Iron Boy MMA 14 Recap

By Steve Ward, Cageside 

The storied Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ played host to Iron Boy MMA 14 this evening. Fight fans flooded the venue chomping at the bit to witness some of the best mixed martial artists Iron Boy had to offer, particularly those residing in Arizona who represented Fight Ready MMA and The MMA Lab. Iron Boy again delivered as the atmosphere remained electric for the duration of the evening throughout all nine bouts.

Amateur Fights

Living up to their reputation of developing young fighters and providing them the opportunity to compete in front of a large scale live audience, the evening began with six amateur bouts. Per amateur rules, each of the fights were scheduled for three, three minute rounds.

James Scott vs. Victor Gallegos

Three Rounds, 170 lbs

Decision: James Scott via submission (rear naked choke) in round 2

Notorious MMA’s James Scott displayed a proficient ground game as he put his wrestling background to good use. Scott controlled the tempo of the entire fight preventing Gallegos from gaining any separation. In round two we saw Scott trap Gallegos in a rear mount as he eventually cinched in a rear naked choke for the submission victory.

Mike McKeever vs. Isaiah Corzantes

Three Rounds, 125 lbs

Decision: Isaiah Corzantes via TKO (punches) in round 1

McKeever attempted to lock Corzantes up in a guillotine choke just short of the conclusion of round one, however, Corzantes was able to slip out hence leaving him in a prime position to end the fight with a vicious flurry of ground and pound strikes.

Buddy Rodriguez vs. Alex Suarez

Three Rounds, Welterweights-170 lbs

Decision: Alex Suarez via submission (rear naked choke) in round 1

Alex Suarez promptly utilized his striking ability to put Rodriguez on his back and proceeded to pin him down with an assault of hammer strikes. Rodriguez displayed a good defense but unfortunately as he turned his back to Suarez in an attempt to escape, the opportunity was created for Suarez to trap him in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

Osama Awadalla vs. Brock Hogan

Three Rounds, 155 lbs

Decision: Brock Hogan via KO in round 2

I’ll admit it, I didn’t think this fight would make it to round number two. Awadalla conjured an image in my mind of what I would envision the son of Jerry Seinfeld would look like if he were an accountant by day and cage fighter by night, whereas, Hogan arrived in what appeared to be peak physical condition. I will give credit where it’s due, however, as Awadalla displayed great resilience while he fought from the guard for the majority of round one and managed to survive. In round two, Hogan came out like a fighter who was disappointed he needed to fight more than one round. Hogan promptly took advantage of Awadalla’s overzealous striking and landed a sharp right hook that propelled him into the cage and subsequently to the canvas for the KO.

Alexandra Castillo vs Angelica Flores

Three Rounds, 125 lbs

Decision: Angelica Flores via TKO (punches) in round 1

Flores spent the majority of the first round picking her spots as she peppered Castillo with an array of strikes. Flores finally picked her spot and landed a shot that hit Castillo squarely on the jaw and dropped her to the canvas. Flores wasted no time pouncing on Castillo and proceeded to pummel her until the referee was forced to call a stop to the action.

Iron Boy 185lb Amateur MMA Title

Pete Rodriguez vs. Terry Lyles

Three Rounds, 185 lbs

Decision: Terry Lyles via submission (rear naked choke) in round 1

Lyles entered this bout with a very noticeable height and reach advantage as he was 6’3” compared to Rodriguez, who was 5’9.” Lyles kept Rodriguez at bay preventing him from closing the distance to mount any offensive. Lyles was able to avoid a lunging strike attempt by Rodriguez, then proceeded to wrap him up from behind and drop him on his head. Lyles wasted no time and quickly smothered him creating the opportunity to apply a rear naked choke for the submission victory.

Professional Bouts

Daviante Jones (1-3-0, 1 KO) vs. Darrell Denslow (0-2-0, 1 N/C)

Three Rounds, Heavyweights

Decision: Daviante Jones via KO in round 1

The opening contest of the professional portion of the card pitted Daviante “King Kong” Jones and 45-year old Darrell “Superman” Denslow (two men in search of their first professional victory) against each other. Blink and you might have missed this fight. Shortly after these behemoths collided, Jones overwhelmed Denslow with a barrage of strikes that had him back-peddling. Jones withstood a desperation elbow that Denslow threw with his back turned to him and landed a vicious right that dropped “Superman” to the canvas for a KO recorded in an abrupt 13 seconds!

Vince Arredondo (1-1-0, 1 KO) vs. Steve Coard (0-1-0)

Three Rounds, 155 lbs

Decision: Vince Arredondo via TKO (strikes) in round 1

Steve Coard entered the octagon with the hometown crowd behind him and was in excellent condition. Whether it was a ploy to mess with the psyche of Arredondo or a simple lack of experience, Coard seemed to be trying to play to the crowd as he attempted a Superman punch and roundhouse kick, each to no avail, while Arredondo maintained his composure. As Arrendondo avoided falling victim to his opponent’s antics, he found his opportunity to hurt Coard with a stiff right that dropped him to the ground. The two proceeded to struggle for advantage but Arredondo would not be denied. Arredondo landed several brutal strikes, including a knee to the jaw, leading the referee to call a stop to the action.

Iron Boy MMA 145lb Championship

Evan DeLong (17-10-0, 1 KO, 12 Submissions) vs. Roman Salazar (13-8-1, 5 KOs, 3 Submissions)

Three Rounds, 145 lbs

Decision: Roman Salazar via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The main event of the evening found Indiana’s Evan DeLong go toe-to-toe with Arizona native Roman Salazar for the Iron Boy MMA 145lb Title. The majority of round one found DeLong fighting from the guard position as Salazar attempted to create separation in order to land some strikes. The control over DeLong most likely won this round for him in the judge’s eyes. As soon as round two began, the two combatants engaged in an action packed exchange of blows until Salazar was able to take DeLong down. DeLong was able to avert certain disaster as Salazar had him in prime position to lock in a rear naked choke but a tactful escape kept the fight alive. The latter half of the round saw DeLong vie for his own submission victory bid as he also attempted to cinch in a rear naked choke. Unfortunately for DeLong, he was unable to finish off Salazar before the end of the round. 

The third and final round, despite much of it being spent jockeying for position, still presented an air of tension and excitement as the two fighters countered each other with well executed sprawls, until the final seconds where the two traded blows in the center of the cage up to the final horn. In my opinion, rounds two and three could have gone either way and a draw would not have shocked me. Nonetheless, both men put on a hell of a main event and the judges awarded a very narrow unanimous decision to the hometown fighter, Roman Salazar, crowning a new 145lb Iron Boy MMA Champion.

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Alternately Evasive and Invasive, Philly’s Yunusov Beats Colon of PR

By Steve Peacock, Ringside

The skillful ability of Philadelphia-based boxer Anvar Yunusov to duck punches while consistently hurling and landing shots on his opponent proved pivotal in his victory over Carlos Colon (5-2, 3 KOs) of Lares, Puerto Rico. Emerging victorious by way of unanimous decision, Yunusov (7-0, 3 KOs) succeeded in preserving his perfect record Friday night in the King’s Promotions/Titans Boxing Promotions main event at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly.

Following this intense 8-round battle, Yunusov was proclaimed as the new U.S. Boxing Federation (USBF) Silver Jr.-Lightweight champion, which was presented by World Boxing Foundation VP-North America James Gibbs, Jr.

Though the bout started out with an equally violent exchange between both boxers, Colon intermittently peppered his opponent with a barrage of punches that visibly—albeit briefly—stunned Yunusov, who responded with an impressive blend of adroit evasion coupled with impressive punching power.

A right jab from Colon drew blood from the right eye of Yunusov, followed by a Colon onslaught that then dropped him to his knees in the third round. And although both boxers viably would remain in contention for the win the remainder of the bout, Yunusov subsequently came into view as the dominant contender for the title belt.

Both boxers appeared undaunted by each other’s reciprocal battering, even after Yunusov in the fifth yet again dropped Colon to a knee.

The two tired fighters wildly missed and sometimes blocked about a dozen and a half punches in a rapid-fire exchange that took place in the final minute of the seventh.

Colon kept coming back, right until the end of the eighth and final round. Indeed, even when struck repeatedly with significant enough force to force Colon to involuntarily take a step or two backwards, he did not make it easy for Yunusov to secure the win.

Yunusov ultimately held a visible advantage over his resilient opponent, with two judges scoring the bout in his favor 78-71 and the third giving him a 79-71 advantage

Co-Main Event

Erik Spring (12-2-2, 1 KO) of Reading, Pa. and Terrance Williams (5-3-1, 1 KO) of York, Pa. went the distance in this 8-round super-welterweight competition. Although Spring attempted—and eventually succeeded—in wearing down Williams with a series of body shots, Williams consistently leveraged Spring’s position by reciprocating with multiple shots to his face.

Initially, Spring’s strategy did not seem worth it; although each blow to Williams’ torso was punishingly effective, Williams reciprocated with equally forceful shots to the Spring’s face.

By the fifth, Williams less frequently capitalized on Spring’s crouched and vulnerable position. Perhaps that is why—despite an overall impressive showing by Williams until the final bell—the majority of judges decided the bout in favor of Spring, 77-75, 77-77 and 76-75.

Super-Middleweights

Brandon Robinson (12-2, 9 KOs) of Upper Darby, Pa. planted Lawrence Blakely (5-13-2, 2 KOs) on his rear end just 2:49 into the first of six scheduled rounds. Indeed, Blakely—visibly wincing—got to his hands and knees and stayed in that position for about thirty seconds. His corner men had to bring a stool to him midway along the ropes, where they assisted him off the canvas. Robinson won by way of TKO.

Heavyweights (2)

Despite an impressive exchange in the first between Colby Madison (8-0-2, 4 KOs) and Emilio Salas (5-3-1, 3 KOs) of Yonkers, N.Y., Madison flattened Salas in the opening moments of the second. Salas got to his feet soon after, but not without appearing briefly delirious, as if examining cartoon birds chirping and flying circles around his head. Madison therefore won by way of TKO. 

Middleweights (2)

In one of the most intense battles of the evening— the second of two pro boxing debuts on the card—LaQuan Evans (1-0) of Philly emerged victorious over Jordan Demko (0-1) of Reading, Pa. Early in the bout, an aggressive Demko went on the attack, resulting in a 10-count for Evans from referee Dave Franciosi. Seemingly unfazed, Evans immediately came back with multiple head-snapping shots that, moments earlier, would have seemed unlikely to arise at that moment.

This vacillating domination continued in subsequent rounds. Demko in the third threw a left with such force that Evans bounced into, then forward from, a neutral corner. Then in the fourth, Evans had bloodied Demko’s left eye. Evans won via split decision, with two judges scoring 39-37 and 39-38 in his favor and one scoring the bout 39-37 in favor of Demko.

Jr. Welterweights

In this match-up of two fighters from Puerto Rico, Anthony Mercado (13-4, 10 KOs) dominated Andres Navarro (11-8-1, 7 KOs) from the start. By the third, Mercado struck Navarro with such might that the skin on Navarro’s face visibly wobbled. Mercado won by way TKO when Navarro’s corner stopped the bout.

Middleweights (1)

In the first pro boxing debut of the night, "Retro" Ryan Umberger (1-0) of Philly in a planned 4-round contest beat Brett Oren (0-1) of Harrisburg, Pa. Although Umberger immediately came out strong, Oren in the second managed to bloody his opponent’s nose. After three tumultuous rounds, referee Dave Franciosi called in the ringside physician, who then recommended the bout be stopped. Umberger won by way of TKO.

Heavyweights (1)

In round two of a planned 6-round fight, Michael Coffie (6-0, 5 KOs) of Brooklyn threw such a forceful left hook that he nearly send Eduardo Vitela (3-4, 2 KOs) tumbling backwards through the ropes. About a minute after this KO, Vitela barely made it upwards to his stool, even with assistance from his corner men. 

Welterweights

Mark Dawson (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Philly in the first had quickly set the tone of this 6-round bout, landing a right body shot that caught the attention of Jordan Morales (3-7, 2 KOs) of Sunbury, Pa. Morales intermittently was able to throw and land a flurry of punches, but in the second Dawson landed another right that dropped Morales to a knee. But it was Dawson’s killer left over the next four rounds that successfully diminished any possibility of a Morales win. Dawson won by way of unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 60-53 and the other 59-54.

Super Featherweights

In the first fight of the evening, Weusi Johnson (3-10-1) of Wilmington, Del. and Javier Oquendo (3-1-1, 1 KO) of Philly opened the event with a competitive battle that—in the opinion of this writer—was rightfully ruled a draw, despite subsequent boos from the audience. One judge scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Johnson, another 40-36 in favor of Oquendo, and one tie vote of 38-38.

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Anvar Yunusov: Ready to Translate Success into the Paid Ranks

By Luis A. Cortes III

Tomorrow night, Kings Promotions returns to the SugarHouse Casino with a stacked card that will feature a former three-time Olympian in the main event.  Throughout the past several years, it has been noted that Kings Promotions, which is ran by boxing lifer Marshall Kauffman, has continued to put on entertaining shows for local crowds throughout Pennsylvania.  With his base of operations being in the Northeast part of the state, Kauffman has also established his promotional company along with other companies as a reliable source of competitive fights.  From the looks of the latest offering, on paper, tomorrow night's action looks to be no different. 

Highlighting the card will be the aforementioned three-time Olympian Anvar Yunusov (6-0)(3 KOs).  When speaking to Kauffman about the upside of Yunusov, the southpaw boxer-puncher from Tajikistan, he understands time is not really on the side of his fighter.  Yunusov, is already 32 years old, but like other former amateur standout stars from Eastern Europe, the hope is that all his international experience along with a lifetime in the sport will translate into a professional glory.  “He has the skills and the ability to be a World Champion, and after sparring with Tevin (Farmer), he got to see that he can compete with the best,” states Kauffman. “I hope to see him fight for a world title within the next year.” 

What Kauffman is speaking about is the fact that recently the current IBF Super Featherweight champion Tevin Farmer was preparing for his world title defense against Anthony Carroll also a southpaw from Ireland.  Yunusov was a key member of the camp as he got Famer prepared for the challenge of Carroll.  Yunusov did such a great job, that during the post-fight press conference, Farmer pointed at him and mentioned to all the members of the media that he played an important part in Famer's success that night.

Yunusov has relocated to the Philadelphia area, creating a new home base in the Northeast section of the city, which has a large Russian and Eastern European population.  He spends his time with his Russian manager, who likes to go by the name Russian Bill.  Yunusov knows limited English, so it’s Bill that tells the stories of how Yunusov loves to train and enjoys his mornings chopping wood and running through the woods.  If you listen to Bill enough, you get the sense that his fighter is ready to challenge anyone in the world, and that it’s a matter of time before he does just that.

Currently, Yunusov works with the same team that he always has, except for the addition of Rashiem Jefferson as an assistant trainer.  Jefferson works closely with many young amateur fighters and was himself  a hot prospect after a celebrated amateur career.  Jefferson is a great addition to the team as he has gained plenty of training experience working closely with Raul “Chino” Rivas out of TKO Fitness in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  Along with getting accustomed to the professional world of prize fighting, Yunusov is working hard on getting his children to join him in America.  While that personal situation gets sorted out, Yunusov will continue to develop as a professional fighter, with fights like tomorrow against Carlos Colon of Puerto Rico.  Once his personal life can truly be in order, with continued success, Kauffman’s idea of a world title fight may not be that far off for the super featherweight. 

As for the rest of the card, Brandon Robinson (11-2)(8 KOs) returns for the first time since losing late last year.  It was a tremendous fight, that has since gone on to win fight of the year honors for the Briscoe Awards (which is a local award ceremony for the Philadelphia fight scene).  Robinson is always in an entertaining fight, which can also be said about jr. welterweight Anthony Mercado of Puerto Rico.  Both fighters will fight in an eight round contest.  Mercado, like Robinson, had a great fight against Victor Vazquez of Yonkers New York, winning a close decision.  Undefeated Philadelphian Mark Dawson (5-0-1)(3 KOs) also will be in action in a welterweight fight. 

Tickets are still available and can be purchased at SugarHouse Casino website.

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Iron Boy MMA 14 Preview

By Steve Ward

This Saturday, March 30th, the storied Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ will be transformed into a visceral battleground as Iron Boy Promotions returns with Iron Boy MMA 14! The stacked card will feature a plethora of Arizona fighters including young talent from Fight Ready MMA, The MMA Lab, and Pro Edge Boxing, as well as, experienced veterans who have graced the octagon of the UFC.

The main event will pit Queen Creek, Arizona’s Roman “El Gallito” Salazar (12-8-0, 5 KOs, 3 Submissions) who represents Fight Ready MMA against Evan DeLong (16-9-0, 1 KO, 12 Submissions) for the Iron Boy MMA Featherweight Title. Salazar, best known for competing on UFC Fight Nights 54 and 73 and UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano, looks to right the ship after a rough 2018. After a round two stoppage (punches) over Federico Betancourt at Iron Boy MMA 10 last March, El Gallito dropped his last two bouts – a unanimous decision loss to Casey Kenney in June and a round one stoppage (punches) when he fought Eduardo Alvarado Osuna in September. Salazar’s opponent, Evan DeLong, will make the trek all the way from Fort Wayne, Indiana as he represents Fit NHB. DeLong enters this bout a winner of his last three contests (all for the King of the Cage promotion) albeit following an extensive layoff from the octagon. DeLong’s last appearance came in December 2016 at KOTC – Hazard Pay where he found himself on the right side of a unanimous decision over Morgan Sickinger. This should prove to be a compelling fight as both veterans look to regain focus and build momentum in their respective careers with a title at stake.

In the co-main event, a pair of Arizonians will square off as Daniel Peru (1-0-0, 1 KO) will compete with JohnPaul Robinson (pro debut) in a clash of lightweights. Peru will be entering the octagon for the first time since October 2016 when he defeated Kasey Yates with a first round TKO (punches), in his only professional bout to date, at Iron Boy MMA 3. Peru’s opponent, 22-year old JohnPaul Robinson, will make his professional debut after compiling an amateur record of 3-2-0, 3 KOs. The narrative of this fight will tell an interesting tale as we will witness the 30-year old Peru, who’s seemingly getting a late start in the fight game, go toe-to-toe with the young prospect who will learn quickly whether his knockout proficiency will carry over to the professional ranks.

Iron Boy Promotions should be poised to present another stellar card this weekend as they never fail to satisfy rabid fight fans with their astute propensity to not only draw veteran fighters but also introduce the absolute finest young talent that Arizona has to offer. Don’t miss your opportunity to catch what should be an exciting evening of fights as tickets are still available on the Celebrity Theatre website starting at only $25!

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Let the Renaissance Continue

By Luis A. Cortes III

After last week’s super fight in Dallas and the start of college basketball’s annual March Madness tournament, boxing didn’t exactly take a complete back seat in the world of sports.  Sure, opening day for baseball is set for later this week along with the continuation of college basketball’s tournament, but, unlike in other years when boxing would tend to take a hiatus during the weeks in the holiday season, all four major sports have key dates in October, the dog days of summer, and the spring.  Boxing this year continues to heat up on the calendar with several major shows still yet to take place.  This weekend shows, promoted by major outfits, found a way to fit into the already hectic sports schedule.  This is yet another indication that the sport is dealing with a renaissance with the various platforms that have invested in boxing.

Top Rank Promotions and ESPN used this weekend to showcase a returning former world champion and a top heavyweight contender in a fight that was more than just a stay busy assignment.  Former WBO Jr. Featherweight Champion Jesse Magdaleno (26-1)( 18 KOs) returned to the ring for the first time in close to a year with a ten round decision win over former world champion Rico Ramos (30-6)(14 KOs).  Last April, Magdaleno lost his jr. featherweight championship to Isaac Dogboe in a fight that was as brutal in terms of the physical punishment that both fighters absorbed.  While Magdaleno came up short, after an extended time away from the ring to regenerate his body and mind, Magdaleno returned this time making his debut in the featherweight division. 

It was a good performance by Magdaleno as he showed that although he was off for a full year, he didn’t seem to have any major lingering obvious effects from his war with Dogboe.  He was able to move fluidly as well as pull the trigger with both his jab and combination punching.  Ramos on the other hand had trouble letting his hands go and it looked as if he was overthinking the fight, while Magdaleno was fighting instinctively.  This is a good sign for Magdaleno, since many undefeated champions after a brutal loss can show signs of losing a step physically and mentally (confidence) in his abilities.  Although this fight with Ramos was a true cross roads fight for both men, it is indeed a good sign for Magdaleno that he seems to have put last April in the rearview mirror as his career begins its new journey.   

Moving forward there are some real good options for him for some big fights at featherweight.  One of those options was mentioned during the broadcast, a fight with his stable mate and current WBO champion Oscar Valdez.  Yes, it’s true they are friendly with each other, but business and championships shouldn’t get in the way of this fight being made.  When it is made, sign any boxing fan up to watch a fight that easily could be a fight of the year candidate.  From the looks of Magdaleno the featherweight, the only thing that was noticed was the fact that while he showed real good power four pounds lighter at jr. featherweight, fighting as a full featherweight may be the heaviest division for him to compete in in terms of his natural power.  Which again, will make a fight with Valdez even more interesting.

Heavyweights were the main event of the night, with Kubrat Pulev (27-1) (14 KOs) winning by TKO in the seventh round over the game Bogdan Dinu (18-2)(14 KOs).  Coming into the fight, Pulev was rated as the number one contender in the rankings by the IBF.  This means he could have easily waited for a chance to have the sanctioning body force a fight with their current champion Anthony Joshua, or have him fight for the vacated title if Joshua would chose not to fight him.  With Top Ranks recent signing of the lineal champion Tyson Fury, Pulev and Top Rank understood that it would be wise to showcase Pulev in a solid matchup to increase his name recognition to make a fight with Fury in the future more appealing.  This gamble was worth it both in terms of future business and entertainment for fans watching on ESPN.  Pulev survived some powerful right hands from Dinu that caused a serious cut over his left eye, that put the outcome in jeopardy for Pulev.  A sense of urgency took over and Pulev answered any questions about his grit and determination as he battled back to stop Dinu.  In the process, he gained the recognition needed to justify a shot against any of the top three champions in the division, as well as interjecting his name into the minds of the casual boxing fan that follows the heavyweight division.  It was a successful night for the fighters and thus a solid show for Top Rank Promotions during a weekend being dominated by what was taking place around the country on the hardwood.  

FS1 Card – Sunday

While Top Rank squeezed in their card on Saturday night, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) broadcasted their show on Sunday evening from Maryland featuring a welterweight fight between Lamont Peterson (35-5)( 17 KOs) and Sergey Lipinets (15-1)(11 KOs).  Going into the fight, with the welterweight division being the hottest in the sport outside of the heavyweights, Peterson and Lipinets were trying to stake their claims that their names should also be mentioned with the current champions and big-name contenders for future fights.  Peterson, for his part, had already fought most of the big names in the division and was trying to make one last run at championship glory.  Lipinets, was setting out to prove that after his lone loss at jr. welterweight against Mikey Garcia, was behind him and that he is ready to face key opposition as a welterweight. 

Normally my thoughts would include things that took place throughout the entire card, which included some entertaining fights.  However, in this case, the main event went above any expectations and turned out to be a solid fight.  With both fighters aware of their current career positions, they wasted no time trying to establish that it was going to be their evening.  Everything that Peterson did throughout the fight consisted of veteran moves, which at times had Lipinets confused.  Peterson dedicated his attack to the body with whipping right hands and left hooks.  At times, some of the shots wandered a bit south of the boarder to stop Lipinets from coming forward.

These veteran tactics were met and countered with energy from Lipinets, the fresher of the two fighters.  As the fight progressed, Lipinets was down on the scorecards, but continued to plow ahead and never wavered from his approach of applying pressure and throwing power punches.  After a ten-round war, Lipinets kept scrapping away with his punches, which caused Peterson to abandon his veteran moves and accept he invedibable.  After taking several last stands against his younger foe, Peterson was clearly hurt at the end of the ninth round and hung on to hear the bell. 

The inevitable came to fruition in the tenth round when Peterson was dropped to the canvas for the first knockdown of the fight.  Bloodied and clearly beaten down, his trainer and father figure Barry Hunter decided that his champion had enough and threw in the towel.  It was clearly a decision that might not have been easy for other trainers to make on the behalf of Peterson’s well-being, considering that he was ahead in the fight.  However, for Hunter it was clearly an easy choice to make.  Once the announcement of the result was made, Hunter took the microphone and along with Peterson stated that his fantastic career had come to its end.

Thank you to Lamont Peterson for his entertaining career and dedication to the sport of boxing.  He always handled himself in a professional manner and gave fans and the media access to his incredible story that saw him rise from the streets of Washington D.C., as a homeless youth with his brother Anthony, to becoming a national champion and standout amateur before becoming a two-division world champion.  His five losses came only against other world champions, and aside from his losses to Errol Spence and Lucas Matthysse (during Matthysse’s solid run), Peterson was competitive in all his fights and gave everyone he fought fits.  His career best win came against Amir Khan in a great fight in 2011 and unfortunately there was never a rematch.      

As for Lipinets, his name will now be thrown around as a possible opponent for any of the welterweights affiliated with PBC.  He most likely will get his shot at one of the main names when the business of some of the bigger fights may get in the way from being made.  Fights against Thurman, Porter, and even a fighter like Ugas would be interesting while they last, however, those outcomes may be a little easier to determine considering the fact that a younger Peterson would have most likely had his hand raised in victory last night.    

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“Where the Hell Are You Going?” Witherspoon Gets TKO after Silgado Exits Ring

By Steve Peacock, Ringside

Perhaps Panamanian boxer Santander Silgado misconstrued Mark Fratto’s words when the Rising Star Promotions ring announcer proclaimed “It’s go time!” late Saturday night. But just two rounds later in the scheduled 10-round heavyweight fight against Chazz “The Gentlemen” Witherspoon of Paulsboro, N.J., Silgado (28-7; 22 KOs) indeed decided to “go”—quite literally. Silgado exited the ring, enabling the referee to subsequently raise the hand of Witherspoon (38-37; 28 KOs), who won by way of TKO.

As Silgado began to traverse the decorative rug toward the Showboat-Atlantic City arena exit, multiple audience members, clearly angry and disappointed, peppered him with shouts of “Where the hell are you going?”

It remains unclear why he apparently abandoned basic boxing-sportsmanship protocol by failing to remain in the ring while the announcer formally revealed the winner.

It remains perplexing why Silgado—who intermittently unleashed jolting lefts to Witherspoon’s body and did not appear to struggle greatly with his otherwise undaunted opponent—would, so it seemed, spontaneously terminate his Main Event fight.  

One knowledgeable but anonymous observer of the fight expressed to The Weigh-In, however, that the answer was not as complex as it seemed. “It’s simple,” he said. “He quit. Plain and simple, Silgado quit.”

N.J. Welterweight State Welterweight Championship

Several attendees—this writer included—opined that the co-main event between Anthony “Juice” Young of Atlantic City and Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez, Jr., of Union City, N.J., unequivocally demonstrated combat qualities worthy of Fight of the Night designation, even if informally.

After the opening Round-One bell of this recently formed N.J. Welterweight State Championship title, Young (20-2; 6 KOs) wasted no time in asserting dominance. He landed a pair of powerful shots to the face of Rodriguez, who alternated between reciprocating and merely attempting to reciprocate, however aggressively, however unsuccessfully.

One notable but wild shot from Rodriguez missed yet no doubt would have stung Young if he had effectuated that desired fist-to-face connection.

“Juice,” however, dramatically if not with a hint of comedy feigned relief by slowly pretending to wipe his brow with his glove.  

Young soon after floored Rodriguez, albeit momentarily, and the first ended with both boxers solidly remaining in contention. In the next round, a resurgent Rodriguez reminded Juice it was not too late to get squeezed, connecting multiple punches to the face and body of Young, who appeared unfazed.

Over the next few rounds, a cadre of Rodriguez supporters in the audience repeatedly screamed “Watch out for his right! Watch out for his right!” It was a wise warning, particularly in the fifth when Young unleashed a battering barrage of blows that simultaneously demonstrated his vast endurance while exposing its limits.

This level of intensity, impossible to sustain indefinitely, was unmatched out of all ten Boardwalk Boxing bouts. Understandably, it also slowed Young’s punching pace.  Clearly exhausted and potentially vulnerable,  Juice nonetheless hit Rodriguez not only powerfully enough to deliver him to the canvass, but to send him tumbling end-over-end.

“The Beast” got to his feet and made a last-ditch effort to survive, but “Juice” immediately overwhelmed the wobbly and befuddled Rodriguez, who then stumbled into the ropes. The ref stopped the fight at the 1:12 mark of the sixth, and Anthony “Juice” Young was then crowned N.J. Welterweight State Welterweight champion.

Heavyweight Bout

Quian Davis (6-0; 2 KOs) of Vineland, N.J. from the start of this 4-round bout exhibited signs he might dominate  Larry Knight (3-17; 1 KO) of Birmingham, Alabama. Knight was no pushover, but he simply could not connect enough punches to be considered a viable threat. Unsurprisingly, Davis emerged victorious by way of unanimous decision.

Middleweight Special Attraction

Although Chris “Sandman” Thomas of Toms River, NJ, emerged victorious after six rounds by way of unanimous decision over Joe Hughes of Indianapolis, significant grumbling simultaneously emerged from the audience. Thomas (12-0; 7 KOs), who failed to make weight and literally had a sizeable advantage over Hughes (6-2; 4 KOs), was the target of derision from some audience members, several who lamented—in their opinion—the purported inadequacy of Sandman’s punching technique. Thomas, taller than his opponent, repeatedly leaned over and onto him clearly to further wear him down. The ref deducted a point for doing so, but Thomas maintained a narrow but wide enough margin point to secure the win.

Super Middleweight Bout

Gabriel Pham (10-1; 4 KOs) of Pleasantville, NJ, by way of TKO defeated Ronald Montes (18-12; 16 KOs) of Barranquilla, Colombia. Though appearing to be equals in the first, the start of the second prominently featured Pham slamming a sequence of rights into Montes, who returned the favor with some solid shots of his own.  After a brief delay following the third, Montes swiftly departed as the announcer stepped into the ring to declare Pham the winner.

Light Heavyweight Bout

Although scheduled for eight rounds, officials after four full rounds suddenly stopped the fight between Frederic Julan (11-0; 8 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Milton Nunez (35-22) of Miami. Considering there was minimal action worthy of mention, it remains unclear why the fight was halted.

Middleweight Bout

Jersey City’s Robert Terry remains undefeated (3-0) after beating Roanoke, Virginia’s Albert Delgado (0-7-4) by way of unanimous decision after four rounds. Each of the three judges scored the contest 40-36.

Welterweight Bout

Yurik Mamadev (11-1; 3 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y. early in the bout exhibited an edge over  Jordan Rosario (3-7) of Jersey City, whom he peppered with a trio of left hooks but little else significant enough to warrant specific mention.  Rosario in the sixth briefly let loose an unexpected combo of shots that feasibly could have altered the outcome of the match; in the final seconds of the fight, however, Mamadev unleashed a brief battering of his opponent that seemed to say, “See, I told you I was on top.” All three judges score the fight 60-54 and Mamadev emerged victorious by way of unanimous decision.

Super Featherweight Bout

This “Garden State Battle,” as announcer Mark Fratto put it, pitted Andrew Bentley (5-3) of Jersey City against Vidal Rivera (9-1; 5 KOs) of Camden. Bentley early in the bout conveyed authority over the ring. Rivera in the second landed multiple shots which, at best, briefly stunned Bentley, who soon after turned around and dropped Rivera to a knee prior to Round Two’s conclusion. Despite this temporary setback, a resilient Rivera briefly pounded his opponent. Nonetheless, the fight was stopped at 2:14 of the fifth due to Bentley’s accidental head butt of Rivera. As the planned six-round bout had met and surpassed the NJSACB four-round minimum, all three of the judges’ scorecards—50-45, 49-46 and 48-47—unanimously were in favor of Bentley.

Lightweight Bout

Alejandro Salinas (10-1) of Youngstown, Ohio threw the first slaps of leather of the evening in his defeat of Pablo Cupul (10-29) of San Diego. After a Salinas punch sent Cupul stumbling backwards during the fifth of, the ref stopped by the fight, thereby giving Salinas the TKO victory.

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UFC Fight Night 148 Results: Pettis Shocks Wonderboy

By Justin Dohnson, The People's Red Head

Do you hear me knocking? Well, let me in! Finally! The People’s Red Head has come back to The Weigh-In!

UFC Fight Night 148 took place at the Bridgestone Arena Saturday, March 23, 2019, in Nashville Tennessee. It was an interesting card with most bouts going the distance. The main event was Anthony Pettis versus Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The co-main event was Curtis Blaydes versus Justin Willis.

Anthony Pettis defeats Stephen Thompson via second-round knock out

Let us dive right into it people. Pettis knocks out Wonderboy Thompson in round two, with a superman punch. What a win for Pettis who was struggling the last couple years with a 3-6 record. Pettis said he feels good at 170lbs, and this showed in the fight. While he looks forward to what is next for him, hoping that it is the winner of Edson Barboza vs. Justin Gaethje, or a rematch with Rafael dos Anjos, we will have more to come, as information becomes available.

Wonderboy does not have much to look forward to. The fall for Wonderboy has been as fast as his rise to the upper echelon of the sport. We are talking about a fighter who took former champion Tyron Woodley the distance twice. Wonderboy falls to 1-3-1 in his last five fights. Fans may forget he lost a controversial decision to Darren Till.

It is likely that Wonderboy will have to fight his way back into contention. We will keep you posted as more information on his next fight becomes available. It is worthy of note that this is Wonderboy’s first knock out loss of his career.

Curtis Blaydes defeats Justin Willis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)

Blaydes redeems his loss to Francis Ngannou by dominating Justin Willis from start to finish. Willis talked a lot of trash leading up to the fight and it backfired. Blaydes will now move back up in the heavyweight division.

OTHER NOTIBLE RESULTS

John Makdessi defeats Jesus Pinedo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Jussier Formiga defeats Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Luis Pena defeats Steven Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Maycee Barber defeats JJ Aldrich by way of second-round knock out

Special Thanks To:

Ward Bros. for Backyard Wrestling

CBS Sports for MMA and March Madness Coverage

Spittin Chiclets Podcast (Not a Big Deal)

Omaha Steaks (Just love that meat in my mouth)

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