things up a bit and incorporated (in my opinion) the superior brand - NXT. With this dynamic, more superstars had the ability to take center stage but at the cost of several champions being tied up in non-title bouts hence lowering the stakes. Nonetheless, the seven match card still featured three title matches where the marquee championship from each brand was defended.

Women’s Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team RAW (Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Natalya, Sarah Logan, & Kairi Sane) vs. Team NXT (Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae, & Toni Storm) vs. Team Smackdown (Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Carmella, & Dana Brooke)
Sole Survivior: Rhea Ripley (Team NXT) via pinfall

Survivor Series wasted no time diving right into a 5 on 5 on 5 triple threat elimination match. Surprisingly we witnessed NXT with an advantage late as Ripley, Storm, and Belair remained from NXT, Banks from Smackdown, and Natalyz from RAW (after dissention in their ranks saw Asuka spray the green mist in the face of Flair leading the Queen to get pinned by Lacey Evans). After Banks quickly turned on Natalya and rolled her up for a pinfall, she was left to go toe to toe with the towering Australian, Rhea Ripley. With Ripley seemingly moments from tapping out to the Bank Statement, Lerae and Shirai returned to ringside causing enough of a distraction for Ripley to land the Riptide allowing her to pin Banks for the victory.

Triple Threat Match
Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles vs. Roderick Strong
Winner: Roderick Strong via pinfall

This match pitted champion versus champion versus champion as Nakamura - WWE Intercontinental Champion, AJ Styles - WWE United States Champion, and Roderick Strong - NXT North American Champion did battle. This match ended in an arguably epic upset as AJ Styles took out Nakamura with the Phenomenal Forearm only to be unceremoniously dumped out of the ring by Strong who capitalized on the opportunity and pinned The Artist.

NXT Championship
Adam Cole (c) vs. Pete Dunne
Winner: Adam Cole via pinfall

Pete Dunne earned his shot at Adam Cole after he defeated Killian Dain and Damian Priest in a triple threat match last night at NXT Wargames. In the closing moments, Dunne was able to withstand the Panama Sunrise allowing him to attempt the Bitter End for a third time. This time Cole spectacularly reversed it driving Dunne’s skull into the canvas. The Undisputed Era leader quickly followed up with the Last Shot setting up the pinfall victory.

Universal Championship
“The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Daniel Bryan
Winner: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt via pinfall

After defeating Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, Wyatt attempted to defend his title for the first time against Daniel Bryan. While I’m personally a fan of both of these competitors, all this match did was give me eyestrain thanks to the exclusive red lighting for the duration of the match. Daniel Bryan did put up a good showing late in the bout as he delivered several missile dropkicks and Yes Kicks. Unfortunately for Bryan, these weren’t enough as Bray trapped him in the Mandible Claw leaving him subdued enough to earn the pinfall.

Men’s Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team RAW (Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, & Ricochet) vs. Team Smackdown (Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali, Shorty G, King Corbin, & Braun Strowman) vs. Team NXT (Tomasso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Walter, Damian Priest, & Matt Riddle)
Sole Survivor: Roman Reigns

Dissention among the ranks reigned supreme again in this contest as Corbin and Reigns were at each other’s throats for the majority of the bout. Reigns finally hit his tipping point as he speared Corbin allowing Ciampa to eliminate him. This left us with Rollins from Team RAW, Reigns from Team Smackdown, and Ciampa and Lee from NXT remaining. Ciampa was the first eliminated after receiving the Curb Stomp from Rollins. Lee then shocked Rollins with a Jackhammer to eliminate him. Lee appeared poised to pull off the unthinkable as he thwarted Reigns spear attempt with a power bomb. Lee then attempted to execute a second rope moonsault but Reigns rolled out of the way and countered with a spear for the win.

WWE Championship No Holds Barred Match
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Winner: Brock Lesnar via pinfall

This match had been a couple months in the works. First, Brock laid waste to Rey and his son leading Mysterio to bring in Cain Velasquez for backup. Next, Cain Velasquez challenged Lesnar at Crown Jewel for the title only to lose via submission. This evening we reached the culmination of these recent acts as Mysterio challenged Lesnar for the WWE Championship in a No Holds Barred Match.  As Brock brutally beat down Rey, his son Dominic came to ringside. The two of them proceeded to get the upper hand, albeit briefly, after a low blow from Mysterio, however, Brock withstood a pinfall attempt only to suplex Dominic across the ring and subsequently F5 Rey to retain his title.

Triple Threat Match
Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Bayley
Winner: Shayna Baszler via submission

The RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, the NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, and the Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley took center stage in the main event of the evening. After disposing of The Man at ringside, Baszler was able to finish of Bayley with the Kirifuda Clutch. Baszler then proceeded to celebrate at ringside on top of the announce table. Becky got a small measure of revenge as she took Baszler down and with her strewn across the table, Lynch stood on the ringside barrier and delivered a leg drop that put The Queen of Spades through the table.

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