EST 1997 ST LOUIS MISSOURI			LIGHTS OUT VERSION 3.0

 

Friday Night Fights  - November 8, 2008
St. Charles Family Arena
By Dave Patek

Rumble Time promised a good show, and for the most part – they delivered. It was a night of upsets, clinic-like performances, and history for the St. Louis faithful. Numerous rising stars shone bright in what would be a showcase for the future of the Rumble Time stable. It was a well-managed event with nearly all bases covered, and – again, an improvement over the previous shows at the Family Arena. I walked away from it feeling like I had been rewarded for being faithful to the sport of boxing this past year.

The first bout of the evening featured Kansas City native Chris Hill (4-18) vs. Prenice Brewer of Cleveland, OH (10-0, 5KO). Obviously, this was a showcase for Brewer, and an introduction to a receptive St. Louis audience. From the opening bell, Brewer blasted away on the much shorter Hill – landing ferocious overhand right hands and right hooks to the body. Hill seemed content to eat leather and throw pawing, looping and very slow right hands until a counter subdued him. In the second round, Brewer landed a left uppercut that woke up the crowd (many of which were still filing in and locating their seats) and nearly put Hill to sleep. Round thee saw Brewer at his busiest. He seemed comfortable throwing a straight right followed by a left hook – as he used this combination almost exclusively and at will.

 At one point, he punctuated the combo with another of his apparently trademarked left uppercuts. On the stool between the third and fourth rounds, trainer Jack Loew (yes, Kelly Pavilk’s Jack Loew) could be overheard encouraging Brewer to finish strong and go for the KO. Brewer took the advice to heart, and came out with another left uppercut followed by consecutive pinpoint straight left hands…apparently, the ref had seen enough and decided to call the fight – to the dismay of the crowd. It was obvious, however, that Hill had no chance of winning – and he was saved from being permanently injured. Brewer is a very skilled fighter, and has an excellent trainer…so Devon Alexander has company at 140 if Brewer continues to fight for Rumble Time. He has only fought one opponent with a winning record, so it is also time for him to step it up against someone who has similar skills.

Fight 2, a Cruiserweight bout, brought out the ultra-quick Jose Ponce of High Ridge, MO (1-0)  and Brian Durham of Vandalia, MO (3-11). Of course, Ponce was the favorite going in – and he did not disappoint his large following in attendance. In the first minute, Ponce landed a crushing straight left hand to the forehead of Durham, who immediately winced in pain. That did not stop him however, from leaning into a second straight left that hit him flush on the bridge of the nose.

 With his cartilage damaged, and his nose shattered, Durham fell to the canvas – and remained there under doctor supervision until he was able to sit on his stool…and even then he needed several minutes to stop the blood from leaking onto the canvas. Ponce has a soft body, and does not appear overtly threatening – but his hand speed is outstanding, and apparently he has some steam on his punches. Guys like this are very dangerous at any level, and I expect to see more of the same from Ponce as his career progresses.

The third bout featured another Cleveland product - Welterweight Willie Nelson (9-0) and Gustavo Mejida (2-1-1). Nelson was incredibly tall – nearly 6’2” and in stark contrast, Mejida was 5’8…the normal height for the 147 pound division. Nelson wasted no time attacking the body of Mejida, and inside of a minute, landed a volcanic left uppercut to Gustavo’s liver – immediately downing him to one knee, where he remained for the full 10 count. It would be easy to compare a guy like Nelson to someone like  Paul Williams based on his height, though one would certainly need to see more of him before committing to that kind of comparison. He did impress, however – and hopefully, he decides to fight again in the welter-deprived St. Louis region.

The fourth fight of the evening was a more than interesting Middle Weight bout. St. Louis favorite Lamar Harris (4-0-1) took on the age defying 47 year old Earl Walker of St. Joseph (7-0). Walker started fast in the first with surprisingly quick left hands to the body and right hands to the face of Harris. Harris countered with good lefts of his own upstairs, and a few solid straight right hands. Round two saw more of the same, with Harris landing a terrific double straight right combo that got the attention of Walker.

 By the fourth round, Harris found himself in a groove, landing several right hooks to the ribcage of Walker, and briefly staggering him with a right hook to the head. In the fifth, more left body hooks from Harris and he mixed in a few right uppercuts to confound the fading Walker, who at this point was being beaten by Harris’s immense power. The sixth and final stanza saw the most output from Harris. At one point he landed a straight right, a right hook, a left hook to the body and a left uppercut consecutively. A second prior to the bell, he lunged and landed with a left hook to seal the deal. Harris improves to 5-0 with a unanimous victory. Walker goes home with his first loss, but a valiant effort for a man well past the prime of most athletes.

Bout five was a clash of Heavyweight rivals. Joe Stofle (11-14-2) and Clinton Boldridge (7-12-1) brought out the girth for a rematch of their May fight in which Stofle stopped Clinton in the fourth after being dropped several times early in the fight. Joe never disappoints the loyal St. Charles fight fans, and this evening was no exception. The Missouri State Heavyweight belt was on the line, and both heavies were ready to break some support beams when the bell rang. Immediately, Joe landed and established his superior jab, while Boldridge countered his power shots.

 Both fighters took numerous power punches and they traded equally for the first two rounds. By the third, Joe appeared tired, and Boldridge had been staggered three times. During one on the exchanges in the red corner, Stofle literally landed 14 unanswered punches to the side of Clinton’s head – and somehow Boldridge managed to convince the referee not to stop the fight. Joe’s mouthpiece became dislodged several times as well – more from fatigue than from punches…and it became a point of frustration for the officials as well as the opposing corner. By the sixth and final round, both fighters appeared spent, though Clinton remained aggressive up until the end of the fight, landing heavy overhand right hands as Joe lay on the ropes.

I had the fight dead even as the final bell rang, however, the judges all agreed that Boldridge was the winner. After the bout Clinton got on the microphone and declared that there would be a rubber match – and promised that both fighters would train hard…he also complimented Joe on his power and toughness – and his ‘lack of quit’.

The sixth bout of the evening featured Virginia native Stephan Alexander (3-0) and local lightweight prospect Danny Williams (5-0). In what was billed as a battle of KO artists, the two fighters seemed interested in making the fight live up to its hype. In round one, Williams caught Alexander flush with a straight right that seated him firmly on the canvas. Although it appeared to be a flash knockdown, it certainly caused a hiccup in the game plan of the Virginian. For the remainder of the fight, Williams’ tactical assault included an arsenal of right/head, left/body combinations and a stellar right hook that often backed Alexander up when thrown…even when it did not land. The final blow of the fight was a beautiful right uppercut from Williams that caught the chin of the disappointed Alexander. Williams received kudos from the judges, who voted unanimously in his favor. Danny is extremely exciting, and will be fun to watch as his career progresses.

In bout seven, St. Charles product, and fan favorite, Shawn ‘The Hit” Hammack duked it out with Michigan’s Raynard Darden – who drove 8 hours on Thursday to get to the weigh in on time. Hammack is fresh off an upset win over highly touted Zach Walters of Minnesota, whom he stopped in the 8th round of their September fight. Shawn is not necessarily the most skilled boxer, but nobody can ever say he’s soft. He is in the best shape I have ever seen him in, and I imagine that he feels now is his time to make a title run. Darden was more than willing to spoil the homecoming for Shawn in front of his throngs of St. Charles fans.

 Darden had the obvious height advantage, and Shawn has had his troubles with tall/lanky fighters…tonight would be no exception. Boxers like Hammack seem to shine when the fight is brought to them – rather than them pursuing it.

As Darden danced and jabbed from the outside, Hammack struggled to make an impact on the inside. While not the slickest, Darden did seem difficult for Hammack to hit flush, though he seemed to be able to pepper Shawn with light fisted left hands throughout. However, Shawn is a notorious round stealer – and he successfully landed almost all of his power shots in the waning seconds of each round.

 As the 6th round began, it was evident that Hammack wanted to stop Darden and was willing to take some risks to accomplish that goal. However, it seemed that fatigue in both fighters had set in. Twice, Hammack and Darden went to the mat via a wrestling takedown. It was unfortunate, because it halted the action while the clock ticked away – leaving the fans struggling to accept what was happening before them. In the end, it was Hammack with the unanimous decision. Afterward, Shawn announced that it is in fact his time to make a title run, and that he is currently 24th in the world at Light Heavyweight. I am fully expecting to see Shawn in a big money fight within the next 6-10 months. With all of the work he has put in, he deserves it. He improves to 18-6-2, while Darden falls to 10-19-1.

The eighth fight featured another local light Heavyweight prospect, Kevin Engel (14-1) facing off against Midwestern club fighter Douglas LaFontsee from Wyoming, MI. LaFontsee’s greatest asset appeared to be his mustache – which rendered him as the biggest dork in the building to the crowd of about 2,000. He was immediately called Donnie Wahlberg, and Jim Henson before his robe was removed to reveal his pale, hairy chest…which brought even more laughter as his chest hair did not match his mustache.

 Engel came into the ring with the usual ‘Bodies’ by Drowning Pool – to the delight of everyone in attendance. Engel has been in Youngstown, OH training with Jack Loew, who seems to have a strong connection with Rumble Time and Steve Smith. Kevin was looking to make a strong showing, and stopping the mustachioed bowl-haircut opponent in front of him. Within seconds of the bell ringing, Kevin landed a solid right hand that sent the mustache sprawling into the ropes. However, he was unable to capitalize as  LaFontsee got off numerous punches and some serious combinations in retaliation -  eliciting cries of ‘put your mustache behind it’ from the gallery.

Kevin seemed slightly confused, though he did land some haymaker right hands throughout the first round. Much more of the same through the second, third and fourth…Engel landing solid hooks and straights – and the red, swollen LaFontsee refusing to give in and fighting back with everything he had. In rounds 5-6, Engel unleashed Hell on LaFontsee, throwing his entire weapons cache onto him simultaneously. While Douglas’s heart would not give up, his corner did…and they tossed in the towel to signify the end of a serious pounding.

As the fight progressed, Engel seemed to pick up steam – and I assume that he was working on new techniques Loew has been teaching him…however, based on Kevin’s power and KO history, this fight should have been over much sooner. Never underestimate the power of a bad mustache.

The ninth and final fight of the evening was the much anticipated lightweight match up between Festus product Robbie Cannon (11-2-1) and St. Louis prospect Leon Bobo
(16-2). In pre-fight interviews with SEF, both fighters seemed confident that they would win the fight convincingly – as well as their respective trainers. I must admit, I was actually a little nervous at the opening bell…personally, this is a fight I have been waiting for to happen for quite some time.

 The first round saw both fighters feeling each other out, testing their jab-speed against the lateral movement of the other. Round 2 saw much more action – mostly from Bobo, who established himself early as the faster of the two fighters. He seemed to be able to fire left hands at will into the face of Cannon, who shrugged off the shots, and landed several right hands to the ducking head of Bobo. Round three saw some serious action. Cannon started off with a great Right/Left combo and backed Bobo into the ropes, where he tried unsuccessfully to pound Leon’s body with hooks. As Bobo made his escape from the barrage, he quickly fired off a 1-2, ending with a big overhand left that sent Cannon to the canvas. The trip to the floor was ruled mistakenly as a slip, which did not sit well with those of us who witnessed the blow at ringside. The blood trickling from Cannon’s nose immediately afterward also lent credence to the knock down theory.

As the fight progressed, it became clear that Bobo had done his homework  - choosing to pot-shot and run rather than stand and trade with the bigger fighter. Bobo seemed very calm and controlled, while Cannon appeared desperate during the later rounds. Bobo did very little work during the final two frames, as Cannon worked him over with right and left hooks against the ropes. Apparently, Bobo felt he had the fight in the bag, and was choosing to not take big risks…and that strategy paid off as the judges unanimously awarded Bobo the victory by the average score of 77-75. It was a fun fight to watch, and a rematch would most certainly be welcomed by this fight fan.

Overall, the evening was well planned, and the matches were for the most part competitive. I do have a few suggestions for the guys at Rumble Time, who deserve major props for putting on a first class show. First – get an American flag for the national anthem. People were looking all over for one while the anthem was being played…
Second, please list the weight categories on the bout sheets. I answered questions all evening regarding fighter weights. Props go to Derek Spicer for his excellent matchmaking, and the popular Rumble Time Ring Girls who always help to pass the time between rounds.

One more note about this evening…

Deandre Latimore took the microphone during intermission, and proclaimed that he would ‘take care of business’ and ‘give the people their money’s worth’ when he takes on Cory Spinks. I have not heard any specifics yet –and I assume that Bull is playing on the rumors that have been going around …but that is a fight every fan in STL wants to see immediately.

Ryan Coyne also plugged the upcoming season of the Contender (4), which he was a part of . The show will air on the Versus channel. Check your local cable company for more details on times/channels.

 

 

 

‘November Pain’ at Albert’s Belleville
Jireh Cycles Fight Series
Man Up MMA
By Dave Patek

Over the past weekend, SEF correspondent Mike Garret asked me if I would be interested in attending an MMA amateur show at some place called Albert’s in Belleville, IL. I thought about it for a second, and told him a resounding ‘absolutely’…after all, how often does one get to see sanctioned river-brawling in a less than swanky location on the East Side?

Our host – The Boxing Gym’s Barry Clifton led us to our table, and immediately, I was surprised at how strikingly appropriate the venue seemed for a fight event. Unlike most conference-type facilities, Albert’s ballroom actually had the feel of a real fight venue…unlike some places that replicate the Georgia-Southern AWA ‘rasslin match houses (See Stratford Inn).

While the event was not sold out, there was a significant and enthusiastic crowd on hand to witness what would be one of the most professionally run, competitive fight cards I have ever seen in the tri-state area.  A special tip of the cap goes out to the promoter, Man Up MMA, which is co-owned by former UFC veteran Steve Berger.  If you’re considering some MMA training, the Berger MMA program out of The Boxing Gym Arnold is among the best in the area.

After several very strong opening bouts, the 5th match of the evening was certainly worthy of the admission price. It featured Muay Thai student James Walsh and striker Aaron Summers. Summers came out swinging with murderous intent while Walsh evaded numerous strikes en route to a counter kick that shook the foundations of the facility. The shot landed flush on the liver of Summers, who immediately began favoring his right side as the footprint turned into a purple, throbbing mountain covering most of his rib meat. Summers stayed aggressive though, and hung in while Walsh repeatedly landed flush kicks to both sides of his head. After three thrilling rounds, Walsh walked away with the ‘W” and the respect of anyone watching.

Thinking that I probably witnessed the best fight of the evening, I took a restroom break…and as I was out in the hall, I noticed a rush of energy coming for the fighters’ dressing room. Upon entering the ballroom again, Garrett looked over at me and expressed his interest in the ‘fan favorite’ that was approaching the fight cage – his name is Yohance Flager, a polished Jiu-Jitsu expert whose ovation rivaled no one.  Of course, my interest was piqued – as I had just seen his opponent (Sean Malshonball) in the hallway slapping himself about the face and chest in preparation for his impending battle. Almost immediately, pandemonium ensued inside the cage, as both lightening quick fighters struggled for initial control. Surprisingly, Malshonball was the first to achieve a partial mount and immediately tried to lock a rear naked choke into place as Flager struggled to reverse the hold…which he did. What ensued was an ebb-and-flow of two very skilled mat experts trying to conquer the other. Ultimately, Flager won out by shifting a side mount into a rear-naked choke that forced Malshonball to reluctantly tap. Afterward, Flager visited our table and touted his opponent’s speed and skill…and humbly muttered ‘my Jiu-Jitsu is just too good’. He’s right, it was.

A major upset occurred when an over confident Rashard Lovelace faced off against a determined Jim Poretta. Lovelace basically had his way with Poretta for the first round, landing explosive right hands as Poretta backed up without his guard. A critical error came in the third as Lovelace, feeling an easy decision win began taunting his dominance. Poretta slammed a defense-free Lovelace into the south portion of the cage, and immediately locked Rashard into a Guillotine choke…with which, he held on as if Lovelace had personally insulted him. Having the options available of tapping or being strangled, Lovelace chose to tap…and an obviously stunned Poretta climbed the cage in a moment of excitement – knowing that he was a recipient of a careless gift from his opponent. For Lovelace, it was a lesson in self-control…

In the 200 pound category, Len Severs,the brother of black belt, and Berger protege Dustin Severs), took on an overwhelmed and overmatched Robert Jones. Within seconds, Severs had Jones on the ground – smothered and covered with punches. With a full mount locked in, Severs unleashed a fist-rain onto the head/face of Jones. When the ref finally stopped the assault, Jones lay on the ground complaining that Severs was hitting him in the back of the head…honestly the fight was over before the blows even landed. Later on, I noticed the EMT’s and paramedics tending to Jones, who was having difficulty walking in the dressing room.

In what was a much-anticipated bout, 235 lb. Maurice Greene (fighting out of the well respected Berger MMA school located at The Boxing Gym - Arnold) took on the 275 lb. Rex Whetsel in what could only be described as an unfortunate mismatch. As the ball rang, the aggressive Greene landed a huge left foot to the rib cage of Whetsel – staggering him and reminding him of his weak conditioning. By the end of the first round, both of Whetsel’s eyes were nearly swollen shut. In the second, Greene used several leg kicks to weaken the defenses of Whetsel and eventually take him down. While sitting on Rex’s unprotected spine, Greene hammered 25 unanswered punches to the mohawked head and face of Whetsel, prompting the referee to stop the action. Greene is another fan favorite who appears to be on the road to success as a professional if he desires it.

The climax of the evening took place when 2007 SuperFight Champion James Marino took on the game Jim Sperry. On this night, Sperry looked like the champion, however. As Sperry lunged and landed jabs and crosses – Marino never seemed to get his punches off. He lazily offered several kicks which had little impact on the determined Sperry. After one of Marino’s failed strike attempts, Sperry grabbed his left arm and brought him to the ground. After a moment of struggling, Sperry locked in an impenetrable arm bar on Marino, who’s only response was to shriek in pain and tap the mat for mercy.

The evening certainly lived up to its billing as “November Pain” – and the crew of SEF left satisfied. For being an amateur show, the atmosphere was extremely professional. Man Up MMA offered a very diverse card of entertaining and competitive fights that will no doubt be an event to attend in the future. If you are interested in attending a show, or finding out more about Man Up MMA, visit them on the web at:

www.myspace.com/manupmma

Special thanks to Barry Clifton of The Boxing Gym and former STL Golden Gloves champion Kevin Bozada, who provided some very interesting insight throughout the evening. 

The Boxing Gym - Arnold
130 Richardson Crossing
Arnold, MO 63010
636.467.7000
www.myspace.com/theboxinggymarnold
Owner Barry Clifton

 

 

DEVON ALEXANDER WINS

CHENGDU, China -- Ray Austin of the United States earned a victory over Andrew Golota on Friday when the Polish fighter declined to come out for the second round of their non-title WBC heavyweight bout.

Austin knocked down Golota only 10 seconds into the bout between former title contenders promoted by Don King. Golota hit the deck a second time in the round, but referee Mike Griffin ruled it a slip.

Golota complained of an injury to his left biceps apparently from the first round, officials said.

"It feels great to redeem myself," said Austin, who lost a heavyweight title fight last year to Vladimir Klitschko. "I didn't get to show all that I wanted, but I'm happy I won."

There were three other fights on the card.

In a WBC strawweight title fight, Juan Palacios of Nicaragua won a seventh-round TKO over Teruo Misawa of Japan when the referee stopped the fight 2:28 in the round.

Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico Sammy Ventura of Mexico on a fourth-round TKO of their lightweight fight and Devon Alexander of the United States improved to 16-0 with a fourth-round TKO over Lee Sun-haeng of South Korea.

Alexander is the WBC's No. 1 title contender at super lightweight and is in line for a title fight with Timothy Bradley.

The fight card in Chengdu coincided with a World Boxing Council convention being held in the city.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

 

According to the latest from DKP: By Boxing Bob Newman WBC mandatories decided!
Mandatory defenses were the long awaited order of Day 4 at the WBC convention. Discussions were had concerning everything from purse bid dates to mandatory periods and a myriad of other related topics. The following is an attempt to present a semi-clear view of what transpired...
Super Light Division- Champion Timothy Bradley has a mandatory defense due May 10, 2009. Don King wants his charge Devon Alexander to be the next challenger for Bradley. Gary Shaw and Alex Camponovo want their charge Bradley to have a voluntary defense against the winner of the December clash for the WBO belt between Ricardo Torres and Kendall Holt. The WBC does not want that fight to be for the WBO belt, only for the WBC belt and only if the winner agree to fight the mandatory WBC challenger, be it Alexander, the winner of #2 Junior Witter and #3 Ajose Olusegun eliminator or an eliminator between #1 Alexander and #2 Witter.

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