Kings Promotions Returns to Philadelphia with a Doubleheader

By Frank Bartolini

On Saturday, June 5th, a day/night doubleheader took place in South Philadelphia, as Major League Baseball’s Phillies were competing at Citizens Bank Park down the road. This doubleheader took place at the 2300 Arena, and the participants wore boxing gloves not baseball mitts. 

Kings Promotions delivered a six fight appetizer during the midafternoon before a seven bout evening entre. The two fight cards were the first since prior to the COVID pandemic that allowed full capacity, and liberated the vaccinated from wearing masks. 

In the main event, super middleweights Brandon Robinson of Upper Darby, PA faced off against Genc Pllana of Hagerstown, MD in a scheduled eight round contest. A good match up on paper that did not disappoint, Pllana scored an upset eighth round knockout victory. 

Strong and awkward, Pllana always provides a difficult challenge for his opponents. Robinson, 166.9 lbs., was able to successfully navigate past Pllana’s, 168 lbs., uncourtly style winning two of the first three stanzas by being more active. Pllana was cut around the eye by an accidental head butt in the second. Getting inside Pllana’s long arms, Robinson was scoring straight stiff jabs followed by right hands during the first three sessions. Fighting out of a conventional stance, Pllana was scoring to the body with an unorthodox right hook/uppercut just under Robinson's left elbow. These body blows by Pllana were accurate and accompanied by loud thuds. Midway through the fourth, one such blow backed up Robinson as Pllana unloaded a right to his jaw. Badly wobbled, Robinson was saved when a Pllana uppercut went south of the border. After taking time to recover, Robinson went on the attack when the action resumed and buckled Pllana’s knees with left hooks to the chin. Robinson returned to his corner on wobbly legs at the bell. 

Looking to be on his way to victory, Robinson stuck to his game plan until Pllana landed a right hook/uppercut to the body near the end of round seven. Backed against the ropes, Robinson could not fend off Pllana’s barrage of punches. A right to the jaw dropped Robinson, who was able to rise to his feet to be saved by the bell. Beginning with the sound of the gong to start the last round, Pllana landed a barrage of head and body shots until a solid right to the jaw made Robinson crumble in his corner. Referee Shawn Clark jumped in and called it off 33 seconds into the session. 

Robinson stayed down for a few minutes as the ring doctors checked him out. Robinson is now 15-3, 10 KOs, with all three losses coming by way of knockout. During the post-fight interview, Pllana yelled out “Berlanga!” in an attempt to call out the young super middleweight prospect Edgar Berlanga. Pllana’s record now stands at 9-3-1, 5 KOs.  

All seats were filled in the evening portion of the day's activities, with several dozen more spectators standing around the perimeter of the arena. In the semi, wind up popular welterweight ticket seller Elijah Morales, 146.5 lbs., Trenton, NJ, improved his record to 8-0, 4 KOs by winning a shutout unanimous four round decision over Andres Abarca of Normandy, WA. Never relenting his attack, Abarca flew across the country in hopes of taking home a “W.” Abarca, 145 lbs., is now 2-5. 

In the afternoon most of the seats were filled to watch Devar Ferhadi of Frederick, MD outpoint Blake Mansfield of Cary, NC in an eight round super middleweight matchup. Mansfield, 167.75 lbs., put forth a spirited effort. Ferhadi, 167.75 lbs., won a unanimous decision by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 twice. Ferhadi continues his career with a record of 9-0, 7 KOs. Mansfield drops to 7-4-1, 4 KOs.

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Robinson, Mathie continue winning ways in Philly

By Matt Ward

Kings Promotions returned to Philly's premier fight venue, the 2300 Arena, on Friday night. The card featured eight professional bouts across various weight classes, and genders. The main event of the evening featured a super middleweight contest between Brandon Robinson (14-2, 9 KOs) and Martez McGregor (8-3, 6 KOs). 

In the opening frame, Robinson moved in and connected with a hard right hand to McGregor's face, a shot that snapped his head back. In the third round, McGregor effectively applied pressure to Robinson. McGregor controlled much of the tempo of the fourth round. He knocked Robinson into the neutral corner with a big left hand as the round approached its end. 

This was a sloppy fight through the first five rounds. The crowd rose to their feet in the sixth round, as Robinson connected with a series of straight right and left hands to McGregor's head and body. As the sixth round approached its end, the two fighters had a good exchange near the blue corner. Throughout the eighth and final round, the two fighters swung wildly and wrapped one another up to avoid any unnecessary damage. All three judges scored the bout for the winner by unanimous decision Brandon Robinson. The judges scorecards read 77-75 twice and 78-74.

Avril Mathie Remains Undefeated 

Australian bombshell, Avril Mathie (4-0-1, 2 KOs), remained undefeated with a unanimous decision victory over Karen Dulin (3-22-1, 1 KO). The  swimsuit model turned bantamweight boxer, Mathie, established her jab in the opening frame and outpointed the veteran Dulin. In the third round, Mathie control the tempo of the fight by landing a series of hooks to the head and body of Dulin. After four rounds of action, all three judges scored the bout 40-36 for the winner by unanimous decision, Avril Mathie.

Accidental Headbutt Halts Bunch vs. Floyd

In what was a highly entertaining fight before it was stopped in the third of six scheduled rounds, Trenton's Shinard Bunch (3-1, 3 KOs) fought Philadelphia's Vinny Floyd (4-8-1, 2 KOs) in a welterweight contest. A Bunch right to the body and left to the chin knocked Floyd down in the first round. Bunch had Floyd on shaky legs after the knockdown, but failed to put pressure on his taller opponent to secure the knockout. In the second round, Floyd was knocked back into the ropes with a multi-punch combo that was highlighted by a right hand to the head as time expired. The referee ruled this a knockdown. 

In the third round, the fight was stopped due to a cut on Floyd's scalp, that was opened up due to an accidental headbutt. Because the fight did not reach the fourth round, it was ruled a no-contest. The two men will  fight again on December 6th when King's Promotions returns to the 2300 arena.

Allen Returns to his Winning Ways in Front of Hometown Crowd

Damon Allen (16-1-1, 5 KOs) bounced back from his first career loss last August with a victory over Dieumerci Nzau (11-10, 8 KOs). Allen answered the opening bell by controlling the tempo of the fight and landing shots at will. He rattled Nzau with a big left hand to the head in the first round. Nzau swung wildly and ineffectively at his opponent in the second, clearly frustrated by Allen's poise and fight plan.

Allen punished Nzau with repeated left hands to the head in the third round. In the fourth round, the sound of two of Allen's left hands connecting with Nzau's head echoed through the arena. 

A left hand to the head shook Nzau in the sixth round. Both fighters looked exhausted later in the sixth and final round. The last-minute was filled with instances of both men hanging all over one another. To the delight of the pro-Allen crowd, all three judges scored the bout 60-54 in favor of the local fan-favorite.

Nelson Bounces Back from Three Straight Defeats

The former Pennsylvania Lightweight champion, Naim Nelson (14-4, 1 KO), halted his three fight losing streak with a unanimous decision victory over Harrisburg's Roy McGill (6-4, 3 KOs). The junior welterweight contest was evenly matched through the first two rounds. Miguel put his foot on the gas in the opening seconds of the third round, and then the action seemed to settle down. The two men spent the last three rounds chasing each other around the ring to the displeasure of the crowd. The judges scored the bout 58-56, 59-55, and 60-54, all in favor of Nelson.

Umberger Kayos DeShields

Chestnut Hill's Ryan Umberger (3-0, 3 KOs) increased his knockout streak to three with a victory over Camden's Leon DeShields (0-7). An Umberger right hook to the body sent DeShields to the canvas in the opening seconds of the first round in this junior middleweight bout. DeShields recovered from the knockdown only to be finished off later in the round at 2:49, when Umberger nailed him with a overhand right to the head. 

Rivera Wins by Second Round TKO

Cruiserweights Angel Rivera (5-1, 4 KOs) and Nicoy Clarke (2-5) squared off in a fight that was scheduled for four rounds. The opening round was filled with lots of action. Clarke tried to trap Rivera in the first round, but Rivera kept punching his way out of these traps. Rivera finished off Clark in the second round with an uppercut followed by left and right hooks to the head and body. Clark crashed to the canvas and referee Erik Dali waved off the fight at the 1:41 mark of the second round.

Martin, Down in One, Recovers for Win

James Martin (5-1) defeated Juan Rodriguez (8-16-1, 6 KOs) by unanimous decision in the opening bout of the evening. A Rodriguez body shot in the opening round caused Martin to take a knee. Later in the first round, Martin appeared to hurt Rodriguez on two occasions, but failed to press the attack and secure a knockdown. A right hand from Martin in the second sent Rodriguez tumbling back into the corner. Rodriguez wrapped Martin up to kill the multi-punch onslaught.

Rodriguez showed his ring experience in the third round by smothering multiple attacks by Martin. There was a big exchange of shots in the center of the ring to start the fourth round. Unfortunately, this early action in the round would be negated by excessive holding throughout the last two minutes of the final round. The judges scored the bout 38-37 and 39-37 twice for Martin.

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“Hot Sauce” Henderson Harnesses His Dozenth Victory

By Steve Peacock, Ringside

Pro boxer Kalvin “Hot Sauce” Henderson returned to the City of Brotherly Love on Friday night to attain win #12, preserving an undefeated record by repeatedly knocking down and ultimately taking down Antowyan Aikens.  

Referee Benji Estevez stopped the bout at 2:14 of the third round after the Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Henderson (12-0; 8 KOs) sent Aikens (13-7-1; 1 KO) of Mays Landing, NJ to the canvas for the fifth time.

This successful contest was Henderson’s 2^nd consecutive match via King’s Promotions/Titans Boxing Promotions and likewise was his 2^nd consecutive victory at the 2300 Arena in South Philly.

At the start of this super-middleweight competition Henderson appeared to hold, at best, a slight advantage over Aikens. But by round two, “Hot Sauce” clearly established himself as the dominant pugilist.

A left jab by Henderson during the second round had hurtled Aikens to the mat—the very place to which Hot Sauce then returned him moments later.

Indeed, Aikens actually took a trio of trips to the canvas that round, including another one immediately prior to the bell bringing the 2^nd to its inevitable conclusion.

Henderson in the 3^rd once again downed Aikens with a left jab then dropped him to the canvas yet again before referee Benji Estevez stopped the bout, thereby giving the TKO victory to Hot Sauce.

Back in December, Henderson at this same arena had handed to Brandon Robinson only the second defeat of “B-Rob’s” career. Though Robinson in that bout fared slightly better—duration-wise, anyway—than Aikens on Friday, he nonetheless had received an eye-bloodying, mat-visiting loss at the hands of Henderson in late 2018.

Robinson likewise returned to South Philly this weekend to face a different opponent—and with different results as the following segment of this report will show.

SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Brandon “B-Rob” Robinson (13-2; 8 KOs ) of Upper Darby, Pa. in the evening’s co-main event emerged victorious over DeVaun Lee (10-6-1; 5 KOs) of Jamaica, Queens.

B-Rob soon after the bout had begun threw a right jab that stunned Lee, but by the end of the round Lee reciprocated, stemming his opponent’s brief momentum and momentarily causing Robinson to wobble.

Over the next two rounds B-Rob held the advantage, with Lee remaining in contention to say the least. Indeed, by the fourth a resilient Lee looked like he was gaining and not losing ground, though the fifth revealed—however briefly—that Lee could be in trouble.

A relatively even exchange took place between the two boxers in the last three. Robinson appeared to minimally maintain the edge in the sixth, but barely.

Notably, Robinson and Lee took turns connecting a hard right just before the 10-second warning at each of the final rounds, with B-Rob landing a furious fist at the end of the seventh and Lee similarly reciprocating prior to the timekeeper’s “clack” nearing bout’s end.

The judges scored 77-74 for Robinson, 76-75 for Lee, and 77-75 in favor of Robinson, who won by split decision.

SUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS

Raeese Aleem (14-0; 8 KOs) of Las Vegas quickly set Ramiro Robles (15-9-2) of Queretaro, Mexico on his ass. Upon standing, Aleem slammed Robles with a left uppercut and right jab. Moments later, after a brief respite thanks to an inquiring referee, Aleem leveraged that same combo and dropped Robles to his knees. The bout was over at 1:51, and Aleem won by way of 1^st round TKO.

LIGHTWEIGHTS

This match can be summed up in two sentences: Alycia Baumgardner (7-1; 5 KOs) of Fremont, Ohio quickly pummeled Gabriella Mezei (9-18-5) of Romania with multiple left-right combos, jabs and uppercuts. As a result, the bout barely made it past the one-minute mark (1:08) before being stopped, and Baumgardner by way of TKO was subsequently crowned USBF Women’s Silver Champion.

WELTERWIGHTS

Philly favorite Paul “The Punisher” Kroll (3-0; 3 KOs ) unleashed a combo of head and body shots against  Vincent Floyd (4-7-1; 2 KOs) in the first—that alternating barrage of rights and lefts quickly indicated the end was near for Floyd. Sure enough, the referee stopped the bout at 2:27, and Kroll was deemed victor by way of TKO.

MIDDLEWIEGHTS

The first of four consecutive 1^st round victories at this event, Ryan Umberger of Philly (2-0;  1 KO) just seconds into the match knocked to the mat a befuddled Daryl Fenton (1-5-1), who fights out of Washington, D.C.  “The Cockney Reject,” as the London-born Fenton is nicknamed, continued to sustain a battery of unrelenting Umberger shots until the ref jumped into to the stop this beating at 1:34. Umberger is now on a three-win, three KO streak.

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Antonio Dubose (11-2-1; 2 KOs) of Philly and Weusi Johnson (3-12-1) of Wilmington, Delaware went the full length of the scheduled six rounder. Dubose landed several left jabs that elicited responses from the audience throughout the first two rounds. At the very end of the third, Johnson was striking Dubose with significant force, and appeared further reinvigorated in the fourth.  Dubose at one point slammed an overhand right into the face of his opponent, but there was not much more to speak about either contender. Dubose emerged victorious by way of majority decision, with the judges scoring the bout 57-57, 58-56 and 59-55.

JR. MIDDLEWEIGHTS

First up was LaQuan Evans (1-1) out of Philly, facing Hector Mercado (3-10) of Puerto Rico. Evans started out literally on the wrong foot, nearly sliding a leg out of the ring, and Mercado wisely seized upon that error. Undaunted, Evans came back and mightily landed multiple shots that reminded his opponent that one slip does not make for a less formidable foe.  By the third, Mercado seemed fatigued, and could not get a break until Evans slipped to the canvas, albeit momentarily. Despite Mercado’s seemingly uncertain position, he landed enough shots to achieve a point advantage over Evans. The judges scored it 38-38, 39-37, and 40-36 for the majority decision in favor of Mercado. 

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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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“Hot Sauce” Henderson Halts Robinson; Remains Undefeated

By Steve Peacock, Ringside

Pro boxer Brandon “B-Rob” Robinson confidently prowled the ring the first four of ten possible rounds in the main event of King’s Promotions’ boxing spectacular on Friday. But soon after, he would find himself on all fours, staring at the canvas of the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.

Indeed, Robinson, the local favorite from Darby, PA, initially maintained a slight edge over his opponent, Ft. Worth, Texas-born Kalvin “Hot Sauce” Henderson. By 2:08 of round seven, however, the referee stopped the bout after Robinson—his swollen left eye almost completely closed and dripping blood—had been dropped to the mat for a third time, courtesy of Henderson, the new Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) Inter Continental Super Middleweight Title champion.

Although Henderson ultimately overwhelmed Robinson, at first glance it looked like B-Rob was most likely to emerge as the dominant pugilist. Toward the end of the first round, for instance, Robinson initiated a rapid-fire offensive halted only by the ring of the bell, followed next round by a couple of powerful shots to Henderson’s face.

Though Robinson remained strong throughout the third round, it was then that Henderson first offered a clue that the balance of power was about to change: as the round neared its end, “Hot Sauce” landed a glove powerful enough to send B-Rob one unsteady step backwards while eliciting an audible response from the 2300 Arena audience.

Blood began visibly dripping from the corner of Robinson’s left eye in the fifth round, which is when Henderson took control. Indeed, segments of the South Philly crowd gasped when a solid Henderson punch dropped B-Rob to a single knee. As Robinson walked to his corner, additionally it became obvious that his left eye was now battered shut.

The climax came as Henderson (11-0) dropped Robinson (11-2) to his hands and knees, albeit briefly, and soon delivered him helplessly again to all fours. It was this back-to-back flooring that caused the referee to stop the bout at 2:08 of round seven by way of TKO.

Bout 5/Co-Main Event: Heavyweights

Big boys Paul Koon of Philly and Cade Rodriguez of Monroe, GA immediately came out swinging and attempting to damage to each other. Koon after the first round held a slight edge over his opponent, largely because Rodriguez failed to land multiple, hard shots that—fortunately for Koon—missed their intended target.

While Koon briefly had Rodriguez against the ropes in the next round, his efforts were soon repelled. Similarly, though Rodriguez appeared to give Koon a scare in the third, those offensive measures were largely ineffective. In the fourth and final round, the two behemoths clearly were fatigued, and the pace of the battle nearly slowed the competition to a halt.

The judges unanimously scored in favor of Koon (4-0), who remains undefeated. Rodriguez is now 2-3.

Bout 4: Super Bantamweights

It wasn’t until round two that Romuel Cruz of Philly and Hugo Rodriguez of Mexico stepped up the action; while both peppered each other with a variety of punches, Rodriguez wildly missed several of his attempted shots. Cruz maintained the upper hand throughout the remainder of the four-round bout, which he won by way of unanimous decision.

Bout 3: Super Welterweights

Andy Gonzales (6-3-1) of Worcester, MA started out strong against—indeed, briefly appeared to dominate—North Philly boxer Isaiah Wise (7-2-1). The resilient Wise, however, was undeterred, turning the bout into an all-out brawl and subsequently landing a solid right hook that caused Gonzales to suddenly stare into space, defenseless, arms down.

Wisely taking advantage of the situation, Wise once again struck Gonzales and sent him backwards into the corner, where Gonzales’s bottom landed on the mat. Had it not been for the corner ring pads and adjacent ropes, surely he would have been on his back.

Briefly saved by the bell, a one-minute reprieve enabled Gonzales to muster enough strength to fight back at the start of the second round. A barrage of uppercuts and hooks from Wise, however, quickly rendered useless any effort by the battered Gonzales.

The referee stopped the potential six-round contest 40 seconds into round two, and Wise won by way of TKO.

Bout 2: Lightweights

James Bernadin (3-0-1) of Philly and Sheldon Deverteuil (2-0-1) of Lancaster, PA from the beginning of the bout appeared evenly matched, each exchanging punches consistently albeit with Bernadin doing so with greater frequency. Deverteuil wasted no time in round two, landing a hard cross that seemed to temporarily startle Bernadin, who responded with a series of consecutively missed shots.

Bernadin briefly had his opponent against the ropes, but failed to capitalize on those brief moments of domination in the 3rd. Despite giving his best, it was insufficient to cause Deverteuil to capitulate. In the fourth and final round, Bernadin appeared to take control of the ring, twice stinging Deverteuil in the early moments.

After four rounds, the judges deemed the bout to be a draw.

Bout 1: Light Heavyweights

Prospects for victory quickly withered for Ronnie Lawrence, who faced Travis "Holy" Toledo in the opening bout. Toledo about a minute into the match clearly was the dominant pugilist. An alternate barrage of Toledo-thrown body punches and jabs soon made Lawrence wobble his way to the mat. By way of KO at 2:30, Toledo extended his victory streak to 4-0, while Lawrence dropped to 0-3.

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Kings Promotions Presents Robinson vs. Henderson Preview

By Matt Ward

The 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia will be filled and loud this Friday night when Marshall Kauffman's Kings Promotions returns to Philly's most famous fight arena. 

The eight bout card is headlined between a super middleweight battle between Upper Darby, Pennsylvania's Brandon Robinson (11-1, 8 KOs) and Kalvin Henderson (10-0, 6 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas. The two men will compete for the Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) Inter Continental Super Middleweight Title. Henderson, an undefeated fighter who has had an active 2018, won his last two bouts by knockout. Robinson, a Philly fan favorite, won three fights in 2018. His most recent victory was on September 14th, when he knocked out Ernest Amuzu. This will be the first time both fighters will will box in a ten round contest. 

Super welterweights, Isaiah Wise (6-2-1, 3 KOs) and Andy Gonzales (6-3, 5 KOs) will face off in a six round contest. Both fighters are looking for their seventh professional victory this Friday. Wise, a product of Philadelphia, is coming off of a loss and a draw in two hard fought bouts against his rival Anthony Prescott. Worcester's Gonzales is looking to end a two fight losing streak that extends back to June 2017. 

Michael Polite Coffie (5-0, 4 KOs), a heavyweight from the Bronx, New York, is looking for his fifth professional knockout and sixth straight victory. The orthodox fighter, who has fought all of his professional contests in Pennsylvania, is 32-years-old. His opponent, Juan Goode (8-8, 6 KOs), has lost his last four bouts, two of which were by knockout. The 34-year-old steps into the 2300 Arena ring on Friday looking to right the course of the ship that is his boxing career. 

The card also features the following bouts: 

James Bernadin (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Sheldon Dverteuil (1-0) - four rounds, lightweights

Paul Koon (3-0, 1 KO) vs. Cade Rodriguez (2-2, 2 KOs) - four rounds, heavyweights

Romuel Cruz (2-0-1, 1 KO) vs. Hugo Rodriguez (0-1) - four rounds, bantamweights

Travis Toledo (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Ronnie Lawrence (0-2) - four rounds, light heavyweights

Jerome Rodriguez (7-11-3, 2 KOs) vs. Luis Arcon (3-0, 3 KOs) - four rounds, super lightweights 

Stay tuned to The Weigh-In for Steve Peacock's post-fight report. 

Tickets for this great night of boxing start at $50 and can be purchased on the 2300 Arena website. 

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Kings Promotions Recent Results & Preview

Kings Promotions continues their busy schedule of providing action fights for the Philadelphia and North East Pennsylvania area fight fans. On Friday night, September 14th, a nine fight card took place at 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia.  The card was featured on Fight Night Live, which is streamed on Facebook.  So far over 200,000 fans have viewed the action. Below are the results from this great night of action. 

Shyngyskhan Tazhibay (6-0, 2 KOs) won a four round decision over Justin Johnson (6-18-6) in a welterweight fight. Tazhibay looked solid as he continues his development.  

James Bernadin (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Christopher Burogos (1-3-1) at the 2:19 mark of the third round. Bernadin came out firing power shots and withstood the game effort from Burogos, who tested the new professional’s stamina and will. Bernadin was able to land power rights that finally halted the fight.  

Yeri Andujar (1-0, 1 KO) stopped the returning Crystian Peguero (2-1, 1 KO) in the third round at the 2:36 minute mark. Peguero was considered the favorite, but was fighting for the first time in a year. Andujar blasted away at the body of Peguero from the start of the fight, which effectively broke down the favorite, who clearly suffered from his long lay-off.  

Dalyann Butt (2-0) out boxed Anthony Smith (1-3, 1 KO) over four rounds for a unanimous decision victory.  

Keeshawn Williams (3-0, 1 KO) also used the four rounds to out work and out box Farhad Fatulla (1-2).  

In a good bantamweight fight, Alejandro Jimenez (3-0, 1 KO) defeated Jerrod Minor (1-2-2, 1 KO). After four rounds, it was clear that Jimenez was the winner, as he applied effective aggression behind a good jab to land the more telling power shots.  

Former three time Olympian Anvar Yunusov (5-0, 2 KOs) proved yet again that he is a prospect to watch. After landing a crisp right hook that floored Angel Monreal (10-11-1, 3 KOs). Monreal rose to his feet and tried to survive with a jab. Yunusov would land a crushing straight left from his southpaw stance that ended the fight at 2:39 of the opening round.  

Terrell Williams (17-0, 13 KOs) got a great night of work and a quality test from David Grayton (15-3-1, 11 KOs). Williams landed a crushing straight right hand that dropped Grayton in the first round. After another right in the third put Grayton down, it looked as though it would be a quick night for Williams. Grayton proved his value as he battled through the early knockdowns to push Williams into the middle rounds. This forced Williams to prove that he is a true near future contender as he had to battle his own fatigue and the on coming assault from Grayton. It was a little too much, too late for Grayton as Williams lasted to the final bell wining a ten round decision. Scores were 97-92, 98-89, and 98-90.  

In the main event, Brandon Robinson (11-1, 8 KOs) warmed up in the second round and got to work landing hard body shots on Ernest Amuzu (24-4, 22 KOs).  Robinson's momentum continued into the third round and the two fighters started to exchange power shots when Robinson pinned Amuzu in the corner. As Amuzu escaped, Robinson landed a huge right hand bomb that made Amuzu walk backwards on spaghetti legs. Just as he reached the other side of the ring, Robinson landed a second right hand bomb that prompted the referee to stop the fight at the 2:04 mark of the third round. Robinson continues to improve, and at the age of 30 will be looked for more fights to rise up the ranks in 2019.     

Upcoming Kings Action:

On Tuesday night September 25th, Kings Promotions returns to the Sands Hotel and Casino in Bethlehem, PA. Yet another nine fight card will take place that will feature a good eight round battle between Anthony Mercado (11-4, 9 KOs) and Victor Vazquez (10-4, 3 KOs). Both fighters have been improving as of late and Vazquez, who is co-trained by lightweight prospect Branden Pizzaro's father Angel Pizzaro, has impressed with his now disciplined jab, which he uses to set up his powerful right hand.  

Also on this night, featherweight prospect Stephen "Scooter" Fulton (13-0, 6 KOs) will continue his rise through the featherweight ranks as he takes on the tough Esteban Aquino (12-5, 7 KOs).  Fulton is a former National Golden Gloves and Ringside champion. Fulton is always in an entertaining fight, and with Aquino is looking to prove that he is a true challenger. Look for this fight to be no different. 

Other fights on this card will feature the following fan favorites: Erik Spring, Joe Hanks, Martino Jules, and heavyweight Michael Coffie.  

Tickets are still available and start at just $35. There is no bad seat in the house, and the Sands and Kings always provide fan friendly fights at a great price. Tickets can be purchased from the Sands Casino box office here.  

-Luis A. Cortes III

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Michael Woods Interview

Luis Cortes sat down with Michael Woods of RingTV this past Friday at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The two men discussed Brandon Robinson's (11-1, 8 KOs) knockout victory over Ernest Amuzu (24-4, 22 KOs), the 9/14 Kings Promotions' card, and the Philadelphia fight scene.

Check out Luis' interview on SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Michael Woods of RingTV Interview with Luis Cortes on SoundCloud 

Bonus Round - Michael Woods of RingTV Interview with Luis Cortes on iTunes

-Luis A. Cortes III

Support The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports by Shopping World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Products!