Rising Star Promotions Fight Card in Morrisville, PA

By Frank Bartolini

With all the live streaming of boxing on DAZN, ESPN+ amongst others, and big money TV deals with Showtime, Fox, and ESPN, a fan has no reason to leave their home to attend a fight card. Small club shows are the heart pumping blood into the sports veins.

New Jersey’s most prolific promoter, the LaManna family's Rising Star Promotions in conjunction with Nedal Promotions kept this tradition alive by serving up a six bout card just across the Delaware River at the Pennsbury Racquet and Athletic Club in Morrisville PA. Renee Aikens did a good job, handling the matchmaking duties.

Three Trenton based pugilists made there pro debuts, and Trentonite Elijah Morales stayed undefeated at 3-0. Morales,146.75 lbs, had to work hard to earn a four round unanimous decision against Steve Moore of Orange, NJ. Possessing a 1-7 record entering the contest, Moore shocked a large throng of Morales supporters on hand when a right hand to the chin put their charge derrieres on the bottom strand. Referee Eric Dahli correctly ruled it a knock down. Arising to his feet, Morales still had a buzz on when the action continued. By rounds end, Morales head was clear and he was in control from that point on, until the end of the contest. Putting forth a game effort, Moore landed wild shots. Building up steam and bull rushing forward every chance he had, Moore’s effort made it a enjoyable scrap.

A staple of the Trenton fight scene for over seventy years Mugsy Episcopo seconded the corner of debuting cruiserweight  Jacob Sowirko, Trenton NJ, in a non-action four round draw against Washington, D.C. native Charles Johnson. The soul was willing but the body was not, as neither man had any skill.

Episcopo handled the careers of such fighters as Bryant Brannon and Kenny Bogner, amongst others. Back in the day, “Mugsy” was the go-to-guy in “The Burg” (Trenton’s Chambersburg Section). At that time, being the guy in “the Burg” was a distinguished honor.

Philly lightweight Nahir Albright had his hands full fending off Tyrome Jones of South Bend, Indiana. Throughout the scrap, Albright,134.5 lbs., would stun Jones, 133.5 lbs., and then unload on him. Once out of harm's way, Jones used his jab to stay at bay and score occasional combinations. A little bit worn out by his high punch rate, Jones forfeited the fifth round  when the game Jones kept trudging forward. A lively sixth round of action completed this enjoyable to watch scuffle. Judges scored it all in Albright's favor 59-55 and 60-54 twice. Albright's record rises to 7-1 (2 KO’s), while Jones' drops below .500 at 4-5-1 (1 KO).

Making his pro debut, Shinard Bunch of Trenton took thirty five seconds to finish off MMA fighter Cortland Woodard, McKeesport Pa., in a welterweight contest. Woodard is now 0-2.

      
Promoter Thomas LaManna almost scored a bout versus former welterweight world champion Kell Brook on the undercard of heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz, Jr. title defense at Madison Square Garden on June 1st. Matchroom USA matchmaker Eric Bottjer tried to make the match but Brook was just not interested in facing LaManna. Also, LaManna may get a crack at WBO Super Welterweight champ Jamie Munguia. Currently LaManna is ranked twelfth by that sanctioning body. Meanwhile LaManna stays active taking on a opponent to be announced on a Rising Star promoted event in Norfolk, VA on May 18th.

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Philly fighters battle for title, but Brunson beats Davis via TKO

By Steve Peacock, Ringside

Tyrone Brunson as early as the first round appeared poised to bring to an abrupt end his Jr. Middleweight State Championship boxing title-fight against fellow Philadelphia native Jamaal Davis. After Davis suddenly sustained a brutal right that surprised him (as well as the roaring South Philly audience), Davis attempted to step up his game against the clearly dominant Brunson. But Davis fell short of outperforming the more aggressive Brunson, who emerged victorious by way of TKO and retained his title just one round short of the scheduled 10-round fight.

This main-event contest—the last of 11 bouts on the King’s Promotions/Titans Boxing Promotions card—was one of several fights in which the corners as well as the crowd seemed to demand that the respective aggressor simply bring the match at hand to an abrupt end.

It may have been unwillingness to capitalize on otherwise stunning punches, or perhaps part of a personal strategy to gradually wear down his opponent. No matter what justification might be offered, from an outside-the-ring-looking-in point of view, it seemed logical—or maybe just selfishly preferable— that Brunson should instead leverage those intermittent moments of punch-induced unsteadiness that Davis displayed.

Indeed, by round three someone in the Brunson corner kept hurling a KO-tinged baseball metaphor to their man, repeatedly shouting, “Give me two jabs and a home run! Give me two jabs and home run!”

But such an outcome would not start to come until the end of the eighth, with the fruits of those efforts finally emerging in the ninth.

In the final seconds of round eight, a powerfully thrown Brunson punch planted Davis on his ass, causing referee Gary Rosato to initiate an eight count. The subsequent bell then saved Davis, albeit briefly.

Soon after the ninth had begun, Brunson dropped Davis to the canvas once again. Davis arose, his nose slightly bloodied, and Rosato stopped the fight at the 2:11 mark.

Brunson retains his title and now has a pro boxing record of 28-7-2 with 24 KOs. Davis’s record falls to 18-14-1 with 7 KOs.

In the co-main event of the evening, super-middleweights Joseph George of Houston, Texas, and Oscar Riojas of Monterrey, Mexico, battled it out in a largely lackluster contest that drew repeated groans from the 2300 Arena audience. George initially came out as the aggressor in this match as he landed a few hard shots that elicited a “Read him a bedtime story!” response from the crowd, eager to witness a quick KO.

But in what appeared to be a more egregious failure to capitalize on moments of wobbliness that he inflicted on opponent, George consistently did not follow up on those shots, resulting in many boos and a verbalized “Yawn!” from several hecklers. Riojas nonetheless remained competitive throughout the bout, which went the full eight rounds. The judges ruled unanimously in favor of George, 80-72.

SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS (2)

Nahir Albright (6-1; 1 KO) quickly caught the attention of his opponent, Roy McGill (6-2; 3 KOs), who in the first round remained undaunted by Albright’s swift attack. This attempted battering continued into the second, with Albright cornering and hurling a barrage of blows at McGill, who soon after was taken across the ring where Albright’s punches dropped him to his knees. At 1:10 of the second round, the bout was stopped and Albright declared victor by way of KO.

WELTERWEIGHTS (3)

Philadelphians Rasheed Johnson (5-2, 1 KO) and Vincent Floyd (4-6-1, 2 KOs) went toe-to-toe for all six scheduled rounds of the bout, with Johnson appearing to have the edge over Floyd for most, but not all of the contest. The judges’ scorecards—each 58-56—reflected that arguably uncertain dominance by Johnson, who won by split decision with two judges in favor of him and one against.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Kendal Cannida (3-1, 1 KO) opened the bout with a sweat-spattering blow to the face of Angel Rivera (4-1, 3 KOs) that hopefully was captured by the multiplicity of photographers at ringside. But all observers of this match needed not to wait long for additional pugilistic and potentially photogenic drama; a Cannida left hook sent Rivera plummeting to the floor, where he had time to ponder his first pro-boxing loss —if, while on his hand and knees in a befuddled condition, he was even capable of such cognitive processing.  The bout was stopped 2:59 after it began.

WELTERWEIGHTS (2)

James Martin (4-0, 1 KO) and Rick Pyle (1-2) went the full four rounds of this bout, which at first seemed like it could go either way until the final seconds of the third, when Martin unleashed multiple shots upon a seemingly startled Pyle. Martin emerged the victor by way of unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring 40-36.

SUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS (2)

Rasheen Brown (3-0) took an early lead over Hugo Rodriguez (0-3), who sustained several powerful shots in the first and briefly was sent to the canvas in the second. In the third, Brown had notably connected eight consecutive shots—all right jabs—to the face of Rodriguez. After four scheduled rounds, Brown won by way of unanimous decision

SUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS (1)

Yueri Andujar’s entered the ring with a limited but perfect three-win, three-KO streak, which came to halt literally at the hands of Weusi Johnson (3-10). The bout was competitive, unofficially measured by the number of gold beads flying from Andujar’s braids that were dangling from the back of this head; in one instance, Johnson hit Andujar so hard that several beads went tumbling to the canvas, while later in the match Andujar hit Johnson with such force that additional beads went traveling, including a few that catapulted past the judge’s table.  Johnson, however, in the fourth and final round had dropped Andujar to his knees. Then, in the final seconds of the bout, Johnson (3-1, 3 KOs) blasted him with two stunning shots. After the bell Johnson was deemed winner by split decision.

SUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS

In the first fight of the event to make it past the first round, Antonio Dubose (10-2-1, 10 KOs) defeated Danny Flores (15-15, 8 KOs) by way of unanimous decision after six rounds, 60-53. The bout likely would have ended sooner had it not been for evasive tactics taken by Flores following multiple thrashings at the hands of Dubose in the second and third. Indeed, it was obvious that Flores purposely kept holding on to Dubose—rather than actually boxing with him—to stave off what otherwise would have been an early defeat. Flores was saved by the bell in the fourth, after Dubose dropped him to his knees as we approached the round’s closing moments. In the sixth, Dubose caused some blood to become visible around his opponent’s right eye, resulting in a brief inspection by the ringside physician. The bout went on briefly before the end of the scheduled sixth round, and Dubose emerged victorious.

SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS (1)

“No decision” (ND) was the outcome of the second bout of the evening, in which Shamar Fulton Banks (1-0-1) appeared to be making progress toward a potential victory over fellow Philadelphian Christopher Burgos (1-4-1, 1 KO). Referee Dave Franciosi called in the ringside physician at the 2:15 mark after Banks unintentionally crashed his head into Burgos and placed a gash in his nose. Ring announcer Mark Fratto explained to the audience that an ND ruling was required since the fight did not make it to the fourth round.

WELTERWEIGHTS (1)

In the opening bout of the night, Jerrico Walton (11-0, 6 KOs) seemingly out of nowhere landed an abrupt punch on Cesar Soriano Berumen (26-41-3, 16 KOs). That shot not only sent Berumen to the floor, but after lifting himself he noticeably limped back to his corner as if a knee or ankle had been injured from that brief journey to the floor.

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Joe Hand Promotions Presents Xcite Fight Night - Friday, March 9th (Bensalem, PA)

On Friday night, Joe Hand Promotions showed fans in the greater Philadelphia area that professional boxing has a fantastic new home in the Philly suburbs. Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania played host to Joe Hand Xcite Fight Night, a boxing card that featured seven bouts. This highly entertaining night of boxing was headlined by a super featherweight bout between local prospect, Avery Sparrow (10-1, 4 KOs) and Jesus Serrano (17-6-2, 12 KOs). In the opening round, the fighters felt one another out. Sparrow went on the attack from his wide, orthodox stance in the second round. He knocked down his Mexican opponent in the second round with a multi-punch combo, that included big hooks. His opponent rose from the canvas, only to be knocked down again by a series of Sparrow clubbing right hands. Serrano recovered from the second knockdown only to be crushed with a barrage of punches that sent him crashing into the ropes. The fight was stopped at the 2:17 mark of the second round of a scheduled eight round bout.

2012 Olympic Silver Medalist, John Joe Nevin (10-0, 4 KOs) of Ireland fought Canada's Alex Torres Rynn (6-1, 3 KOs) in an eight round, lightweight bout. Nevin effectively worked Rynn's body in the first and second rounds. Rynn cringed in pain from the shots, which caused him to go into survival mode against the superior fighter. Rynn who had difficulty defending against Nevin's body shots, was hit in the head with a big left hand in the third round. A Nevin straight right to the face in the sixth round reminded Rynn that he was in a fight, and caused swelling around his eyes. Nevin went back to the body in the seventh round, when he landed powerful shots on his opponent. The eighth and final round seemed more like a track meet than boxing match as Rynn and Nevin took turns chasing one another around the ring. The ringside judges scored the bout 79-73 and 80-72 twice for the former Irish Olympian.

South Jersey's Anthony Prescott (8-8-2, 2 KOs) fought Philadelphia's Isaiah Wise (6-2, 3 KOs) in a super welterweight contest that can best be described as a shootout. Wise utilized his jab in the first round, and later connected on a series of hooks to the body over the course of this round. Prescott, frustrated by Wise's offense in the first round, threw rabbit punches in an attempt to slowdown his opponent's offensive momentum. Prescott dropped Wise with a right hand to the head in the second round. Wise quickly pulled himself up from the canvas only to be hit with a series of big rights to the head. The two men engaged in a brawl that included a number of big head shots to close out the second round. In the third round, a big right hand to Wise's head sent blood and spit flying into the crowd. Wise fought back in the third by pushing his opponent into the ropes with a series of big punches. To the crowd's delight, the two men brawled again as the round came to an end. Prescott landed a nice right hand to the head in the fourth round. Wise responded to this shot by pushing Prescott into the ropes with a big right hook. Wise ended the round by connecting on a huge multi-punch combo, that was highlighted by left and right hooks to the head. Prescott was stumbled in the fifth round with a right hook to the head. Prescott, hoping to clinch his eighth career victory, threw several big hooks in the sixth and final round of the bout. The judges scored the bout 57-56 in favor of Prescott, 57-56 in favor of Wise, and 59-54 in favor of the winner by split decision, Anthony Prescott.

Marcel Rivers (4-0, 3 KOs) fought Rafael De Jesus (0-2) in a four round, welterweight contest. Rivers' power was on display in the opening frame, as he hurt his opponent with a big left hand to the head. Following this round, De Jesus returned to his corner with swelling under his right eye. De Jesus was sent to the canvas in the second round when Rivers connected on a series of inside punches while the two men were wrapped up near the center of the ring. Later in the round, Rivers crushed his opponent with a vicious series of right and left hands that pinned De Jesus up against the ropes. De Jesus appeared to be out on his feet as the second round came to an end. It was no surprise to most of those in attendance that De Jesus refused to answer the bell for the third round.

In what can be described as the "highway robbery" bout of the evening, Gerardo Martinez (2-1, 1 KO), fighting out of the Phoenixville PAL, was defeated by split decision by New York's Vinnie Denierio (3-4, 1 KO) in a four round, lightweight bout. Martinez demonstrated solid offense in the the first round, by landing several good right upper cuts on the taller fighter, Denierio. Martinez came forward in the second round, and landed several straight rights to the head and upper cuts to the body. Most of these upper cuts went undefended by Denierio, who later showed an offensive burst in the second round when he connected with left hands to the head and body of Martinez. As the second round approached its end, blood streamed from the nose of Denierio. In the third round, Martinez hurt Denierio, who appeared exhausted in this round, with a straight right to the head. Denierio, who appeared to be down on the cards, fought desperately in the fourth and final round. His attack was slowed down by a Martinez right upper cut to the jaw. The ringside judges scored the bout 39-37 for Martinez and 39-37 twice for the winner by split decision, Vinnie Denierio.

The opening bout of the evening featured super lightweights, Nahir Albright (3-1, 1 KO) and Sidney Maccow (4-8, 3 KOs). In the first round of the four round bout that was refereed by Hall of Famer, Steve Smoger, Albright knocked down Maccow with a big left to the head. An Albright multi-punch combo to the head and body later in the opening round, sent Maccow to the canvas for the second time in the match. Maccow came out in the second round with renewed energy. He fought hard, and clearly won the round. The third round was extremely close as both men landed big punches over the course of the round. A cut appeared above Albright's right eye in the fourth round. Albright, who had a very strong start to the bout, appeared exhausted in the final round. The judges scored the bout 40-34 twice and 39-35 all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision, Nahir Albright.

The main event was followed by a six round bout between lightweights, Jerome Conquest (9-3, 1 KO) and Tyrone Luckey (9-8-3, 7 KOs). Luckey, a native of Neptune, New Jersey, knocked Philadelphia's Conquest down in the first round with a right hand to the head. Conquest recovered from the knockdown only to be sent crashing to the canvas by another Luckey right to the head. Despite recovering from the second knockdown, Conquest was hurt. Luckey, seeing blood in the water, went on a short attack that forced referee, Gary Rosato to stop the fight at 2:43 of the first round.

MW

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