Philly Prospects Headline Hard Hitting Promotions Show

By Frank Bartolini, Ringside

Philadelphia: This past Saturday Hard Hitting Promotions delivered a seven bout fight card filled with young Philadelphia prospects. 

Headlining the main event, Avery Sparrow, Philadelphia, dropped a very close eight round decision to William Foster III, New Haven, CT. The tides of momentum changed throughout this battle, due to Sparrow's ability to adapt. 

Foster's four inch height advantage made it hard for the usually counter punching Sparrow,129.1 lbs., to score. Utilizing his natural physical assets, Foster, 128.7 lbs., pumped his left jab while moving forward and snaking in right hands. After three rounds, Foster seemed to be in full control and was able to slip Sparrow’s attempts at counterpunching. Unable to close the gap, Avery did not get frustrated. Instead, Sparrow implored a new fight style by moving his head and being aggressive to get inside. Once Sparrow found himself inside Foster’s wheel house, he was more effective landing overhand rights to the head and blows to the body. Several times, Foster found himself in a corner or back to the ropes and could do nothing but grab his foe. 

Getting caught with punches moving inside, Sparrow did not relent and fought every second of the remainder of the contest, including very strong efforts in rounds six and seven when he snapped back Foster’s head with right hands. 

During the final three minutes, Foster committed to staying away from the shorter Sparrow and moved non-stop. Darting in scoring shots and running away, Foster won the last round and the fight on all three judges' scorecards 77-75. 

Foster remains undefeated 15-0, 9 KOs, while Sparrow drops to 10-4, 4 KOs. 

Sparrow had Foster figured out, but ran out of time. If a rematch was scheduled for ten rounds, this scribe would wager heavily on Sparrow. 

The semi windup matched two junior lightweights, Christain Tapia, Coamo, Puerto Rico, with completely outclassed late replacement Mario Sayal Lozano, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Possessing too much talent and skill, Tapia,131.5 lbs., nearly pitched a shutout. Lozano, 132 lbs., was a tough opponent who never quit trying. 

The final tally favored Tapia 78-73 across the board. Tapia rises to 15-0, 12 KOs. Lozano is now 18-8-1, 9 KOs.

Stepping into the ring for the first time since the start of the COVID pandemic, Jeremy Cuevas, Philadelphia, did not miss a beat. Showing zero effects of being laid off for two years, Cuevas knocked the tar out of Nicolas Pablo Demario, Buenos Aires, Argentina, over six rounds. Punctuating a solid performance, Cuevas, 144 lbs., dropped Demario,143 lbs., with a right to the chin in round five. All scorekeepers saw it 60-53 for Cuevas. Cuevas is now 14-1, 10 KOs. Demario's heads home with a record 16-7, 10 KOs. 

Interestingly, Demario entered the ring to the theme of the movie The Godfather. In all my years around the sport, I have never heard that melody used by a boxer. Veteran cutman and mob historian, Joey Eye, also stated it was also a first for him. 

The event was held at The Fillmore Theater. The Fillmore is a small venue that has a balcony and two bars serving booze ringside. Roughly just over six hundred spectators wet their beaks and enjoyed the night’s festivities.

Avery Sparrow: Underdog – No VADA Testing, Par for the Course

By Luis A. Cortes III

Avery Sparrow (10-1) (3 KO’s) goes into his fight this Saturday night against Ryan Garcia (18-0) (15 KO’s) (DAZN 7 P.M. ET) in a familiar position, as the underdog.  It’s a position that Sparrow has not only come to expect to be in, but one that he relishes.  One thing that most boxing observers fail to realize about Sparrow and his career is that Sparrow, while being dubbed the underdog or “B side” of his fights thus far, simply does not think of himself as the underdog.  In fact, every time he has taken to the ring as a professional, he has the confidence that his abilities and experience put him on par with any fighter in the world in the super-featherweight and lightweight divisions.  With his dominate victory over one-time prospect Jose Lopez in 2017 in front of a national audience on ESPN, and his recent victory over long time contender (and fellow Philadelphian) Hank Lundy in March, one would be hard pressed to argue that Sparrow shouldn’t feel that he is often over looked by boxing observers when they mention the top talent in his weight classes.

Sparrow takes it in stride while dedicating his life to his career, which he feels is in a perfect position to once again prove to the world that he is indeed an elite fighter.  A natural super-featherweight, Sparrow was unable to secure any meaningful fights in the division and instead opted to fight Lundy at lightweight.  “It’s a little frustrating when you can’t get any fights at your natural weight and you have to move up,” stated Sparrow.  “Being that I’m from Philadelphia, I didn’t get any breaks coming out of the amateurs, and I’m built Peltz tough, having to fight tough opposition its fulfilling that I know I had nothing handed to me and know that the hard work is paying off.”    

On Saturday night when Sparrow climbs into the ring to face Garcia, yet another lightweight, it’s clear that the fighter most of the boxing world will be tuning in to see will be Garcia.  Since turning professional in 2016, the twenty-one-year-old Garcia has built a massive following through his various social media platforms.  It also helps that Garcia is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, which has set their young talent on a course to become more than just a boxing sensation.  Garcia has matinee idol looks that leads one to believe that a cross over into mainstream popular culture is possible.  Sparrow views things a bit differently. 

“We all know the Golden Boy system; the first fourteen fights are tailor made for their fighter to win.  He was supposed to win those fights,” stated Sparrow.  “Coming from the Philadelphia system and the way we both had to deal with our amateur careers is a difference too.  When I was in the amateurs, we had to fight everyone in the city, then the regionals, then the Mid-Atlantic, and then you made it to the nationals.  Now you can just pay to get into the nationals and fight.  They say oh Garcia beat fighters from all over California, but I’ve been around the world.  I fought in the Junior Olympics and national tournaments.  So, this kid [Garcia] hasn’t even faced that type of opposition.  He was playing baseball when I was fighting in these big tournaments.  I had to qualify for those tournaments, I didn’t just get to walk on.  Also, in the professional fights, I’m always coming in against tough opposition and not easy fights.  I believe that separates me from Ryan Garcia.” 

Much has been made of the union between Garcia and Eddie “Chepo” Reynoso the lifelong trainer of boxing’s current big star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.  So far, it’s a union that has faired well for Garcia and has many in the sport believing that Garcia is constantly getting better, both as a professional athlete and as a fighter.  When the move from his father being the head trainer was made and Garcia was inserted into the world of Reynoso, many felt it was the type of move that would prepare Garcia for the moment when he would have to step up the level of his opposition.  That moment for him has arrived and it will take place against Sparrow on Saturday night.  “Look Canelo [Saul Alvarez] has like six brothers that are all fighters they train too.  His brother just got starched the other night.  Canelo is a diamond in the rough.  He trained with them his whole life since he was like ten years old.  Their system is embedded in him.  If you know anything about boxing, once you get hit and are in the trenches and get hurt.  Through muscle memory you go back to the fundamentals and everything you were taught, and those fundamentals were taught to him by his father.”

As for Sparrow, his training is done at TKO Fitness, a gym which over the past few years has gained a reputation for being the home of not only top contenders but also world champions.  Current IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer and former WBA champion Jason Sosa ply their trade inside of the walls of TKO Fitness.  Sparrow is currently trained by former top American amateur Rashiem Jefferson, whose professional career was cut short due to an unfortunate motorcycle accident.  Sparrow’s training has been spent working with plenty of the world class fighters that call that gym home.

“I feel so strong right now.  I was off for a year when I fought Hank Lundy.  Only had two and a half months of training for that fight, after that long layoff.  My timing and my power are all there.  Now that my body is always active and I’m sharp from being in the gym, I’m ready both mentally and physically,” stated Sparrow. 

An intriguing curve ball was thrown towards team Sparrow when the negotiations were taking place before the fight was officially announced.  According to Sparrow, he wanted pre-fight steroid testing to take place between the two fighters.  “It’s absurd that they didn’t want to do the testing.  I pushed for it for both of us to have to do.  It just doesn’t make since, because we are both ranked in the top fifteen in the world.  It’s the professional thing to do, especially since you’re coming from a camp that has tested positive in the past.  What Sparrow is referring to is the fact that Saul Alvarez tested positive for a banned substance prior to his rematch with Gennady Golovkin.  It caused a suspension for Alvarez and the eventual rematch date to be pushed back.

Sparrow is not accusing Team Garcia of doing anything wrong in their pre-fight preparation.  He simply feels as though this type of testing is something that should be done once you reach this level of your career.  “It has nothing to do with the cost of the testing.  Everyone is saying that it is so expensive to do, but we were willing to pay for it,” said Sparrow.  “We were willing to take a pay cut out of the purse in order to make sure that the testing was done.  We would have paid for both our side and his side to be tested.  They didn’t want to do it.”

With a victory over Ryan Garcia on Saturday, Avery Sparrow would once again prove to the world that he is not only a talented fighter.  By defeating the highly touted Garcia, Sparrow would prove that his skills and his career should be taken seriously as a contender.  While a victory doesn’t ensure him a title shot, it should however continue him down a path towards bigger pay days.  Unless of course yet another victory as the underdog would in turn have other top-rated contenders continue to shy away from facing him as they pad their records with lesser competition.  All that remains to be seen and these answers will start to come to light after the fight.

Whichever way it turns out on Saturday night, one thing is clear about Sparrow - He is more than comfortable and confident in what he brings to the ring on fight night.  Regardless of who he faces, his opposition better be ready to bring their hard hat and lunch pail to work on fight night.        

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Farmer Punishes Carroll over 12 Rounds in St. Patrick's Day Showdown

By Luis A. Cortes III, Ringside

The opening two rounds between Tevin Farmer (29-4-1)(6 KO's) and Jono Carroll (16-1)(3 KO's) were a bit slow as Farmer tried to get a feel for the type of fighter Carroll was.  In the third round, both fighters opened up as Farmer started to counter punch Carroll moving from side to side in order to avoid the punches from Carroll's high work rate.  These heated exchanges continued into the fourth round, but Farmer started to move away from Carroll until they started to exchange on the inside again.  

Farmer had a big fifth round landing clean counter punches that were powerful.  At one point, Farmer knocked the mouth piece out of Carroll's mouth.  The follow-up rounds saw Carroll bring a lot of activity to the fight, but he was constantly getting hit by the more accurate counter shots from Farmer.  Round eleven saw Carroll get beaten up by Farmer around the ring.  A huge right hook that Carroll didn't see rocked him, and he was a few more shots from being dropped.  

After twelve rounds of action all three judges scored the fight for the champion Farmer, 117-111 twice and 117-110.     

Taylor adds another belt to her impressive resume 

Unified featherweight champion Katie Taylor(13-0)(6 KO's) of Ireland and Rose Volante (14-1)(8 KO's) started fast as Taylor was able to land a short straight right that dropped Volante.  Following the knockdown, Taylor was able to control the early rounds with her skillful combination punching and footwork.  She caused a cut on the nose of Volante and punished her to the body with a left hook that stopped Volante's movement.  

Taylor came out in both rounds eight and nine throwing fast combinations in order to put a hurting on Volante.  She kept landing a beautiful left hook to the body that clearly was taking a lot out of Volante.  At the 1:40 mark of the ninth round, the referee stopped the fight.  With the victory, Taylor is now the unified WBA/WBO/IBF Featherweight Champion, and continues to move up the pound-for-pound ranks.    

Sulecki beats Rosado after he wars back in ten round battle

Things started out slow between Gabe Rosado (24-12-1)(14 KO's) and Maciej Sulecki (28-1)(11 KO's), until Sulecki caught Rosado bending down with a right to the ear that dropped him and wobbled the Philly native.  Rosado rose to his feet and finished the round, but as was the case in the second round,  Sulecki controlled the tempo and range of the fight with the harder punches.  In round three, Rosado was able to find a home with an overhand right that allowed him to control the round. 

Several of the next set of rounds started off with both fighters trying to use their jabs to establish control.  With the fight getting close in terms of the fighters exchanging winning rounds,  Rosado came out in the eighth round to try and get control of the fight.  As he threw a pair of power shots, Sulecki countered with a powerful left hook right hand combination that dropped Rosado.  Although he got up, Rosado was dazed and wobbled into a corner where he did his best to avoid power punches and make it out of the round.  

Round nine set the Liacouras Center on fire, as Rosado connected with a huge right hand that dropped Sulecki.  Rosado jumped all over his hurt opponent and mugged him with punches until he went down a second time.  They both warred in the tenth round, but it was Rosado landing upper cuts in close range that came away with the last round.  Sulecki was awarded the decision 95-91 twice and 95-93.  It was a great fight, that once again showed Rosado's warrior heart by making it an interesting ending.     

2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Luke Campbell (20-2) (16 KO's) stopped Adrian Yung (26-6-2) (20 KO's) in the fifth round, after overpowering him with a great body attack.  

Former amateur standout Raymond Ford (1-0) won his professional debut over Weusi Johnson (3-11) with all three scoring the contest 39-36.  Ford landed a big left hand that floored Johnson in the first.    

Daniyar Yeleussinov (6-0) (3 KO's), the Olympic champion, remained unbeaten by beating rugged veteran Silverio Ortiz (37-24)(18 KO's).

Sparrow wins majority decision over Lundy in grudge match 

In the Philadelphia grudge match between lightweights Hank Lundy (29-8-1)(14 KO's) and Avery Sparrow (10-1)(3 KO's), it didn't take long for the action to heat up.  Lundy had a good first round, landing a big left hook that stopped Sparrow in his tracks and shook up his back leg to win the round.  Sparrow answered with a huge second round, by landing powerful over hand rights.  Lundy's glove touched the canvas for the first knockdown.  The second knockdown came from a fierce right during an exchange that dropped Lundy flat on his back.  He rose to his feet and finished the round.  

Rounds three, four, and five saw the pace slow down a bit, as Lundy turned a war into a boxing match.  It was back to exchanging bombs at the end of the sixth round, with both fighters landing big right hands.  After six rounds, the fight was close in terms of rounds won by each fighter.  However, Sparrow had the huge second round.  

Rounds seven and eight was a return to a boxing match.  With the fight entering the final two rounds, the fight was closer than the second round would have suggested it would be.  After the ten rounds of good action, the decision would be up to the three judges.  One judge scored the fight 94-94, while the other two scored it 96-92, and 95-93 in favor of Avery Sparrow.  

D'Mitrius Ballard (20-0) (13 KO's) stopped Victor Fonesca (17-10-1)(14 KO's) in the fifth round of a super middleweight fight to start the show.

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When Irish Eyes Smile on Philadelphia

By Luis A. Cortes III

This Friday night from the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University marks the return of big-time boxing to the city of Brotherly Love.  Last April, Top Rank Promotions and ESPN put on a big show at Liacouras Center that featured plenty of hometown fighters in key matchups.  This year, while there have already been some compelling local shows that have all had great attendance, it’s time for Matchroom Boxing USA and DAZN to host a show in the city. The upstart streaming application that has taken the boxing world by storm, will broadcast their first show from Philadelphia on St. Patrick’s Day weekend.  Granted the St. Patrick’s Day Parade has come and went in the city, this Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, which means that the city will be a buzz with plenty of festivities for Philly to indulge in.  A Friday night at the fights is the perfect way to kick things off.

Since signing a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing USA, IBF Junior Lightweight Champion Tevin Farmer (28-4-1)(6 KO’s)(1 NC) has gotten what he has asked for, an active schedule.  Eddie Hearn has made good on his promise to Farmer that if he did sign with Matchroom, barring any injuries, he would constantly get him fights.  Which means that when he defends his championship in the main event on Friday night, it will be his fourth fight in seven months and his third title defense.  What makes this title defense interesting for Farmer is not only will he be fighting for the first time as champion in his hometown, he will be facing the tough and rugged challenge of undefeated Irishman Jono Carroll (16-0)(3 KO’s).  On a weekend like the one approaching, it’s the perfect sell for a main event.  Hometown champion versus the tough challenge of a native Irishman during the city’s celebration of the latter’s heritage.

This is a huge fight for Farmer, even though it may seem that Carroll may not have the same experience to really test Farmer.  Carroll is in fact a durable fighter that has had to fight his way from the bottom to reach this opportunity.  Both fighters have exchanged barbs over social media, calling each other everything in the book.  Farmer has stated his pleasure with fighting under the Matchroom banner and has also let it be known that after this fight he would love the chance to unify the division titles in a fight against the WBA champion Gervonta Davis.  This is the fight that most hardcore fight fans have been asking for a couple of years already from a stylistic standpoint would be fun to witness.  Although the future looks bright for Farmer with a victory on Friday night, nothing by any means is guaranteed in terms of a victory.  Carroll for his part is planning to spoil those future plans as well as reach a point in his career that he has admitted only he dreamed could happen.

In the co-main event, WBA and IBF unified featherweight queen Katie Taylor (12-0)(5 KO’s), looks to add the WBO title to her growing collection when she battles Brazilian Rose Volante (14-0)(8 KO's).  Taylor, an Olympic Champion from the 2012 London Games, is quickly working her way up the pound-for-pound rankings in women’s boxing.  She already retains celebrity status in her native Ireland, and having fought already in Boston and New York, adding Philadelphia to her resume will continue to add to her rising popularity.  If she were to get by Volante, she already has stated that she would love to battle Amanda Serrano, a fellow pound-for-pound ranked fighter in a super fight.  Taylor is open to fighting the best in the world and along with Carroll, her fellow countrymen, adds yet another Celtic flavor to the fight card.

On the undercard two matchups look to shine a spotlight on the world of Philadelphia boxing.  Middleweights Gabriel Rosado (24-11-1)(14 KO’s) of Philadelphia and Maciej Sulecki (27-1)(11 KO’s) will battle in a pivotal matchup for both men.  Earlier this week, Eddie Hearn went on the record and stated that the winner of this matchup would be in line for a world title shot against WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade.  That statement put an added incentive to the already motivated mind of Rosado, who will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd for the first time in several years.  During the pre-fight promotion, Rosado’s trainer Billy Briscoe stated that he was indeed impressed with the skills of Sulecki and in no way was Rosado going to take this fight with anything but a serious approach.  This is a solid fight that should please both the crowd in attendance and the fans watching at home.

Lightweight Hank Lundy (29-7-1)(14 KO’s) will take on his fellow Philadelphian Avery Sparrow (9-1)(3 KO’s).  Although both fighters are from Philadelphia, believe me when I tell you there is no love lost between these two fighters.  Both are no stranger to speaking their minds, which was the case during the kick-off press conference.  Lundy told TWI that he expects to capture his 30th victory of his veteran professional career and feels that a win on this type of show and platform in his hometown could launch his career towards at least one more run towards a world championship at lightweight.  With a career that has seen Lundy face some of the best fighters of the past generation at both lightweight and super lightweight, it is this experience that he believes will be the difference maker in the fight.  Sparrow is looking to use a victory of Lundy to jumpstart his career and put in on a path towards championship glory.  Sparrow is the younger fighter, that has shown glimpses of raw natural talent that has made him a fighter that not many lightweights want to risk their padded records against.  Both hometown fighters are coming to fight, and it should be interesting while it lasts.

A pair of former Olympians round out the undercard.  John Joe Nevin (10-0)(4 KO’s) is a thirty year old super featherweight from Ireland.  He captured the Silver medal at the 2012 Olympic games in London.  Over the past seven years, his career has not taken off the way some of the other Olympians from that year have.  But Neven, who has fought in Philadelphia before, would like to use this chance to start being more active.  Luke Campbell (19-2)(15 KO’s) is a lightweight fighter from England, that won the Gold medal for his home country during the 2012 games.  Like his fellow 2012 Olympian, Nevin, Campbell is trying to gear his career towards the next level that has so far eluded him in the professional ranks.  Also, Raymond Ford an amateur standout from across the river from Philadelphia, Camden, New Jersey will make his professional debut. 

Tickets for this great night at the fights in Philadelphia are still available. You can purchase them by visiting liacourascenter.com.  Of course, if you can’t make it out to the fights, which I suggest you do,  DAZN will begin their broadcast at 7pm.    

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Hank Lundy Interview

By Luis A. Cortes III

"Hammerin Hank" Lundy (29-7-1, 14 KOs) sat down with me to discuss his upcoming all Philadelphia lightweight bout with Avery Sparrow (9-1, 3 KOs) on March 15, 2019. The fight is part of a great night of boxing presented by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. The card is headlined by a super featherweight contest between Tevin Farmer (28-4-1, 6 KOs) and Jono Carroll (16-0-1, 3 KOs) for Farmer's IBF World Super Featherweight Title.

Check out our interview on iTunes and SoundCloud:

Hank Lundy Interview with Luis Cortes on iTunes

Hank Lundy Interview with Luis Cortes on SoundCloud

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Joe Hand Promotions Presents Xcite Fight Night - Friday, March 9th (Bensalem, PA)

On Friday night, Joe Hand Promotions showed fans in the greater Philadelphia area that professional boxing has a fantastic new home in the Philly suburbs. Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania played host to Joe Hand Xcite Fight Night, a boxing card that featured seven bouts. This highly entertaining night of boxing was headlined by a super featherweight bout between local prospect, Avery Sparrow (10-1, 4 KOs) and Jesus Serrano (17-6-2, 12 KOs). In the opening round, the fighters felt one another out. Sparrow went on the attack from his wide, orthodox stance in the second round. He knocked down his Mexican opponent in the second round with a multi-punch combo, that included big hooks. His opponent rose from the canvas, only to be knocked down again by a series of Sparrow clubbing right hands. Serrano recovered from the second knockdown only to be crushed with a barrage of punches that sent him crashing into the ropes. The fight was stopped at the 2:17 mark of the second round of a scheduled eight round bout.

2012 Olympic Silver Medalist, John Joe Nevin (10-0, 4 KOs) of Ireland fought Canada's Alex Torres Rynn (6-1, 3 KOs) in an eight round, lightweight bout. Nevin effectively worked Rynn's body in the first and second rounds. Rynn cringed in pain from the shots, which caused him to go into survival mode against the superior fighter. Rynn who had difficulty defending against Nevin's body shots, was hit in the head with a big left hand in the third round. A Nevin straight right to the face in the sixth round reminded Rynn that he was in a fight, and caused swelling around his eyes. Nevin went back to the body in the seventh round, when he landed powerful shots on his opponent. The eighth and final round seemed more like a track meet than boxing match as Rynn and Nevin took turns chasing one another around the ring. The ringside judges scored the bout 79-73 and 80-72 twice for the former Irish Olympian.

South Jersey's Anthony Prescott (8-8-2, 2 KOs) fought Philadelphia's Isaiah Wise (6-2, 3 KOs) in a super welterweight contest that can best be described as a shootout. Wise utilized his jab in the first round, and later connected on a series of hooks to the body over the course of this round. Prescott, frustrated by Wise's offense in the first round, threw rabbit punches in an attempt to slowdown his opponent's offensive momentum. Prescott dropped Wise with a right hand to the head in the second round. Wise quickly pulled himself up from the canvas only to be hit with a series of big rights to the head. The two men engaged in a brawl that included a number of big head shots to close out the second round. In the third round, a big right hand to Wise's head sent blood and spit flying into the crowd. Wise fought back in the third by pushing his opponent into the ropes with a series of big punches. To the crowd's delight, the two men brawled again as the round came to an end. Prescott landed a nice right hand to the head in the fourth round. Wise responded to this shot by pushing Prescott into the ropes with a big right hook. Wise ended the round by connecting on a huge multi-punch combo, that was highlighted by left and right hooks to the head. Prescott was stumbled in the fifth round with a right hook to the head. Prescott, hoping to clinch his eighth career victory, threw several big hooks in the sixth and final round of the bout. The judges scored the bout 57-56 in favor of Prescott, 57-56 in favor of Wise, and 59-54 in favor of the winner by split decision, Anthony Prescott.

Marcel Rivers (4-0, 3 KOs) fought Rafael De Jesus (0-2) in a four round, welterweight contest. Rivers' power was on display in the opening frame, as he hurt his opponent with a big left hand to the head. Following this round, De Jesus returned to his corner with swelling under his right eye. De Jesus was sent to the canvas in the second round when Rivers connected on a series of inside punches while the two men were wrapped up near the center of the ring. Later in the round, Rivers crushed his opponent with a vicious series of right and left hands that pinned De Jesus up against the ropes. De Jesus appeared to be out on his feet as the second round came to an end. It was no surprise to most of those in attendance that De Jesus refused to answer the bell for the third round.

In what can be described as the "highway robbery" bout of the evening, Gerardo Martinez (2-1, 1 KO), fighting out of the Phoenixville PAL, was defeated by split decision by New York's Vinnie Denierio (3-4, 1 KO) in a four round, lightweight bout. Martinez demonstrated solid offense in the the first round, by landing several good right upper cuts on the taller fighter, Denierio. Martinez came forward in the second round, and landed several straight rights to the head and upper cuts to the body. Most of these upper cuts went undefended by Denierio, who later showed an offensive burst in the second round when he connected with left hands to the head and body of Martinez. As the second round approached its end, blood streamed from the nose of Denierio. In the third round, Martinez hurt Denierio, who appeared exhausted in this round, with a straight right to the head. Denierio, who appeared to be down on the cards, fought desperately in the fourth and final round. His attack was slowed down by a Martinez right upper cut to the jaw. The ringside judges scored the bout 39-37 for Martinez and 39-37 twice for the winner by split decision, Vinnie Denierio.

The opening bout of the evening featured super lightweights, Nahir Albright (3-1, 1 KO) and Sidney Maccow (4-8, 3 KOs). In the first round of the four round bout that was refereed by Hall of Famer, Steve Smoger, Albright knocked down Maccow with a big left to the head. An Albright multi-punch combo to the head and body later in the opening round, sent Maccow to the canvas for the second time in the match. Maccow came out in the second round with renewed energy. He fought hard, and clearly won the round. The third round was extremely close as both men landed big punches over the course of the round. A cut appeared above Albright's right eye in the fourth round. Albright, who had a very strong start to the bout, appeared exhausted in the final round. The judges scored the bout 40-34 twice and 39-35 all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Nahir Albright.

The main event was followed by a six round bout between lightweights, Jerome Conquest (9-3, 1 KO) and Tyrone Luckey (9-8-3, 7 KOs). Luckey, a native of Neptune, New Jersey, knocked Philadelphia's Conquest down in the first round with a right hand to the head. Conquest recovered from the knockdown only to be sent crashing to the canvas by another Luckey right to the head. Despite recovering from the second knockdown, Conquest was hurt. Luckey, seeing blood in the water, went on a short attack that forced referee, Gary Rosato to stop the fight at 2:43 of the first round.

MW

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John DiSanto of the 11th Annual Briscoe Awards Interview Part I

John DiSanto of Philly Boxing History.com and the Briscoe Awards recently sat down with Matt Ward to discuss the 11th Annual Briscoe Awards. The Briscoe Awards is an annual award ceremony that honors the best of Philadelphia boxing from the previous year. "The Briscoe Awards are named in honor of legendary Philly middleweight Bennie Briscoe and the trophies given away – the Briscoe Statue and the Briscoe Medal – all bear the deceased icon’s likeness.  The event brings together the local boxing community, including the award winners, their families, past and present boxers, fight fans, other boxing people, and general sports fans."

Check out their first of two Bonus Round interviews on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - John DiSanto of the 11th Annual Briscoe Awards Part I on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - John DiSanto of the 11th Annual Briscoe Awards Part I on iTunes

This year's award ceremony will take place at the Veteran Boxers Association-Ring 1 Clubhouse at 2733 E. Clearfield St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tickets to this event are $20.

For more information on the Briscoe Awards, please visit the official website or contact John DiSanto at 609-377-6413 for tickets and more information on how to support this great event!

MW

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Avery Sparrow is A+ in Defeating Lopez by Decision

A national television opportunity to look impressive for the Cotto Promotions fighter Jose Lopez (19-2) (14 KOs) turned into a coming out party for Philadelphia based super featherweight Avery "A+" Sparrow (9-1) (3 KOs). Many thought coming into the fight, a fight Sparrow took as a late replacement, that Lopez was going to be able to use his long reach and punching power to keep the shorter Sparrow at bay.

What actually took place was Sparrow utilized his underrated experience and the fact that he is a well known "gym rat" to take control of the fight from the start. Sparrow, who trains out of the famed Joe Hand Boxing Gym, wasted no time in establishing a jab to both Lopez's body and head. He also used herky-jerky body movement to frustrate Lopez who continued to plot forward without being able to land more than one punch at a time.

Despite being warned early for low blows and for spinning Lopez, Sparrow stayed focused and started to land heavy over hand rights as the fight moved into the middle rounds. Lopez did have some moments, but again was plagued by landing only single shots, without the ability to take advantage due to Sparrow maintaining his momentum with right hands.

As the fight reached the late rounds, Sparrow kept his foot on the gas pedal and made sure that he punctuated the final rounds by landing clean head shots while moving in and out of range and behind jabs. A clearly frustrated Lopez continued to try to win, however as the final bell rang, it was Sparrow who landed one final shot.  

Scores for the fight were 96-94 twice and 97-93 in favor of Avery Sparrow. Sparrow closes out 2017 at 4-0, which included a great performance back in June, when he won a close brawl at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA. He has now won five fights in a row since losing his only fight as a professional by disqualification.

With this victory, 2018 should continue to be a coming out party for Avery Sparrow.

-Luis A. Cortes III

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King's Promotions Presents Premier Boxing Champions: Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin - Tuesday, June 27th (Bethlehem, PA)

The opening bout of the evening featured super flyweights, Dylan Price (3-0, 3 KOs) and Manuel Guerra (1-3-1). Price, the Philadelphia native, made quick work of his Mexican opponent with a right hand to the head in the first round of a scheduled four round contest. Price won his third straight fight by knockout at the 1:09 mark of the first round. 

37-year-old rookie, Rick Pyle (1-0) fought Devin McMaster (1-2) in a four round, junior middleweight bout. Pyle demonstrated solid defense throughout the contest, and McMaster’s punches appeared to the have no effect on his opponent. McMaster came out swinging in the fourth round, but was unable to secure the knockout. All three judges scored the contest 40-36 in favor of Pyle. 

The third bout of the evening featured a battle between two Allentown, Pennsylvania fighters, Jesus Perez (3-0, 1 KO) and Christian Molina (4-3, 3 KOs). Molina was the aggressor early in the first round, but was knocked down in the first round with a big right hand to the head. Perez landed several hard shots on Molina, who left himself open on several occasions after throwing several wild hooks. Molina survived the first round, and came out far more cautious in the second round. Molina fought valiantly throughout the final two rounds but was defeated by unanimous decision, losing on all three judges’ scorecards by a score of 49-37. 

Philadelphia fan-favorite, Avery Sparrow (7-1, 3 KOs) fought the previously undefeated Isaelin Florian (6-1, 3 KOs) of the Dominican Republic in a six round, featherweight contest. Sparrow, who is promoted by Hall of Fame promoter J. Russell Peltz, went for a big hook to the head when Florian tried to touch gloves after the opening bell. Sparrow missed, and the featherweight battle began. Florian was knocked down in the first round by a Sparrow multi-punch combination. Florian recovered to knock Sparrow down later in the round with a right hook, which caught the Philadelphian off-balance and sent him crashing into the ropes. In the second round, Sparrow connected on a right hook to Florian’s head that sent him to the canvas. The final knockdown of the contest came in the fourth round when Sparrow was knocked down by a left hook to the jaw. All three judges scored the bout 58-54 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Avery Sparrow. 

Local fighter, Ismael Serrano (4-2, 1 KO) stepped into the ring against veteran fighter, Jesus Lule (11-22-1, 2 KOs) in a four round, lightweight bout. Lule fought the bout of his career against the younger man. In the second round, he landed a vicious combo that pinned Serrano up against the ropes. The referee stopped the abuse at the 2:10 mark of the round. Lule stunned the Bethlehem crowd with the upset victory. 

The sixth bout featured Nicholas Hernandez (7-2, 1 KO) and Grayson Blake (6-5-1, 2 KOs) in a six round, junior middleweight bout. The two fighters fought a competitive bout filled with late-round fireworks. The fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds all ended with intense exchanges between the two fighters. Both fighters’ efforts were recognized by the judge’s scorecards. One judge scored the bout a draw, 57-57, while the other two judges scored the bout in favor of Hernandez (59-55 and 58-56). 

Anthony Mercado (10-3, 9 KOs) and Clarence Booth (15-3, 8 KOs) opened up the televised portion of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1. Mercado, an awkward Puerto Rican fighter, effectively used his right hand throughout the first three rounds of action. In the fourth round, Mercado was knocked down by a Booth right hand to the face. Mercado rose to his feet only to fall victim to an onslaught of punches, which left him defenseless against the ropes. The referee called an end to the action at the 1:30 mark of the fourth round. 

The main event featured a rematch between welterweights, Miguel Cruz (16-0, 11 KOs) of San Juan and Alex Martin (13-2, 5 KOs) of Chicago. Both men had previously met in Florida on January 13th of this year. Cruz walked away the winner of the previous match by a close, split decision. Cruz knocked down Martin with a short left to the jaw as the end of the first round neared. The third round was highlighted with a brutal exchange of punches between the fighters at the center of the ring. Martin was knocked down again in the fourth round by a right hook to the head. A low blow sent Cruz to the canvas in the fifth round. Cruz took his time to recover from the punch below the belt, but it appeared to take its toll on the fighter throughout the second half of the contest. The judges scored the ten round contest 96-92, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Miguel Cruz. 

Following the conclusion of PBC's broadcast of Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin (6/27/2017), Marcus Browne, who was providing commentary for PBC, spoke briefly with me about the evening's main event and his July 15th bout with Sean Monaghan at Nassau Coliseum in New York.

Bonus Round - Boxer Marcus Browne Discusses the 6/27 PBC main event and his Bout with Sean Monaghan on SoundCloud 

Bonus Round - Boxer Marcus Browne Discusses the 6/27 PBC main event and his Bout with Sean Monaghan on iTunes 

MW

King's Promotions Presents Premier Boxing Champions: Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin Official Weigh-In

On June 26th, I attended the official weigh-in for King's Promotions Presents Premier Boxing Champions: Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA. Prior to the weigh-in, I had the opportunity to interview Philadelphia fighter, Avery Sparrow (6-1-0, 3 KOs).

Sparrow will take on Isaelin Florian (6-0-0, 3 KOs) of the Dominican Republic, who is making his U.S. debut, in a six round, featherweight bout on June 27th.

You can listen to our interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Boxer Avery Sparrow Discusses his Upcoming Bout on June 27th on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Boxer Avery Sparrow Discusses his Upcoming Bout on June 27th on iTunes

Tickets for this great night of professional boxing be purchased via the following link: 

Sands Event Center 

MW

Philly Fight Night - Burgin vs. Sparrow - Friday, March 11th (Philadelphia, PA)

On Friday, March 11th, I had the opportunity to cover live boxing ringside from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The card was part of Peltz and BAM Boxing Promotions’ Philly Fight Night series, and featured ten professional boxing matches.

The opening bout of the evening featured Philadelphia flyweights, Basyzbek Baratov (2-1-1) and Tyrone Arzeno (0-1-0). In four rounds of action, two judges scored the bout 39-37 in favor of the Baratov, while one judge scored the bout 39-37 for Arzeno. Baratov’s split decision victory spoiled Arzeno’s professional debut.

The second bout of the evening featured West Philadelphia’s Cassius Chaney (9-0-0, 5 KOs) and Lansing’s Tom Washington, Jr. (6-10-1, 2 KOs) in a six round heavyweight contest. Cassius Chaney won the fight via majority decision. Two judges scored the contest 59-55 in favor of Chaney, while one judge scored the bout a draw (57-57).

The third fight of the evening featured two Philadelphia flyweight fighters, Ernesto Almodovar (1-0-0) and  Steven Lopez (0-1-0), making their professional debuts. Almodovar controlled the bout through four rounds of action, and walked away the winner via unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 39-36, 39-36, and 40-35.

Joseph Adorno (3-0-0, 3 KOs), a 17-year-old fan favorite from Allentown, defeated Mexico’s Marco Ocano (1-1-0, 1 KO) in a junior lightweight contest, scheduled for four rounds. The TKO victory came at the 45 second mark of the first round, after Adorno landed a brutal multi-punch combo that left Ocano dazed and defenseless.

Puerto Rican lightweight Victor Padilla (3-0-0, 3 KOs) faced Carlos Castillo (4-5-0, 3 KOs) of Tucson, Arizona in the fifth bout of the evening. Padilla dropped Castillo at the 48 second mark of the first round, and secured his third career win and knockout.

In the sixth contest of the evening, Isaiah Wise (4-1-0, 3 KOs) of South Philadelphia fought Jeffrey Wright (4-6-1, 4 KOs) of Milwaukee. Wise recovered from a second round knock down to defeat Wright via TKO, 32 seconds into the fourth round of a scheduled six round junior middleweight matchup. Referee Gary Rosato called an end to the action after Wise landed a vicious left-right combo to Wright’s body.

North Philadelphia’s Fred Jenkins Jr. (10-4-0, 3 KOs) faced Roque Zapata (3-1-3) of Culpeper, VA in a junior middleweight contest. Jenkins was knocked down in the first round by Zapata, who proved to be the more aggressive fighter through six rounds of boxing. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Zapata (59-54, 59-54, and 57-56).

The main event of the evening featured two tough North Philadelphia lightweights, Anthony Burgin (10-3-0, 2 KOs) and Avery Sparrow (6-1-0, 3 KOs). In the sixth round of the action packed eight round bout, Sparrow landed a right uppercut that sent Burgin to the canvas. Burgin recovered from the knockdown, and the two men battled through the remaining rounds. The judges scored the bout 76-75 (Burgin), 76-75 (Sparrow), and 77-74 (Sparrow). Sparrow, the winner by split decision, won his second straight bout.

Following the main event, there were two more four round contests. Super bantamweights Crystian Peguero (1-0-0, 1 KO) of Northeast Philadelphia and Alonzo Davis (0-1-0) of West Philadelphia faced off in a four round bout. In the third round, Peguero knocked out Davis with four body shots at the 2:12 mark.

The second and final contest of the evening, featured super middleweights Chris Thomas (5-0-0) of Beachwood, New Jersey vs. Mike Rodriguez (0-5-0) of Springfield, Massachusetts. Thomas defeated Rodriguez via unanimous decision after four rounds of boxing. 

MW