Philly Fighters Shine in Latest Installment of Xcite Fight Night

By Matt Ward, Ringside

Joe Hand Promotions in conjunction with Peltz Boxing Promotions and BAM Boxing Promotions returned to the Xcite Center at Parx Casino for the sixth installment of Xcite Fight Night. The full house of fight fans were treated to an entertaining night of boxing featuring a number of Philadelphia area boxers.

The main event featured an eight round bout in the lightweight division between Victor Padilla (8-0, 7 KOs) and Israel Suarez-Olmeda (4-8-3, 1 KO).  This fight failed to live up to expectations as Suarez-Olmeda did not survive the first round of the contest. Suarez-Olmeda, who fought Gervonta Davis in 2015, was knocked down by Padilla, a southpaw prospect from Camden, in the opening frame. Despite recovering from this early meeting with the canvas, Suarez-Olmeda looked like a scared and dazed man for his final seconds in the bout. Another hard left hand to the head by Padilla ended Suarez-Olmeda's night at the 2:46 mark of the first round. Referee Gary Rosato, seeing the writing on the wall, stepped in to prevent any further damage to the Puerto Rican southpaw who has now not won a fight since 2011. Padilla has now won two fights in a row by technical knockout.

Wise Came to Fight

In the junior middleweight division, Isaiah Wise (8-2-2, 5 KOs), Philadelphia, faced off against Enver Halili (10-3, 3 KOs), the Bronx, in a bout that was scheduled for six rounds. Both men looked to bounce back in their professional campaigns with a victory on Friday night, however, it was Wise who got the "W." Wise, who looked to be in excellent fighting shape, landed big left hands to Halili's head and body in the opening round. A hard Wise left hand to the head scored a knockdown against Halili during this frame. As the round neared its end, Wise landed hammering right hooks to Halili's head. Halili stumbled backwards, but managed to stay on his feet as the bell marking the end of the round rang. A brutal right hand from Wise at the 1:27 mark of the second round sealed the TKO victory for the 27-year-old Philadelphian. 

The Fight of the Night 

Those who witnessed the spectacle of fisticuffs that was Christopher Burgos (3-4-1, 1 KO) vs. Sheldon Deverteuil (2-1-2) last night should all agree that this was the fight of the night, and a clear front runner for "Philadelphia Fight of the Year." In this bout, two journeymen caliber fighters stepped into the ring to put on a show full of offensive fireworks for an appreciative crowd. As soon as the bell rang starting the six round lightweight contest, Burgos moved forward aggressively, effectively using the right hand to pound away at Deverteuil. Despite walking down and landing big shots on Deverteuil throughout the first and second rounds, Deverteuil refused to play the part of the victim in this all-North Philly classic. As Burgos landed punches, Deverteuil fired back on all cylinders in what became a slug fest from start to finish. 

At some points in the third round, it appeared that the fighters were going punch-for-punch. Deverteuil lost his mouthpiece twice during this round as his momentum appeared to slow down. In the fourth, Burgos was again Deverteuil's stalker. As Burgos landed shots on Deverteuil, he became the recipient of effective counterpunches from his opponent. 

The fifth round was highlighted by big right and left hands to the body by both fighters. The round ended with both men putting their heads together, in a telephone booth style exchange, to pound away at one another's heads and bodies. To the amazement of this writer, both men stayed on their feet! The sixth and final round opened with a continuation of the close combat that ended the fifth. The only pause to the action in this contest came in the final ten seconds of the bout when both men coasted to the final bell. Rightfully so, the crowd roared with approval as both men and their corners embraced following the ring war. All three judges scored the bout 59-55 for the winner by unanimous decision, Christopher Burgos.

Tyhler Emerges Winner of All-Williams Bout

In an all-Philly and all-Williams matchup, Tyhler Williams (4-0, 3 KOs) continued his winning ways as a professional by defeating the 45-year-old Demetris Williams (1-7) by TKO. In the opening round, Tyhler put his speed on display. Demetris, overwhelmed by a barrage of straight right and left hands, desperately tried to escape the onslaught by backpedaling into the ropes, but was unable to escape the non-stop pressure. The referee saw enough of the junior welterweight beat down at 1:48 of the first round. 

Son of a Philly Legend Wins Pro Debut

Charles Brewer, Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) and Kyl Fritz (0-1) both made their professional debuts last night in Bensalem. Brewer, the son of former middleweight world champion Charles Brewer, was escorted to the ring in front of a roaring crowd by his father-trainer. Fritz, of Phoenix, AZ, landed two nice straight right hands to the head of Brewer in the first round. Brewer, clearly having a case of the butterflies, fought very cautiously in the first round against his awkward stanced and taller opponent. Appearing more comfortable and adjusted to Fritz in the second round, Brewer pummeled his opponent into a neutral corner with multiple left and right hooks. Referee Shawn Clark saw enough of the beat down at 1:17 of the second round, and waived off the fight to the protest of Fritz, who at this point, appeared to still have some fight left in him. 

Taylor Sent to the Showers Early by Stevens 

In cruiserweight action, David Stevens (3-0, 2 KO) made quick work of Tahlik Taylor (3-13-1, 1 KO). Taylor was down early in the first round after being slammed by a Stevens' left hook to the head. Taylor recovered from the knockdown but was on very shaky legs. Stevens, smelling blood in the water, used the same punch he had success with seconds earlier to end the evening's work early at 1:02 of the opening frame. 

Atoev Cruises to Four Round Victory

The card opened up with a four round super featherweight bout between Shakhzod Atoev (1-0) and Juan Ibarra (0-3). Atoev answered the bell teeing off on Ibarra, who was visibly hurt from the shots. Atoev landed a hard right uppercut that snapped Ibarra's head back. Despite Atoev's low guard for most of the fight, Ibarra was unable to land any meaningful shots. As the second round progressed, Atoev pushed Ibarra into a neutral corner with hard straight right and left hands

In the third round, Atoev continued to control the pace of the fight, but was unable to land the big punch that would have honored the repeated requests of his corner to "finish him." Atoev landed several big left hands to the head and body of Ibarra in the fourth round. Ibarra responded by pushing Atoev into the ropes with shots that had little to no effect on his opponent. Atoev, confident he was ahead on cards, began to deliberately wind up on uppercuts as the fourth round neared its end. All three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Atoev.  

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Joe Hand Promotions Returns to Parx Casino with Seven Fight Card

By Matt Ward

Joe Hand Promotions returns to the Parx Casino Xcite Center on Friday, July 31st for the sixth installment of their popular boxing series Xcite Fight Night. The seven fight card will be headlined by an eight round lightweight bout between Victor Padilla (7-0, 6 KOs) and Israel Suarez-Olmeda (4-7-3, 1 KO).  

Padilla, a rising prospect in the lightweight division from South Jersey, has won six of his seven fights as a professional by way of knockout. The 21-year-old southpaw last fought on December 5, 2019, a fifth round TKO victory over Fredric Bowen at Terminal 5 in New York. Suarez-Olmeda is winless in his last six bouts. 

Super welterweights Enver Halili (10-2, 3 KOs) will face off against Isaiah Wise (7-2-2, 4 KOs) in a six round contest. Both men look to bounce back in their professional campaigns with victories on Friday night. Halili has lost his last two fights, while Wise fought to a draw last October. Halili, who resides in the Bronx, was defeated by Raymond Serrano in 2017 and Jimmy Williams in 2018. Philadelphia's Wise and Roque Zapata drew in a six round fight at the 2300 Arena on October 4, 2019. 

A full cast of Philadelphia area fighters will also be in action on the card including, Christopher Burgos, Sheldon Deverteuil, Demetris Williams, Tyhler Williams, Shahkzod Atoev, and Charles Brewer, Jr.. 

Brewer is the son of former Philly great Charles "The Hatchet" Brewer, who held the IBF Super Middleweight Title between June 1997 and October 1998. The younger Brewer will make his professional debut in the light heavyweight division against another rookie fighter, North Carolina's Kyl Fritz. 

For more information and to purchase tickets to this great night of boxing, visit the Parx Casino Xcite Center official website.

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War at Parx - Peltz’s 50th - Ennis Returns

By Luis A. Cortes III

It’s true that when the unofficial end of summer takes place and Labor Day passes that the boxing schedule begins to turn up the heat for the fall.  This year has been no exception.  With so many ways for boxing fans to be plugged into the sport, and with so many different outlets distributing fight cards, it can be easy for fans to lose track or miss out on a specific fight, fighter, or all-around fight card that they were anticipating.  With that in mind, I thought I would take some time to give you a few quick reminders about a great fight that took place last Friday just outside of Philadelphia, along with some other key dates regarding boxing and the city of Brotherly Love.

War at Parx Casino (September 20th)

Joe Hand Promotions may best be known as the king of closed-circuit television on the east coast, especially in the Philadelphia area.  However, they do have a stable of fighters that they manage and have a ton of relationships that run deep into all areas of the sport.  As a result, fight fans in the Philadelphia area are treated to a handful of fight cards each year.  During the past two years, these shows have taken place at the Xcite Center located inside of Parx Casino.  Last Friday seemed to be an exciting local show that featured five fights.  There were some knockouts and a farewell to the always hard-working Jamaal Davis, a super middleweight from Philadelphia that never reached the likes of Madison Square Garden or the elite level, but always gave paying fans his best effort both in victory and defeat.  His loss in a six round fight marked the end of his career.

After four fights, the fourth being another quality victory by the recently signed to Lou Dibella Entertainment Jr. lightweight Joshafat Ortiz (7-0) (4 KO’s), Ortiz needed six rounds to out work and out box Anderw Bentley an awkward southpaw.  It was then time for the main event, featuring another local fighter signed to Lou Dibella, lightweight Stevie Ortiz.  What took place next after the bell sounded for round one was eight non-stop edge of your seat rounds of pure action.  Ortiz started out by taking a lead in the fight by out boxing his determined opponent Alejandro Salinas.  In the second round, Ortiz, thinking he had hurt Salinas, moved in for the kill but was greeted by a thunderous left hook from Salinas that floored Ortiz.  Clearly hurt, Ortiz was still shaking off the buzz from the knockdown in the prior round when he again started to establish control in the third, only to once again show his willingness to exchange power shots.         

When Ortiz landed on his back, being dropped this time by a right hand in the third round, it seemed like the fans were witnessing an upset win for Salinas.  Unlike the first knockdown where Ortiz was able to get up with a clear mind, this time he was clearly one more power shot away from being completely knocked out.  To his credit, Ortiz was aware of this fact and started to hold and move around the ring to avoid the nail in the coffin shot from Salinas.  Being down two rounds to one after three in an eight-round fight is not often hard to overcome, but with both of those rounds featuring knockdowns, Ortiz was down three points.

War back into the fight is what Ortiz needed to do and he did.  With his prospects of victory all but dead in the water, Ortiz changed the tide into him potentially regaining control of the action.  He did this by utilizing his boxing skills and a powerful overhand right that continued to connect from a distance to the side of Salinas’ head.  Over the next five rounds, fans got all types of continued drama in each round as both warriors struggled to assert themselves as the dominant fighter of each three-minute stanza.  They both got hurt or were stunned on numerous occasions.  There was no let-up in either fighter and both fighters swung for the fences as the ringside clapper went off to signify ten seconds remaining in the fight.  Fans rose to their feet and applauded both men for their effort, resourcefulness, determination, and mostly for the exciting entertainment they granted everyone lucky enough to witness their fight.  Ortiz would walk out of the ring the victor winning a majority decision with two judges scoring the fight 76-74 and the third having it even 75-75.  With the victory, Ortiz improves to 11-0 (3 KO’s), while the game Salinas dropped to 10-3 (9 KO’s).  This fight could easily be granted the honor of Philadelphia fight of the year for the almost completed 2019.

Peltz Promotions turns 50 

Next Friday night, October 4th, from the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia, the boxing community will be celebrating the golden anniversary of J. Russell Peltz’s involvement with the sport.  Peltz has been the king of boxing in Philadelphia and has a long and beautiful history with the sport, that at times in his life’s journey has played various roles.  It’s been his savior, a place of refuge, and his passion.  Along with whatever else he has needed it to be to survive.  Emily Pandelakis wrote a wonderful feature story that detailed all the ways that Peltz has impacted boxing history, as well as the ways boxing has impacted the history of Russell Peltz as a man.  Click here to read the piece, it was truly wonderfully done.

As for the actual night of action on October 4th, Michelle Rosado of Raging Babe has put together her second show at 2300 Arena to honor her mentor that will feature an eight-fight card.  Local fighters like Marcel “Celly” Rivers, Osnel Charles will be featured on the card, along with an appealing rematch between Isaiah Wise against Roque Zapata. Zapata gave Wise one of his losses.  The main event features a young prospect that has all the tools and natural ability to go far in the sport, as Victor Padilla fights for the second time this year after almost a two-year absence from the ring.  At the age of just twenty, time is still on his side.

Stay tuned for a feature article next week that will look at just how after 50 years in the sport, Russell Peltz feels about the business and the way things have changed since he first started promoting fights in 1969.  Tickets for the show are still available but are going fast.  Contact (215) 765-0922 to purchase your seats for this historic night.

Jaron Ennis returns 10/5 

One of the most talked about young contenders in the sport, Jaron “Boots” Ennis (23-0) (21 KO’s) returns to the ring on October 5th.  He will be featured as the co-feature of a Showtime Championship Boxing card.  In the main event, Claressa Shields will try to capture the WBO junior middleweight championship against Ivana Habazin.  This fight is a homecoming for Shields as it takes place in Flint, Michigan.  For Ennis, this is just his second fight in 2019, after being one of the most active prospects in the sport since turning professional in 2016.  His long lay-off was due to some issues from a managerial standpoint, but with all things cleared up, he continues to march forward to prove that he is indeed the future of the division and the sport.

Next week we will look at just what some of those issues were that kept him sidelined for the majority of 2019, why he feels that it hasn’t stopped his progression, and his answer to many critics who look at his record and feel that he has faced soft opposition to pad his record.  Stay tuned to The Weigh-In for continued coverage, along with a look at the unification welterweight fight between Erol Spence and Shawn Porter this Saturday night on Fox pay-per-view

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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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Joe Hand Promotions Presents Xcite Fight Night II - Friday, June 29th (Bensalem, PA)

The Philly fight scene was in full-force Friday night at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Joe Hand Promotions in association with BAM Boxing put on yet another exciting night for fight fans in Bucks County with an eight fight card of professional boxing. To the local crowd's delight, all but two of the fighters on the Xcite Fight Night II card were from the greater Philadelphia area. This made for a great night of aggressive, Philly-style fights loaded with action.

The main event featured the return of Miguel Cartagena (15-5-1, 6 KOs) to Pennsylvania. Cartagena, a native of North Philadelphia, has not fought in his home state since 2014. His opponent, Carlos Maldonado (11-2, 7 KOs), is a fighter from Los Angeles who has fought all but one of his previous fights as a professional in Mexico. Unfortunately, Cartagena's homecoming was spoiled by his orthodox, flyweight opponent. In the second round, Maldonado hurt Cartagena with a left hook to the head that he followed up with a multi-punch combo to Cartagena's head and body. Cartagena snapped Maldonado's head back with a right hand in the third round. The two men had a good exchange at the end of the fourth round that included a number of clean, hard punches to the head and body. Cartagena landed a nice left hook to the head of Maldonado in the seventh round. Seconds later, blood appeared on the fighter's nose. After a big exchange of punches later in the round, blood appeared under Cartagena's right eye. Cartagena was knocked down in the eighth and final round by a Maldonado right to the head. Before the knockdown, Cartagena was on shaky legs after being hit with a left-right combo. Cartagena recovered from the knockdown, and was forced to fight to make it out of the bout on his feet. Maldonado, hoping for the knockout, landed big right hands to the head of Cartagena that snapped the fighters head back. The final ten seconds of the bout were arguably the longest ten seconds of Cartagena's life. The judges were divided in how they saw the fight, and scored contest 76-75 for Maldonado, 76-75 for Cartagena, and 77-74 for the winner by split decision, Carlos Maldonado.

The co-main event of the evening featured a six round rematch between local junior middleweights, Anthony Prescott (8-8-3, 2 KOs) and Isaiah Wise (6-2-1, 3 KOs), in which both men "beat the crap out of each other." The two men met on the first Xcite Fight Night card on March 9th with Prescott walking away the winner by split decision. The two fighters were involved in a brutal exchange as the second round came an end. In the third round, a vicious exchange began when Prescott landed a series of hard rights to the head of Wise. The round ended with an action-packed exchange in which both men threw hard lefts and rights to one another's heads and bodies. At the beginning of the fourth round, Wise jabbed Prescott into the blue corner. Later in the round, Prescott who appeared to be on shaky legs, clubbed Wise into a neutral corner as the round came to an end. Wise controlled the fifth round until the final seconds of the round when Prescott landed a series of power shots to the head of Wise. In the sixth and final round, Prescott landed shot after shot which bloodied Wise's nose. The two men fought through the final bell and had to be pulled apart from referee, Benjy Esteves. The judges scored the bout 58-56 for Prescott, 58-56 for Wise, and 57-57 a draw.

North Philadelphia boxing prospect, Marcel Rivers (6-0, 4 KOs) fought Delaware's Mike Crain (2-3-1, 1 KO) in a six round, welterweight bout. Crain got a taste of Rivers' power towards the end of the first round when he was caught with a hard right hand to the head. Rivers went on the attack in the second round, but Crain wrapped up his opponent to avoid any unnecessary damage from the always dangerous, Rivers. As the round progressed, Crain continued to hold Rivers, and at one point tackled his opponent into the ropes. Crain hit Rivers with an accidental headbutt in the opening seconds of the third round. This headbutt seemed to take some of the momentum out of Rivers' offense, however, Crain kept his distance and fought extremely cautious for the remainder of the round. In the fourth round, Rivers walked into a number of Crain's shots, and appeared to be tiring as the round came to an end. Rivers rallied in the fifth round, as he landed a series of power shots to Crain's head and body that clearly stunned the fighter. Rivers opened up the final round with a right hand hand to the head that staggered Crain. Soon after, blood appeared in his nose. Rivers easily won this round by clobbering Crain with numerous big right hands to the head and body. The judges scored the bout 58-56 and 59-55 twice for Rivers.

Elmira, New York's Vinnie Denierio (3-5, 1 KO) fought North Philly's Victor Vasquez (21-11-1, 9 KOs) in a six round, junior welterweight contest. Denierio, an awkward and lengthy fighter, is no stranger to the Philadelphia fight scene as he has recently appeared on several shows in the area. In the first round, the two fighters spent a great deal of time feeling one another out. In the second round, the taller Denierio leaned into a number of shots from the stocky Vasquez. Denierio punished Vasquez in the third round by pushing him into the ropes with a big multi-punch combo. By the fourth round, Vasquez looked frustrated with the taller man's fighting style. Vasquez answered this frustration by landing big right hands to the head and body of Denierio. The two men battled through the fourth round bell. Vasquez landed a series of big left and right hands on the head and body of his opponent as the fifth round came to an end. Despite being rocked on multiple occasions, Denierio kept coming forward in the sixth round, showing that this man always comes to fight. The judges scored the bout 57-57 and 58-56 twice for the winner by majority decision, Victor Vasquez.

Phoenixville PAL product, Gerardo Martinez (3-1, 1 KO) fought Nyrome Lynch (0-2) in a four round, lightweight bout. Martinez answered the opening bell as the aggressor, and put pressure on Lynch throughout the opening round. During this round, Lynch went into survival mode after being caught with a hard right hand to the head. Lynch responded to this shot by holding Martinez the first of many times over the course of the four round fight. In the third round, referee Eric Dali deducted a point from Lynch for holding. After the point deduction, Martinez let his hands go and landed punches to Lynch's head and body at will. Lynch, who was clearly hurt at this point, did just enough offensively to keep the referee from stopping the fight. Lynch continued to hold Martinez in the fourth round in a desperate attempt to stay on his feet. Lynch made a valiant attempt to rally offensively late in the final round, but this attack was stopped with a Martinez right hand to the head as time expired. All three judges scored the bout 40-35 in favor of Gerardo Martinez.

The second fight of the evening featured North Philadelphia lightweights, Adolfo Serrano (0-1) and Christopher Burgos (1-2-1, 1 KO). The late crowd to this show certainly missed a good fight! From the opening bell until the fight was stopped in the fourth and final round, both men fought one another as if they were products of a long-standing blood feud. Burgos came out swinging for the fences in the first round. He attacked Serrano so viciously that most ringside spectators thought that Serrano had something unflattering about Burgos' mother... Burgos, who appeared to punch himself out, was punished with Serrano left and right hooks to the body in the opening round. Burgos who later got his second wind in the first round, responded to these hooks with hard uppercuts and hooks of his own. Serrano, the product of Philly's Harrowgate Gym, landed the cleaner punches in the first and second rounds on Burgos, who at times swung wildly and missed his mark. As the second round neared its end, Serrano looked very uncomfortable under the body shots of Burgos. In the third round, Burgos again went on the attack. Serrano backed up the aggressor with a right hand to the head. A cut later appeared under the right eye of Burgos in the round. Burgos abused Serrano with a multi-punch combo in the fourth round that stunned his opponent. Soon after, the fight was stopped at the 1:58 mark of the final round in favor of the winner by TKO, Christopher Burgos.

The opening bout of the evening featured a four round, middleweight contest between Sharif Jones (0-2-1) of Northeast Philadelphia and Kieran Hooks (3-0-1, 1 KO) of Southwest Philadelphia. Jones had a strong performance in the opening minute of the first round. Hooks, who had a clear height advantage over his opponent, backed up Jones with jabs as the first round came to an end. In the second round, Hooks landed right hands to the head of Jones at will. Jones was hurt during this round by a big left-right combo to the head. He was again hurt by a Hooks' right hand hand to the head as the second round neared its end. Hooks beat up Jones again in the third round as he landed a right to the head that sent Jones stumbling backwards. To Jones' credit, this man demonstrated his toughness by staying on his feet throughout this punishment. His toughness was on display all the way to the final bell, as Jones, knowing he was behind on the cards, tried desperately to knock out Hooks. The judges scored the bout 39-37, 40-36, and 40-35 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Kieran Hooks.

The "walk out bout" of the evening featured a four round, bantamweight bout between Ndira Spearman (1-2) and Emmanuel Rodriguez (3-0). Rodriguez controlled the tempo of the bout from the opening bell and walked away the winner by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 40-36 and 39-37 twice in favor of the New Jersey based fighter.

MW

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Joe Hand Promotions Presents Xcite Fight Night II Preview

Professional boxing returns to the Xcite Center at Parx Casino on Friday, June 29th. The eight fight card, that is promoted by Joe Hand with matchmaking by J. Russell Peltz, is headlined by a flyweight bout between Carlos Maldonado (15-4-1, 6 KOs) and Miguel Cartagena (10-2, 7 KOs). Maldonado, an orthodox fighter from Los Angeles, is coming off of a unanimous decision defeat to Joshua Franco last December. Philadelphia's Cartagena last fought former flyweight champion, Brian Viloria, on the undercard of Wisaksil Wangek vs. Roman Gonzalez from Carson, California on September 9, 2017. This will be Cartagena's first fight in his home state of Pennsylvania since 2014. Maldonado has fought all but one of his previous fights as a professional in Mexico.

The card also features a rematch between Anthony Prescott (8-8-2, 2 KOs) and Isaiah Wise (6-2, 3 KOs). The two men met on March 9th at Parx Casino when Prescott won the six round bout by split decision. Wise, who is no stranger to the Philadelphia fight scene, won three straight fights before losing to Wise last March. The two men will again square off in what is expected to be a competitive match up next Friday.

The card also features the following bouts:

Victor Vasquez vs. Vinnie Denierio - six rounds, junior welterweights

Gerardo Martinez vs. Nyrome Lynch - four rounds, lightweights

Sharif Jones vs. Kieran Hooks - four rounds, junior middleweights

Adolfo Serrano vs. Christopher Burgos - four rounds, lightweights

Emmanuel Rodriguez vs. Ndira Spearman - four rounds, bantamweights

Marcel Rivers vs. Mike Crain - six rounds, welterweights

For more information on this great night of boxing, please check out the Joe Hand Boxing official website or Facebook page.

MW

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Philly Fight Night - Lundy vs. Evangelista - Friday, June 2nd (Philadelphia, PA)

Tonight's show at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia was promoted by Peltz Boxing in conjunction with BAM Boxing, CES Boxing, Joe Hand, and Raging Babe. The nine bout card featured 46 rounds of professional boxing. The guest of honor was Philadelphia boxing legend, former WBA Bantamweight Champion, and International Boxing Hall of Famer Joltin Jeff Chandler. 

The opening bout of the evening featured junior middleweights Ishmael Altman (0-0-1) and Tyree Crowder (0-0-1). Both North Carolina’s Altman and North Philadelphia’ Crowder made their professional debut in this contest. Altman, who had an advantage over his opponent in both height and reach, appeared to hurt Crowder in the first round with a series of left hands to the head, but could not capitalize on this for a knockdown. When the final bell rang after the four round fight, it was evident to many spectators, including the judges, that neither fighter had done enough to capture a majority of the rounds. All three judges scored the contest a draw, 38-38.

The second bout featured welterweights Jamaal Gregory (1-1-0, 1 KO) and Marcel Rivers (2-0-0, 1 KO). Rivers, a North Philadelphia native, landed a series of powerful shots in the second round. In the third round, he knocked Gregory down with an overhand right to the head. The Charlotte fighter was able to recover from this knock down and finish the round. Both fighters fought a hard fourth round to finish off the bout that ended in favor of Rivers. All three judges scored the bout 39-36.

Lightweights Marko Bailey (5-0-0, 3 KOs) of Durham, NC and Vinnie Denierio (1-2-0, 1 KO) of Geneva, NY stepped into the squared circle next for a four rounder. Denierio, a lengthy and somewhat awkward fighter, appeared to give Bailey problems in the first round. However, as the contest progressed Bailey adjusted to his style and began to land punches on his opponent. The fourth round was action packed with both fighters exchanging blows throughout the round. In the end, the bout went to Bailey via a majority decision. One judge scored the bout a draw, 38-38, with the other two judges scoring the contest 39-37.

Local featherweight fighter and fan favorite Crystian Peguero (2-0-0, 1 KO) took on New York’s Saquan Felton (0-2-0) in the fourth bout on the card. Early on in the fight, Peguero landed numerous hooks and upper cuts to his opponent, which continued into later rounds. Felton appeared to never be able to defend against Peguero’s speed, and the scorecards reflected that. After four rounds of boxing, all three judges scored contest in favor of the Philly native (39-37, 40-36, and 40-36).

The fifth contest of the evening was a much anticipated matchup between Rockledge, PA’s Scott Kelleher (5-1-0, 3 KOs) and Newark, NJ’s Dion Richardson (2-1-0, 2 KOs). The previously undefeated Kelleher, who weighed in at 139.3 pounds, stepped into the ring looking for his fifth career victory over Richardson (137.4 pounds). Kelleher was knocked down three times over the course of the first round. The first knockdown came after a Richardson barrage of punches that appeared to break Kelleher’s nose. Kelleher was able to recover from the knockdown as blood gushed out of his nostrils.  Kelleher, who was clearly dazed, was attacked yet again with a multi-punch combo that sent him to the canvas. He recovered from the second knockdown only to be TKO’d at the 2:19 mark of the first round of a scheduled four rounds by yet another vicious series of punches to the body and head.

Germantown’s Jaron Ennis (12-0-0, 10 KOs) faced veteran Nicaraguan fighter Wilfredo Acuna (17-21-0, 13 KOs) in a six round welterweight contest. Ennis got to work early by knocking his opponent down in the first round with a right hook to the bed. The hurt Nicaraguan got up only to be knocked out later in the round by an Ennis right hand to the body. The knockout came at the 1:23 mark of the first round.

Junior Middleweights Mark Daniels Jr. (3-1-0, 1 KO) of Wisconsin and North Philadelphia’s Isaiah Wise (5-1-0, 3 KOs) squared off in the seventh match of the evening. Wise controlled the tempo of the fight through all six rounds of action. He landed numerous shots, especially in the later rounds, which appeared to hurt his opponent. However, the Wisconsin native was able to absorb the blows and make it to the final bell. Wise walked away with a lopsided unanimous decision victory for his efforts in the bout. One judge scored the contest 60-54, with the other two scoring the bout 59-55.

The main event of the evening featured Hank Lundy (28-6-1, 14 KOs) and Ricardo Lara replacement, Daniel Evangelista (19-8-2, 15 KOs). This eight round lightweight contest was billed as the “Return of the Hammer”. Lundy did his part to not spoil his own homecoming to Philadelphia by landing numerous big hooks on his Mexican opponent. Evangelista proved his toughness by taking a number of powerful shots through five rounds of boxing. The end came at the 2:53 mark of the fifth round after Lundy connected on a brutal multi-punch combo. Evangelista was able to pull himself up off the canvas but he was clearly badly hurt. Referee Gary Rosato deemed him unable to continue and called an end to the action. As Lundy exited the ring, he was overheard yelling, “I didn’t want to knock him out. But, he hit me and that made me mad.”

The final bout of the evening featured cruiserweights Juan Reyna (6-7-1, 2 KOs) and Alvin Varmall Jr. (11-0-1, 9 KOs) in a six round contest. Varmall came out at the bell the far more aggressive fighter, and scored two knockdowns from multi-punch combos in the first round. The second knock down resulted in a TKO at the 2:02 mark of the first round.  

MW

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MW