Sosa Impressive; Adan Gonzales Spoils Cuban Prospect Ramirez's Debut

By Matt Ward, Ringside

Top Rank professional boxing on ESPN+ returned to the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in North Philadelphia on Saturday night. The main event of this action-packed card pitted super featherweights Jason Sosa (23-3-4, 16 KOs) and Lydell Rhodes (27-4-1, 13 KOs) against one another in a ten round contest. Sosa, a former WBA Super Featherweight World Champion, made a big step on the trail to reclaim a world title by stopping tough veteran Rhodes at the 1:08 mark of the seventh round.

The two gladiators fought a close fight through the opening two frames. In the third round, Sosa opened up on Rhodes with a barrage of effective punches to the head and body. This offensive onslaught was highlighted by hard upper cuts that made Rhodes cringe under the pressure. Sosa again went on the attack in the fourth round when he connected with a left hand to the face of Rhodes. Rhodes rallied at the end of the round, landing a multi-punch combo that let Sosa know he was still in the fight.

In the fifth round, Sosa sent Rhodes crashing to the canvas with a left hook to the head. Rhodes managed to pull himself up from the mat, and fight on until the final 30 seconds of the round when Rhodes was punished with a series of Sosa punches to the head that again sent him down to the canvas. An accidental headbutt in the sixth round opened up a cut near Sosa's left eye. Fortunately, the location of this wound had little impact on the Camden native's fight plan and momentum going forward.

The third and final knockdown came in the seventh round when a well-placed Sosa right hand to Rhodes' head sent him crashing to the canvas. Rhodes recovered from the knockdown, but his corner had seen enough of the beat down, and threw in the towel. Referee Benjy Esteves honored the request by waiving off the fight. 

Gonzales Spoils Olympian's Debut

Denver's Adan Gonzales (5-2-2, 2 KOs) spoiled the long anticipated professional debut of Cuban Olympian Robeisy Ramirez (0-1) in a four round featherweight bout. Gonzales, fighting like a man looking for the upset, introduced Ramirez to a pro boxing canvas in the first round with a hard right hand to the head. Ramirez appeared to struggle with Gonzales in the second round, as he continued to apply pressure to the highly successful former amateur fighter. Ramirez, hoping to salvage his night, unloaded on Gonzales at the end of the third round, having to be pulled off of Gonzales after the bell rang. Ramirez fought hard in the fourth and final round, but it was not enough to salvage a win or draw. The judges scored the bout 39-36 for Gonzales, 38-37 for Ramirez, and 40-35 for the winner by split decision, Adan Gonzales. 

Berlanga Extends Kayo Streak to 12

"Knockout Artist" Edgar Berlanga (12-0, 12 KOs) won his twelfth straight fight by way of knockout over Gregory Trenel (11-5-2, 3 KOs) in the first round of a middleweight contest scheduled for eight. Berlanga answered the bell by landing crushing shots on his French opponent. Trenel hit the canvas after Berlanga, a native of New York, connected with a left hook to the head. Trenel hesitantly pulled himself up from the canvas only to be beaten into submission seconds later. Berlanga landed numerous left hands, at will, on the defenseless Trenel. Referee Benjy Esteves saw enough of the massacre at the 2:24 mark of the opening frame.

Philadelphia's Kroll Wins by UD 

Undefeated welterweights Paul Kroll (5-0, 4 KOs) and Shinard Bunch (2-1, 2 KOs) battled through a six round bout. The two men put on a display of speed throughout the opening frame of the contest in front of a crowd that roared with approval. As the first round ended, the referee had to pull Kroll away from the dogfight that was highlighted by great exchanges of multi-punch combos. In the second round, the two men slowed down the pace of the bout.

Bunch unloaded a three punch combo on Kroll in the third. The fourth round kicked off with a exchange of big shots near the center of the ring. Later in this round, Kroll put the pedal to the metal as he aggressively nailed Bunch with a series of multi-punch combos to the head and body, shots that made Bunch slump into the ropes. At this point of the fight, the advantage was seized by Kroll who landed big shots that were responded to by Bunch clinches and wrap-ups. This was especially the case in the fifth round when Kroll connected with a right hook to Bunch's head. Seconds later, Kroll tee'd off on Bunch with a series of shots, but Bunch managed to dance out of the trap on shaky legs. 

In the sixth round, Kroll went into knockout mode chasing Bunch around the ring and swinging wildly at his opponent, missing more than connecting. To the crowd's dismay, Bunch, clearly beat up from rounds of taking damage, managed to stay on his feet. Referee Gary Rosato had to pull Kroll off of Bunch as the bell marking the end of the round rang. The judges scored the bout 58-56 twice and 59-55 for Kroll. 

Conto Sweeps "Game" Del Rio 

Philadelphia's Sonny Conto (4-0, 3 KOs) defeated a tough opponent in Mexico's Guillermo Del Rio (2-3-1, 2 KOs) to the hometown crowd's delight on Saturday night. Conto went on the attack early in the first of this four rounder as he punished Del Rio with straight left and right hands to the head and body. Del Rio was rocked with a big overhand right to the head in the final 30 seconds of the first round, but showed his grit by staying on his feet and surviving the opening the frame. Conto had to deal with Del Rio's clinching and wrapping throughout the second round. As the round neared its end, this strategy turned into wild swinging at Conto that failed to hit its mark. A Conto left hook made Del Rio drop into the ropes, but the Mexican heavyweight again made it to the end of the round.

Sonny landed shots at will on Del Rio in the third which appeared to have a damaging effect on him. Again, to the frustration of Conto and the audience, Del Rio's body did not hit the canvas. The crowd roared "Sonny! Sonny!" in the final round as the Philly heavyweight clubbed Del Rio. Del Rio deaf to the chants of the Liacouras Center, valiantly fought on. As the round neared its end, Conto finally sent Del Rio crashing to the canvas with a left hand to the head. Del Rio, on wobbly legs, pulled himself up for the unanimous decision defeat. All three judges scored the bout 40-35 for the heavyweight prospect Conto.

Smith Dominates Abdullah in Six 

Philly's Donald Smith (10-0, 6 KOs) won his tenth fight as a professional over Colorado's Raheem Abdullah (3-3). Smith controlled the momentum of the featherweight contest throughout the bout, and answered all of Abdullah's attacks with effective multi-punch combos of his own. Smith closed out his dominant performance by hammering Abdullah with right hands to the body as the fight came to a conclusion. The judges scored the fight 59-53 twice and 60-52 for Smith.

Adorno Wins by Kayo

Jeremy Adorno (2-0, 1 KO) defeated Fernando Robles (2-2) by knockout victory in a super bantamweight bout that was scheduled for four rounds. The knockout shot came at the 2:01 mark of the third round when Adorno dropped Robles with a right hook to the body.

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ESPN & Eastern European Fighters Invade Philadelphia

By Luis A. Cortes III, Ringside

ESPN hosted a huge night of combat sports from the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, PA this past Saturday night.  With the city a buzz with the break out start of the Philadelphia Phillies and their new $330 million-man Bryce Harper, along with the impending play off run by the Sixers, the city was ready to host a great night of action both inside the octagon and the squared circle.  Top Rank Promotions invaded Philadelphia to provide the night's boxing action as they featured a card topped by the first defense of WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 Kos).  The card also featured  a fight that was supposed to be a welterweight showcase for Egidijus Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 Kos), who is being groomed to be a challenger for WBO champion Terrance Crawford. 

A host of undercard action also took place (which we will get to later), but a few things became clear while watching the fights ringside.  These sentiments about the nights action were verified once this writer was able to finally watch the televised broadcast.  The first thing that was verified was something that I’ve had a sneaking suspicion about for some time.  That is that for all the hype (and rightly so), surrounding Eastern European fighters due to their extensive amateur pedigrees, outside of Vasyl Lomachenko, most of these Eastern European fighters tend to have trouble when they face fighters that can fight on angles.  They tend to also have problems with fighters that can fight on the inside and match their strength and aggressive nature.  It was something first noticed during the Andre Ward – Sergey Kovalev fights and was confirmed on Saturday night.   

While fighters from this part of the world (Eastern Europe) tend to be fantastic from a fundamental standpoint, many have issues with the types of things that are taught in gyms in Latin America and the United States.  I’m talking about the type of boxing that is predicated on defense by using both the upper body and legs to avoid punches.  Counter-punching boxers that know how to set traps with their small footwork, as well as fighters that know how to avoid pressure and take away their opponents’ aggression and one-two power punching style. 

Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs. Doudou Ngumbu

Some of these points were on display during the main event.  With Gvozdyk defending his crown against the game Doudou Ngumbu (38-9, 14 Kos), a fight that wound up having a bizarre ending when the contest was stopped due to a leg injury in the fifth round.  Up until the point of Ngumbu not being able to finish, the fight and thus losing by technical stoppage, he was having some success against the power punching Gvozdyk.  His constant movement and attack, which consisted of him jumping in and out of range to try and land a punch or two before getting out of range seemed to have the champion a bit frustrated. 

Gvozdyk was beginning to come on and started to land some thudding straight body shots that clearly caused Ngumbu some issues.  It seemed that the tide of the fight was going to start to turn in the favor of the champion, who wasn’t being held at bay by Ngumbu as the fight was starting to near the middle rounds.  Ngumbu couldn’t land anything that made Gvozdyk think twice about charging forward towards his prey.  As a result, the ending that seemed to occur happened a bit prematurely but was most likely going to be the way the fight would have ended regardless, with Gvozdyk winning by stoppage.

It’s a shame to see Ngumbu's opportunity at championship glory and financial stability for his family come to an end the way it did, but so is the nature of the beast that is boxing.  Gvozdyk will continue forward and will stake claims as both the WBC and Lineal Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.  With a large amount of talent invading the division along with the current champions, nothing is clear as to who the best light heavyweight in the world.  Gvozdyk will be competitive against any of the other champions or challengers, which will make watching this division clear itself out over the next couple of years a fun thing to witness.  One fighter of note that was in the ring after the fight was former super middleweight contender and Philadelphia native Jesse Hart.  Hart has told TWI on several occasions that he is also thinking about moving up to light heavyweight to fight the big names.   

Egidijus Kavaliauskas vs. Ray Robinson

In the opening bout of the telecast and the co-feature, Kavaliauskas was matched against Philadelphia native and veteran welterweight Ray Robinson (24-3-1, 12 Kos).  It was supposed to be a test for Kavaliauskas to see how he would fair against a southpaw that could box and that can do the things mentioned above.  What the fans in attendance and watching from home saw was yet another example of that style being an Achilles heel to Eastern European aggression.  Robinson was able to use his jab and move on angles creating traps that Kavaliauskas seemed to always walk into.  Once Robinson had Kavaliauskas where he wanted, he was able to land lefts to the body or use a check right hook that allowed him to get out of the way from any power counter shots. 

Kavaliauskas looked confused and frustrated that he couldn’t come forward and cut off the ring on the taller and lengthier Robinson.  He did have his fair share of moments in the fight and landed some good clean punches that allowed him to win some of the rounds when Robinson was not being active enough to win the round based off of his boxing.  These times and lapses of activity from Robinson allowed for some of the close rounds to be awarded to Kavaliauskas based solely on his aggression.  After the ten rounds, one of the judges scored the fight 97-93 in favor of Robinson, while the other two scored the fight even at 95-95.  For the record TWI scored the fight 96-94 in favor of Robinson. 

While neither fighter was satisfied with the outcome,  Robinson rightly denied answering a question in the post-fight interview geared towards trying to prop Kavaliauskas as a possible opponent for Crawford by stating he deserves that fight.  It was a clear indication that Kavaliauskas may not be ready for that type of challenge and has lots of things to work on if he is going to challenge the best fighter in the world.  As for Robinson, the best thing going for him after he wasn’t awarded this victory is the fact that he is available to fight any of the top names at welterweight.  At the age of 33, hopefully he is not penalized for putting forth a game effort and is able to get his chance at glory before it is too late.

Undercard:

Several fights on the undercard were of note:

In an IBF welterweight title eliminator, Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (16-0, 9 Kos) defeated Keita Obara (20-4-1, 18 Kos) by unanimous decision.  With his victory, he is now in line to face IBF welterweight king Errol Spence Jr.  While Kudratillo was effective with his pressure and landed the power shots against Obara to become the mandatory challenger, once again his style doesn’t seem like it would fair well against the much more polished professional Spence.  It’s likely that he will wait for his moment of championship glory when Spence vacates the IBF title to face bigger named opposition for bigger pay checks.    

Philadelphia heavyweight prospect Sonny Conto (2-0, 2 Kos) notched his second victory with a first round stoppage.  Conto looks solid and his punches are serious, he is still getting his feet under him as a professional and will continue to be showcased around the country by his handlers at Top Rank before the level of competition increases.  Next up for him is a trip to Las Vegas to fight on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s fight in June. 

Reading native Joshafat Ortiz (6-0, 4 KOs) once again looked impressive with a first-round stoppage over James Thomas (6-5, 6 Kos).  He blasted Thomas with a powerful right that hurt him, and continued to mug Thomas with power shots before the fight was stopped.   

Newly signed to Top Rank, welterweight contender Fredrick Lawson (27-2, 21 Kos) was stunned and stopped by Juan Ruiz (22-4, 14 Kos) in the fourth round at the 1:17 mark.  Lawson had an opportunity to make a statement and claim his place as a legitimate contender at the world class level, but he was out gunned by the determination of Ruiz. 

Philadelphia super featherweight Donald Smith (9-0, 6 KOs) was impressive with his fourth round one punch knockout of Jose Martinez (11-18, 6 KOs).  Smith was stunned in the first round when he was gunning for the early knockout.  He wisely adjusted his game plan and started to box and set up his shots.  In the fourth, he set a trap that Martinez walked straight into and blasted him with a powerful straight left that knocked Martinez out cold. 

Jeremy Adorno (1-0) won a four round unanimous decision over Sebastian Baltazar (1-4).  Adorno faced live competition in his first fight as Baltazar came to Philadelphia to win.  Adorno was cracked by Baltazar on several occasions, but showed a good chin for an 18 year old and stormed back with power shots of his own to take the decision. 

Main Events Promotions heavyweight Cassius Chaney improved to (15-0, 9 Kos) with a stay busy first round stoppage over Christian Mariscal (12-3, 5 Kos).  

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Rising Star Promotions Presents Boardwalk Boxing Crossroads: LaManna vs. Bracero - Saturday, February 24th (Atlantic City, NJ)

Professional boxing returned to the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City last night after a ten year hiatus. The Showboat itself is a shell of its former self. The games, restaurants, and bars that once graced the main floor of the building are now gone or closed up, and what remains is a cavernous and gloomy building. The card, which will be remembered by most spectators as one of the biggest and longest in recent memory, featured eleven professional bouts and was promoted by New Jersey's Rising Star Promotions. The ring and surrounding chairs were set up on a former casino floor where I'm fairly certain my grandmother played slot machines throughout the better part of the 1990's.

The main event featured a welterweight bout between veteran contenders, Thomas LaManna (25-2-1, 9 KOs), the defending WBC FECARBOX Welterweight Champion, and Gabriel Bracero (24-3-1, 5 KOs). LaManna, who had a clear height advantage over the shorter and stockier Bracero, attempted to use his advantage in reach early in the opening frame. In the second round, Bracero got inside and effectively worked "Cornflake's" body. LaManna, who is not known for his knockout power, caught his opponent's attention in the third round with a straight right hand to the head. Through four rounds, it was evident at times that Bracero was having some issues adjusting to LaManna's style. In the sixth round, Bracero caught LaManna with a right hook to the head that appeared to hurt the "Pride of Millville, New Jersey". Bracero picked up momentum and connected on a series of head shots in the eighth that sent LaManna to his corner with a bloody nose. A low blow to LaManna briefly stopped the action in what appeared to be a close fight at that point in the ninth round. LaManna, looking to stay ahead on the cards in the tenth, pinned Bracero up against the ropes and landed a series of big punches to his challenger's head and body. The judges scored the bout 97-93 for Bracero, 98-92 for LaManna, and 95-95 a draw. The competitive matchup ended in a split draw. Former world champion, Paulie Malignaggi, who was ringside covering the fight for Fight Night Live!, asked the two men in the post-fight interview if they would consider a rematch. Both fighters appeared open to the idea of facing off again in the near future.

Junior lightweights, Andrew Bentley (3-3) and Donald Smith (6-0, 3 KOs) fought in a four round bout. Bentley, a Jersey City native, had former light heavyweight fighter, Bobby Rooney in his corner. Smith, the Philly fighter who was looking for his sixth professional victory, got the "award" for largest entourage of the evening. Bentley, a scrappy fighter, who gave Smith problems on the inside at times over the course of the bout, could not solve the height and reach problem that he encountered with his opponent. Smith was able to control every round by landing the bigger shots and cleaner punches. Early in the fourth round, Smith tried for the knockout by throwing big hooks at the head and body of his opponent. Bentley survived the round only to lose on the cards by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Donald Smith.

Frederic Julan (9-0, 7 KOs) fought Edgar Perez (7-24, 3 KOs) in a light heavyweight bout that was scheduled for six rounds. Julan, a transplant to New York City from France, controlled the bout from the opening bell. The veteran Perez appeared unconditioned and soft in the abdomen. Julan put his power on display in the second round by landing a vicious multi-punch combo that fazed his opponent. In the third round, Julan knocked Perez down with another multi-punch combo to the head and body. Perez pulled himself up from the canvas only to be stalked around the ring by his opponent. Julan landed a series of big shots to Perez' head and body, but had difficulty cutting off the ring. Had Julan been able to, the fight would have been over in the third round. Perez, who had enough after the third round, refused to answer the bell marking the beginning of the fourth round. Julan, the winner by TKO, has won his sixth straight bout by knockout.

In a battle of junior welterweight fighters with losing records, Brooklyn's Laquan Lewis (2-9, 2 KOs) fought the hometown fighter, Osnel Charles (12-18-1, 2 KOs). Lewis came out swinging for the fences in the first round, and landed a big left hand to Charles' head during the round. Charles replied with big body shots that pushed his opponent backwards. In the second round, Charles hit Lewis with a left hand to the head that appeared to stun the fighter. Lewis answered this shot with a left hand to the head of his own that sent Charles to the canvas. In the fourth round, Lewis answered the bell with a swollen right eye. Charles, hungry for a knockout, landed a multi-punch combo to the head and body of Lewis that ended the bout at the 33 second mark of the fourth and final round. Charles celebrated his victory with the Atlantic City fans by jumping over the ringside guard rail into the crowd.

Long Island's Tommy Rainone (26-8-3, 6 KOs) fought Ecuador's Eduardo Flores (23-30-3, 14 KOs) in an eight round, welterweight contest. The two fighters spent the first round feeling one another out. Rainone controlled the tempo of the bout in the second round. Rainone had to be examined by the referee, Eric Dali, after being hit with what appeared to be an accidental headbutt in the third round. Flores spent much of the remainder of the round landing rabbit punches to the back of Rainone's head and neck, that went unnoticed by the referee. By the fourth round, Flores appeared winded and desperate to make it through the eight round contest. The dirtiness of Flores' fighting style especially became evident in later rounds when he continued to hold and punch Rainone in the back of the head. Rainone caught Flores' attention in the fifth round when he hit him with a nice right upper cut to the body. The judges scored the bout 78-74 for Flores, 77-75 for Rainone, and 76-76 a draw. To the displeasure of the crowd, the fight ended in a split draw.

Welterweights, Ernesto Perez (1-0), in his professional debut, fought Steve Moore (0-3) in a four round bout. Perez, the South Jersey fan favorite, controlled the tempo of the fight. Both fighters let their hands go in the first round and fought a fan pleasing and action-packed round. In the fourth round, Moore, realizing he was behind on the cards, threw big punches at his less experienced opponent. These blows had no impact on Perez, who went on to win the contest by unanimous decision (39-37 twice and 40-36).

The opening bout of the evening featured a four round bout between junior welterweights, Jahmal Dyer (4-1, 2 KOs) and Venderley Miranda (1-3, 1 KO). The action began in the second round when Dyer pinned Miranda up against the ropes with a multi-punch combo that hurt his opponent. Miranda was the aggressor in the fourth and final round. He threw several big right hooks, a few of which found their mark. One of these hooks stunned Dyer, who attempted to escape the onslaught. Seconds later, Miranda hit Dyer in the head with a right hook that left him dazed and defenseless. Referee Benjy Esteves Jr. saw enough at the 2:14 mark of the fourth round and stopped the fight. Miranda, the underdog on paper, won his first professional bout by TKO.

The evening's card also featured four bouts that followed the conclusion of the main event. Heavyweights, Darius Taylor (0-3) of North Carolina and Mike Rashid King (1-0, 1 KO) of Arizona by way of Brooklyn fought in a bout that was scheduled for four rounds. Rashid King, a 40-year-old rookie, knocked out his opponent at the 59 second mark of the first round with an overhand right to the head of Taylor.

The first swing match of the evening featured Larry Pryor (10-17, 5 KOs) and Alvin Varmall Jr. (15-0-1, 12 KOs). Varmall Jr., a cruiserweight who trains out of Cus D'Amato's Gym in Catskill, New York, knocked his opponent into the ropes with a right hand to the head in the second round. In the third round, Varmall again went on the attack when he pinned his opponent up against the ropes with a multi-punch combo. Pryor, although clearly hurt, covered up enough to prevent his opponent from finishing him off in the round. Varmall controlled the late rounds of the contest, but Pryor fought a defensive focused fight that allowed him to make it to the final bell. The judges scored the bout 60-53 and 59-54 twice for the winner by unanimous decision, Alvin Varmall Jr.

Corey Weekley (0-1) and Robert Terry (1-0), fighting their professional debuts, fought a four round, middleweight contest. Terry was the aggressor in the first and second rounds, when he landed a series of multi-punch combos to Weekley's head and body. Weekley demonstrated his toughness by absorbing these blows. The abuse continued into the fourth round when Terry tee'd off on his opponent at will. Weekley, desperate to not be kayo'd, wrapped up with his opponent for the bulk of the round. The judges' scorecards all read 40-36 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Jersey City's Robert Terry.

The final bout of the evening featured middleweights, Omar Kabary Salem (2-0) and Leon DeShields (0-3). Salem, who is known as the "Egyptian Magician" (Not Tarbash from the Jerky Boys...), landed big body shots, consisting of left and right hooks, on DeShields in the first round. A Salem left hand to DeShields' head in the second round hurt his opponent. The judges' scored the bout 40-36 three times for Salem. The final bout ended at 12:40 AM on Sunday, February 25th.

MW

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