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 Boxing Featuring Mykal Fox vs. vs. Manuel Reyes - Tuesday, November 21st (Bethlehem, PA)

The opening bout of the evening featured featherweights, Martino Jules (2-0) and Weusi Johnson (2-7). Johnson, a native of Wilmington, DE, was the aggressor throughout the first two rounds of action. Both men landed a series of good exchanges to open up the third. The fourth round was no different with both men fighting fiercely until the final bell rang. The judges' scorecards reflected the fact that this was an evenly matched and competitive bout. Allentown's Jules won a hard fought, four round, majority decision with one card scored a 38-38 draw, and two cards scored in favor of Jules, 40-36 and 39-37.

The second bout of the evening was between Allentown's Hector Bayanilla (2-0-1, 1 KO) and San Antonio's Jose Elizondo (2-4-1) in a four round bout. Bayanilla controlled the second round, in which he knocked down Elizondo with a double right hand to the head and body. Elizondo bounced back from the knock down to fight valiantly throughout the remainder of the contest. He reflected his toughness when he stayed on his feet in the third round after his opponent pushed him back with a series of hard left and right hooks to the body and head. The judges all scored the fight in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Hector Bayanilla (40-35, 39-36, and 39-36).

Heavyweights, Michael Coffie (1-0, 1 KO) and Ralph Alexander (0-2) fought in the third bout, a four round contest. The larger Coffie stepped into the ring looking to make a big statement in his professional debut. Coffie overwhelmed his opponent and the knockout came at 1:01 mark of the first round when Coffie connected with what appeared to be a left hook-right hand combo to the head of Alexander. Former New York State Athletic Commissioner, Randy Gordon, who appeared on an October 16, 2016 episode of our podcast, serves as Coffie's manager.

Light flyweights, Harold Lopez (2-0-1, 1 KO) Jerrod Miner (1-1) fought in an evenly matched and competitive four round fight. The two gladiators fought an action packed four round contest that proved to be a real crowd-pleaser. Lopez, the hometown fighter, walked away the winner via unanimous decision over the Philadelphian. One judge scored the bout 40-36, with the other two scoring the match 39-37.

The fifth bout of the evening featured Juan Sanchez (4-0, 1 KO) vs. James Early (2-2) in a four round featherweight contest. This fight was a showcase of wild punches and fatigue. Despite appearing to be fatigued at various points throughout the match, Sanchez kept dancing and maintained a slight advantage on the judges' scorecards. Sanchez won the bout by unanimous decision, winning all three judges' scorecards by a score of 39-37.

Top Rank signed fighter, Joseph Adorno (5-0, 5 KOs) fought in the evening's marquee fight, at least from the fan's perspective. His opponent in this super featherweight match was Corben Page (5-16, 1 KO) of Oregon. Adorno, the product of nearby Allentown, outclassed his veteran opponent from the opening bell. Adorno spent the first round of the four round contest feeling out his opponent, and landing the more effective punches. The second round was a different story, when Adorno put his power on display. Page was knocked down early in the round via an Adorno right hand to the head. As the round approached its end, Adorno connected on a series of left and right hooks to the body and head that left his opponent defenseless in the blue corner. Referee Gary Rosato called an end to the action at the 2:58 mark of the second round. Adorno, the winner by TKO, won his fifth straight fight by knockout.

The evening's co-main event featured an eight round, lightweight battle between Victor Vazquez (9-3, 3 KOs) and Ricardo Garcia (14-1, 9 KOs). Garcia hit Vazquez with a right hook that busted open his nose in the first round. Despite having blood running down his face, Vazquez ended the round with a vicious combo that pinned Garcia up against the red corner ropes. Garcia was knocked down in the third round, with a Vazquez right hand to the head. Vazquez appeared to score a second knockdown as the bell marking the end of the fourth round rang, but the referee ruled it a slip. In the sixth round, the referee appeared to miss another knockdown, after Vazquez connected on a right hook that sent Garcia to the canvas. This was also ruled a slip. In the eighth and final round, Vazquez sent Garcia down to one knee with a hard right hand to the upper body. Garcia recovered from the knockdown, to fight valiantly through the round. Vazquez, hungry for a knockout, pushed Garcia into the ropes near the red corner late in the eighth round, but was unable to knockout the tough fighter from the Dominican Republic. The judges saw the contest 75-75, 77-72, and 77-72. The latter two scores were in favor of the winner by majority decision, Yonkers' Victor Vazquez.

Fans were one fight away from having an eight fight card full of action... That's when the main event featuring Mykal Fox (15-0, 4 KOs) vs. Manuel Reyes (11-4-1, 5 KOs) happened. Fox, the taller fighter, clearly landed more punches over the course of the bout, but for the most part, these punches appeared to have little power behind them. Much of the main event was filled with the two fighters feeling one another out. The judges scored the bout 78-74, 80-72, and 79-73, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Mykal Fox.

*The scheduled super featherweight main event between Frank De Alba (22-2-2, 9 KOs) and Ivan Najera (17-3, 8 KOs) was cancelled after Najera weighed-in 15 pounds overweight.

MW

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King's Promotions Presents Premier Boxing Champions: Mario Barrios vs. Naim Nelson - Tuesday, September 19th (Bethlehem, PA)

Tuesday night's eight bout card from Sands Bethlehem Event Center kicked off with a four round, super lightweight bout between Jeffrey Torres (4-0, 2 KOs) and Latorie Woodberry (1-5-1). Woodberry, fighting out of Roanoke, was knocked down three times over the course of the first round of action by the Team DSG backed fighter, Torres. The first knockdown was the result of a devastating series of left hooks to the body. The second knockdown came after Torres connected on a left hook to the head of Woodberry. The TKO came at the 1:59 mark of the first round, after Torres landed a right hook to Woodberry’s head. Gary Rosato served as the referee for this bout.

Antuanne Russell (2-0, 2 KOs), of the Russell boxing family, came out at the opening bell swinging for the head and body of his veteran, Mexican opponent, Jesus Lule (11-24-1, 2 KOs). Lule took a great deal of damage from the Russell hooks and upper cuts that landed with precision and power to his head and body. The super lightweight bout was stopped by referee, Benjy Esteves Jr., at the 2:38 mark of the first round of a scheduled four round contest. 

Bantamweight prospect, Antonio Russell (9-0, 6 KOs), younger brother of Gary Russell Jr. and older brother of Antuanne, squared off against Mexico’s Christian Renteria (7-6, 6 KOs) in a six round contest. Russell effectively worked the body of Renteria in the first round, but the heavier fighter (120.2 lbs.) managed to survive the round. Russell controlled the second round by landing a series of powerful combos that appeared to hurt Renteria. Despite the damage he took during the round, the exhausted, Renteria fought valiantly to the end of round bell. Renteria came out swinging in the third round, landing several hooks to Russell’s body and head, but Russell again took control of the round. Russell preserved his undefeated record by landing a right hand to Renteria’s chin. Renteria took a knee and appeared dazed prior to referee, Benjy Estevez Jr. waiving off the fight at 1:26 of the third round. 

Scranton’s Ryan Wilczak (5-0, 3 KOs) fought Allentown’s Devin McMaster (1-3) in a scheduled four round, junior middleweight contest that only lasted 95 seconds. McMaster was first knocked down by a right hook to the head. Despite still appearing dazed, McMaster pulled himself off of the canvas to continue fighting. Wilczak continued his onslaught and dropped McMaster with a left hook to the head at the 1:35 mark of the first round. McMaster who was sprawled out on the canvas, was helped to his feet following the knockout defeat. 

The fourth fight featured featherweights, Juan Sanchez (3-0, 1 KO) of Bethlehem, PA and Gorwar Karyah (1-1, 1 KO) of Philadelphia. In the opening round, Sanchez knocked Karyah down with a left hook to the head. Karyah recovered to finish the round, which was scored in favor of Sanchez. The final round was highlighted by two brutal exchanges at the beginning and end of the round in the red corner. Two of the judges scored the bout 40-37, with one judge scoring it 39-36, all in favor of Sanchez. 

The televised portion of the card on FS1 began with a light heavyweight contest between Earl Newman (10-0-1, 7 KOs) and Paul Parker (8-2-1, 4 KOs). This fight was a great matchup to open up the national broadcast because it was highly competitive, with both fighters landing big shots throughout the eight round bout. There were fireworks in the third round when both fighters exchanged shots in the middle of the ring. Parker was the aggressor in the fourth round, and appeared to hurt Newman with a big overhand right to the head. The round ended after a series of big punches by each fighter. The final four rounds were very close, and the judge’s scorecards reflected this fact. The judges scored the bout, 79-73 for Newman, 77-75 for Parker, and a 76-76 draw, with the fight ending in a split decision draw.

Lightweights, Thomas Velasquez (9-0-1, 5 KOs) and Tyrome Jones (4-2-1, 1 KO) fought in the second televised bout of the evening. From the opening bell, the fight was far more competitive than most boxing analysts may have thought it would be. Velasquez, a Philadelphia fighter, put on display his speed and endurance. Velasquez appeared to have problems with Jones’ style on several occasions throughout the contest. Jones controlled the final round of the contest by landing big shots to the chin and body of Velasquez. Both Jones and Velasquez captured a judge’s scorecard with a score of 59-55, with one judge scoring the bout a 57-57 draw. The fight ended in a split decision draw.

The main event featured super lightweights, Mario Barrios (20-0, 12 KOs) and Naim Nelson (13-4, 1 KO). Philadelphia’s Nelson controlled the first two rounds of the contest, before injuring his left shoulder in the third round. The ringside physician checked Nelson twice during the third and fourth rounds to ensure that he was able to continue. Despite fighting with one good arm from the third round on, Nelson demonstrated solid defense and fought valiantly until the fight was halted by the ringside physician at the 1:41 mark of the seventh round of a scheduled ten round fight. The fight was called off after San Antonio's Barrios hit Nelson on his left, injured shoulder. Gary Rosato served as the referee for the main event on Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

MW

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