Last night, Maureen Shea proved two things to the boxing world. First, she was still a force to be reckoned amongst the top female fighters in the world, and secondly, she is probably the top draw of any local New York fighter.
Shea, at 12-0 with 6 knockouts was pitted against Elsha Cleffman from Pittsburg, Kansas who boasts a record of 3-1 with 3 knockouts. The bout took place the night before September 11th at the Yonkers Police Athletic League. Officers in uniform were in attendance, as well as a handful of off-duty firefighters in the crowd. To them, this was an evening of relief right before a morning of reliving the toughest day of their careers. This was a low-key event, but it was Shea’s card, and the hundreds in attendance were there to see her. The fact that Shea was capable of drawing a crowd of this size for a fight that was seen as a soft touch and that it was her first fight in a year is a testament not only to her drawing power, but her accomplishments in the ring.
Cleffman did not see it coming. At the opening bell, the much more athletic Shea was on her toes and ready to go to work as if she hadn’t had any time away from the ring. The moment Shea landed her right hand; it was evident that Cleffman was completely outclassed in the ring. The fans seated at the back of the venue felt the power that Shea was exhibiting that evening. Soon afterwards, Shea landed a straight right hand that had Cleffman reeling on her heels towards the ropes, and Shea immediately pounced with a powerful left hook that landed flush on Cleffman’s jaw and buckled her knees. Cleffman went down hard, and was obviously affected by Shea’s blows. She beat the count, but the referee waved the action off. Cleffman seemed fine afterwards, but she was not showing positive signs during the count, and the decision was not protested by anyone in attendance.
Shea and her fans were exuberant over her performance, not so much because of the victory, but one could sense that they were ready to take on the biggest names in the featherweight division.
The co-feature of the evening saw the flashy and entertaining Pasquel Rouse pitted against Carlos Diaz, a puncher from Puerto Rico. Neither fighter was intimidated by eachother’s strengths. Rouse is a slickster with a quick right hand, while Diaz packs a wallop in his punches. It was Diaz who came out showing off his power, with strong shots to the body. The next few rounds saw Rouse in control with his right hand. He landed his right at an amazing rate, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he only threw it one at a time, this fight could have been ended early. In the second round, Rouse landed a thudding right hand that, after a delay, caused Diaz’ knees to buckle. Rouse was in no place to take andvantage, and Diaz’ corner breathed a little easier when the bell to end the round rang.
By the fourth round, Rouse seemed to slow down, and Diaz took advantage. Two right uppercuts knocked Rouse back into the corner, and Diaz began brawling and working the body. With Diaz’ relentless body attack, the rounds were getting closer. By the seventh round, Rouse picked up the pressure and began to work his way back into a fight that might have been slipping away.
In response to Rouse’s newfound energy, Diaz’ corner called for him to throw nothing but four punch combinations. They counted along as he threw his punches, and the tactic worked very well. Rouse had no response, and only tried to befuddle Diaz with his movement and tricky defensive maneuvers. As the two closed the show, the fans cheered for their effort in a very entertaining fight. As the judges scores were read, it was Rouse who came away with scores of 98-93 on all three scorecards.
A young local featherweight, Eddy Irizarry was showcased as he faced Marsay Buggs. It was a one sided affair, but Buggs gave a terrific effort and showcased some quick handspeed early on. Irizarry was the stronger fighter and took advantage of it early on with a strong body attack in the hopes of slowing down his opponent.
Buggs was able to land a flush punch on a few occasions, but Irizarry did not budge and continued stalking his opponent into the ropes and attacking.
Towards the end of the fight, Buggs had slowed down considerably and was barely competitive. As the scores were read, it seen as just a formality by the fans in attendance. Irizarry came away with two scores of 40-36 with one judge having it 39-37.
The second bout of the evening saw Eylon Kedem take on Jimmy Franks in a Jr. Featherweight matchup. Kedem dominated the fight and it seemed as if he was walking away with it early on. He applied the pressure throughout the fight with faster hands, a strong body attack, and commanding ring generalship. Franks had no answer for Kedem, who was fighting all the way from Israel.
By the fifth round, in a bout that Kedem was winning handily, he decided to take a risk and pick up the pressure. He worked Franks’ body intensely, and it began to take effect. A body shot had Franks down, and the crowd was on it’s feet. Franks was able to beat the count, but Kedem was all over him at the first opportunity. More hard blows downstairs folded Franks, and the referee was forced to stop the bout at 1:41 of the 5th round.
The opening bout of the evening saw Jose Espinal take on Joseph Francisco in a junior lightweight bout scheduled for four rounds. While boasting a meager record, it was Espinal that was in control over his very inexperienced opponent. As each round progressed, he added on the pressure with strong hooks that forced his opponent backwards. Finally, after a solid display of power, he had Francisco hurt badly and the referee jumped in to save him from further punishment at :57 of the third round.