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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Howard and Conquest Win on Xcite Fight Night 3 Card

By Matt Ward, Ringside

On an explosive, multiple boxing card night in the greater Philadelphia area, professional prizefighting made its triumphant return to the Xcite Center at Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA.

The main event of Joe Hand Promotions Presents Xcite Fight Night III pitted veteran big men, cruiserweights Garrett Wilson (18-16-1, 9 KOs), South Philadelphia, against Brian Howard (14-2, 11 KOs), Philadelphia, in a fight scheduled for eight frames. Unfortunately for Wilson, this fight did not last anywhere near that...

Early in the opening round, Howard landed a big right hand to the side of Wilson's head that sent him crashing to the canvas. Wilson was able to raise from the mat by referee Eric Dali's count of six, but looked like a drunken man trying to keep his balance. Despite still being visibly hurt from the knockdown, the fight continued. The end came at 2:31 of the first round when Howard hit Wilson with a hard straight right hand to the head that caused him to collapse to the canvas. Wilson was counted out on his back. This KO victory was Howard's first win since being knocked out by Russian light heavyweight Umar Salamov last June.

The co-main event of the evening pitted Jerome Conquest (10-3, 1 KO), 135.2 lbs., against Vinnie Denierio (3-6, 1 KO), 135.2 lbs., in a six round contest for the vacant USBF North American Lightweight Title. This bout, which could be described as a battle between awkward fighters, was entertaining from the outset. Denierio, who has a three inch height advantage on Conquest, made "jerky" movements between punches to avoid Conquest's steady counterpunches for much of the first round. In the second round, Denierio threw hammering overhand lefts that pushed Conquest into the ropes and forced him to clinch his gangly opponent. Conquest answered this attack by landing several nice body shots that clearly slowed down Denierio's offense. Conquest continued to control the round by landing big left and right hooks to Denierio's head that visibly hurt the native of Elmira, NY. Denierio appeared to be in survival mode as the bell marking the end of the second rang.

Conquest answered the third round bell by connecting with a hammering right hook to his opponent's head, a shot that sent perspiration flying all over those seated ringside. Denierio tried to press the attack during this round, but Conquest repeatedly backed him up with effective hooks to the head and body. Denierio, clearly frustrated with his opponent, landed the first of many rabbit punches to Conquest's head during this round. In the fourth frame, Conquest popped Denierio with a hard right hand to the jaw. Denierio responded to Conquest's quality punches by landing more rabbit punches out of the clinch. As the round neared its end, Denierio appeared to push more than punch, as he tried to bully his shorter opponent.

In rounds five and six, a clearly frustrated Vinnie Denierio began to lead with his head, and continued to fight dirty. Denierio worked Conquest's body towards the end of the fifth with left and right uppercuts that put the Philadelphian on his heels against the ropes. In the sixth, Denierio, realizing he was behind on the cards, threw rabbit punches at Conquest during multiple wrap ups. Surprisingly, referee Shawn Clark turned a blind eye to these illegal punches. Late in the round, Denierio looking to be gifted a knockdown, connected with a low blow on Conquest, and pushed the fighter down to the ground in the corner. Conquest bounced up from the canvas and the fight continued until the final bell. The judges scored the bout 60-54 and 59-55, twice, for the winner by unanimous decision, Jerome "The Conqueror" Conquest.

Northeast Philadelphia's Tyhler Williams (1-0, 1 KO) in his professional debut scored a second round knockout on fellow Philadelphian Nyrome Lynch (0-4). Williams, a successful amateur fighter, spent much of the first round chasing Lynch around the ring. Lynch, who looked like he was running laps instead of boxing, refused to allow the highly touted rookie junior welterweight land a meaningful punch in the opening frame. In the second round, Lynch's strategy in the first made him look like a brilliant ring tactician, as Williams put his power on display. Williams answered the second round bell firing big body shots that ended Lynch's running for the evening. Williams went on to trap the incapacitated fighter, and land multi-punch combos at will to his head and body. A devastating right upper cut to the head ended Lynch's night at the 1:45 mark of the second. By this point, referee Eric Dali had seen enough of the massacre that unfolded in the second, and waived off the fight.

Omar Kabary Salem (8-0, 4 KOs), Brooklyn, made quick work of Jacob Fox (3-8, 2 KOs), Bismarck, in a super middleweight contest. After connecting to the head and body of his opponent with a big multi-punch combo, Salem sent Fox crashing to the canvas with repeated left hands to the head. Fox valiantly picked himself up from the mat only to be crushed into the ropes with a barrage of punches that left his opponent defenseless and dazed. Referee Shawn Clark saw enough of the one-sided fight at 2:27 of the first round, when he stepped in and stopped the Salem offensive onslaught.

In an all Philadelphia area junior welterweight showdown, Daiyann Butt (3-0, 1 KO) fought Tyree Arnold (DEBUT) in a four round bout. Butt, who stepped into the ring with a clear height and reach advantage, effectively connected with several big right hands to the head. Early in the second round, Arnold let his hands go, and landed a multi-punch combo that forced Butt to wrap him up in order to halt the attack. Butt responded by landing hard left hands to Arnold’s body. As the second round neared its end, Butt unloaded on Arnold with a punishing multi-punch combo to the head and body. Surprisingly, Arnold stayed on his feet, but was clearly damaged as he stumbled back to his corner after the round.

Butt aggressively worked his opponent’s body in the third round, by landing left and right shots to Arnold’s abdomen throughout the round. This body work slowed the wheels of the speedy Arnold, and made him an easy target for Butt in the fourth and final round. Arnold desperately went head hunting in the fourth, but was unable to find his mark. Butt went on to punish Arnold’s body as the fourth progressed, and at one point rocked Arnold with a well-placed left hook to the head. Butt went on to score the knockout with a series of big right hands that forced referee Eric Dali to stop the fight at 2:22 of the fourth round.

Sammy Berman (2-0, 1 KO), who fights out of the Manayunk Boxing Club, defeated North Philadelphia’s Corey Weekley (0-2) by unanimous decision in a four round, middleweight matchup. Although only 22-years-old, Berman has not fought professionally since 2014. Berman answered the opening bell by pushing his opponent into the ropes with a hard left hand to the body. Weekley was clearly banged up in the second round after Berman stuck a left hand into his jaw, and proceeded to rock him with multiple shots to the body and head. Weekley looked like he was in trouble later in the round, when Berman trapped him in the neutral corner with a series of hard shots. Fortunately for Weekley, he was able to box his way out of this trap and stop Berman from walking him down.

In the third round, Berman kept moving forward on his inexperienced opponent who was unable to mount any type of meaningful offense. In the fourth round, Weekley, who appeared exhausted and beat up, spit out his mouthpiece twice, which resulted in the deduction of a point by referee Shawn Clark. A hard Berman left hand to the head later sent Weekley’s mouthpiece flying for the third time in the round. Berman and Weekley wrestled for the final ten seconds of the contest as Shawn Clark tried to pull the men apart with no success. The judges scored the bout 39-37 and 40-36, twice, for Berman.

In an all New York junior middleweight bout, Ismael Villareal (5-0, 2 KOs) defeated Lashawn Alcocks (1-5) by third round technical knockout. Villareal unloaded three big right hands on Alcocks in the first frame, but struggled to establish follow up shots. In the second round, Villareal bullied Alcocks with big multi-punch combos, highlighted by heavy straight right hands and hooks to the head and body. Alcocks demonstrated toughness in the second round by absorbing damage, staying on his feet, and battling back before the bell marking the end of the second rang. A vicious Villareal right hand to the head sent Alcocks crashing to the canvas in the third round. This knockdown occurred after referee Eric Dali called a pause to the action, and warned Villareal for rabbit punches in the round. Despite recovering from the knockdown, Arnold was crushed under a series of left hooks to the body that forced Eric Dali to stop the action at 2:36 of the third round.

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Jimmy Deoria and Gerardo Martinez Interview

Matt Ward sat down with Jimmy Deoria and Gerardo Martinez tonight at the Phoenixville Area Police Athletic League (PAL) in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

Jimmy Deoria is a former professional fighter who now trains fighters at the Phoenixville Area PAL. He captured the Pennsylvania State Lightweight Title on February 13, 1993 with a TKO victory over Gene Reed in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He retired from boxing in 1996 with a record of 20 wins, 7 losses, and zero draws. In 1999, he founded the Phoenixville Area PAL boxing program. Jimmy currently manages and trains fighters from Pennsylvania.Jimmy currently serves as a police office in Schuylkill Township, Pennsylvania.

Gerardo Martinez (3-1, 1 KO) is a super lightweight boxer from Coatesville, Pennsylvania who is trained by Joe Rowan and Jimmy Deoria at the Phoenixville Area PAL. He last fought on June 29, 2018 at Parx Casino where he defeated Nyrome Lynch (0-2) by unanimous decision.

Check out their interview on both SoundCloud and iTunes:

Bonus Round - Jimmy Deoria and Gerardo Martinez Interview on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Jimmy Deoria and Gerardo Martinez Interview on iTunes

For more information on the Phoenixville PAL, check out the following links:

Phoenixville Area PAL Official Website

Phoenixville Area PAL Facebook Page

(L to R: Matt Ward, Jimmy Deoria, Gerardo Martinez, and Joe Rowan)

MW

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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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Bryant Jennings Interview

Luis Cortes recently caught up with heavyweight contender and Philadelphia native, Bryant Jennings (22-2, 13 KOs), at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Jennings was in the house to watch the inaugural Joe Hand Promotions Presents Xcite Fight Night.

It was announced yesterday that Jennings will fight fellow Philadelphia heavyweight, Joey Dawejko (19-4-4, 11 KOs), on April 28th at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in North Philadelphia.

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

Bonus Round - Bryant Jennings Interview with Luis Cortes on SoundCloud

Bonus Round - Bryant Jennings Interview with Luis Cortes on iTunes

(Photo - BoxRec.com)

-Luis A. Cortes III

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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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