Sonny Conto Post-Fight Press Conference

By Luis A. Cortes III, Ringside

Check out audio from Sonny Conto's post-fight press conference. Conto defeated Jimmie Levins by first round TKO on Thursday night at Live! Casino and Hotel in South Philadelphia. He improved his record to eight wins, seven by knockout, and zero defeats. 

The Weigh-In: Your Home for Combat Sports · Sonny Conto Post-Fight Press Conference

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Results from Live!

By Luis A. Cortes III, Ringside

Live! Casino Hotel and Casino hosted a sold-out crowd for their inaugural professional boxing event promoted by Joe Hand Promotions.  Top Rank Promotions heavyweight prospect Sonny Canto was the main attraction of the event that marked the 50th year of Joe Hand Promotions.  Hand, once a member of Cloverly Inc. that guided the career of Hall-of-Fame legend Joe Frazier, was honored before the main event.  

South Philadelphia native Sonny "The Branco" Conto (8-0)(7 KO's) who has spent time in training camps with Tyson Fury looked to impress his hometown crowd.  Conto started things out with a measured pace behind the jab but started to exchange with Joel Caudle (8-6-2)(5 KO's) who was a game opponent as he landed his own quick shots on the inside.  Caudle was able to do some good work and push the young prospect until Conto started to use his better skills by using his jab and solid movement.  Conto even switched to southpaw and answered the early test from the game Caudle when he landed a strong left hook combination that floored Caudle.

Caudle rose to his feet and tried to answer the count, but clearly hurt, the referee stopped the contest in the last ten seconds of the third round.            

  

Gerardo Martinez (5-2)(1 KO) and Christopher Burgos (3-4-1)(1 KO) wasted no time and got right to work as they willingly exchanged combinations to start what turned out to be an exciting first round.  The action continued through three rounds with both fighters landing power shots.  Burgos had a mouse form under his left eye while Martinez had to deal with a busted lip. Burgos continued to apply pressure on Martinez landing quality punches to the body and head.  Every time Martinez tried to counter Burgos responded clearly winning the trades.   

After six rounds it was clear that Burgos deserved the victory.  Fans in attendance showed their appreciation for the six rounds of hard work by applauding both fighters after the final bell.  58-56 and 59-55 were the scores all in favor of the winner Christopher Burgos.     

Daiyaan Butt (9-1)(4 KO's) and Seifullah Wise (4-2)(1 KO) both fighting out of Philadelphia started their six-round Jr. welterweight fight right away with Wise landing power shots that hurt Butt.  Fighting out of the southpaw stance, Wise was able to land right hooks while avoiding Butt's counters.  Wise was penalized for hitting behind the head at the end of the opening round.  

Butt began to warm up and landed body shots that started to change the momentum of the fight.  That was until referee Benji Esteves called a halt to the fight at the 53-second mark of round three.  Esteves had warned Wise constantly before finally stopping the fight.

Jeremiah Kendrick (1-0)(1 KO) won his professional debut with a first-round stoppage over the out-gunned Tyrone Lews (0-2). 

Bilal Quintyne (2-0) was able to win a four-round majority decision over Maurice Burke (1-1)   A hard straight right hand landed late in the fourth and final round that helped Quintyne win the close decision.  It was a back and forth contest and it was reflected that way on the judge's scorecards.  Quintyne won on two of the cards 39-37.  While the other judge scored the fight a draw at 38-38.

Light heavyweights started the nights' action with Tariq Green (1-0) winning a four-round decision over Tunde Fatiregun (1-1)(1 KO).   

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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.

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Sosa Impressive; Adan Gonzales Spoils Cuban Prospect Ramirez's Debut

By Matt Ward, Ringside

Top Rank professional boxing on ESPN+ returned to the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in North Philadelphia on Saturday night. The main event of this action-packed card pitted super featherweights Jason Sosa (23-3-4, 16 KOs) and Lydell Rhodes (27-4-1, 13 KOs) against one another in a ten round contest. Sosa, a former WBA Super Featherweight World Champion, made a big step on the trail to reclaim a world title by stopping tough veteran Rhodes at the 1:08 mark of the seventh round.

The two gladiators fought a close fight through the opening two frames. In the third round, Sosa opened up on Rhodes with a barrage of effective punches to the head and body. This offensive onslaught was highlighted by hard upper cuts that made Rhodes cringe under the pressure. Sosa again went on the attack in the fourth round when he connected with a left hand to the face of Rhodes. Rhodes rallied at the end of the round, landing a multi-punch combo that let Sosa know he was still in the fight.

In the fifth round, Sosa sent Rhodes crashing to the canvas with a left hook to the head. Rhodes managed to pull himself up from the mat, and fight on until the final 30 seconds of the round when Rhodes was punished with a series of Sosa punches to the head that again sent him down to the canvas. An accidental headbutt in the sixth round opened up a cut near Sosa's left eye. Fortunately, the location of this wound had little impact on the Camden native's fight plan and momentum going forward.

The third and final knockdown came in the seventh round when a well-placed Sosa right hand to Rhodes' head sent him crashing to the canvas. Rhodes recovered from the knockdown, but his corner had seen enough of the beat down, and threw in the towel. Referee Benjy Esteves honored the request by waiving off the fight. 

Gonzales Spoils Olympian's Debut

Denver's Adan Gonzales (5-2-2, 2 KOs) spoiled the long anticipated professional debut of Cuban Olympian Robeisy Ramirez (0-1) in a four round featherweight bout. Gonzales, fighting like a man looking for the upset, introduced Ramirez to a pro boxing canvas in the first round with a hard right hand to the head. Ramirez appeared to struggle with Gonzales in the second round, as he continued to apply pressure to the highly successful former amateur fighter. Ramirez, hoping to salvage his night, unloaded on Gonzales at the end of the third round, having to be pulled off of Gonzales after the bell rang. Ramirez fought hard in the fourth and final round, but it was not enough to salvage a win or draw. The judges scored the bout 39-36 for Gonzales, 38-37 for Ramirez, and 40-35 for the winner by split decision, Adan Gonzales. 

Berlanga Extends Kayo Streak to 12

"Knockout Artist" Edgar Berlanga (12-0, 12 KOs) won his twelfth straight fight by way of knockout over Gregory Trenel (11-5-2, 3 KOs) in the first round of a middleweight contest scheduled for eight. Berlanga answered the bell by landing crushing shots on his French opponent. Trenel hit the canvas after Berlanga, a native of New York, connected with a left hook to the head. Trenel hesitantly pulled himself up from the canvas only to be beaten into submission seconds later. Berlanga landed numerous left hands, at will, on the defenseless Trenel. Referee Benjy Esteves saw enough of the massacre at the 2:24 mark of the opening frame.

Philadelphia's Kroll Wins by UD 

Undefeated welterweights Paul Kroll (5-0, 4 KOs) and Shinard Bunch (2-1, 2 KOs) battled through a six round bout. The two men put on a display of speed throughout the opening frame of the contest in front of a crowd that roared with approval. As the first round ended, the referee had to pull Kroll away from the dogfight that was highlighted by great exchanges of multi-punch combos. In the second round, the two men slowed down the pace of the bout.

Bunch unloaded a three punch combo on Kroll in the third. The fourth round kicked off with a exchange of big shots near the center of the ring. Later in this round, Kroll put the pedal to the metal as he aggressively nailed Bunch with a series of multi-punch combos to the head and body, shots that made Bunch slump into the ropes. At this point of the fight, the advantage was seized by Kroll who landed big shots that were responded to by Bunch clinches and wrap-ups. This was especially the case in the fifth round when Kroll connected with a right hook to Bunch's head. Seconds later, Kroll tee'd off on Bunch with a series of shots, but Bunch managed to dance out of the trap on shaky legs. 

In the sixth round, Kroll went into knockout mode chasing Bunch around the ring and swinging wildly at his opponent, missing more than connecting. To the crowd's dismay, Bunch, clearly beat up from rounds of taking damage, managed to stay on his feet. Referee Gary Rosato had to pull Kroll off of Bunch as the bell marking the end of the round rang. The judges scored the bout 58-56 twice and 59-55 for Kroll. 

Conto Sweeps "Game" Del Rio 

Philadelphia's Sonny Conto (4-0, 3 KOs) defeated a tough opponent in Mexico's Guillermo Del Rio (2-3-1, 2 KOs) to the hometown crowd's delight on Saturday night. Conto went on the attack early in the first of this four rounder as he punished Del Rio with straight left and right hands to the head and body. Del Rio was rocked with a big overhand right to the head in the final 30 seconds of the first round, but showed his grit by staying on his feet and surviving the opening the frame. Conto had to deal with Del Rio's clinching and wrapping throughout the second round. As the round neared its end, this strategy turned into wild swinging at Conto that failed to hit its mark. A Conto left hook made Del Rio drop into the ropes, but the Mexican heavyweight again made it to the end of the round.

Sonny landed shots at will on Del Rio in the third which appeared to have a damaging effect on him. Again, to the frustration of Conto and the audience, Del Rio's body did not hit the canvas. The crowd roared "Sonny! Sonny!" in the final round as the Philly heavyweight clubbed Del Rio. Del Rio deaf to the chants of the Liacouras Center, valiantly fought on. As the round neared its end, Conto finally sent Del Rio crashing to the canvas with a left hand to the head. Del Rio, on wobbly legs, pulled himself up for the unanimous decision defeat. All three judges scored the bout 40-35 for the heavyweight prospect Conto.

Smith Dominates Abdullah in Six 

Philly's Donald Smith (10-0, 6 KOs) won his tenth fight as a professional over Colorado's Raheem Abdullah (3-3). Smith controlled the momentum of the featherweight contest throughout the bout, and answered all of Abdullah's attacks with effective multi-punch combos of his own. Smith closed out his dominant performance by hammering Abdullah with right hands to the body as the fight came to a conclusion. The judges scored the fight 59-53 twice and 60-52 for Smith.

Adorno Wins by Kayo

Jeremy Adorno (2-0, 1 KO) defeated Fernando Robles (2-2) by knockout victory in a super bantamweight bout that was scheduled for four rounds. The knockout shot came at the 2:01 mark of the third round when Adorno dropped Robles with a right hook to the body.

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Hart & Conto Provide Philly Flavor in Sin City

By Luis A. Cortes III

Saturday night in Las Vegas is no doubt another chance for the glamour division of the sport to bask in the spotlight of the sporting world as Tyson Fury (27-0-1) (19 KO’s) defends his lineal championship against German Tom Schwarz (24-0) (16 KO’s).  After the shocking results at Madison Square Garden that saw Andy Ruiz win portions of the heavyweight crown by knocking out the unbeaten Anthony Joshua, Saturday is a great chance for Fury to solidify his claim as the “baddest” man on the planet (a moniker which comes with being the best heavyweight in the world). 

While Fury fights for the first time since his draw against the other champion thought of as one of the best, Deontay Wilder, and begins his partnership with promotional juggernaut Top Rank, the undercard features a co-main event that easily is worthy of its own main event status when Philadelphia native Jesse Hart (25-2) (21 KO’s) battles Sullivan Barrera (22-2) (14 KO’s) in a ten round light heavyweight contest.  Also, on the undercard is heavyweight and Top Rank prospect South Philadelphia’s future real life “Rocky” Sonny Conto (2-0) (2 KO’s).

Since his last fight, a second go around defeat at the hands of former WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez, Hart has continued to reinforce that it is only a matter of time before he is known as a world champion.  His quest for the super middleweight crown was well documented by this writer prior to his first clash with Ramirez in the fall of 2017.  After the close defeat, Hart regrouped with the knowledge that he was one point away from fulfilling his dream.  Three knockout victories and a year later saw Hart back in the ring with Ramirez.  It seemed entering the final rounds that Hart would clear the Ramirez hurdle, but he was hurt by an injured Ramirez and the result wound up being the same. 

With the two Ramirez fights being the only blemishes on his record, and Ramirez stating his desire to move up and join the talent loaded light heavyweight division, it was thought by many that Hart was poised to stick around the 168-pound super middleweight division and not only finally win the vacated championship by Ramirez, but in doing so would set himself up for big pay dates against some of the other talented champions and challengers in the division.

It was a bit of a shock when he told The Weigh-In directly that he was planning a move up to join the rest of the talent at 175-pounds in the light heavyweight division.  He stated that he was planning on fighting a big name in his debut and had targeted former world champion, Sergey Kovalev conqueror Eleider Alvarez.  “That division is so full of talent and now I’m going to add my name to the mix,” stated Hart.  Kudos to Hart for making the decision to not play it easy and defeat a lesser challenge to earn the championship he craves, and for chasing both greener pastures and tougher terrain at light heavyweight.

Enter Sullivan Barrera (22-2) (14 KO’s), himself a former title challenger, who like Hart only has two losses. These defeats came at the hands of future Hall of Famer Andre Ward and the current WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol.  At 37 years old, Barrera has been less active than the 29-year-old Hart and struggled a bit during his last fight back in November against the durable Sean Monaghan.  Barrera seemed a bit off during the early portions of the fight, maybe it was due to disinterest because just eight months earlier he was stopped in twelve grueling rounds in his championship bid against Bivol.  Whatever it was, Barrera handled himself like the true professional and wound up battering Monaghan in route to the decision victory.

With Alvarez dropping out of the proposed fight with Hart, Barrera was the name that filled in and allowed Hart to remain as the co-feature on this big night in Vegas.  Hart is never shy to speak his mind and has traded barbs with Barrera over social media. Recently, he informed the media on his thoughts regarding this fight in career terms and Barrera.  “The 175-pound division is wide open and I’m finally ready to win that world title.  Sullivan Barrera is in my way, so I am going to smash him,” stated Hart.  Barrera is indeed a seasoned veteran, but at the age of 37, the idea that a fighter can get “old” overnight is always close by.  “After Saturday night we’re going to put him (Barrera) into retirement, you’re not going to hear from him again,” said Hart. 

Barrera puts all of that to the side and thinks its just Hart trying to avoid dealing with nerves he may be facing since he is moving up in weight. “Jesse Hart knows he’s never fought anyone like me, he is scared.  He is coming up from 168, but the punching power at 175 is not the same.  I am a different level than what he’s used to.  It’s going to be a long night for him,” remarked Barrera.

ESPN analysts, former world champions, and future Hall of Famers Timothy Bradley and Andre Ward also had interesting takes on this fight.  “I think it’s a good move for Jesse.  I thought that at 168 pounds he may have been zapping some of his strength to make the weight.  He is a big strong guy, so 175 may just be the better fit for him,” stated Bradley.  “This is going to be a good fight and is a good way to lead into the Fury fight.  Barrera is a seasoned fighter that is technically sound,” replied Ward.  Both agreed that the winner of the fight aligns himself for bigger fights and bigger purses against the rest of the division that is rich with talent.  With the champions (Kovalev, Bivol, Beterbiev, and Gvozdyk), seemingly on a collusion course to unify their titles.  If Hart can get by Barrera (who is ranked #7 in the division) he will stake his claim for a shot at one of those champions in the future.

Also, on this loaded undercard is the aforementioned heavyweight prospect Sonny Conto.  With just two fights as a professional, Conto is indeed at the prospect stage of his career.  He has the amateur pedigree that included being crowned a National Golden Gloves champion.  His stock was high enough that Top Rank signed him right away.  With both of his wins coming at home in Philadelphia in front of an adoring crowd (and Conto already has a nice size fan base at home to build off), it made sense for Top Rank to have him continue his nurturing process by taking part in a big fight week in Sin City featuring a current heavyweight champion. 

Conto was flown out to Vegas where he spent time training and sparring with Fury as well as Joseph Parker, the only man to beat Andy Ruiz.  As Conto progresses inside of the ring, it will be a bit of time before we see the 23-year-old in a meaningful fight.  Especially a fight that begins the test to see just how far he truly can go. 

Full of talent, Conto continues to progress that talent and build the foundation to handle big fight weeks and fight nights when his name will be the one in the lights.  “Sparring with a champion is great work for a young fighter.  You don’t want to be just a sparring partner though,” stated Ward.  Bradley also agreed with Ward, “Terrance Crawford spent time with me in camp before anyone knew his name.  I think for him it was just as good outside of the ring as it was in terms of the work that we gave each other.  He got to see how I handled myself as a champion and the way I dealt with my family.”  So just what does Conto think about his time sparring Fury, “It was awesome, a great experience, and priceless.”

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ESPN & Eastern European Fighters Invade Philadelphia

By Luis A. Cortes III, Ringside

ESPN hosted a huge night of combat sports from the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, PA this past Saturday night.  With the city a buzz with the break out start of the Philadelphia Phillies and their new $330 million-man Bryce Harper, along with the impending play off run by the Sixers, the city was ready to host a great night of action both inside the octagon and the squared circle.  Top Rank Promotions invaded Philadelphia to provide the night's boxing action as they featured a card topped by the first defense of WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-0, 14 Kos).  The card also featured  a fight that was supposed to be a welterweight showcase for Egidijus Kavaliauskas (21-0-1, 17 Kos), who is being groomed to be a challenger for WBO champion Terrance Crawford. 

A host of undercard action also took place (which we will get to later), but a few things became clear while watching the fights ringside.  These sentiments about the nights action were verified once this writer was able to finally watch the televised broadcast.  The first thing that was verified was something that I’ve had a sneaking suspicion about for some time.  That is that for all the hype (and rightly so), surrounding Eastern European fighters due to their extensive amateur pedigrees, outside of Vasyl Lomachenko, most of these Eastern European fighters tend to have trouble when they face fighters that can fight on angles.  They tend to also have problems with fighters that can fight on the inside and match their strength and aggressive nature.  It was something first noticed during the Andre Ward – Sergey Kovalev fights and was confirmed on Saturday night.   

While fighters from this part of the world (Eastern Europe) tend to be fantastic from a fundamental standpoint, many have issues with the types of things that are taught in gyms in Latin America and the United States.  I’m talking about the type of boxing that is predicated on defense by using both the upper body and legs to avoid punches.  Counter-punching boxers that know how to set traps with their small footwork, as well as fighters that know how to avoid pressure and take away their opponents’ aggression and one-two power punching style. 

Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs. Doudou Ngumbu

Some of these points were on display during the main event.  With Gvozdyk defending his crown against the game Doudou Ngumbu (38-9, 14 Kos), a fight that wound up having a bizarre ending when the contest was stopped due to a leg injury in the fifth round.  Up until the point of Ngumbu not being able to finish, the fight and thus losing by technical stoppage, he was having some success against the power punching Gvozdyk.  His constant movement and attack, which consisted of him jumping in and out of range to try and land a punch or two before getting out of range seemed to have the champion a bit frustrated. 

Gvozdyk was beginning to come on and started to land some thudding straight body shots that clearly caused Ngumbu some issues.  It seemed that the tide of the fight was going to start to turn in the favor of the champion, who wasn’t being held at bay by Ngumbu as the fight was starting to near the middle rounds.  Ngumbu couldn’t land anything that made Gvozdyk think twice about charging forward towards his prey.  As a result, the ending that seemed to occur happened a bit prematurely but was most likely going to be the way the fight would have ended regardless, with Gvozdyk winning by stoppage.

It’s a shame to see Ngumbu's opportunity at championship glory and financial stability for his family come to an end the way it did, but so is the nature of the beast that is boxing.  Gvozdyk will continue forward and will stake claims as both the WBC and Lineal Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.  With a large amount of talent invading the division along with the current champions, nothing is clear as to who the best light heavyweight in the world.  Gvozdyk will be competitive against any of the other champions or challengers, which will make watching this division clear itself out over the next couple of years a fun thing to witness.  One fighter of note that was in the ring after the fight was former super middleweight contender and Philadelphia native Jesse Hart.  Hart has told TWI on several occasions that he is also thinking about moving up to light heavyweight to fight the big names.   

Egidijus Kavaliauskas vs. Ray Robinson

In the opening bout of the telecast and the co-feature, Kavaliauskas was matched against Philadelphia native and veteran welterweight Ray Robinson (24-3-1, 12 Kos).  It was supposed to be a test for Kavaliauskas to see how he would fair against a southpaw that could box and that can do the things mentioned above.  What the fans in attendance and watching from home saw was yet another example of that style being an Achilles heel to Eastern European aggression.  Robinson was able to use his jab and move on angles creating traps that Kavaliauskas seemed to always walk into.  Once Robinson had Kavaliauskas where he wanted, he was able to land lefts to the body or use a check right hook that allowed him to get out of the way from any power counter shots. 

Kavaliauskas looked confused and frustrated that he couldn’t come forward and cut off the ring on the taller and lengthier Robinson.  He did have his fair share of moments in the fight and landed some good clean punches that allowed him to win some of the rounds when Robinson was not being active enough to win the round based off of his boxing.  These times and lapses of activity from Robinson allowed for some of the close rounds to be awarded to Kavaliauskas based solely on his aggression.  After the ten rounds, one of the judges scored the fight 97-93 in favor of Robinson, while the other two scored the fight even at 95-95.  For the record TWI scored the fight 96-94 in favor of Robinson. 

While neither fighter was satisfied with the outcome,  Robinson rightly denied answering a question in the post-fight interview geared towards trying to prop Kavaliauskas as a possible opponent for Crawford by stating he deserves that fight.  It was a clear indication that Kavaliauskas may not be ready for that type of challenge and has lots of things to work on if he is going to challenge the best fighter in the world.  As for Robinson, the best thing going for him after he wasn’t awarded this victory is the fact that he is available to fight any of the top names at welterweight.  At the age of 33, hopefully he is not penalized for putting forth a game effort and is able to get his chance at glory before it is too late.

Undercard:

Several fights on the undercard were of note:

In an IBF welterweight title eliminator, Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (16-0, 9 Kos) defeated Keita Obara (20-4-1, 18 Kos) by unanimous decision.  With his victory, he is now in line to face IBF welterweight king Errol Spence Jr.  While Kudratillo was effective with his pressure and landed the power shots against Obara to become the mandatory challenger, once again his style doesn’t seem like it would fair well against the much more polished professional Spence.  It’s likely that he will wait for his moment of championship glory when Spence vacates the IBF title to face bigger named opposition for bigger pay checks.    

Philadelphia heavyweight prospect Sonny Conto (2-0, 2 Kos) notched his second victory with a first round stoppage.  Conto looks solid and his punches are serious, he is still getting his feet under him as a professional and will continue to be showcased around the country by his handlers at Top Rank before the level of competition increases.  Next up for him is a trip to Las Vegas to fight on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s fight in June. 

Reading native Joshafat Ortiz (6-0, 4 KOs) once again looked impressive with a first-round stoppage over James Thomas (6-5, 6 Kos).  He blasted Thomas with a powerful right that hurt him, and continued to mug Thomas with power shots before the fight was stopped.   

Newly signed to Top Rank, welterweight contender Fredrick Lawson (27-2, 21 Kos) was stunned and stopped by Juan Ruiz (22-4, 14 Kos) in the fourth round at the 1:17 mark.  Lawson had an opportunity to make a statement and claim his place as a legitimate contender at the world class level, but he was out gunned by the determination of Ruiz. 

Philadelphia super featherweight Donald Smith (9-0, 6 KOs) was impressive with his fourth round one punch knockout of Jose Martinez (11-18, 6 KOs).  Smith was stunned in the first round when he was gunning for the early knockout.  He wisely adjusted his game plan and started to box and set up his shots.  In the fourth, he set a trap that Martinez walked straight into and blasted him with a powerful straight left that knocked Martinez out cold. 

Jeremy Adorno (1-0) won a four round unanimous decision over Sebastian Baltazar (1-4).  Adorno faced live competition in his first fight as Baltazar came to Philadelphia to win.  Adorno was cracked by Baltazar on several occasions, but showed a good chin for an 18 year old and stormed back with power shots of his own to take the decision. 

Main Events Promotions heavyweight Cassius Chaney improved to (15-0, 9 Kos) with a stay busy first round stoppage over Christian Mariscal (12-3, 5 Kos).  

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South Philly’s Phinest

By Luis A. Cortes III

We are rapidly approaching the first boxing show of the year in the Philadelphia area on Friday night at the 2300 Arena, a show that is being billed by the promoter Raging Babe as “Philly Special.” Aside from the fan friendly matchups that have helped to make this event a sellout, this card will feature two fighters from South Philadelphia that seem to only have the sky as their limit regarding their possible success. Christian Carto (17-0)(11 KO’s) a native of South Philadelphia who is currently a bantamweight prospect from the Carto fighting clan will be in the main event of the card. While Sonny Conto, a former heavyweight amateur standout, who like Carto, also hails from South Philadelphia and is of Italian heritage, will make his professional debut. This is significant for the sport in the city, since there have been musings throughout the local boxing community recently regarding how and if boxing will ever regain prominence in the forefront of mainstream sports fans mindset. Boxing’s relationship with the city of Philadelphia has been covered and is familiar to most boxing fans not just in the city, but throughout the country. 

What makes this card with these two fighters important, is the fact that with their success, there is an opportunity for the resurgence local insiders yearn for. Over the course of the past few years, Carto has proven that while he continues his growth as a young prospect inside of the ring, he is already established himself as a draw at the box office. He continues to fight locally, filling up the smaller venues throughout the city and his fan base has proven they will travel with him to Atlantic City. It is the type of grass roots support and fan base that has eluded many current world champions. Several reasons have caused this problem in the sport which makes the fact that Carto has been able to foster this type of support while remaining a free agent from any promotional company interesting. Sonny Conto on the other hand signed a promotional deal with Top Rank Promotions before even fighting a single round as a professional.

Although there is a contrast to how both fighters are going to progress in their careers from a business standpoint. With the fan base Carto has already shown, the belief is that Conto will not be far off in terms of the type of excitement that he will bring to the area when he fights. 

“Heavyweights are always appealing. Sonny is athletic, strong, well trained, and has good amateur experience,” stated Carl Moretti (Vice President of Top Rank Promotions). “Our belief is that he can transfer all of that into the professional ranks. He has a solid team behind him.” 

While Top Rank is known throughout the sport for nurturing their young talent into future world champions, there are always a select few that transition into superstar attractions.  When it comes to moving heavyweight fighters there are those that may feel the need to move him from future prospect all the way to contender at a rapid rate. Also, since the business at the heavyweight level is much larger in terms of finances, others may protect the talent and try to build him as an undefeated attraction.  “It depends on how well he shows he can handle each test put in front of him. It truly is a case by case basis. Each fighter is different,” suggested Moretti.

Conto is expected to live up to his raw talent and transform that into being a seasoned professional before there will be any discussions about just how far he can take his abilities up the ranks. It doesn’t hurt that he is just twenty-two years old. At 6’5 and weighing around 215 pounds, Conto moves well and is agile. As he matures physically, time will move him towards his physical prime.  It’s no wonder why Top Rank is making an investment into his future.  It also doesn’t hurt that even before fighting a single second as a professional, he also shows promise of having a fan base in the city and beyond. “Of course, that goes into his signing, he has a base that can be built off of. We don’t want him just to be an east coast fighter, he can expand beyond that into much more,” reiterated Moretti.  

Meanwhile in the main event, Christian Carto, as mentioned earlier, is already a major prospect. In fact, he has reached the point in his career where it’s about time for him to turn the corner from prospect to contender.  On Friday night, he faces Victor Ruiz, 22-10 (15 KO’s), a tough and rugged veteran, who has faced some of the best in the world around the bantamweight division. This is the right type of fight for Carto in terms of his progression towards becoming a serious contender at bantamweight. In Ruiz he will face a fighter who knows what it means to be a professional prizefighter with the savviness to possibly show Carto things he may not have experienced just yet. 

Therefore, it helps that his union with respected trainer Billy Briscoe has progressed past the stage of understanding each other. It takes several fights for fighters and a new trainer to build a serious rapport with one another and have an unspoken synergy. This is the type of relationship that seems to have reached that point when you watch them train.  

As for Carto being already the type of attraction that Top Rank hopes Sonny Conto can become soon, Carto and his team, which is made up of his father and older brother, hold all the proverbial cards in terms of business with promoters. 

“Christian has the chance to make it to the big time on his own. I don’t think he has to align himself with any promoter because of his popularity and his ability. He can go it alone,” stated Hall-of-Fame promoter J. Russell Peltz during a recent media event promoting this card. “I really believe that no promoter is going to come to Philly and say I don’t want him on my show cause he isn’t signed to me. That’s not going to happen.” 

As the progression continues for Carto inside of the ring along with his popularity outside of the ring, many believe that at some point he is going to have to sign with a promoter to get the types of fights he is fighting towards. Since he is not far from the role of contender, the pressure may be turned on by promoters looking to align themselves with such a popular and talented fighter.  It is not like most promoters haven’t already tried to sign him to an exclusive deal. “They should stay independent and build their own franchise.  He can help bring Philly back to the way it used to be when boxing was big. I know it’s a lot to put on his shoulders, but I really believe he can do it,” claimed Peltz.

It was mentioned earlier that this card is being promoted by Raging Babe, which is run by Michelle Rosado. Rosado has been active on the local scene in Philadelphia, as well as in North Carolina and Arizona. After learning the trade and craft of promoting from J. Russell Peltz (her mentor), Rosado is putting on her first show in Philadelphia. “She has learned from the best to ever do it in Philly in Peltz,” stated Moretti.  He is familiar with Rosado since she along with Peltz have worked with Top Rank on shows that the promotional company has put on in Philadelphia. “She is great at marketing and its great to have the relationship to continue working with her. Obviously, she knows what she is doing since it is already a sellout, “remarked Moretti. 

So yes, while the show is already sold out and the 2300 Arena will be at capacity, fans can watch all the action, including Sonny Conto and Christian Carto, on the Fight Night Live page on Facebook.

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