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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JULIAN WILLIAMS "I GOT THE DESIRE & ABILITY TO BE P4P BEST FIGHTER IN THE WORLD!"

Video by Luis A. Cortes III

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STEPHEN FULTON "WHEN THEY TALK PHILLY BOXING, I WANT THEM TO MENTION MY NAME!"

Video by Luis A. Cortes III

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STEPHEN EDWARDS "JROCK PUTTING GUYS IN THEIR PLACE IN THE GYM; HITTING HIS PEAK RIGHT NOW"

Video by Luis A. Cortes III

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2019 Philadelphia Boxing Round Up

By Frank Bartolini

The tremendous year of boxing in the “City of Brotherly Love” came to an end on Friday December 6^th at The 2300 Arena.  Washington DC native, junior welterweight, Mykel Fox had his hand raised after winning a ten round unanimous decision over John Arellano of Texas signaling the end of a fabulous year of pro prizefighting. Fittingly the area’s most prolific promoter Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions delivered the action.

Kauffman once again was the most prolific promoter locally. In October, Kauffman in conjunction with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), brought world class talent to the area showcasing Robert Easter Jr.’s win over Adrian Granados, and top ranked junior middleweight Erickson Lubin in his hometown Reading, PA. Without Kauffman promoting close to a dozen shows in and around the Delaware River Valley, the area’s fight scene would hardly survive, yet alone thrive.

The excitement all started back in February when Michelle Rosado’s Raging Babe kicked the year off promoting her first event in Philly at the 2300 Arena. A solid fight card became mythological when flaming hot prospect, Christian Carto was poleaxed and laid out on the canvas by Mexican tumbler Victor Ruiz in round 2. Leaving the venue on a stretcher, Carto’s future was in doubt, meanwhile Rosado cemented her credentials as a promoter within the municipality.

“A night at the opera” - It appeared that Hard Hitting Promotions was going to a have a phenomenal year when close to 3,500 spectators packed into the newly refurbished Metropolitan Opera House (The Met) on North Broad Street. That night a couple of hometown undefeated participants of Puerto Rican extraction squared off in the main event for more than a victory. On the line for combatants Steven Ortiz and Jeremy Cuevas was neighbor and ethnic bragging rights. Ortiz won easily over eight rounds. Hard Hitting returned to “The Met” a few more times but nothing compared to the virgin experience in the opera house.

TOP RANK BOXING! Bob Arum is committed to bringing world renowned talent to Philadelphia. Checking the temperature of the water, Arum dipped his toe in last march when he promoted Oleksandr Gvozdyk’s successful WBC Light Heavyweight title defense against Doudou Ngumbu. Also seeing action that night, Philly native “the New” Ray Robinson drew with highly rank and touted Lithuanian Egidijus Kavaliauskas. Many of those ringside believed Robinson deserved the nod. Other spectators felt if Robinson turned it up just a notch he would have clearly been victorious. Egidijus went on to give a good account of himself in his next fight, before getting kayoed in nine rounds versus WBO Welterweight King Terence Crawford in December at Madison Square Garden.

The show must go on - A freak accident had Carl Frampton pulling out of his fight at the Liacouras Center in August, less than two weeks beforehand. No one would blame Top Rank for cutting their losses and canceling the festivities altogether. Instead, former junior lightweight champ Jason Sosa was bumped up to main event status and pitted against unheralded Haskell Lydell Rhodes. Sosa kayoed Rhodes in seven. With no time to promote the change in the main event, the show drew poorly.  A few months later, Sosa went on to unsuccessfully challenge WBC Super Featherweight Champion Miguel Berchelt, getting finished off in four rounds.

Now the coup de grace occurred when Top Rank chose to come back to the Liacouras Center to pit two undefeated knockout artists in a light heavyweight unification match between WBC King Oleksandr Gvozdyk and IBF Monarch Artur Beterbiev. This pairing would have sold out major arenas in Las Vegas, Manhattan or Chicago. By choosing Philadelphia, Top Rank made a statement that it plans on being a major part of this city’s professional pugilism. Beterbiev stopped Gvozdyk in the tenth. Quality over quantity is why Top Rank should be considered for The Briscoe Award Promoter of the Year.

Once again the British invaded Philadelphia. Contrary to the American Revolution, this time the City of Brotherly Love welcomed the red coats with open rams as Matchroom USA promoted Tevin Farmer’s homecoming at the Liacouras Center, in what turned out to be the best night of fights for 2019. Jono Carroll of Ireland put forth a spirited and gallant effort in trying to wrest the crown from IBF Super Featherweight king Farmer.  The undercard showcased two potential Briscoe Award Fights of the Year. Philly resident Gabriel Rosado’s late round come back against Polish Maciej Sulecki was epic. Rosado lost a ten round unanimous decision but showed he is still a threat in the middleweight division. Unbelievable, unless you were in the arena early to witness Hank Lundy vs. Avery Sparrow, you missed one of the best pairings of two rival Philly boxers in a long time. DAZN cameras had not started rolling when this fight was occurring. Close to 1,500 of Katie Taylor’s faithful fans flew into Philly from the Emerald Isle to see her easily defend her undisputed lightweight laurels.

I went down to DC metro area to see Philly fighters showcase impressive skills in May where the scraps took place on the abandoned campus of George Mason University. Classes ended the day prior to Julian Williams shocking upset of Jarred Hurd. Not only did Williams ruin Hurd’s homecoming, he walked away with his IBF and WBA Super Welterweights belts. West Philly had proud moments when Stephen Fulton put on a flawless performance on the undercard.

Happy New Year! Keep Punching!

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“The biggest event in Matawan”: The Evening World Champion Mickey Walker Came to Town

By Matt Ward

Most regular readers of this website know that I am a native of Matawan, New Jersey. Although family, the Army, and work took me away from my hometown in 2003, I still maintain ties to this Bayshore community by staying actively involved in the local American Legion Post 176. 

This year was an important year for many members of the American Legion as the veteran's organization celebrated it's 100th anniversary. The American Legion, which was founded by World War I veterans at the conclusion of hostilities in Europe, has lobbied for veterans rights and benefits since its inception on March 15, 1919 in Paris. Members of the American Legion come from a variety of backgrounds, and have included notable people ranging from presidents to actors. 

The American Legion Weekly Magazine from 1906

At this point, you are probably asking yourself, "What does the American Legion have to do with Mickey Walker and boxing?" To answer this question, we will look back at the history of Post 176 in Matawan.  

Matawan is a commuter based suburban town located 40 miles from Manhattan, with a population just over 8,000 people. The town was settled in the 17th century by Dutch and Scots-Irish settlers, who moved to the town in search of land and a better life. During the American Revolution, the town was a hotbed for Patriot activities. The Burrowes family, whose mansion still stands on Main Street, were seen by Staten Island Loyalists as the ringleaders of local “rabble-rousers.” John Burrowes Sr. and his son, Captain John Burrowes, were targeted during a May 27, 1778 raid on Matawan (then Middletown Point), in which their furniture was burned, and the elder Burrowes was captured. Matawan was also home to the “Poet of the American Revolution’ Philip Freneau, who is the namesake for the Freneau section of the town. The town is arguably best known for a series of three shark attacks that shocked the quiet town on July 12, 1916. The attacks resulted in the deaths of a local boy, Lester Stillwell, and local man, Stanley Fisher. This event inspired the 1975 thriller film, Jaws. These shark attacks, and the people involved with it, are well chronicled in the 2016 book by John Allan (Al) Savolaine, Stanley Fisher:  Shark Attack Hero of a Bygone Age. 

Growing up in Matawan, I never heard of my hometown’s connection to Jersey Shore boxing history. It was as a 32-year-old man and member of American Legion Post 176 that I learned about the popular fights that were once held in Matawan from town historian and then American Legion Post Commander Al Savolaine. Al helped me to discover that the American Legion's history has ties with sports other than little league baseball. 

In 1920, Matawan had a population of 1,910 people, while in 1930, the population “jumped” up to 2,264. The people of Matawan, much like most American sports fans, were huge boxing fans during this time. That is why it is no surprise that on September 28, 1927, 1,500 people packed into a vacant lot near the intersection of Main and Broad Streets to attend an American Legion Post 176 sponsored boxing benefit exhibition. Post 176 was a popular social organization during this time for local veterans. Members included the Matawan mayor at the time and future United States Congressman William Halstead Sutphin. The Legion boxing card featured six bouts, and hosted a “who’s who” list of local elected officials and celebrities including the Middleweight Boxing Champion of the World, Mickey Walker and famous ring announcer, Joseph “Joe” Humphreys. The evening of fights was billed by the local American Legion to be, “The biggest event in Matawan,” and the event did not disappoint. Eight hundred tickets were sold in advance, with another seven hundred seats sold at the gate.

U.S. Congressman, Legionnaire, and Matawan Resident William H. Sutphin

Mickey Walker was a native of Elizabeth, New Jersey who held world titles in two divisions during a time when the world title field was not flooded with multiple belts. He held the World Welterweight Championship from November 1, 1922 to May 20, 1926, a title he claimed by defeating defending champ Jack Britton in a fifteen round contest. Walker went on to hold the World Middleweight Championship from December 3, 1926 to October 29, 1929 after defeating Tiger Flowers via a ten round decision. Nine years after his death in 1981, Walker was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Mickey Walker (right) poses with Tiger Flowers (left) leading up to their 1926 title bout.

Joe Humphreys was the Michael Buffer of his day, who announced thousands of boxing matches, and served as the longtime official ring announcer for Madison Square Garden from 1925 until his death in 1936. In 1997, Humphreys was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the non-participant category.

Joe Humphreys

The September 28, 1927 boxing card was loaded with New Jersey and New York fighters. That evening in Matawan, Jack McGuire of South Amboy served as the referee for all 32 rounds of boxing. The main event featured welterweights Joe Harris of Elizabeth and Paddy Cula of Bayonne in an eight round bout. The local newspaper, The Matawan Journal, noted that the main event “was a real battle from start to finish. Neither man gave any quarter to the other and the shouts from the audience was evidence sufficient that the fighters were giving their best.” 

The popularity of this boxing match inspired American Legion Post 176 to host annual boxing shows in the area from 1928 to 1930. These shows were advertised and documented in both The Matawan Journal and Asbury Park Press. All three shows attracted over a thousand spectators, and featured popular fighters from the Jersey Shore including, “the knockout king of Matawan” George Russell, Perth Amboy’s Stanley Wilson, Port Reading’s Carl Zullo, “the blonde tiger of Perth Amboy” Eddie Marks, Long Branch’s Nick Laico, Red Bank’s Andy Sackowitz, and Red Bank’s Melvin Decker. 

The 1928 American Legion exhibition took place outdoors at the Keyport Baseball Park in Oak Shades Park. The money raised from this card was used to fund the construction of a new home for Post 176. The exhibition was hosted at the Matawan Arena (aka the Freneau Open-Air Arena) in the Freneau section of Matawan. Ringside seats for this event sold for only $2.50, as opposed to hundreds of dollars that ringside seats typically cost in the 21st century! The Monday, June 24th exhibition was a rain makeup day from the previous Thursday evening. Newspaper coverage made note of the ongoing rain that marred the evening’s boxing show, contributing to the American Legion not covering expenses for the bouts. The Matawan Journal did note that “they did give a good show and all those who came went away satisfied.”

Map of Central New Jersey

In 1930, American Legion boxing returned to the Keyport Ball Park. Post 176 ran a quarter-page ad for the exhibition in The Matawan Journal with the slogan, “You always get your money’s worth”. This show faired far better than the 1929 show drawing a sizeable crowd, and creating financial gains for the post. It is interesting to note that the reporter who covered the card particularly enjoyed a clash between Leonard Musciato of Cliffwood and a Matawan delivery boy named Patsy Poppa. This goes to show the robust history of boxing, which was established from the grit of working class people.

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Matchroom Boxing Presents: Jacobs vs. Chavez Jr.

By Steve Ward, Ringside

Arizona boxing fans received an early Christmas gift this evening as Matchroom Boxing presented a stacked card to close out the year from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix broadcasted live on DAZN. This event, originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, was moved to Phoenix after Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. refused to submit to a random drug test in October, hence awarding him an indefinite suspension from boxing in Nevada. In addition to Jacobs vs. Chavez Jr., there were several other compelling fights that saw Maurice Hooker, Liam Smith, and Gabriel Rosado among many others in action for what proved to be an evening of season’s beatings.

Daniyar Yeleussinov (9-0, 5 KOs) vs. Alan Sanchez (20-5-1, 10 KOs) Ten Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Daniyar Yeleussinov via TKO in round 5

This was starting to become a rather entertaining fight after the first few rounds as the referee called a stop to the action on the advice of the ringside physician shortly after the opening bell of round five as a result of damage Sanchez suffered to his left eye. The win allowed “Kazakh Thunder” to remain undefeated in what appeared to be a fight he was arguably down on the cards in early on. Whether this was a testament to Yeleussinov’s power and precision or just luck is yet to be seen as Sanchez was the more active fighter and continued to move forward throughout the fight.

Josh Kelly (10-0-1, 6 KOs) vs. Winston Campos (31-7-6, 19 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Josh Kelly via UD (99-90, 99-90, 98-91)

In round one, Kelly dropped to the canvas after what the referee ruled to be a strike to the back of the head and subsequent slip. This seemingly got to Kelly as he proceeded to drop his hands quite frequently for the next few rounds in a taunting fashion. These rounds also became quite “chippy” as the two needed to be separated by the ref multiple times for headlocks and other nonsense.

The late rounds saw Josh Kelly settle in and display more of what one would expect from a former Olympian as he showed more poise as he landed with great precision and finally scored a knockdown early in round 10 with a stiff right to the body. While Campos displayed a solid chin and went the distance, he was not able to mount much offense as Kelly demonstrated superior speed and head movement that left him mostly unscathed.

Liam Smith (29-2-1, 16 KOs) vs. Roberto Garcia (42-5, 25 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Middleweights
Decision: Liam Smith via UD (99-91, 99-91, 98-92)

In rounds one through three, both fighters appeared very evenly matched as neither gained much of an advantage and a case could be made for each on the scorecards. In round four, Liam Smith took control and continuously walked down Garcia as he relentlessly worked the body to the point Garcia began to lean on him to seemingly catch a breather.

Garcia’s tactics must have worked as he entered round five with new vigor and had Smith’s back to the ropes for the duration of the round. Garcia walked back to his corner after the round showing no respect for his opponent as he kicked his feet towards him as if to mimic brushing dirt in his face. Following an evenly contested round six, Smith found himself on the ropes to open round seven. Garcia was unable to maintain the pressure, however, as Smith turned the tables and did some of his most effective work of the fight to that point as he went back to work on the body of Garcia. Unable to build momentum following round seven, the closing rounds were again rather evenly contested until the closing moments of round ten when Smith left a lasting impression on the judges with an overwhelming flurry. The close rounds clearly went to Smith as he won very decisively on the scorecards.

Reshat Mati (6-0, 4 KOs) vs. Rakim Johnson (6-9-1, 5 KOs)
Six Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Reshat Mati via TKO in round one

Well this one did not last long… Staten Island’s “Albanian Bear” Reshat Mati, a 2018 National Gold Gloves champion, made quick work of Rakim Johnson. Following a brutal liver shot that dropped Johnson to the canvas early in the round, Mati scored THREE more knockdowns before the referee had seen enough and mercifully called a stop to the action.

Maurice Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) vs. Uriel Perez (19-5, 17 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Welterweights
Decision: Maurice Hooker via TKO in round one

Following a setback TKO loss in July to Jose Carlos Ramirez, Maurice Hooker sought to get back on track this evening against Uriel Perez – also fighting for the third time in 2019 riding a two fight unbeaten streak. In another short affair, Hooker kept Perez at bay with the jab and in a rousing turn of events, landed a stiff right to the body of Perez followed by a vicious barrage to the head that dropped him to his knee. After a brief conversation with the referee, the “action” was abruptly ended – looks like Hooker’s redemption was a success.

Raymond Ford (5-0, 2 KOs) vs. Francisco Muro (3-7, 2 KOs)
Six Rounds, Featherweights
Raymond Ford via TKO in round one

In one of the swing bouts of the evening, Tucson, Arizona’s Francisco Muro squared off with Camden, New Jersey’s Raymond “Savage” Ford – a 2018 National Golden Gloves champion. It should also be noted that the undefeated Ford walked to the ring in full Christmas mode donning Santa Claus attire. From the opening bell, Ford was a man possessed as he unleashed a vicious assault of devastating combos on Muro leading first to a quick knockdown, then to a stoppage after he had no answer for Ford.

Co-Main Event
WBC World Flyweight Title
Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar (15-1, 12 KOs) vs. Cristofer Rosales (29-5, 20 KOs)
Twelve Rounds, Flyweights
Decision: Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar via TKO in round 9

Former Flyweight champion Cristofer Rosales went toe-to-toe with fast rising contender Julio Cesar Martinez Aguilar for the vacant WBC Flyweight Championship in the co-main event of the evening. Round one was a blur of flying fists – much as is the case with flyweights – where Martinez seemed to carry a slight edge in pushing the action. Round two proved more of the same as Martinez continued to press Rosales although it was clear that Martinez was hurt by a stiff right to the face from Rosales that stifled one of the pugilists flurries.

Both fighters settled in during round four and it was apparent that they were landing with sniper-like precision as Martinez left the round with a cut under his right eye while Rosales had a stream of crimson flowing from his nose. In rounds five through seven we witnessed Martinez dig in and go to work on Rosales as he cut off the ring regularly and forced Rosales to become a counter-puncher.

In round nine, Martinez again cut off the ring and had Rosales pinned against the ropes where he proceeded to mercilessly measure him up with a bevy of straight rights and left hooks until the referee had seen enough and called a stop to the action in what was a very entertaining co-feature.

Main Event
Jacob Daniels (36-3, 30 KOs) vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (51-4-1, 33 KOs) Twelve Rounds, Catchweight
Decision: Daniel Jacobs via TKO in round 5

In the main event of the evening, Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs made the move up to 168 pounds riding the heels of his unanimous decision loss to Canelo Alvarez back in May losing his IBF Middleweight Title in the process. Jacobs was opposed by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a veteran of 55 professional bouts despite being only 33 years old. Chavez Jr. enters this fight a winner of three out of his previous four contests – most recently in August when he knocked out Evert Bravo. It should be noted that prior to his August encounter, Chavez Jr. had not fought since May 2017 when he dropped a unanimous decision also to Canelo Alvarez.

There were several storylines associated with this fight (aside from the reason it was moved to Phoenix as I mentioned earlier) such as: How would Daniel Jacobs fair at 168 lbs? Would Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. rise to the challenge and earn what one could consider a signature win against a top tier competitor in more than seven years? Lastly, would Chavez Jr. coming in over the weight limit play a role in the outcome of the fight?

In round one, Chavez Jr. came out as the aggressor while Jacobs displayed patience in getting a feel for his opponent creating distance with the jab until he was able to land some well placed shots in the closing seconds. Round two saw Chavez Jr. continue to push the action while displaying effective head movement in avoiding some of Jacobs’ offense – clearly Chavez Jr.’s trainer Freddie Roach had a plan entering this encounter.  After a similar narrative in round three, round four elevated the intensity level to new heights as the fighters engaged in close quarter combat until the round ended with an exchange that brought the entire arena to it’s feet.

After another exciting round, round five concluded with Chavez Jr. bloodied in his corner. Before round six got under way, Chavez Jr.’s corner stated he was unable to continue ruling an end to the fight. After the ruling, the arena erupted as they showered the ring with boos and booze and cups of beer and other debris were propelled at the ring leaving no one – not even the media spared. Stay classy Phoenix…

Also of significant note, this marked the third fight I’ve attended that has ended in some sort of riot-like situation – the others being the riot at the LA Sports Arena following Amir Khan’s victory over Carlos Molina and Canelo Alvarez’ controversial stoppage over Alfredo Angulo in Las Vegas. That’s gotta be some sort of record, right?

Swing Bout
Gabriel Rosado (25-12-1, 14 KOs) vs. Humberto Gutierrez Ochoa (33-9-2, 22 KOs)
Ten Rounds, Super Middleweights
Decision: Rosado via UD (100-90, 100-90, 99-91)

This fight started roughly 45 minutes after the conclusion of the main event sadly in front of an empty arena – the spectators composed mainly of Matchroom Boxing crew, arena staff, and the few members of the media who remained.

King Gabriel Rosado came out with a chip on his shoulder in round one – deservedly so after waiting all day to fight when he should have had a spot on the main card – and let his fists fly. Rosado was added to the card as a contingency in the event Chavez Jr. didn’t make weight, which he didn’t, but the bout was saved after he paid a $1 million penalty. Since Rosado was not needed to step in against Jacobs (which arguably would have been a much more entertaining matchup), he squared off with Humberto Gutierrez Ochoa who proved to be a more than worthy adversary as he put in a gritty performance albeit without mounting much offense. Rosado on the other hand put on a 10-round clinic where he punished his opponent on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

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