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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Kings Promotions Presents Tuesday Night Fights Recap

Kings Promotions returned to the Sands Casino Event Center tonight with an eight fight card. Tonight's action was broadcasted on FIGHTNIGHT LIVE, and streamed by hundreds of thousands of viewers on Facebook Live. The main event featured an eight round bout between Anthony Mercado (12-4, 9 KOs) and Victor Vazquez (10-5, 4 KOs) for the WBF Silver International Junior Middleweight Title.

Mercado vs. Vazquez Part I? 

In the main event, Mercado started off the action immediately after the bell rang by throwing a series of hooks to the head and body of his opponent. Vazquez looked hurt in the second round, after Mercado landed a big multi-punch combo to his head and body. Mercado, despite the onslaught, was unable to land the decisive blow on the always tough Vazquez. Vazquez gained momentum in the final ten seconds of this round, and beat Mercado into the neutral corner leading up to the bell. Mercado clubbed Vazquez with huge right hands to the head in the third round. Later in the round, he knocked Vazquez down with a multi-punch combo, that was highlighted by right hooks to the head. An accidental headbutt late in the third round sent blood streaming down the side of Mercado's face. Mercado, sensing danger with the cut, landed several big hooks on Vazquez as the fourth round began. Referee Gary Rosato called a timeout to the action later in the round to have the ringside physician look at Mercado's cut. When action resumed, the two men beat the crap out of one another via a brutal exchange of punches in the middle of the ring. In the final ten seconds of the round, Vazquez connected with left and right straights to Mercado's head, that sent blood flying from the cut. Mercado returned to his corner a bloody mess, ensuring that his cutman earned his paycheck tonight. 

By the fifth round, both fighters' gloves and wrist tape were stained with blood from Mercado's wound. Mercado got nailed with a multi-punch combo as the final bell for the fifth round rang. Fortunately for him, he only had to worry about stumbling back to his corner... In the seventh round, Mercado winced with pain after connecting with a right hand punch. Most spectators feared the worse, that this battle would come to an end due to an injury. Mercado, a Puerto Rican warrior, recovered and exchanged big shots with his opponent as the round neared its end. As Gary Rosato called the two men out to the center of the ring to touch gloves before the eighth and final round, the exact happenings of the contest were evident from the blood stains all over his light blue shirt. Mercado, busted open, and Vazquez, eyes swollen up, both swung wildly at one another in the eighth, desperately trying to end the war as soon as possible. Both men hugged and the crowd roared as the final bell rang. The judges scored the bout 76-75 and 77-74 twice, all for Mercado. The question this writer has to ask is: When and where is the rematch? 

Aleem TKO's Santiago 

Las Vegas transplant from Michigan, Raeese Aleem (12-0, 5 KOs) continued his winning ways against Alcides Santiago (6-3, 5 KOs), Puerto Rico, in a super bantamweight bout. Aleem controlled the first three rounds by landing the cleaner and bigger shots on his opponent. Santiago was knocked down in the fifth round by an Aleem left hand to the head. Santiago's corner, on advice from the ringside physician, stopped the fight after Santiago took a beating in the fifth of a scheduled six round matchup. 

Jules Decisions Sosa in Four 

Featherweight speedsters, Felix Sosa (1-1, 1 KO), Jersey City, and Martino Jules (5-0), Allentown, fought in a four round contest. Jules answered the opening bell by coming out of his corner swinging for the fences on the unsuspecting Sosa. A right hook to the head sent Sosa crashing to the canvas in this round. Jules pinned Sosa up against the ropes and crushed him with a multi-punch combo for a second knockdown in the third round. Sosa pulled himself up from the canvas, but appeared to be on "dream street." Sosa survived the round, and stumbled dazed back to his corner. Sosa, knowing he was behind on the judges' scorecards, fought aggressively in the final round, but it was all too little, too late. All three judges saw the bout the same, 40-34, for Martino Jules. 

Keystone State Brawl 

In a Keystone State battle of super welterweights, York's James Robinson (5-12-5, 1 KO) came up short against Reading's Erik Spring (11-2-2, 1 KO). The two men fought a hard and close first round that set the tempo for the remainder of the six round contest. Robinson, looked winded by the fifth round, showing the effects of a tough contest. The fighters were involved in a vicious, punch-for-punch exchange as this round neared its end. Spring scored a knockdown in the final minute of the sixth round with a big left hook, that upon further review, may have been to the back of Robinson's head. Robinson, outraged by the knockdown call, leapt to his feet yelling at referee Shawn Clark. When the action continued, Robinson fought aggressively looking for a knockdown of his own before the bout ended. The judges scored the bout 59-54 twice, and 58-55 for Spring. 

Pay Day for Powell at Sands Casino 

Super middleweight prospect Money Powell IV (8-0, 4 KOs) may have faced and defeated the toughest opponent of his young career tonight in veteran Josue Obando (16-23-1, 12 KOs) of Mexico. Powell's power was on display throughout the six round contest, but the 20-year-old product of Fort Mitchell, Alabama (by way of Germany) just could not send his tough opponent down to the canvas. Powell opened up the fisticuffs by snapping Obando's head back with two left hands in the opening frame. Throughout the second and third rounds, Powell punished his opponent with shots that echoed throughout the Sands Casino Event Center. In the third round, Powell ran circles around Obando, all the while landing shot after shot on his visibly tired, yet iron-willed opponent. In the sixth and final round, Powell obviously ahead on the cards, again went into "track and field" mode as Obando, with his hands down at his sides, desperately attempted to stalk his opponent. The judges scored the bout 60-54 twice and 59-55 all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Money Powell IV. 

Madison Decisions Clarke 

Nicoy Clarke (2-2) fell to Colby Madison (7-0-2, 4 KOs) in a six round, heavyweight contest. Clarke, who fights out of Jersey City, was the smaller southpaw. Clarke spent much of the first round dancing (literally) as Madison connected on punch after punch. A frustrated Madison answered the second round bell as the aggressor, hammering Clarke with multi-punch combos, which left his eye bloodied and swollen. Clarke hit Madison with a left uppercut from the clinch seconds after his corner threatened to stop the fight if he didn't show them something in the third round. Clarke having survived the round with a second wind, danced his way back to his corner after the third round ended. Clarke went on to put his toughness on display as he battled through the final three rounds with a badly swollen left eye. On that note, mad props to his cutman for keeping the bleeding down on a bad cut. Madison looked tired by the sixth round and moved around the ring sluggishly, knowing very well he was ahead on the judges' scorecards. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Madison, 60-54 twice and 59-55.

Head Downed by Coffie in Two 

Michael Coffie (4-0, 3 KOs) faced Curtis Head (4-3, 3 KOs) in a heavyweight bout scheduled for six rounds. The Brooklyn native, Coffie, put his offense on display in the opening frame, knocking down Head with a straight left hand to the head. Head pulled himself up from the canvas only to be knocked down again with a right hook to the body as the first round approached its end. Coffie, smelling victory, continued what he started in the opening frame in the second, when he knocked Head down for the third time with a big left hand to the body. Coffie finished off Head seconds later with a right-left combo to the body. Referee Gary Rosato called an end to the action at 1:57 of the second round.

Robles Wins #4

Kenny Robles (4-1, 2 KOs) defeated Corey Gulley (2-3-2) in the third round of a junior welterweight contest scheduled for six rounds. Robles controlled the tempo of the opening frame. In the opening seconds of the second round, Robles knocked Gulley down with a right hand to the head. Robles went for the kill, and appeared to almost punch himself out midway through the round. Gulley battled back after being on shaky legs. Robles let his hands go in the opening seconds of the third round, but got caught with two hard counterpunches. These shots forced the fighter to fight more conservatively in the round. In the third round, Robles beat Gulley into the ropes with a multi-punch combo that sent his mouthpiece flying. Referee Shawn Clark saw enough at 2:13 of the third round.

Yet Another "Jersey Joe" Wins in Pennsylvania 

In heavyweight action, "Jersey" Joe Hanks (23-2, 15 KOs) knocked out Terrance Marbra (9-7, 7 KOs) at 2:26 of the first round. Marbra was sent crashing to the canvas by a big right hand to the head. The referee waived off the fight after Hanks clubbed Marbra into the ropes with left hands to the head and body. 

MW

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Robinson Wins Decision Over Riojas, Aleem Beats Bates in Slugfest

King's Promotions returned to the City of Brotherly Love with an action packed night of fights from the famed 2300 Arena. A capacity crowd was on hand to witness the great night of fights.

Kendall Cannida WUD4 Carlos Villenueva 

Cannida (2-0) out worked Villenueva (0-1), who made his professional debut. Villenueva, who seemed to be a little nervous and caught up by the lights, was unable to pull the trigger with his punches.  Cannida capitalized and landed the clean and powerful shots enroute to the unanimous decision victory.  All three judges had the fight scored 39-37.

Denis Okoth WSD4 Rasheed Johnson

Although Johnson (3-2) seemed to be out pointing Okoth (2-0-1, 1 KO) throughout the fight, two of the judges seemed to agree that Okoth, with his constant pressure, deserved to win the fight.  Even though the pressure by Okoth at times never produced much action or effective punches, Johnson tried to off-set the pressure with a constant jab and tried to follow up those jabs with pot shots in combination.  After four rounds, one of the judges saw it 39-37 for Johnson, the second judge had it 40-36 for Okoth, and the third scored it 39-37 for Okoth.

Poindexter Knight WUD4 Vincent Floyd  

Real Deal Promotions rising prospect and Philadelphia native, Knight (3-0, 2 KO) defeated fellow Philadelphian, Floyd.  The action started right away with no warm up period as both fighters came out swinging for the fences. Floyd landed a sharp straight left from his southpaw stance that staggered Knight. Knight, also a southpaw, responded in the second round by settling into his game plan of picking apart Floyd. After four action packed rounds, all three judges scored the fight 40-36 in favor of the still undefeated Knight.

Colby Madison MD6 Guillermo De Rio

Madison, who has looked impressive in the past, had a stale performance. After winning the first two rounds with a nice jab.  De Rio turned up the action after he realized in order to get to Madison he would have to take the initial jabs.  As both heavyweights continued to circle each other, it was De Rio who landed the power shots that occasionally made Madison back off. Entering the final round, it was clear that Madison needed a big round. He landed a vicious left hook to the body that lifted De Rio's right leg off of the canvas for a moment.  Visibly hurt, De Rio circled away from Madison, who tried to close the show. De Rio regained his composure and fired back power shots to stay on his feet as the fight ended. Two judges scored the fight 57-57, while the third some how had it 58-56 for Madison.

Raeese Aleem WUD8 Marcus Bates

In the fight of the night, junior featherweights Aleem (11-0, 5 KOs) out lasted the game Bates (8-1-1, 7 KO) over eight rounds of non-stop action. Both fighters agreed to start the fight throwing power shots. Aleem landed a crisp left hook in the opening round that dropped Bates. Bates rose to his feet and continued to exchange with Aleem, which set the tone for the remainder of the fight. As the rounds continued with this action, Bates would land power shots, however, Aleem never allowed Bates to seize the momentum of the fight. Aleem did this by responding with well-timed power shots of his own in response to the shots Bates landed. As a result, Aleem, the more active and consistent fighter, was granted the decision victory by scores of 79-72 twice and 80-71.

Brandon Robinson WUD8 Oscar Riojas 

The two super middleweights started the action of the main event by circling each other. It was a left hook by Robinson (10-1, 7 KOs) that floored Riojas (16-9-1, 5 KOs). Riojas got to his feet with a smile on his face, and continued to try and downplay the punches that Robinson landed throughout the rest of the fight. The pattern of the fight settled in with Robinson patiently waiting for and landing one or two power shots on the unorthodox southpaw Riojas.

Riojas tried to land shots of his own, but Robinson utilized quality defense to avoid the punches. Robinson’s power punches started to pay off in the second half of the fight as Riojas stopped returning with punches of his own. As the fight came to an end, it was clear that Robinson was the fighter that deserved the nod. The three judges agreed as two scored it 79-72, with the third giving it to Robinson 80-71.

-Luis A. Cortes III

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King's Promotions Presents Live Professional Boxing - Tuesday, February 13th (Bethlehem, PA)

Marshall Kauffman's King's Promotions returned to the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania last night with an eight fight card. The highlight of the evening for many boxing fans in attendance was an appearance by former boxing adversaries turned friends, Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney. The two men, along with Reading, Pennsylvania heavyweight, Travis Kauffman, were called into the ring by announcer Alex Barbosa during the show's brief intermission.

The main event of the evening featured an eight round, welterweight bout between Maryland's Mykal Fox (16-0, 4 KOs) and the Dominican Republic's Ricardo Garcia (14-2, 9 KOs). The opening round set the tone for the battle of styles in the contest. Garcia looking to brawl with the lengthy and quick, Fox, landed several big shot on his opponent. Fox effectively moved around the ring avoiding Garcia's power shots, and scored points on clean punches that lacked power. Garcia's left eye began to swell up in the third round, and did not improve over the course of the remaining rounds. Fox took advantage of this impairment to Garcia's vision by landing several punches to the left side of his head. Garcia clearly frustrated with the swelling, went on the attack in the final seconds of the third round. The onslaught ended with the sound of the bell. In the fifth round, Garcia pinned Fox up against the ropes, and landed a series of punches, including a big right hook to the head, that caught Fox's attention. Fox being the more crafty fighter, managed to escape his opponent, and avoid a potential knockdown. In the seventh round, Fox again took advantage of Garcia's swollen left eye by hitting him with a big right hook to the head on his "blind side". This punch sent Garcia to the canvas. Despite recovering from the knockdown, the wind had clearly been taken out of Garcia's sails by this point. The judges ringside scored the bout 77-74 and 78-73 twice, for the winner by unanimous decision, Mykal Fox.

The co-feature bout of the evening featured former world champion, Kermit Cintron (39-6-3, 30 KOs), and Marquis Taylor (8-1). From the opening bell, this super welterweight fight had all the makings of what could be considered a dirty fight. Houston's Taylor looking to even the field against the veteran Cintron landed a number of rabbit punches on the former IBF World Welterweight Champion. Referee Eric Dali warned Taylor once about the rabbit punches in the first round, but Taylor continued to hit Cintron in the back of the head after the one and only warning. Taylor hit Cintron with a low blow in the second round that briefly stopped the action. By the third round, Cintron clearly frustrated by the lack of warnings for illegal blows, was wrapped up with Houston near the center of the ring. Before the referee could break the two men up, Taylor hit Cintron above the right eye with what was later determined to be an accidental headbutt. The action ended as a no contest at the 35 second mark of the third round, of a scheduled eight round contest.

Heavyweights, Colby Madison (6-0-1, 4 KOs) and Dante Selby (2-4-1) fought in a six round bout. Madison landed the one and only punch in the first round on his southpaw opponent from Philadelphia. The product of Owings Mills, Maryland looked to pick up the pace in the fight by going on the offensive at the beginning of the second round when he threw a series of wild punches that didn't find their mark. The remainder of the bout was uneventful with the two big men hanging all over one another until the closing bell rang. The judges scored the bout 60-54 and 59-55 twice, in favor of Colby Madison.

The matchmaker(s) for the featherweight battle between Malik Lofton (1-1, 1 KO) Martino Jules (3-0) should be commended. This fight was extremely close and competitive from the opening round until the bell marking the end of the fourth round rang. In the first round, both fighters exchanged big shots. Jules scored a knockdown on Lofton in the second round when he connected on a straight left to his opponent's head. Lofton rose from the canvas, and landed a straight left to Jules' face that busted open his nose. The two men continued to slug it out as blood ran down Jules' face. The third round was highlighted by hard punches and exchanges. Both men were looking for the big knockout during this round. In the fourth and final round, Lofton hit Jules with a big right hand to the face, that appeared to hurt his opponent. Unfortunately for Lofton, he was not able to capitalize on this attack. The judges scored the bout 39-38 and 38-37 twice, in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Martino Jules.

Florida's Sergio Aguilar (2-7, 2 KOs) faced the hometown fan favorite, Juan Sanchez (5-0, 2 KOs) in a four round, featherweight contest. To the delight of the crowd, Sanchez went to work early on his opponent. In the first round, he scored a knockdown with a left-right combo to Aguilar's head. He followed this knockdown up with a series of unopposed hard left hooks to Aguilar's body as the first round ended. In the second round, it appeared that Aguilar slipped on the canvas, however, referee Gary Rosato ruled it a knockdown. To quiet any doubters in the audience and reassure his opponent of his power, Sanchez sent Aguilar to the canvas with a multi-punch combo later in the second round. Aguilar pulled himself up from the canvas only to be taunted by Sanchez, who danced around the hurt fighter with his hands behind his back. The third round began with a hard exchange between the two fighters in a neutral corner. Aguilar demonstrated his resilience in this round by refusing to be knocked down again. Sanchez threw everything at Aguilar but the kitchen sink in the fourth round. His aggression paid off at the 2:55 mark of the fourth and final round when Sanchez was able to knockout Aguilar with a vicious multi-punch combo.

Asbury Park, New Jersey's Darryl Bunting (3-3-2, 1 KO) stepped into the ring against tough
super middleweight, Blake Mansfield (6-1-1, 4 KOs), hoping to keep his career record above .500. Unfortunately for the Jersey Shore fighter, Blake Mansfield had other plans for him. In the opening round, Bunting was immediately put on the defensive. A barrage of punches late in the round sent Bunting stumbling into his corner. To make matters worse, as the second round began, a cut appeared next to Bunting's right eye. Mansfield pounded Bunting with brutal hooks to the head throughout the second round. Bunting attempted to rally late in the second round, and landed a series of big hooks to Mansfield's body. Mansfield returned to the role of aggressor in the third round, when he hurt Bunting with a right upper cut to the jaw. Bunting managed to hold his own for a bulk of the fourth round, until Mansfield connected on a right hand to his jaw late in the round. This punch sent Bunting staggering, dazed into his corner. By this point, Mansfield and his corner smelt blood in the water. He viciously attacked Bunting in the opening seconds of the round with a series of different punches to the head and body. Referee Eric Dali saw enough at the 36 second mark of the fifth round of a scheduled six round fight.

New York's Michael Coffie (2-0, 1 KO) stepped into the blue corner last night with a clear size advantage over Jersey City's Nicoy Clarke (0-1). In the first round of the heavyweight contest, Coffie landed a series of big hooks and upper cuts that kept his opponent covered up. Towards the end of the round, Clarke caught the confident Coffie with an overhand left to the head that appeared to hurt the big man. As the second round kicked off, Coffie crushed Clarke with upper cuts to the head and body. This caused Clarke, who was making his pro debut, to fight extra cautious in fear of his opponent's power. By the end of the second round, blood was streaming out of Clarke's nose. Clarke attempted to pick up some momentum in the third round only to run into Coffie upper cuts that pushed the heavyweight back. As the third round progressed, Clarke tried to taunt Coffie. These taunts were punished with crushing hooks. In the fourth and final round, Clarke's toughness was proven as he absorbed vicious Coffie shots to the head and body. All three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Michael Coffie.

The opening bout of the evening featured a four round, light heavyweight match between Kendall Cannida (1-0) and Leroy Jones (2-2, 2 KOs). Cannida, who was making his professional debut, let his hands go in the first round. He hit Jones with several big straight left hands in the opening frame. He hurt Jones in the second round with a multi-punch combo to the head and body. In the fourth round, it was evident that Cannida was looking for the knockout. He unloaded a series of punches on Jones in the opening minute of the round, and ended the bout swinging wildly at his opponent. All three ringside judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Kendall Cannida.

MW

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King's Promotions Presents Live Professional Boxing at the Sands Bethlehem Events Center

King's Promotions returns to the Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Tuesday, February 13th. This nine fight card is co-headlined by a super lightweight bout between Mykal Fox (15-0, 4 KOs) and Ricardo Garcia (14-1, 9 KOs), as well as a welterweight contest between Kermit Cintron (39-6-3, 30 KOs) and Marquis Taylor (8-1).

Mykal Fox, a southpaw fighter, most recently captured the vacant Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) All America Welterweight Title with a unanimous decision victory over Manuel Alejandro Reyes on November 21st at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center. His opponent, Ricardo Garcia, suffered the first loss of his career on the same card in November, a majority decision defeat to Victor Vazquez.

Former world champion, Kermit Cintron, looks to get back to his winning ways tomorrow night against Houston's Marquis Taylor. Cintron is coming off of a knockout defeat to Philadelphia's Tyrone Brunson last June, a fight that was voted the 2017 Philly Fight of the Year by the Briscoe Awards. Taylor is coming off of five straight victories since losing by unanimous decision to the talented southpaw, lightweight, Ladarius Miller, in 2015.

The card also features the following bouts:

Joe Hanks (22-2, 14 KOs) vs. Nick Guivas (14-9-2, 9 KOs) - eight rounds, heavyweights

Colby Madison (5-0-1, 4 KOs) vs. Dante Selby (2-3-1) - six rounds, heavyweights

Blake Mansfield (5-1-1, 3 KOs) vs. Darryl Bunting (3-2-2, 1 KO) - six rounds, middleweights

Chaise Nelson (6-1, 3 KOs) vs. Vincent Jennings (5-4-1, ) - six rounds, featherweights

Michael Polite Coffie (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Nicoy Clarke (DEBUT) - four rounds, heavyweights

Martino Jules (2-0) vs. Malik Loften (1-0, 1 KO) - four rounds, featherweights

Juan Sanchez (4-0, 1 KO) vs. Sergio Aguilar (2-6, 2 KOs) - four rounds, featherweights

***The bout scheduled between Frank DeAlba (22-2-2, 9 KOs) and Carlos Padilla (16-6-1, 10 KOs) was cancelled because DeAlba suffered a cut in training.

Tickets for this night of live boxing can be purchased on the Sands Bethlehem Event Center website.

MW

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King's Promotions Presents World Class Pro Boxing Featuring Tyrone Brunson vs. Manny Woods - Friday, December 1st (Philadelphia)

Friday evening's card opened up with a super bantamweight bout between Marcus Bates (8-0-1, 7 KOs) and Antonio Rodriguez (11-20-1, 5 KOs). Bates, an undefeated Philly boxing prospect, appeared to outclass the Mexican veteran throughout the six round contest. Bates landed several big right hands in the first round. Rodriguez attempted to change the momentum of the fight in the second round but Bates, the faster fighter, was able to effectively dodge these blows. Rodriguez, who was looking for a knockout against his opponent, threw and connected on several big hooks in the later rounds. Bates demonstrated his toughness by absorbing these shots and effectively counter-punching. Rodriguez was knocked down by a Bates' left hook to the body in the sixth round, a shot that he was unable to recover from. Rodriguez was counted out, and suffered a knockout defeat at the hands of the 23-year-old Philadelphian.

The second round of the evening featuring Philadelphia's Christopher Burgos (0-2) and Coatesville PA's Gerardo Tiburcio (Martinez) (2-0, 1 KO). The lightweights fought in a four round brawl that at times looked more like a street fight than a boxing match. Both fighters spent a majority of the fight head hunting, which eventually opened up a cut under Burgos' left eye. The matchup was action packed, and proved to be a true crowd pleaser. All three judges saw the fight 39-37, with two ruling in favor of the Phoenixville PAL product, Tiburcio (Martinez), the winner by split decision.

Philadelphia's Romuel Cruz (1-0, 1 KO), who made his professional debut, fought Georgia's Rondarrius Hunter (1-2, 1 KO) in a four round, super bantamweight contest. Hunter was knocked down by a hard left hand to the body in the third round. The bout was stopped at the 2:35 mark of the round, and ended in a TKO victory for Cruz.

The fourth bout of the card featured Colby Madison (5-0-1, 4 KOs) and Randy Easton (4-10-2, 4 KOs) in a four round, heavyweight matchup. In the first round, Easton knocked down his opponent with vicious combo that unfortunately for Easton, contained a low blow. Madison rose from the canvas only to fight for his life as the round came to an end. Madison regained control of the bout in the second round after Easton appeared gassed from over exerting himself in the opening round. A left to Easton's body sent the fighter to one knee in the closing minutes of the second round. The smoked fighter was unable to continue, and the referee called an end to the action at the 2:44 mark of the round.

Heavyweights, Joe Hanks (22-2, 14 KOs) and Joel Caudle (7-1-1, 5 KOs) fought in a six round bout. Caudle, who appeared soft in the abdomen, stepped into the ring looking to preserve his undefeated streak against the Newark, NJ native. Both fighters were hanging onto to one another by the second round, and appeared gassed from over exertion in the third round. Both fighters connected on clean punches, but lacked knockout power. The fighters continued to appear to slow dance into the final round, when Hanks tried valiantly to drop his opponent before the closing bell. Hanks was rewarded for being the more active fighter with a unanimous decision victory (58-56, 60-54 twice).

Wilmington, DE's Kyrone Davis (13-1, 5 KOs) squared off against Costa Rican veteran, Jaime Barboza (19-13, 9 KOs) in a middleweight bout. Davis who is 16 years younger than Barboza stepped into the ring looking for his third straight victory. Davis effectively worked the body of Barboza throughout the contest, but was unable to land the big knockout shot on his opponent, who smiled his way to a unanimous decision defeat. Kyrone Davis won 80-70 on all three judges' score cards.

Popular Philly boxing prospect, Jaron "Boots" Ennis (17-0, 15 KOs) fought Reading's George Sosa (15-11-1, 15 KOs) in an eight round, welterweight contest. Sosa tried to bully the smaller and faster Ennis in the first round to no effect. Ennis came out in the second round as the aggressor. He landed a vicious multi-punch combo that sent Sosa crashing into the neutral corner ropes. Sosa was able to recover from this brutal attack only to be knocked down again later in the round by yet another Ennis multi-punch combo, which included a left upper cut and right hook. The end came for Sosa at the 1:09 mark of the second round with Ennis winning by knockout.

Brandon Robinson (8-1, 6 KOs) fought Chris Brooker (12-5, 5 KOs) fought for the UBF All Americas Super Middleweight Title. This contest was a competitive fight from the opening bell. The two men felt one another out over the course of the first two rounds. Robinson controlled the fight in the third round by landing a series of combos, and pushing his opponent into the ropes. A Robinson left hook to the head appeared to stumble Brooker in the fourth round. The fifth round was marked by a brutal exchange that resulted in a cut under Brooker's left eye. Brooker fought back valiantly in the seventh round, but it was too little, too late, for the Philadelphian who was defeated by unanimous decision on the judges' score cards. (78-74, 79-73, 80-72)

The ninth fight of the card featured local fighter, Omar Douglas (18-2, 13 KOs) and Tucson's Martin Gonzalez (22-10, 14 KOs) in a six round, lightweight matchup. The fight did not last long... A right upper cut dropped Gonzalez in the first round. Gonzalez pulled himself up from the canvas only to be finished off with a Douglas left and right hook to the head and body. The knockout came at the 1:52 mark of the opening round.

Philadelphia's Rasheed Johnson (3-1, 1 KO) defeated Reading's Kashon Hutchinson (3-4, 1 KO) in a four round, welterweight bout. Johnson, who controlled the tempo of the fight from the opening bell, won on all three judges' score cards by a score of 39-37 and 40-36 twice.

The main event featured a super welterweight contest between Tyrone Brunson (26-6-2, 24 KOs) and Manny Woods (16-7-1, 6 KOs). The two men squared off for the vacant UBF International Super Welterweight Title. Brunson, who currently holds the Pennsylvania State Junior Middleweight Title, stepped into the ring looking for his 24th knockout victory. In round three, Brunson connected with a hard right hand to the head of Woods that appeared to stun the Floridian. Through five rounds, Brunson landed a number of big shots on Woods, who demonstrated his toughness by staying on his feet. In the eighth round, Woods was unable to withstand the Brunson onslaught. He was stumbled by a Brunson multi-punch combo, and later a left hand to the face. Woods was unable to answer the bell for the ninth round of a scheduled ten round fight. Brunson walked away the winner by TKO.

Sham Justice (2-0, 2 KOs) fought Jack "Shady" Grady (0-7-1) in the final fight of the evening. Grady who was a fill-in for Latorie Woodberry (1-5-1) was looking for his first professional victory. Unfortunately Friday night was not Shady's night. The referee stopped the fight after a dazed Grady was beaten against the ropes by Justice.

MW

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