Meanwhile in Philadelphia...

Check out our very own Luis Cortes' recent article, Meanwhile in Philadelphia... 

Luis' article on the upcoming Philadelphia area boxing shows is available on the Undisputed Champion Network website.

Congrats on another great article, Luis!

-Luis A. Cortes III

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

Robinson Wins Decision Over Riojas, Aleem Beats Bates in Slugfest

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

Kendall Cannida WUD4 Carlos Villenueva 

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

Denis Okoth WSD4 Rasheed Johnson

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

Poindexter Knight WUD4 Vincent Floyd  

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

Colby Madison MD6 Guillermo De Rio

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

Raeese Aleem WUD8 Marcus Bates

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

Brandon Robinson WUD8 Oscar Riojas 

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

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

-Luis A. Cortes III

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

King's Promotions Presents Live Pro Boxing - Friday, March 2nd (Philadelphia, PA)

Philadelphia's own Christian Carto (14-0, 11 KOs) made a statement on Friday night in front of a sell out crowd at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia. Carto, a bantamweight prospect and local fan favorite, fought Detroit's James Smith (12-2, 7 KOs), who trains out of the legendary Kronk Gym, in an eight round main event. The 21-year-old Carto effectively utilized his jab in the opening frame. In the second round, Smith appeared baffled by Carto's speed, as he continued to connect with jabs to Smith's head at will. Smith, frustrated by his opponent's skills, hit Carto with a low blow in the third round. Before the low blow, Carto had landed several crushing blows to the head and body of Smith. Carto's third round offensive explosion was highlighted with vicious left and right hooks that hurt his opponent. At the end of the fourth round, Carto again hurt Smith with a right hook to the head. Smith, who demonstrated his toughness by absorbing dozens of big shots by Carto, looked gassed by the sixth round. The young Philadelphian bullied Smith during this round, and hurt him again with a multi-punch combo. Smith managed to stay on his feet and survive the round. A big Carto right hand to Smith's head in the seventh almost ended the night for Smith, but the fighter wrapped up Carto and stayed on his feet. In the eight and final round, Smith, who realized he was behind on the cards, came out swinging for the fences. His wild punches did not find their mark and Carto cruised through the round. The judges scored the bout 80-72 twice and 79-73, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Christian Carto.

The co-main event of the evening featured an eight round bout between two Philadelphia super middleweights, Christopher Brooker (13-5, 5 KOs) and Jamaal Davis (16-13-1, 7 KOs). Davis, who was making his first title defense, was hit with a Brooker left hand to the head in the first round. Davis spent the second and third rounds trying to keep the brawler Brooker from fighting him on the inside. During exchanges, Davis positioned himself close enough to Brooker to smother most of his punches. Brooker caught Davis with a series of big hooks at the end of the third round, but the defending WBF United States Super Middleweight Champion survived the round. To the crowd's delight, the two men fought a good exchange in the middle of the ring during the fourth round. Tempers flared at the end of the fifth round when Brooker hit Davis in the head after the bell rang. Davis responded with a punch of his own. Referee Blair Talmadge had to jump in between the two fighters to break up the post-bell antics. In the sixth round, Brooker trapped Davis and unloaded a series of punches on him. In the eighth and final round, Brooker, ahead on the cards, looked for a knockout. He hit Davis with a big big right hook, that he followed up with a left hook to the head. Davis was hurt in this round, but the veteran fighter fought valiantly to the final bell. The ringside judges scored the bout 79-73 twice and 77-75 for the winner by unanimous decision, Christopher Brooker. 

Tyrone Crawley (7-1) and Anthony Mercado (11-3, 10 KOs) squared off in a super lightweight contest. This was supposed to be the first career eight round contest for Crawley, who is the son of Philly boxing legend Tyrone "Butterfly" Crawley. The fight was a competitive contest from the opening bell. Crawley caught Mercado with a big right hand that hurt his opponent as the second round ended. Mercado stumbled into his corner only to answer the bell dazed in the third round. The two men battled through the third round. Following this round, Crawley's left hand was examined by his corner, which included Ivan Robinson, and the ringside physician. Crawley, who appeared to be in immense pain, refused to answer the bell in the fourth round. He later reported to his fans on social media that he had broken a bone in his left hand. Mercado, who was behind on the cards at the time of the stoppage, won by TKO and ended a three fight losing streak.

South Philly heavyweight Dominique Mayfield (0-1) had his professional debut spoiled in front of his hometown fans by veteran fighter, Ronny Hale (4-11, 4 KOs) of Austin, Texas. In the opening round, Hale dominated his rookie opponent. He hurt Mayfield with a multi-punch combo. He followed up this barrage with a big right hand to the head that sent Mayfield to the canvas. Mayfield pulled himself up off the canvas only to be knocked down again by a Hale clubbing right hand to the head. Mayfield, hoping to avoid the upset, rose from the ground dazed and badly hurt. Hale, smelling blood in the water, went on to viciously beat Mayfield with clubbing right and left hands to his head and body, that sent Mayfield crashing to the ground for the third time. Referee Blair Talmadge stopped the bout at 1:40 of the first round of a scheduled four round contest.

New York's Victor Vazquez (10-3, 4 KOs) made quick work of Philadelphia's David Gonzalez (8-3-2, 2 KOs) in a super lightweight bout that was scheduled for eight rounds. From the opening bell, Vazquez dominated Gonzalez. Vazquez TKO'd Gonzalez with a left hook to the head at the 1:56 mark of the first round.

Rasheed Johnson (3-1, 1 KO) was scheduled to fight Vincent Floyd (3-4-1, 2 KOs) in a four round, welterweight bout. Floyd came in overweight for the bout, and as a result, the contest was cancelled. Johnson, looking to not disappoint his fans, fought Rondel McGee in a three round exhibition bout. Johnson totally outclassed his opponent, who appeared to be picked out of the casino lobby, over the course of just under two rounds of boxing. Johnson landed numerous uncontested shots on his opponent in the first round. In the second round, referee Blair Talmadge had seen enough when McGee stopped fighting back against Johnson.

The opening bout of the evening featured super flyweights, Jerrod Miner (1-1-1, 1 KO) and Rondarrius Hunter (1-2-1, 1 KO). Atlanta's Hunter hurt the Philly native with a big right hand to the head at the beginning of the first round. Miner responded by throwing big hooks at his opponent, that did little to no damage. Hunter displayed great defense in the second round as he made Miner miss on a series of right and left hooks. Miner knocked Hunter down with a right hand to the head in the fourth round. Hunter recovered from the knock down and fought to the final bell. The judges scored the bout 37-37 twice and 39-35 for Miner. The contest was ruled a split draw. 

MW

Tyrone Crawley Interview

Philadelphia super lightweight, Tyrone Crawley (7-0) sat down for an interview with Matt Ward this evening at the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia. Crawley is scheduled to fight Puerto Rico's Anthony Mercado (10-3, 9 KOs) in an eight round bout this Friday, March 2nd at the SugarHouse Casino. This bout is part of a seven bout card that is promoted by King's Promotions. The card is headlined by a bantamweight bout between Christian Carto (13-0, 11 KOs) and James Smith (12-1, 7 KOs). For more information on this action-packed night of boxing, visit the King's Promotions' website.

Check out their Bonus Round interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Tyrone Crawley Discusses his 3/2 Bout Against Anthony Mercado on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Tyrone Crawley Discusses his 3/2 Bout Against Anthony Mercado on iTunes

MW

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

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

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

Tyrone Brunson Post-Fight Interview

Tyrone Brunson (26-6-2, 24 KOs) defeated Manny Woods (16-7-1, 6 KOs) via an eighth round TKO victory on Friday, December 1, 2017 at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia. Following his impressive victory over the Floridian, Brunson discussed the bout and opponents he would like to face in future fights.

Check out our Bonus Round interview on SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Tyrone Brunson Discusses his 12/1 Victory Over Manny Woods on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Tyrone Brunson Discusses his 12/1 Victory Over Manny Woods on iTunes

MW

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information - 

King's Promotions Presents World Class Pro Boxing - September 29th (Philadelphia, PA)

Friday evening's card opened up with a junior lightweight bout between Maynard Allison (9-2, 6 KOs) and Juan Rodriguez (8-7-1, 6 KOs). Philadelphia's Allison appeared to control the bout until the 3:00 minute mark of the second round, when Allison was struck by a straight overhand right, up the middle, to the head. The Virginian, Rodriguez, walked away the winner by technical knockout in the second round of a scheduled six round bout.

Camden's Robert Irizarry (4-1-1) fought Puerto Rico's Bryan Perez (2-8-1, 1 KO) in a four round, featherweight bout. The bout was highlighted by fireworks in the fourth and final round, when Perez answered the bell throwing a flurry of punches. Irizarry appeared unaffected by the barrage, and spent the rest of the round chasing Perez around the ring. All three judges scored the bout 39 to 37 in favor of the fan favorite, Irizarry.

Upper Darby, Pennsylvania's Brandon Robinson (7-1, 6 KOs) squared off against Virginia's George Sheppard (1-3) in a four round, super middleweight contest. Robinson landed a big shot as the bell rang at the end of the first round. Sheppard fought valiantly in the second round against Robinson, who landed a series of viscous hooks and right overhand punches to his head and body. An accidental collision of heads in the third round briefly stopped the action. Soon after the action resumed, Robinson threw an overhand right that connected with Sheppard's face at the 1:20 mark, which sent him stumbling into the ropes. Sheppard never recovered from the blow and referee, Eric Dali, stopped the contest. This was Robinson's second straight victory by technical knockout at the 2300 Arena. 

The fourth bout featured Erik Spring (10-2-2, 1 KO) and Anthony Prescott (7-7-2, 2 KOs) in a six round, super welterweight bout. Prescott controlled the first three rounds of the bout, and there was a good exchange of punches at the end of the second round between the fighters. Despite landing the more effective punches in the first four rounds of the scheduled six round contest, Prescott appeared to tire in the fifth round. This was not enough for Spring to turn the tide of the bout, and he went on to lose the contest by unanimous decision. Two judges scored the bout 59-55, with a third judge scoring the contest 58-56.

Super lightweights, Darius Ervin (4-1) and David Gonzales (8-2-2, 2 KOs) fought in the fifth contest of the evening. An accidental headbutt in the second round resulted in cuts above each fighters' eyes that required examination by the ringside physicians. The ringside physician who examined Gonzalez called an end to the action after examining the cut above the fighter's left eye. The bout was officially stopped at 1:53 of the second round, and declared a no decision due to an accidental headbutt.

Jerome Conquest (9-2, 1 KO) fought Carlos Rosario (9-3, 1 KO) for the WBF North American Junior Lightweight Title. Conquest scored a knockdown with a big, left upper cut in the fifth round of a scheduled eight round bout. Rosario got back up to his feet and delivered a hard low blow to Conquest, the Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia native. Rosario went on to control the sixth and seventh rounds. Conquest finished the bout with a strong flurry of punches to the head and body of Rosario. After eight rounds of action, Conquest was crowned the new WBF North American Junior Lightweight with a unanimous decision over the Pennsauken, New Jersey native, Rosario. The judges scored the bout 78-73, 77-74, and 77-74.

Christian Carto's (12-0, 11 KOs) knockout streak came to an end this evening in the main event. However, the Philadelphia bantamweight still shined in his first eight round professional bout. Carto faced Mexico's Alonso Melendez (14-2, 12 KOs) in a professional contest that went the distance, despite Carto decisively winning every round of the contest. Carto effectively landed a series of powerful punches to the head and body throughout the affair, but his southpaw opponent courageously absorbed the damage and stayed on his feet. Carto's solid performance in the bout was reflected in all three judges' scores of 80-72.

Following the concluison of the main event, there were two additional four round bouts. The first contest featured Amir Shabazz (4-2, 1 KO) and Alan Lawrence (2-0, 2 KOs) in a light heavyweight contest. In the first round, Shabazz was knocked out by a Lawrence left hook to the head at the 1:24 mark. The Philadelphia native hit his head hard on the canvas, and had to be attended to by a ringside physician. He was able to walk out of the ring under his own strength after being examined by the physician. The second contest featured Philadelphia welterweights, Rasheed Johnson (2-1, 1 KO) and Demetrius Williams (1-4). Johnson scored a knockout at the 0:56 mark of the first round after he connected with an overhand right to the head of his opponent.

MW

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information - 

UPDATE and WEIGHTS - King's Promotions Returns to the 2300 Arena in Philly on 9/29

The updated card was announced last night for this evening's King's Promotions show at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The main event now features an eight round, bantamweight bout between Christian Carto (11-0, 11 KOs) and Alonso Melendez (14-1, 12 KOs).

Below is the updated card with fighter's weights:

Christian Carto (118.1 lbs.) vs. Alonso Melendez (117.1 lbs.), eight rounds, bantamweights

Darius Ervin (141.2 lbs.) vs. David Gonzales (143 lbs.), six rounds, junior welterweights

Jerome Conquest (131.9 lbs.) vs. Carlos Rosario (132 lbs.), eight rounds, lightweights

Erik Spring (152.4 lbs.) vs. Anthony Prescott (151.7 lbs.), six rounds, junior middleweights

Maynard Allison (135.8 lbs.) vs. Juan Rodriguez (140 lbs.), eight rounds, junior lightweights

Robert Irizarry (125.8 lbs.) vs. Bryan Perez (128 lbs.), four rounds, featherweights

Rasheed Johnson (147.1 lbs.) vs. Demetrius Williams (147.2 lbs.), four rounds, welterweights

Amir Shabazz (173.8 lbs.) vs. Alan Lawrence (173.5 lbs.), four rounds, light heavyweights

Brandon Robinson (168.1 lbs.) vs. George Sheppard (168.5 lbs.), four rounds, super middleweights

For more information on this exciting night of boxing and to purchase tickets, please visit the 2300 Arena's official website.

MW 

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information - 

King's Promotions Returns to the 2300 Arena in Philly on 9/29

King's Promotions returns to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on Friday, September 29th. The card features a number of competitive match ups that are highlighted with the presence of several popular Philly area fighters. The main event features welterweights, Mykal Fox (14-0, 4 KOs) and Marlon Aguas (9-1, 6 KOs) in an eight round bout. Fox, a Maryland native, last fought Daniel Sostre (13-14-1, 5 KOs) in Fort Washington where he won by unanimous decision. Aguas' most recent bout was against Ukrainian prospect, Ivan Golub (13-1, 11 KOs), who defeated the Ecuadorian by technical knockout. The co-feature is a ten round, super middleweight bout between Junior Castillo (14-1, 10 KOs) of the Dominican Republic and Gabriel Pham (9-1, 4 KOs) of Atlantic City. Castillo is coming off of a victory over Elvin Ayala (29-9-1, 13 KOs) for the vacant World Boxing Foundation World Middleweight Title. Pham last fought and defeated Edgar Perez (7-22, 3 KOs) in his hometown this past June.

The eleven bout, card also features lightweight, Jerome Conquest (8-2, 1 KO), and bantamweight, Christian Carto (11-0, 11 KOs). Conquest will face Carlos Rosario (7-2, 4 KOs) in an eight round contest. Conquest, a Philly boxing fan favorite, most recently defeated South Korea's Jae Ho Kim (6-5-1, 2 KOs) at the 2300 Arena in June. South Jersey's Carlos Rosario last fought on May 19th at the 2300 Arena, where he was defeated by Joshua Davis (11-1, 5 KOs) via technical knockout. Carto looks for his twelfth straight victory by knockout against Mexico's Alonso Melendez (14-1, 12 KOs), in his first eight round fight of his professional career. Carto is coming off a second round TKO victory over Philip Adyaka (7-10, 4 KOs) on August 11th. His opponent has not fought for just over two years, when he captured a technical knockout victory over Jesus Limones (11-17-1, 4 KOs) in Mexico.

The card also features the following bouts:

Erik Spring vs. Anthony Prescott, six rounds, junior middleweights

Maynard Allison vs. Juan Rodriguez, eight rounds, junior lightweights

David Gonzales vs. Darius Ervin, six rounds, junior welterweights

Robert Irizarry vs. Bryan Perez, four rounds, featherweights

Rasheed Johnson vs. Demetrius Williams, four rounds, welterweights

Amir Shabazz vs. Alan Lawrence, four rounds, light heavyweights

Sultan Zamir Ululu vs. Christopher Burgos, four rounds, junior lightweights

For more information on this exciting night of boxing and to purchase tickets, please visit the 2300 Arena's official website.

MW

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information - 

Premier Boxing Champions Returns to Sands Bethlehem Event Center on 9/19

Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) returns to Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Pennsylvania on September 19th. The card, which is promoted by King's Promotions, will air on FS1 starting at 9 PM EST. As of now, the card features 11 professional bouts. The televised matches on this FS1 "Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays" card includes a ten round, junior welterweight contest between Mario Barrios (19-0, 11 KOs) and Naim Nelson (13-3, 1 KO), and an eight round, featherweight bout between Stephen Fulton (11-0, 5 KOs) and Adam Lopez (8-0, 3 KOs). Barrios, a San Antonio native, is coming off an impressive knockout victory over Jose Luis Rodriguez (22-10, 13 KOs). Barrios faces Philadelphia's Naim Nelson, who has lost his last two bouts to Tre'Sean Wiggins (8-3-1, 6 KOs) and Alejandro Luna (22-0, 15 KOs).

Philly's Stephen Fulton, who is no stranger to fighting at Sands Casino, last fought and defeated Luis Rosario (8-1-1, 7 KOs) at the event center. His opponent, Adam Lopez, is an orthodox fighter from Glendale, CA. He most recently boxed Paul Romero (7-1-1, 1 KO), who he defeated by majority decision.

Tomorrow night's card also features the following non-televised bouts:

Earl Newman vs. Paul Parker, eight rounds, light heavyweights

Jimmy Kelleher vs. George Sheppard, four rounds, super middleweights

Gary Antonio Russell vs. Cristian Renteria, six rounds, bantamweights

Gary Antuanne Russell vs. Jesus Lule, four rounds, junior welterweights

Ryan Wilczak vs. Devin McMaster, four rounds, middleweights

Jeffrey Torres vs. TBA, four rounds, junior welterweights

Thomas Velasquez vs. Tyrome Jones, six rounds, lightweights

Juan Sanchez vs. Gorwar Karyah, four rounds, featherweights

Harold Lopez vs. Manuel Guerra, four rounds, bantamweights

Doors at 4:30 PM EST with live boxing at 6:30 PM.

Tickets can be purchased through the Sands Bethlehem Event Center website and the box office.

MW

Support your healthy lifestyle and The Weigh-In Boxing Blog and Podcast by shopping Bulletproof products! CLICK below for more information - 

King's Promotions Presents Premier Boxing Champions: Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin - Tuesday, June 27th (Bethlehem, PA)

The opening bout of the evening featured super flyweights, Dylan Price (3-0, 3 KOs) and Manuel Guerra (1-3-1). Price, the Philadelphia native, made quick work of his Mexican opponent with a right hand to the head in the first round of a scheduled four round contest. Price won his third straight fight by knockout at the 1:09 mark of the first round. 

37-year-old rookie, Rick Pyle (1-0) fought Devin McMaster (1-2) in a four round, junior middleweight bout. Pyle demonstrated solid defense throughout the contest, and McMaster’s punches appeared to the have no effect on his opponent. McMaster came out swinging in the fourth round, but was unable to secure the knockout. All three judges scored the contest 40-36 in favor of Pyle. 

The third bout of the evening featured a battle between two Allentown, Pennsylvania fighters, Jesus Perez (3-0, 1 KO) and Christian Molina (4-3, 3 KOs). Molina was the aggressor early in the first round, but was knocked down in the first round with a big right hand to the head. Perez landed several hard shots on Molina, who left himself open on several occasions after throwing several wild hooks. Molina survived the first round, and came out far more cautious in the second round. Molina fought valiantly throughout the final two rounds but was defeated by unanimous decision, losing on all three judges’ scorecards by a score of 49-37. 

Philadelphia fan-favorite, Avery Sparrow (7-1, 3 KOs) fought the previously undefeated Isaelin Florian (6-1, 3 KOs) of the Dominican Republic in a six round, featherweight contest. Sparrow, who is promoted by Hall of Fame promoter J. Russell Peltz, went for a big hook to the head when Florian tried to touch gloves after the opening bell. Sparrow missed, and the featherweight battle began. Florian was knocked down in the first round by a Sparrow multi-punch combination. Florian recovered to knock Sparrow down later in the round with a right hook, which caught the Philadelphian off-balance and sent him crashing into the ropes. In the second round, Sparrow connected on a right hook to Florian’s head that sent him to the canvas. The final knockdown of the contest came in the fourth round when Sparrow was knocked down by a left hook to the jaw. All three judges scored the bout 58-54 in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Avery Sparrow. 

Local fighter, Ismael Serrano (4-2, 1 KO) stepped into the ring against veteran fighter, Jesus Lule (11-22-1, 2 KOs) in a four round, lightweight bout. Lule fought the bout of his career against the younger man. In the second round, he landed a vicious combo that pinned Serrano up against the ropes. The referee stopped the abuse at the 2:10 mark of the round. Lule stunned the Bethlehem crowd with the upset victory. 

The sixth bout featured Nicholas Hernandez (7-2, 1 KO) and Grayson Blake (6-5-1, 2 KOs) in a six round, junior middleweight bout. The two fighters fought a competitive bout filled with late-round fireworks. The fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds all ended with intense exchanges between the two fighters. Both fighters’ efforts were recognized by the judge’s scorecards. One judge scored the bout a draw, 57-57, while the other two judges scored the bout in favor of Hernandez (59-55 and 58-56). 

Anthony Mercado (10-3, 9 KOs) and Clarence Booth (15-3, 8 KOs) opened up the televised portion of Premier Boxing Champions on FS1. Mercado, an awkward Puerto Rican fighter, effectively used his right hand throughout the first three rounds of action. In the fourth round, Mercado was knocked down by a Booth right hand to the face. Mercado rose to his feet only to fall victim to an onslaught of punches, which left him defenseless against the ropes. The referee called an end to the action at the 1:30 mark of the fourth round. 

The main event featured a rematch between welterweights, Miguel Cruz (16-0, 11 KOs) of San Juan and Alex Martin (13-2, 5 KOs) of Chicago. Both men had previously met in Florida on January 13th of this year. Cruz walked away the winner of the previous match by a close, split decision. Cruz knocked down Martin with a short left to the jaw as the end of the first round neared. The third round was highlighted with a brutal exchange of punches between the fighters at the center of the ring. Martin was knocked down again in the fourth round by a right hook to the head. A low blow sent Cruz to the canvas in the fifth round. Cruz took his time to recover from the punch below the belt, but it appeared to take its toll on the fighter throughout the second half of the contest. The judges scored the ten round contest 96-92, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Miguel Cruz. 

Following the conclusion of PBC's broadcast of Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin (6/27/2017), Marcus Browne, who was providing commentary for PBC, spoke briefly with me about the evening's main event and his July 15th bout with Sean Monaghan at Nassau Coliseum in New York.

Bonus Round - Boxer Marcus Browne Discusses the 6/27 PBC main event and his Bout with Sean Monaghan on SoundCloud 

Bonus Round - Boxer Marcus Browne Discusses the 6/27 PBC main event and his Bout with Sean Monaghan on iTunes 

MW

King's Promotions Presents Premier Boxing Champions: Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin Official Weigh-In

On June 26th, I attended the official weigh-in for King's Promotions Presents Premier Boxing Champions: Miguel Cruz vs. Alex Martin at the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, PA. Prior to the weigh-in, I had the opportunity to interview Philadelphia fighter, Avery Sparrow (6-1-0, 3 KOs).

Sparrow will take on Isaelin Florian (6-0-0, 3 KOs) of the Dominican Republic, who is making his U.S. debut, in a six round, featherweight bout on June 27th.

You can listen to our interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Boxer Avery Sparrow Discusses his Upcoming Bout on June 27th on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Boxer Avery Sparrow Discusses his Upcoming Bout on June 27th on iTunes

Tickets for this great night of professional boxing be purchased via the following link: 

Sands Event Center 

MW

Jerome Conquest Interview

I recently met with Philadelphia lightweight boxer, Jerome Conquest (7-2-0, 1 KO) in South Philadelphia. Jerome and I discussed his June 24th fight against South Korea's Jae Ho Kim (6-3-0, 2 KOs) at the 2300 Arena, as well as the upcoming "mega fight" between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor on August 26th in Las Vegas.

You can listen to our interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Boxer Jerome Conquest Discusses his Upcoming 6/24 Bout and the "Mega Fight" between Mayweather and McGregor on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Boxer Jerome Conquest Discusses his Upcoming 6/24 Bout and the "Mega Fight" between Mayweather and McGregor on iTunes 

Jerome's upcoming bout will be featured on the undercard of the June 24th King's Promotions card featuring Kermit Cintron vs. Tyrone Brunson.

Tickets for this great card can be purchased via the following link:

2300 Arena Tickets

MW