Inside the Ringside with Frank Bartolini

By Frank Bartolini

With holiday celebrations behind us and decorations being stored away in attics, I traveled to Washington, D.C. for the first of two shows I attended in January. Boxing began in a big way in D.C.

1/7/23 - Washington, D.C.:

Nearly twenty thousand fight fans filled the seats at the Capitol One Arena to cheer on every punch the World Boxing Association Lightweight King Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Baltimore, MD, threw. Appearing to be a bit distracted at times, Davis, 134 lb., did not seem to be in top condition going into his title defense against Hector Luis Garcia, San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic.

This evening was about the excitement “Tank” creates. Gates opened at 4 pm, and soon afterward, the fighters on the first undercard bout were being called into the ring by announcer Mark Fratto. Seats remained empty as the corridor was packed with revelers until around 9 pm.

Once the semi wind up ended, the house heated up in anticipation to see the tatted Davis throw his gloved fists. An explosive roar rocked the house when Jimmy Lennon, Jr. announcing the boxers' names and particulars.

Both boxers launched their arsenal of punches from a southpaw stance. Bumping up a weight class, Garcia, 134 lbs., won the WBA Super Feather Championship in his last fight. Fighting to the top of his ability, Garcia landed to the head and body. After three rounds of feeling his opponent out, Davis opened up in round four exploding bombs to Garcia’s midsection and head. After the halfway point in the seventh stanza, Davis, 134 lbs., unleashed his fury, smacking punches off of Garcia from the outside. Davis countered well with a straight left to Garcia's chin.

The eighth round proved to be the last one of the fight, but not before drama outside the ropes interrupted and stopped the action. It turned out Gary Russel, Jr. and his brothers Gary Antonio and Gary Antuane got into a verbal scuffle with rapper Meek Mill. Both combatants paused to check out what was going on. Once the action resumed, Davis tore into Garcia. As the bell rang to conclude the session, Garcia returned to his corner complaining he could not see out of his right eye and did not come out for the ninth round.

This was the first loss of Garcia’s career; his record dips to 16- 1, 10 KO’s. By representing himself well in this title challenge, Garcia's stock may rise regardless of this loss. With his skill set, Garcia will find success defending on to his super featherweight belt.

Garcia did a great WWE impersonation after the stoppage of the contest by doing a backflip off the top rope and landing perfectly on his feet as the audience roared. At the young age of twenty-eight years old, Davis has ten years' experience and an impressive resume that includes titles in three different weight classes. Tank’s record stays perfect at 28-0, 26 KO’s.

Immediately in the days following the event, talks between PBC head honcho Al Haymon and Oscar De La Hoya, CEO of Golden Boys Promotions, on pairing Davis and Golden Boy promoted Ryan “Kingry” Garcia for a super fight this spring. As of this writing, De La Hoya states he has the contract in hand.

De La Hoya may be trepid as he holds out for a larger percentage of the split. “Tank” has become a legitimate superstar who drew the largest monetary gate for an event in the history of The Capital One Arena. Paid ticket receipts totaled over five million dollars, and it has been reported pay-per-view proceeds added another twenty million dollars to the gross earnings. Another large source of revenue is the celebratory disposition of Davis's fan base transfer into the arena as patrons at the concessions stands. Add a few million bucks more to the proceeds from that revenue. Hence, De La Hoya has few bargaining chips at the table and will try to squeeze PBC for all he can without blowing the deal. April 15th is the projected date for the matchup, but no venue has been selected.

1/20/23 - Bethlehem, PA:

Two weeks later, I found my way to the Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, PA. Wind chills had the temperature in the teens. Entering the casino portion of the former Bethlehem Steel Mill, I saw a lively night brewing as the gaming house was filled with patrons.

The Wind Creek Event Center was packed with close to fifteen hundred fight fans that came to watch a Kings Promotions fight card that was part of The Showtime Network SHOBOX The New Generation fight series. Kings CEO Marshall Kauffman filled the card with first rate local talent.

Undefeated super middleweights Sean Hemphill, New Orleans, LA, fought David Stevens, Reading, PA, in a scheduled eight round bout, a ho hum affair that was even after six rounds. Midway through round seven, Stevens',165 ¾ lbs., constant forward pressure was squeezing the strength out of Hemphill, 166 lbs. Battling aggressively until the end, Stevens pressed ahead in the last round. Then with seconds left in the fight, Stevens pummeled a cornered Hemphill. After absorbing a pounding, Hemphill slumped to the canvas. Using very questionable judgment, referee Shawn Clark let the action go on. Brutally aspiring to finish off his foe, Stevens assaulted Hemphill with three bombs to the head. As referee Clark stepped in to call a halt at 2:58 seconds while Hemphill collapsed to the ring apron. Stevens' record stays perfect at 12-0, 9 KO’s. Hemphill suffered his first blemish to his record and slides to 14-1, 8 KO’s.

Boxing prospects shine in Bethlehem

By Chris Mealey, Ringside

Formerly known as Sands,  boxing returned to the newly established  Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino, where another card of intense action was displayed. Over four months ago,  fight fans and those covering the sport had the pleasure of witnessing local talents, traveling warriors and even boxers making their debut at the same ring fought in this September 14th  card. The Weigh-In will breakdown each outcome, from first fight to the last, in what was another extraordinary night for the sport and it's spectators watching from Kings Boxing Promotions Facebook page. 

[Fight 1] KHAINELL WHEELER VS JUAN ZAPATA (Super Middleweight)

Wheeler is one of the boxers who made his pro debut in this arena four years ago, here at his hometown in Bethlehem. Wasting no time in his third professional bout, the pressure was dictated early and instantly. In the first round, blinding combinations put Zapata in a difficult spot, with nothing to answer with, forcing the referee to stop the bout under the two minute mark of the first round. Wheeler wins big In the first round to start off the night. Result: Wheeler win via TKO

[Fight 2] JOSE LOPEZ VS JERROD MINER (Bantamweight) ***

Jose Lopez defeated Jerrod Miner via unanimous decision in a four round bantamweight contest. 

[Fight 3] BRANDON MULLINS VS BRENT OREN (Middleweight)

Undefeated Mullins from Newark, Delaware opened up the fight with crisp outside fighting, finding much success with the jab early on.  Oren found his place on the back foot for brief moments after the first round, yet the thudding, quick and sudden body shots from Mullins would keep the second round close. On top of the potshots by Mullins, he has done everything with his arsenal  in this bout, winning most the rounds, causing Oren to start off the final round  strong and having his way with the needed power shots. The cool collected Brandon Mullins returned with his own power counterpunches and secured the round and fight,  winning the bout via unanimous decision (judges scored the bout 39-37 across the board).

[Fight 4]  RASHEED JOHNSON VS KASHON HUTCHINSON (Welterweight)

A fight at the 147 lb. weight class may have been the fight of the night, and the only way to describe the intense action from both fighters would be two men in a phone booth. Not the easiest fight for judges to score and after the first round, Johnson was landing accurate counters, potshots, looking really sharp before entering the halfway point of the six round contest. Hutchinson, had a dramatic return in round 4, by placing sensational power shots that left the spectators amazed, considering Johnson stayed on his feet.  The crowd was relatively silent when listening to the score cards and Kashon Hutchinson fought hard to win a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the bout 58-56.

[Fight 5] MARTINO JULES VS MICHAEL STOUTE (Featherweight)

The ABO champion, undefeated Martino Jules, is another fighter who is no stranger to this venue in Bethlehem.  Always bringing the entourage of fellow Allentown fans, as well as  pleasing his viewers each time his steps into the ring, the first two rounds were slow paced, with slick generalship by Jules as Stoute continually chased and made solid effort to land his offense. The high caliber and diverse arsenal in Jules would be too much in the third round, as a blinding jab-straight combination floored Stoute, who was unable to get up for the count. This KO victory for Martino Jules was another one to remember and arguably the best performance of the night next to this following bout.

[Fight 6] JONATHAN TORRES VS KAYLIN WAITES (bantamweight)

The shortest fight of the night and also the most explosive finish. If there was a victory to match the Martino Jules bout, it would be the devastating first round KO from the hometown favorite, Torres. The fight started with Torres landing the hardest counters ever, which caused a knockdown over Waites (that was ruled a slip). Torres must have known he had his opponent hurt, because shortly after, he landed a ferocious combination to drop Waites again, which needed no count by the official in the ring. Superb first round KO victory for Torres as he elevates to 6-0.

[Fight 7] NICOLAS  HERNANDEZ  VS TERRANCE WILLIAMS (Super Welterweights)

Heart, guts, skills and basically a little bit of everything in this spectacular matchup. The only fight to match and maybe even top the Johnson- Hutchinson bout. Hernandez came out the first round with a high-guard, pursuing pressure and aiming to the gut downstairs with significant power. The energy in and out the ring was constantly changing, as the second round was close, but following on - the crowd witnessed Williams knocked down three different times, JUST to see him get back up and box at a phenomenal pace, not just surviving the rounds, but trying to win them back. The last round was Williams' best, as he closed in with his strongest combinations that appeared to have Nico hurt.  At the final bell, both fighters received huge applause and it was Nicolas Hernandez who earned the unanimous decision victory (76-74, 77-73 *twice).

[Fight 8] ERIK SPRING VS COURTNEY PENNINGTON (Super Welterweight)

Spring participated in what was considered 'fight of the night' back in May and found himself in a stern match where finding rhythm was not easy.  Pennington started off busy and full of pressure after the opening bell, continuously landing over hands to the body and up top. Spring showed incredible grit here, never going down all the way to end.  Result: Courtney wins via unanimous decision.

[Main Event] MYKAL FOX VS EUDY BERNARDO (Jr Welterweight)

It's no surprise that the main event of the evening would have it's work cut out in terms of matching all the bouts before hand. Particularly not a concerning issue for Mykal Fox, who would display pure dominance from round one all the way to round ten. The key to beating Bernardo was working off the jab, constantly working on the outside.  Result: Fox wins via unanimous decision (100-90 on all cards).

That wraps up yet another successful and beyond entertaining night of boxing.  Kings Promotions continues to dish out quality matches that The Weigh-In Team always looks forward to cover.

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Mykal Fox: Wise Beyond His Years

By Luis A. Cortes III

To say that world ranked junior welterweight Mykal Fox (20-1) (5 KO’s) heads into his main event fight on Saturday night still needing to prove that he belongs as a ranked challenger, or that he still needs to prove that he needs to get his confidence back after a controversial loss back in February on ShoBox against Shohjahon Ergashev, means that one would simply be using boxing clichés to explain just where the twenty-three-year-old talent from Maryland currently is with his career.  It also means that said person doesn’t really understand the mental makeup of the fighter known as the “Professor.”

It’s truly a moniker that fits Fox.  Fox seems to have the ability that not many young fighters who are trying to prove that they belong fighting the elite in the sport tend to have, the ability to understand just where his career is, what he needs to do to enhance his current situation, and the necessity to remain a professional throughout the entire process.  Often in so many young careers on the rise, a good-looking young challenger is willing to do what is needed of them to excel.  However, many times they tend to neglect one of the previously mentioned three phases of a young career.

“I guess it’s part of my personality.  You see guys like Tony Harrison winning a world championship, someone like Shawn Porter being a two-time world champion after two losses.  Julian Williams shocked everybody, and he came back from a devastating knockout loss to become a unified world champion.  So, after my loss we needed to build ourselves back up to the next big opportunity,” stated Fox.  “That’s what we are doing right now, with fights like this.  Staying active and fighting for the next opportunity.”

Fighting for his next opportunity is also a type of mentality that tends to elude the mental makeup of many young fighters in the modern boxing landscape.  Unfortunately, many young fighters notice what elite fighters can do with their careers to capitalize financially, but fail to realize that those elite fighters are in a position with their careers to make those type of decisions.  Fox takes nothing for granted with his career.  Including one of the most precious things that financial success can’t afford… More time. 

“Being six foot four and a southpaw.  Add to the fact that I can fight on the inside and I don’t just fold like a lawn chair.  Not too many fighters want to step up and fight me.  But I’m not going to wait outside of the ring.  I’m not going to sit around waiting for the big opportunity.  When that opportunity comes, I want to be more than ready for it, by being well prepared,” said Fox. 

What is beneficial for Fox is the fact that he fights under the Kings Promotions’ banner, which is ran by Marshall Kauffman.  Kauffman is one of the promoters in the northeast part of the country that constantly puts out a healthy schedule of fight cards.  He has also fostered great relationships with other high-level promoters to put his fighters in the right positions to enhance their careers.  This is key for a fighter like Fox as he tries to navigate the waters of being a fringe contender, yet still having the understanding that national exposure through television dates by fighting better competition is important to his overall success.  “That’s what I love about Mykal and his father.  They want to fight better opposition because they know that they are going to get better from it.  They ask me to get them better opponents after most fights,” stated Kauffman.

With just five knockout wins thus far, Fox is aware that some fans and insiders may think his style is effective in getting victories, but not in terms of excitement.  Fox takes another out look on the way he fights.  “I feel like my body is still developing, I’ll be twenty-four in October.  I’ll be getting my man strength soon.  But even when that happens, I don’t want to be one of those fighters that start always looking for the knockout.  The plan is to let the skills lead the way.  Another thing [regarding his lack of knockouts] is the level of opposition that I’ve fought.  The guys that I’ve fought don’t just fold over,” responded Fox. 

One look at his record and anyone can see that after just his first year as a professional, the level of opposition rose quickly.  His opponents may not have had the best records, but they were live bodies that came to win against Fox.  Unlike other young fighters, Fox admits that he is also a fan of the sport and doesn’t only view it as his profession.  “I make it my business to know what is going on in the division above me, my division, and the one below me.  I like to keep up with what is going on.  If I see a fighter that I never heard of in any of those divisions, I’ll look him up and learn his background because you never know.  He could be an opponent one day.”

Mykal Fox, along with his father Troy Fox, have created a solid foundation for him to achieve success.  Mentally, he shows the understanding of what it takes inside of the ring having been in tough fights against some tough opposition.  Padding Fox’s record to look good for networks so he can get television exposure is not on Team Fox’s agenda.  Working hard, staying active, remaining focused, and above all, having the patience to trust in fight plans and preparation will help Fox gain and ultimately become successful at the elite level when the opportunities presents itself is what is on Team Fox’s wise agenda.   

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