Results from the Third Installment of Boardwalk Boxing

By Frank Bartolini

On Saturday, October 30th, Hard Hitting Promotions promoted its third show, part of a monthly series, at The Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City. Originally announced as ten scheduled bouts, it dwindled down to five by fight night. In this case, the third time was not a charm. 

Shinard Bunch of Philadelphia blasted out his opponent, Wilfrido Buelvas, Barranquilla, Colombia, in one minute fifty-eight seconds of round one. Entering the contest as a heavy favorite, the chiseled Brunch, 146 lbs., did not take his training lightly, regardless of the quality of his foe.

When the adversaries squared off at the opening bell, Buelvas, 147.75 lbs., circled and tried to keep Bunch at bay by pumping his jab. With little more than a minute expired, Brunch clipped Buelvas with a right to the head that put the Colombian on his tailbone. Gamely rising to his feet, Buelvas was sent airborne when Brunch landed a right hand laser to Buelvas' face. Once gravity brought Buelvas back to the mat, he was out cold and crumpled. Referee Eric Dali did not bother to count and waved the contest off as the ring physician s rushed into the ring. The power punching Brunch is now 17-1, 15 KOs, and Buelvas falls to 22-15, 16 KOs. 

As a professional for just over two years, Bunch has developed quickly under the tutelage of trainer Chino Rivas and the guidance of his manager J Russell Peltz. 

Felony assault charges could have been brought against Anthony Demonte of Staten Island, NY. Demonte, 144.5 lbs., mugged Nicholas Collins of Anchorage Alaska. It took only twenty nine seconds for Demonte to mash tomato can Collins into sauce. Demonte is now 4-0, 4 KO’s. Collins, who is not a pro boxer and should not be allowed to fight again, is 0-2. 

After numerous delays and down time, only two of the other three scheduled bouts took place. 

Ten minutes before Shauncy Perry's scheduled six rounder was about to begin, paramedics had to be called to his locker room when the Jonesboro, Arkansas native was showing signs of a heart attack. Perry was taken to the hospital and released with a clean bill of health. 

Dezmond Lucas of Bronx, NY pitched a shutout, outpointing debuting Cesar Espinel-Maldonado, Puerto Rico. Lucas, 147.75, improves to 3-0, 1 KO. Willing participant Maldonado drops to 0-1. 

In a decision that was booed by the crowd of approximately 200 people, Justice Bland of Brooklyn, NY won a unanimous six round decision over Geovanny Martinez of Chicago, Illinois. Moving forward Martinez, 122.5 lbs., beat Bland, 123 lbs., to the punch as he backed his foe up throughout the match. Judges Mark Consentino saw it 60-54. Judges Tony Lundy and Robin Taylor's cards were both 58-56 for Bland, who is now 5-1, 2 KOs. Martinez is 1-1, 1 KO. This scribe had it 59-55 for Martinez.

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

Smith Dominates Hart; Nelson Remains Undefeated

By Matt Ward, Ringside

Top Rank Boxing returned to Atlantic City this evening with a night full of fisticuffs action, headlined by an entertaining fight between Philly’s Jesse Hart (24-4, 20 KOs) and Long Island’s Joe Smith Jr. (27-2, 21 KOs) for the NABO Light Heavyweight Title. The eight fight card was featured before a near capacity filled Etess Arena at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The card was televised on ESPN and streamed on the ESPN+ App.

Tonight’s action was the second straight night of boxing in a city that appears to be in the early stages of a boxing renaissance. Last night, Claressa Shields (10-0, 2 KOs) captured her third world title in a different weight class with a victory over Ivana Habazin (20-4, 7 KOs) at the Ocean Resort Casino.

Jesse Hart stepped into the ring looking to not only get back into world title contention, but to avenge fellow Philadelphian Bernard Hopkins' 2016 loss to Joe Smith Jr. Hart was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Sullivan Barrera, while Smith last fought and was defeated by Dmitry Bivol last March.

Both men entered the ring to the roars of their fans. Smith, a blue collar hero to Long Island boxing fans, immediately set his aggressive tone for the fight in the opening frame, a style that Hart, the son of Philly boxing legend Cyclone Hart, would have difficulty adjusting to throughout the ten round bout. Smith struck Hart's head with a hard left hand, and then opened up on his opponent to the delight of the Smith faithful, who chanted "Joe Smith." Hart wrapped up Smith to halt this offensive onslaught. In the second round, Smith stalked Hart around the ring, initially having difficulty cutting off the ring against his opponent. Smith adjusted to this challenge by clobbering Hart with hooks to the head. Smith later hurt Hart with a big right hand to his head.

In the third round, Hart came out swinging, landing a powerful combo highlighted with a big uppercut. Despite this offensive flash, Hart continued to have issues with Smith's aggressive, "in your face" style. Hart responded with good body work. In round four, both men fought hard in the blue corner, as Smith kept coming forward on Hart. Smith landed a series of big hooks to the head and body that put Hart on wobbly legs. Hart answered with a straight right to Smith's jaw that snapped his head back.

During the fifth round, Smith appeared to slow his fighting tempo down. This would change in the final 30 seconds of the round, when Smith hit Hart with a right hook to the head. Hart, in survival mode, wrapped Smith up. In the sixth round, Hart attempted to push the overly aggressive Smith back with hard jabs. Smith responded by putting his head down and abusing Hart's body with a variety of punches. Smith landed a hard right uppercut to Hart's jaw as the round neared its end.

Smith hammered Hart with big overhand rights during the seventh round. As the round neared its end, Smith knocked Hart down with a big right hand. Smith, smelling blood in the water, pressed the attack but was unable to finish off the tough Philly fighter. The eighth round showcased more of the same action, as Smith continued to walk down Hart around the ring.

In the ninth round, Smith punished Hart with a barrage of punches that lifted his opponent up on his toes. An accidental headbutt during the round provided Hart with a brief break in the action. In the tenth round, it should have been of no surprise to those in attendance that the two men did not touch gloves at the beginning of the round. A Smith right hook to the head sprayed sweat off of the head of Hart before the conclusion of action.

In what appeared to be a clear cut victory for Joe Smith, Jr. on national television, a poor scorecard by veteran boxing judge James Kinney provided the sport with yet another public black eye, and unnecessary negative attention to the scoring system. Two of the officials scored the bout 97-92 and 98-91 respectively for Smith, with Kinney scoring the bout 95-94 for Hart. This writer has a lot of strong opinions regarding the perceived recent surge in the poor quality of judging, especially in nationally televised fights. That being stated, these opinions will be reserved for another time and forum. It should be noted that New Jersey Athletic Commissioner Larry Hazzard Sr. needs to perform a thorough and fair review of this judges' scorecard before allowing him to judge another professional bout.

Nelson Remains Undefeated

The fun began when Steven Nelson (16-0, 12 KOs) walked to the ring in a "The Grinch" mask and matching green furry shorts for his ten round bout for the NABO Super Middleweight Title match against Cem Kilic (14-1, 9 KOs). Both men entered the ring not only looking to preserve their undefeated streaks, but continue a knockout streak that was at two for both fighters. The opening round was highly competitive, as both men, appearing to be evenly matched, exchanged big shots. In the second round, Nelson landed a series of effective body shots, followed by a series of big punches that Kilic had no answer for.

In the third round, Nelson picked apart Kilic with laser precision jabs. In the fourth round, Nelson punished his opponent with a left hook to the head. Later in the round, a Nelson left uppercut snapped Kilic's head back as the round ended.

Nelson tee'd off on Kilic with multiple straight right hands to the head in the fifth round. Nelson proceeded to bully Kilic with solid inside fighting throughout the sixth round.

Kilic hit Nelson with a nice left hand to the head in the seventh round. After a good start in the round, Kilic slowed down as the round progressed. In the eighth round, Kilic, realizing he was behind on the cards, fought well landing a straight left hand that snapped Nelson's head back. Despite a valiant effort, Kilic's corner had seen enough of the damage their fighter was taking over the course of the contest and threw in the towel at the 1:44 mark of the eighth round.

Magic Hands Adorno Sweeps Ibarra

Jeremy Adorno (4-0, 1 KO) secured the lone victory for the Adorno clan this evening with a unanimous decision victory over Fernando Ibarra (2-3). The two super bantamweight warriors put their speed on display in the opening round. In the second round, Adorno landed a big left hook to Ibarra's head that sent him crashing to the canvas. Ibarra pulled himself up from the canvas, dazed, but survived a barrage of punches from his opponent as time expired in the round.

Adorno put his speed on display in the third round, peppering Ibarra with a variety of shots to the head and body. Ibarra could not get anything going offensively because Adorno danced away from all pressure aimed in his direction. At one point, Adorno yelled at the ESPN commentators, "you like that?"

In the fourth and final round, Ibarra connected with an effective multi-punch combo that pushed Adorno into a neutral corner. Adorno looking to end Ibarra's offensive rally, wrapped him up. Adorno again went to his effective left hook in this round, connecting to the head and body. Adorno, confident he was ahead on the cards, cruised through the second half of the round. All three judges scored the bout 40-35 in favor of the undefeated Jeremy Adorno.

The Bronco Runs Over Head

Sonny Conto (6-0, 5 KOs) cruised by Curtis Head (5-5, 3 KOs) in a heavyweight contest that was scheduled for four rounds. Conto, the Philadelphia fan favorite, dropped Head to one knee with a left-right hand combo. Seconds later, Conto dropped Head again with a left hook that barely grazed his head. After pulling himself up to his feet for the third time in the round, Conto connected with a right hand to the body that again sent Head to his knee. By this point of the fight, referee David Franciosi had seen enough and called an end to the action at the 2:08 mark of the opening frame. Conto has now won five of his six professional fights by knockout.

Times Runs Out on Barbosa in Loss to Sandman

Chris "Sandman" Thomas (14-1-1, 9 KOs), Toms River, New Jersey, made quick work of Samir dos Santos Barbosa (37-17-3, 26 KOs), a veteran of 56 professional fights, in the first round of a fight scheduled for six rounds in the super middleweight division. Thomas crushed Barbosa with a big right hand to the face, that he followed up with a big multi-punch combo that sent his opponent stumbling back into the neutral corner. Despite appearing to still have some fight left in him, referee Sparkle Lee stepped in and stopped the fight at the 47 second mark of the opening frame. As the final decision was announced, the crowd expressed their dissatisfaction with the premature stoppage by booing loudly.

Adorno and Garcia Battle to Split Decision Draw

The elder Adorno was the first one of the Allentown, Pennsylvania-based brothers to walk to the ring this evening. He, like his younger brother Jeremy, entered the ring to the roar of an approving fan base. In the opening round, Joseph Adorno (14-0-1, 12 KOs) rocked Hector Garcia (14-7-4, 8 KOs) with big shots to the head and body, highlighted by big hooks to the body that made Garcia wince under the pressure. The two fighters had an excellent exchange midway through the round. Garcia absorbed a big left hook to the head and waived on Adorno for more.

Adorno fought more cautiously in the third round. Garcia tried to press the attack during this round, but Adorno responded with outstanding defense. In the fourth round, Adorno shook Garcia's head with two big left hands. In close combat, Garcia threw hard uppercuts, most of which were absorbed by Adorno's gloves.

In the fifth round, Garcia chased Adorno around the ring, desperately trying to land an effective shot through the guard with little to no success. In the sixth round, Garcia banged at Adorno's body with multi-hand uppercuts and hooks, shots that Adorno responded to with a big smile.

During the seventh round, Garcia broke down Adorno's guard with big hooks and uppercuts to the head and body. Adorno returned to his corner with blood streaming from his nose. By the eighth and final round, it was no evident to anyone watching that Garcia had come to fight. The round began with a big exchange of shots as both men let their hands go. Adorno popped Garcia's head back with a hard right hook. Adorno was on shaky legs as both fighters went shot-for-shot as time expired. The fight ended in a split decision draw with the judges scoring the contest 77-75 for Adorno, 77-75 for Garcia, and 76-76 a draw.

Bunch Wins No. Six by TKO

Trenton’s Shinard Bunch (6-1, 4 KOs) halted Dennis Okoth’s (4-3-1, 2 KOs) two fight winning streak with a unanimous decision victory over the Kenyan. The first round of the welterweight contest was a limited action affair, as both men felt each other out. With little success, the fighters tried to pick up the speed of the action in the opening seconds of the second frame.

To the displeasure of those in attendance, the third round was another slow round for the men. The fourth showed promise as Okoth answered the bell swinging wildly at Bunch, looking for a quick knockout. Unfortunately, that was the extent of the action in the round.

Okoth moved forward aggressively in the fifth round, but Bunch answered by wrapping him up. Halfway through the round, there was a good exchange between the two fighters near the center of the ring. In the final ten seconds of the round, Okoth slipped into Bunch, almost knocking him out of the ring into the timekeeper’s table. In the sixth round, after a brief exchange, Okoth walked to his corner and hung on the ropes. Referee David Franciosi looked bewildered at the exhausted fighter, and waived off the fight as the trainer, towel in hand, jumped up onto the canvas to attend to his fighter. The action, or lack thereof, was halted at the 2:40 mark of the sixth and final round.

Zayas Beats a Champion

In the opening bout of the evening, Xander Zayas (3-0, 2 KOs) defeated Corey Champion (1-2, 1 KO) by unanimous decision in a four round welterweight bout. Zayas, a high school senior, controlled the bout through all four rounds. In the first round, Zayas landed multiple right hands to Champion’s head, as Champion looked intimidated by his taller opponent. Champion answered the second round bell looking like a beat up man. Zayas stalked him around the ring and worked his opponent’s body to slow down his efforts to avoid him. As the round neared its end, Champion’s nose gushed blood.

In the third round, Zayas pinned Champion up against the ropes with a multi-punch combo. Champion squirmed out from under the pressure, but was visibly shaken from the onslaught. This round went on to be a shooting gallery for Zayas as he landed shots at will, all while smiling from ear to ear. The right hand was especially effective for Zayas during this round. At rounds end, Champion walked back to his corner with a crimson lower face. In the opening seconds of the fourth round, Champion ate a hard right hand to the face. Champion was on shaky legs throughout the round, and held on for dear life as the final bell rang. The judges scored the contest 40-36 twice and 40-35 all in favor of Zayas.

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

Robinson, Mathie continue winning ways in Philly

By Matt Ward

Kings Promotions returned to Philly's premier fight venue, the 2300 Arena, on Friday night. The card featured eight professional bouts across various weight classes, and genders. The main event of the evening featured a super middleweight contest between Brandon Robinson (14-2, 9 KOs) and Martez McGregor (8-3, 6 KOs). 

In the opening frame, Robinson moved in and connected with a hard right hand to McGregor's face, a shot that snapped his head back. In the third round, McGregor effectively applied pressure to Robinson. McGregor controlled much of the tempo of the fourth round. He knocked Robinson into the neutral corner with a big left hand as the round approached its end. 

This was a sloppy fight through the first five rounds. The crowd rose to their feet in the sixth round, as Robinson connected with a series of straight right and left hands to McGregor's head and body. As the sixth round approached its end, the two fighters had a good exchange near the blue corner. Throughout the eighth and final round, the two fighters swung wildly and wrapped one another up to avoid any unnecessary damage. All three judges scored the bout for the winner by unanimous decision Brandon Robinson. The judges scorecards read 77-75 twice and 78-74.

Avril Mathie Remains Undefeated 

Australian bombshell, Avril Mathie (4-0-1, 2 KOs), remained undefeated with a unanimous decision victory over Karen Dulin (3-22-1, 1 KO). The  swimsuit model turned bantamweight boxer, Mathie, established her jab in the opening frame and outpointed the veteran Dulin. In the third round, Mathie control the tempo of the fight by landing a series of hooks to the head and body of Dulin. After four rounds of action, all three judges scored the bout 40-36 for the winner by unanimous decision, Avril Mathie.

Accidental Headbutt Halts Bunch vs. Floyd

In what was a highly entertaining fight before it was stopped in the third of six scheduled rounds, Trenton's Shinard Bunch (3-1, 3 KOs) fought Philadelphia's Vinny Floyd (4-8-1, 2 KOs) in a welterweight contest. A Bunch right to the body and left to the chin knocked Floyd down in the first round. Bunch had Floyd on shaky legs after the knockdown, but failed to put pressure on his taller opponent to secure the knockout. In the second round, Floyd was knocked back into the ropes with a multi-punch combo that was highlighted by a right hand to the head as time expired. The referee ruled this a knockdown. 

In the third round, the fight was stopped due to a cut on Floyd's scalp, that was opened up due to an accidental headbutt. Because the fight did not reach the fourth round, it was ruled a no-contest. The two men will  fight again on December 6th when King's Promotions returns to the 2300 arena.

Allen Returns to his Winning Ways in Front of Hometown Crowd

Damon Allen (16-1-1, 5 KOs) bounced back from his first career loss last August with a victory over Dieumerci Nzau (11-10, 8 KOs). Allen answered the opening bell by controlling the tempo of the fight and landing shots at will. He rattled Nzau with a big left hand to the head in the first round. Nzau swung wildly and ineffectively at his opponent in the second, clearly frustrated by Allen's poise and fight plan.

Allen punished Nzau with repeated left hands to the head in the third round. In the fourth round, the sound of two of Allen's left hands connecting with Nzau's head echoed through the arena. 

A left hand to the head shook Nzau in the sixth round. Both fighters looked exhausted later in the sixth and final round. The last-minute was filled with instances of both men hanging all over one another. To the delight of the pro-Allen crowd, all three judges scored the bout 60-54 in favor of the local fan-favorite.

Nelson Bounces Back from Three Straight Defeats

The former Pennsylvania Lightweight champion, Naim Nelson (14-4, 1 KO), halted his three fight losing streak with a unanimous decision victory over Harrisburg's Roy McGill (6-4, 3 KOs). The junior welterweight contest was evenly matched through the first two rounds. Miguel put his foot on the gas in the opening seconds of the third round, and then the action seemed to settle down. The two men spent the last three rounds chasing each other around the ring to the displeasure of the crowd. The judges scored the bout 58-56, 59-55, and 60-54, all in favor of Nelson.

Umberger Kayos DeShields

Chestnut Hill's Ryan Umberger (3-0, 3 KOs) increased his knockout streak to three with a victory over Camden's Leon DeShields (0-7). An Umberger right hook to the body sent DeShields to the canvas in the opening seconds of the first round in this junior middleweight bout. DeShields recovered from the knockdown only to be finished off later in the round at 2:49, when Umberger nailed him with a overhand right to the head. 

Rivera Wins by Second Round TKO

Cruiserweights Angel Rivera (5-1, 4 KOs) and Nicoy Clarke (2-5) squared off in a fight that was scheduled for four rounds. The opening round was filled with lots of action. Clarke tried to trap Rivera in the first round, but Rivera kept punching his way out of these traps. Rivera finished off Clark in the second round with an uppercut followed by left and right hooks to the head and body. Clark crashed to the canvas and referee Erik Dali waved off the fight at the 1:41 mark of the second round.

Martin, Down in One, Recovers for Win

James Martin (5-1) defeated Juan Rodriguez (8-16-1, 6 KOs) by unanimous decision in the opening bout of the evening. A Rodriguez body shot in the opening round caused Martin to take a knee. Later in the first round, Martin appeared to hurt Rodriguez on two occasions, but failed to press the attack and secure a knockdown. A right hand from Martin in the second sent Rodriguez tumbling back into the corner. Rodriguez wrapped Martin up to kill the multi-punch onslaught.

Rodriguez showed his ring experience in the third round by smothering multiple attacks by Martin. There was a big exchange of shots in the center of the ring to start the fourth round. Unfortunately, this early action in the round would be negated by excessive holding throughout the last two minutes of the final round. The judges scored the bout 38-37 and 39-37 twice for Martin.

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

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.

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