Though not rife with outstanding talent, Bulldog Cartel Promotions first installment of “The New Generation Boxing Series” was certainly a step in the right direction. The idea behind “The New Generation Boxing Series” is a simple one: take local fighters, put them in the ring at local venues, expose them to the public and hope the fighters perform well enough to start creating a buzz. On the whole, I believe the card succeeded in it’s task. It produced enough exciting fights to get people interested and it’s main event fighter, Javier Flores, certainly earned some fans with his TKO of the game Shakha Moore.
Prescott Cruises to Unanimous Decision over Jargal
April 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Breidis Prescott’s new nickname “The Khanqueror,” ensures that every time he’s announced, fight fans are reminded that he was the man who beat Amir Khan. While Khan has recovered from the loss and gone on to bigger and better things, Prescott seems to have faded into the background and furthered the claim that he simply got lucky and caught Khan cold. Prescott’s fight tonight against the unheralded junior welterweight Bayan Jargal did little to convince anyone otherwise. If Prescott was looking make a case for a rematch with Khan based on this fight, perhaps those viewing it should only watch rounds one through five.
ORTIZ WRESTLES WELTERWEIGHT CROWN FROM BERTO IN FIGHT OF THE YEAR CANDIATE
April 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
MASHANTUCKET, CT (April 16, 2011) Forget what you know about Victor Ortiz. Forget what you know about Andre Berto. Nothing in either fighters past meant a damn thing tonight. The heart both men displayed and the way they fought has washed away any negative perceptions anyone could possibly hold about either fighter. Berto slugged instead of boxed, Ortiz over-came knockdowns and gutted out 12 hard rounds. Both fighters entertained and neither backed down. It’s what both needed and what they delivered.
Martinez KO’s Dzinziruk in the 8th
March 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Sergio Martinez continued his domination of the middleweight division by scoring an impressive 8th round KO over Sergiy Dzinziruk. Martinez dominated from the outset as he scored well from the outside and easily moved away from the jab of Dzinziruk. By the fourth Martinez began to open up and score more easily. Mid round, a left hand in the midst of a 4 punch combo caused Dzinziruk to take a knee. Martinez continued his dominance and scored a knockdown on a jab left hand at the end of round 5. Dzinziruk had perhaps his best round in the 7th when he finally opened up and landed some good jabs and left hands, but Martinez stormed back in the 8th and scored an early knockdown on a counter left hand. Dzinziruk rose on shaky legs only to be knocked down by a second counter left hand. He gamely fought on but one more flurry from Martinez dumped Dzinziruk on the seat of his pants and referee Arthur Mercante Jr. called the fight at 1:43 of round 8. Martinez notches another big win and improves to 47-2-2 with 26KOs while Dzinziruk loses his 0 and drops to 37-1 23KOs.
Biosse KO’s Samaniego in 3
February 4, 2011 By 2 Comments
Emerging super middleweight prospect Vladine Biosse of Providence, RI scored the biggest win of his fledgling career tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena, knocking out former junior middleweight titlist Santiago Samaniego in the third round.
Firtha Shocks Grano, TKO’s him in 2
June 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
With the upset win over Travis Kauffman still fresh in his mind and his single loss recently avenged, Tony Grano was undoubtedly looking towards bigger and better things for himself in a wide open heavyweight division. It seems as though his opponent, the 6’6 258 pound Nicolai Firtha was brought in as a test to get Grano ready for the big boys of the heavyweight upper echelon. If it was, Grano failed miserably.
Manfredo Jr. stops Hernandez in a 10 round war.
May 23, 2010 By
Say what you want about Peter Manfredo Jr., but even his staunchest detractors have to admit he makes a good fight. Manfredo Jr. comes to fight every time out and though he may never be upper echelon, he certainly will always be fun to watch. His fight tonight at the Mohegan Sun Casino with fellow middleweight Angel Hernandez was perhaps Manfredo Jr.’s best pure action performance ever. Hernandez didn’t come to lay down and the result was 10 rounds of back and forth action.
Grano Wins Ugly Rematch With Brown—FIGHT CARD ON DEMAN ON GFL
March 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The first fight between Tony Grano and Mark Brown back in 2008 reminded me that heavyweight fights can be entertaining. It featured big punches, multiple knockdowns and a thrilling come from behind conclusion. It was in short, everything right about heavyweight boxing. The rematch between Grano and Brown, sadly, featured everything that is wrong with heavyweight boxing: Clinching, inactivity and the lack of drama that seems to permeate every fight over 200 pounds.
Alexander Unifies Titles With A Stunning 8th Round TKO
March 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
After an evening of uninspiring undercard bouts, the main event between Devon Alexander and Juan Urango delivered in a big way. Two 140 pound titles were at stake: the IBF held by Urango and the WBC held by Alexander. The fight was competitive from the start as Alexander worked behind a crisp jab while Urango, in usual fashion, steamed forward headfirst throwing punches. What was surprising was how often Urango was able to land his sweeping right hook on the chin of the slick Alexander. Equally surprising was how little effect any of Urango’s punches, which are know for their power, seemed to have on Alexander. There was hardly a pause from Alexander when one of Urango’s rights connected and despite the frequency with which Urango landed, Alexander seemed determined to follow his gameplan of boxing from the outside. Initially, this seemed to be a bad strategy as Urango was able to get the best of the exchanges but as the fight unfolded, Alexander’s composure proved to pay off. He began to land jab straight right hand combos that kept Urango off balance and by the sixth, Alexander was unleashing 3 and 4 punch combos on the chin of Urango. By the 8th, the fight was very close and it seemed like it was going to remain that way for the rest of the fight as neither fighter was able to fully impose his will on the other. All that changed when Alexander was able to catch Urango with a perfectly timed right upper cut that punctuated a 3 punch combination. The upper cut put Urango down hard but in a scene reminiscent of Urango-Bailey, Juan was able to make it to his feet and continue fighting. Unfortunately for Urango, Alexander was a much better finisher than Bailey and dropped him with another flurry. Urango struggled to regain his footing and was wisely deemed unfit to continue by referee Benjy Esteves. The time of the stoppage was 1:12 of round number 8. Alexander is the division’s only unified champion and now stands at an impressive 20-0 13KOs. Urango’s record is now 22-3-1 17KOs but despite the loss, will no doubt still be able to land significant fights in a division that is beginning to make a serious case as being the best in boxing.
Manfredo Wins Landslide Unanimous Decision
January 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment
While Peter Manfredo Jr. may never be among the elite of the division, he certainly looked impressive as he took apart fellow middleweight Matt Vanda over 10 rounds. Vanda (of St. Paul, MN) looked good during the early going as he sunk body shots to the midsection of Manfredo (Providence, RI.) But Manfredo quickly answered back with body shots of his own and in the second began to incorporate his most important punch of the fight; a short right uppercut aimed at the head of Vanda. This punch would begin to land with scary accuracy over the coming rounds and seemed to completely bewilder Vanda every time he attempted it. Manfredo also began working a double jab, right hand combo that was often the starting point for 4, 5 and 6 punch combos which were the norm during rounds 3-8. Despite his best efforts, Vanda never seemed to be in range to land his punches. He was either too far out and missing wildly or smothering himself on the inside while he ate uppercuts from Manfredo. In the sixth, Vanda charged in and was met with a perfectly placed left hook to the liver from Manfredo which put him on the canvas. Vanda rose and was battered around the ring for the remainder of the round. He survived on sheer heart and at times it seemed the fight was only mere seconds away from being stopped. Vanda knew just when to throw though and was able to keep the referee convinced that he was still in the fight. The seventh round was more of the same with Vanda doing just enough to keep himself from being stopped. Vanda had his greatest success in the 9th and 10th where he truly gave it his all, throwing every punch in his arsenal in an attempt to catch Manfredo. Unfortunately for Vanda, it was too little too late and when the final bell sounded, the outcome was never in question. People were heading for the exits when the scores were announced: 99-90 and 100-89 all for Manfredo who is now 34-6 18Kos. Vanda (42-10 22Kos) showed great heart throughout the fight but at this point should probably consider hanging up his gloves for good. Neither fighter was ever among the truly elite of their weight class but if tonight’s fight showed anything, it’s that Manfredo still has reason to believe he can be among he best, while Vanda should start taking a serious look at his reasons to continue fighting.
EARLY RESULTS FROM HARTFORD
November 8, 2009 By 45 Comments
In what appeared on paper to be a mismatch, undefeated welterweight Orlando Lora (26-0-1 18kos) was given all he could handle from Octavio Narvaez (7-8-1 4kos) whose record was not a good indicator of his fighting prowess. From the start, Narvaez got right into the chest of Lora and began winging shots with both hands. A good number of his shots landed on Lora’s chin causing him to respond with flurries of his own. Throughout these exchanges it was clearly Narvaez who was getting the better of the action as his shots were cleaner and more numerous. As the rounds progressed Lora attempted to get distance between himself and Narvaez with varying degrees of success. Inevitably though, Narvaez would work his way inside and land shots to the head of Lora. After 8 rounds were completed, it seemed as if Narvaez had pulled off the upset as he simply seemed to outland Lora over the course of the fight. When the scores were read, two judges had it 77-75 and the third 78-75 all for Lora. The crowd lustily booed the decision and although not an outright robbery, it did seem that Narvaez deserved the decision.
Hlatshwayo Captures Vacant IBF Welterweight Belt
August 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In a rematch of their draw 9 months ago, welterweights Delvin Rodriguez and Issac Hlatshwayo both gave their all tonight at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville Connecticut. It wasn’t surprising that both men left it all in the ring as this time, the vacant IBF welterweight title was at stake. The early rounds were close, with a slight edge to Rodriguez as he was the busier man. He was able to do good work both inside with short uppercuts, and outside where he fired off 3 and 4 punch combos which landed with regularity on Hlatshwayo’s chin. It was far from one-sided though as Hlatshwayo managed to land hard right hands, a few of which momentarily stunned Rodriguez and caused him to let off for brief periods of time. The turning point of the fight was in round 7, when Hlatshwayo managed to land a hard right that left Rodriguez reeling. Hlatshwayo was not able to effectively follow up but from then on, Rodriguez’s work-rate began to slowly drop. Each round as Rodriguez let up his attack, Hlatshwayo managed to be just a bit busier and caught the eye of the judges with good right hands and uppercuts on the inside. There was visible swelling on both fighters faces in round 9 but it finally became clearly evident that Rodriguez was running out of gas. He fought on valiantly to the final bell but didn’t capture enough early rounds to offset his fading down the stretch. When the scores were announced there was a moment of tension as one judge gave the fight to Rodriguez 115-113, but the other two judges correctly scored the fight for Hlatshwayo 116-112 and 116-113 and gave him a well deserved split decision win. The new IBF welterweight champion Hlatshwayo is now 29-1-1 1NC with 10Kos while Rodriguez, despite a gutsy performance, drops to 24-3-2 with 14Kos.
Rodriguez Edges Alvarez in IBF Eliminator
March 7, 2009 By 36 Comments
In the featured main event for ESPN Friday Night Fights, welterweight Shamone Alvarez of Atlantic City NJ took on Danbury CT’s Delvin Rodriguez in an important crossroads fight for both fighters. At stake was the mandatory spot for Joshua Clottey’s IBF title but more importantly, a chance for one of the two men to again become relevant in the welterweight division. The fight started out with Alvarez displaying a good straight left that landed with regularity on the chin of Rodriguez. Rodriguez answered back in round 2 with some solid right hands behind the jab, despite again eating some straight lefts from Alvarez. Round 3 began what would become a trend with Rodriguez: he would land a few good punches, then stop punching with any authority or regularity until Alvarez cracked him with a solid shot.
Ross Claims Contender Belt With 4th Round TKO
February 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
If last season’s Contender finale was all about who would fall first, this seasons Contender finale between Troy Ross and Ehinomen “Hino” Ehikhamenor was all about who would land first as both fighters struggled to connect with their punches throughout the bout. It certainly wasn’t for lack of trying as each fighter threw a high number of punches, but contrasting styles led to a myriad of missed and grazing blows in each of the four rounds the fight lasted. In round one both Ross and Ehikhamenor slowly felt each other out; Ross behind a snapping right jab and “Hino” behind a pawing left. After the first minute Ehikhamenor started to open up and began charging in attempting to land left hooks. Ross was initially tentative and tried to retreat behind the jab but eventually began to launch hooks of his own. Half way through round one, both fighters made a conscious decision to stay inside and began firing punches laden with bad intentions. The problem was, not much was landing for either fighter and it made the round difficult to score. The second round started where the first left off with “Hino” charging in headhunting and Ross following suit. Ross landed a few good body shots midway through the round but again, the round was difficult to judge simply because neither fighter was landing clean.
SIMMS PITCHES A SHUTOUT, GRANO TKO’D IN A WAR
September 28, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Ordinarily a small crowd and two cancelled bouts would seem like the recipe for a bad night of fights; but factor in a full refund and a classic heavyweight war and I’ll guarantee not a single fan walked away from tonight’s card at the Arena at Harbor Yard complaining. The action started out in bizarre fashion as debuting junior welterweight Noel Garcia of Boston MA, was matched up against late replacement Jason Jordan of Akron, Ohio. The bout itself wasn’t strange, but the fact that the announcer proclaimed Jordan to be making his pro debut was certainly odd considering a cursory check of his record showed him to be a 34-fight veteran. Granted, not many of those 34 fights were wins but Jordan was a far cry from making his pro debut, which led me to wonder if Garcia’s team knew what they were getting their young fighter into. Despite the experience gap, Garcia held his own and managed to keep the fight close with straight right hands that caught the longer armed Jordan whenever he came inside. Not to be outdone, Jordan tried to maintain his range with the jab and tied up whenever Garcia tried to work inside. Neither fighter managed to cause any serious damage to the other and when the scorecards came in, they rightfully displayed how even the fight was: 39-37 for Jordan, 39-37 for Garcia with the third judge calling it even at 38-38. Garcia now 0-0-1 held his own against a vastly more experienced fighter while Jordan managed to prevent from adding another loss to his 6-25-4 4KOs record.
Godfrey stops Nwodo in four wild rounds
August 29, 2008 By Leave a Comment
In a wild all out action slugfest, cruiserweight Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey proved that he can be more than just a slick boxer as came back from a 3rd round knockdown to score an impressive stoppage over Emmanuel Nwodo.