RENO, NEVADA — In the performance of his career, Jesse Brinkley weathered an early onslaught to outbox Curtis Stevens going away and claim the IBF #2 super middleweight ranking before his loyal fan base at the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino on Friday night.
Stevens (21-3, 15 KOs) of Brownsville, New York surged out of his corner as was expected and put a hurt on Brinkley’s face in the first. A solid left hook early in the round knocked Brinkley’s mouthpiece three rows deep ringside. By the end of the first round, Brinkley (35-5, 22 KOs) of Yerington, Nevada, had a badly swollen right eye and looked to be in some serious trouble.
By midway through the second round, Stevens, 165, was in complete control of the fight. Then Brinkley, 167 ½, turned boxer and it was a whole different ballgame. Surprisingly, Stevens let off the gas pedal completely in the third, and Brinkley began landing in combination. A Brinkley flurry with Stevens against the ropes brought the crowd into the fight, and the energy in the building carried through until long after the sound of the final bell.
With the momentum now in Brinkley’s favor, the stage was set for one of the best rounds of the year thus far. Both fighters came out fast to start the fourth. Early in the round, both fighters decided to just stand in the middle of the ring and unleash bombs, with little to no regard for defense. While it was hard to decipher which fighter got the best of the exchange, it was Stevens that began to take a more measured approach. Brinkley resumed outboxing Stevens as the round came to a close.
In the fifth, Brinkley had Stevens against the ropes for stretches three different times. One clean right hand hurt Brinkley midway through, but the round was clearly Jesse’s. Things heated up late and both fighters kept going after the bell. Brinkley trainer Peter Manfredo Sr. rushed at Stevens, which prompted referee Vic Drakulich to bar him from entering the ring for the rest of the contest.
Early in the sixth, Brinkley wobbled Stevens, but did not pounce on his wounded prey right away. Brinkley stalked Stevens cautiously and eventually dropped him with a right hand. Stevens got up to a knee and rose to his feet. Fortunately for the New Yorker, the bell sounded before Brinkley could test how hurt he really may have been.
Midway through the seventh, Stevens seemed to clear the cobwebs and began to counter Brinkley effectively. Stevens looked good in the eighth as well, as Brinkley failed to press the action. Knowing he was behind on the scorecards, Stevens pressured Brinkley in the ninth, but seemed to get discouraged when he could not find a way to land any really telling blows.
By the tenth, the fight was back in Brinkley’s hands, as he jabbed Stevens silly for long stretches. Stevens would land some hard hooks in near desperation, but somehow Brinkley would walk through them and work over his opponent. In the twelfth, Brinkley’s conditioning seemed to outlast Stevens’. The result of a quick exchange sent Stevens down for a second time with less than thirty seconds left in the fight. To his credit, Stevens got back up and landed several hard shots with Brinkley throwing a heavy arsenal his way. But Brinkley showed his chin, and kept coming at Stevens until the bell ended the fight.
In the end, Brinkley won by deservedly lopsided scores of 117-109, 118-108 and 119-107. “I made it to this level maybe four times, and I failed every time,” reflected Brinkley. “This time I trained hard, fought a very tenacious puncher and I took him all the way and beat him nearly every round.”
Going into the fight, Stevens claimed he would knock Brinkley out early, and the Yerington native was weary of his punching-power at the outset. However, Brinkley found that he had overestimated Stevens’ knockout power during the fight. “He didn’t have the same kind of power I thought he would have,” said Brinkley, who believes Stevens would be better suited for the 160-pound middleweight division. “He didn’t have the same power as a Otis Griffin. He wasn’t as strong as a Jason Naugler.”
Brinkley, who also made a successful defense of his regional WBC USNBC Super Middleweight title, now has his sights set on IBF 168-pound champion Lucian Bute, who has an April 17th date set without an opponent. Bute is scheduled to fight at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and on HBO. “It is looking a lot like it is going to be me [on April 17th.] But if the money is not right, I am not going to hop in there with him,” said Brinkley. “It’s for the world championship. That is what I want, but I am not just going to hop in there for peanuts with him.”
The fact that Brinkley may be fighting for a world title makes his career turnaround one of the better boxing redemption stories in recent years. Winning a title would be a monumental achievement, but Brinkley understands that Bute will undoubtedly be the toughest test of his career. “Coach and I are going to have to handle a 6’1” left hander that is one of the nastiest in the world for a fight that is the exact opposite of what we just fought,” said Brinkley. “We just fought a short right hander and now I am going to fight a tall, lean left hander. I know it is coming. I am not going to turn it down. Offer me high six digits and we are going to fight.”
No matter the result, should the Bute fight come to fruition, Brinkley plans to make it exciting. “Honestly I would like to knock him out or catch a heart attack trying,” said Brinkley. Given the excitement he and Stevens provided Friday, sounds like a recipe for an entertaining fight.
In the co-feature, welterweight prospect Raymond Serrano (12-0, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania boxed his way to an eight-round unanimous decision over Ronnie Warrior Jr. (13-3-1, 4 KOs) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Coming off of a long layoff, Warrior, 147, came out in a completely defensive posture to open the bout. Serrano, 146 ½, seemed to sweep the first three rounds by simply outworking Warrior.
Serrano did his best work in the fourth, as he backed Warrior into a corner and unloaded some heavy shots. The fight turned in the fifth, as Warrior finally got out of his shell and began throwing some punches. Serrano may have utilized a bit too much movement, as Warrior gained confidence and pressed the action. After two more rounds of little action, Serrano came out aggressively to start the seventh. However, one Warrior flurry seemed to bother Serrano late in the round. A close eighth closed out the fight. In the end the judges saw the fight a bit wide for Serrano, 79-73 across the board.
Middleweight prospect Brandon Gonzales (10-0, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California flashed the punching-power that has made him one of the top prospects on the West Coast, stopping usually durable Dewey Welliver (18-20-1, 6 KOs) of Snoqualmie, Washington in the second round. Gonzales, 163, varied his attack to the body and head and Welliver, 159, was never in the fight. Early in the second round, a straight right hurt Welliver and the follow up dropped him. Referee Russell Morris immediately stopped it at 1:25 of the second.
In a pairing of pro debutants, Carlos Gayton (1-0, 1 KO) of Reno scored a brutal second round knockout of Jack Montgomery (0-1) of Dayton, Nevada. Montgomery, 173, left his chin dangerously exposed, and paid the price. Gayton, 171 ½, pressed Montgomery to the corner and uncorked a ferocious right that had him out before he hit the mat. Official time of the stoppage was 2:03 of the second.
Reno’s Tyler Hinkey (5-1-3, 4 KOs) fought to a unanimous six-round draw with William Mitch Williams (3-2-1, 3 KOs) of Jackson, Michigan. Williams, 215, weighed in with his clothes on, but Hinkey, 270, could not use his size advantage to any great success. After six rough rounds fought at close quarters, all three judges were in agreement at 57-57.
Chad Forrester (1-1) of Sparks, Nevada successfully avenged the loss he suffered in his pro debut nearly two years ago, scoring a four-round unanimous decision over Michael Goins (1-4, 1 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada. Forrester, 220, wobbled Goins, 227, with a right in the third, dropping him with the following combination. The knockdown was more than enough to earn Forrester the nod, with scores of 38-37 and 39-36 twice.
Let’s Get It On Promotions bring both boxing and mixed martial arts back to the Grand Sierra Resort & Casino for “Reno Xtreme Fights III” on March 20th.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
