THE MACK ATTACK IS BACK ON ESPN THIS FRIDAY IBF ELIMINATOR VS. GLEN JOHNSON!

West Philly's Yusaf Mack will be on ESPN Friday Night Fights this week in a very important IBF Light Heavyweight title eliminator against war hungry veteran Glen Johnson. In a nut shell, it is do-or-die for the career of both fighters! This always makes for some great TV action. Mack has been considered amongst the best in Philly for years now. He has been on the cusp of a title shot a few times to no avail. Now, he has a new team,  new division and seemingly new dedication, evident by his current 4 fight winning streak.

Johnson, the Ring Magazine fighter of the Year in 2004 has been around the block and then some. He left a prime Roy Jones flat on his back and also holds a clean win over a prime Antonio Tarver. But that was then. At 41 years old he must prove he can still compete with the young lions of the sport. He also knows he must win or retire. The steaks are high as the man who gets his arm raised in victory on February 5th will be the mandatory challenger for IBF champ Tavoris Cloud. Cheers to ESPN for picking this one up!

Ray Serrano de-shields Warrior on ESPN!

North Philly Welterweight Raymond "Tito" Serrano stays undefeated (12-0, 6ko's) as he cruised to an 8 round decision victory over Ronnie Warrior Jr. (13-3-1, 4ko's) of Oklahoma in opening fight of the Jan 29, 2010 edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights. Scores were 79 - 73 across the board. At times it looked like the 20 year old former amateur star was working a heavy bag as Warrior refused to throw or engage to make it a competitive fight in the early going. Serrano boxed smart, throwing three and four punch combos as Warrior laid in a defensive shell, then he got out of dodge before anything could be returned. Warrior got a little more aggressive near the end which led to a couple of decent exchanges which produced the only real two way action of the bout. Overall it was a good learning experience as Tito completed his first career 8 rounder with stamina to spare. With that said, we have yet to see Serrano matched with someone who can give us a real glimpse of the potential he holds. Hopefully the bosses at Star Boxing have taken notice! - photo by Marty Rosengarten.

Raymond Serrano to co-feature ESPN - Jan 29, 2010!

Friday Night Fights is back into the swing of things and the Jan 29, 2010 edition starts off with North Philly Welterweight Raymond "Tito" Serrano (11-0, 6ko's) taking on Ronnie Warrior Jr. (13-2-1, 4ko's) of Oklahoma for a scheduled 10 rounder in Reno, Nevada. In his two years ago a pro  "Tito" has taken a calculated yet steady path with Warrior serving as his best opponent to date. This fight will mark the second time that Serrano has fought on the ESPN airwaves - the first was a one sided unanimous decision win over Jay Krupp. Many believe that the sky is the limit for Serrano. They say all he needs is the experience. Serrano has never gone past 6 rounds so this 10 rounder is a nice step up against a durable veteran. Warrior competes mostly out of the Midwest but is best known for an 8 round decision loss to Harry Yorgey back in 2006 on ESPN.

 

Serrano is a 20 year old former amateur champ, promoted by Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing in New York, and trained by his father Ramon Serrano along with Philly's Danny Davis. Tito is said to have gotten top notch sparring while preparing for this fight at Joe Hand's Gym, most notably working with Mike Jones and Hank Lundy. Serrano definitely comes in as the favorite but it will be interesting to see how he does against a guy who is dubbed as a defensive fighter who has never been KO'd before. A good looking win here will definitely lead to more TV opportunities, all the best to Team Serrano!

Yusaf Mack vs. Glen Johnson of ESPN Feb 5th 2010, IBF Title Eliminator!

• West Philly's Yusef Mack's IBF title eliminator against Glen Johnson has been moved to February 5th in Miami and will be the main event on ESPN Friday Night Fights. Mack is on a 4 fight winning streak and on the cusp of fulfilling his longtime mission of taking on the divisions elite. Johnson has been around the block and road warrior knows every trick in the book. He also knows he must win or retire. A strong crossroads fight and cheers to ESPN for picking this one up!

 

 

Mtagwa goes out in 2 at The Garden

• Rogers Mtagwa tried his hardest but in the end Yuriorkis Gamboa's speed led to a 2nd round TKO at Madison Square Garden. Garrett Wilson gave a game effort in his fight against the 6'6" Carlos Negron but the scorecards did not read in his favor when it was all said and done. We'll get 'em next time...

 

 

Boxing Returns to The Blue Horizon Feb 5th, 2010!

The Legendary Blue Horizon opens their doors for the first time in 2010 on February 5th as Ms. Veronca Michael and her tag team partner Don Elbaum bring a seven fight card to North Broad street. On top of the bill is USBA 154lb champ Derek Ennis (19-2-1, 12ko's) of Gernamtown taking on Puerto Rico's Edwin Vasquez (22-14-2, 8ko's) in an 8 round non-title bout. This will serve as a precursor to Ennis first title defense which is expected to come in April in Atlantic City. In addition to the main event, people are buzzing about the home coming of Northeast Philly's Joey DaWejko - the former top rated US amateur heavyweight who turned pro in September. He is scheduled for four rounds.

Also expect to see Eric "Outlaw" Hunter & Ronald Cruz compete in separate bouts - both have yet to find a suitable opponents. Jackie Davis looks to go 4-0 when she takes on the pro debuting Tanya Martinez. Tim Johnson is back in action for a 4 rounder.

There are rumors of a co-feature where grizzled vets Israel "Pito" Cardona and  Martinus Clay will fight an  8 rounder at Middleweight! Could be true, could be a load of BS, we will see....More info to come soon...

Eddie Chambers vs Wladimir Klitschko set for March 20th in Germany!

• "Fast" Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs) gets his long awaited crack at IBF/WBO/IBO world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) on March 20th at ESPRIT arena Düsseldorf, Germany. Chambers is the current WBO #1 contender.

 

 

 

Hank Lundy wins a split decision in Boston!

"Hammerin" Hank Lundy (17-0-1, 10ko's) stays undefeated with a 10 round split decision win over Richard Abril (12-2-1, 6ko's) at the Roxy in Boston. Scores were 98- 91, 96 - 94 for Lundy with the third judge seeing it 95- 94 for Abril. People are saying that Lundy should now be mentioned as the top local prospect due to his willingness to take on fellow prospects in his division. Read the full report from Boston's Joe Roche who was ringside for the action.

Last Chance for Mtagwa!

South Philly's Rogers "The Tiger" Mtagwa (26-13-2, 18ko's) has reached the top of the mountain, now there is only one thing left to do.... and that is WIN! After years of crawling and scrapping, Mtagwa gets the fight of a lifetime as he is set to do battle with the darling of the sport, Yuriorkis Gamboa (16-0, 14ko's) of Cuba over a scheduled 12 rounds for the WBA World Featherweight title. This contest will be held at Madison Square Garden in NYC and will also be broadcast live around the world on HBO on Jan 23, 2010.

Mtagwa comes into this fight as a 14 - 1 betting underdog according to the Vegas line. The network is using him as a steppingstone towards a unification bout between Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez, a fighter whom Mtagwa took to the limit in a losing effort back in October of '09. Mtagwa has been in war after war after war and can always be counted on to give the crowd it value. He will need everything in his arsenal to pull off this victory. While Gamboa has a skill set as good an anyone in the game, he is hittable and has been on the canvas on multiple occasions. Mtagwa can ill afford to wait until round 7 to warm up, he must attack early and often. If he does, Philly could have a new world champion in their midst!

On the untelevised undercard, North Philly based road warrior Garrett Wilson (7-2, 2ko's) again goes into enemy territory. His foe is undefeated Cruiserweight Carlos Negron (6-0, 5ko's), a former Olympian for Puerto Rico. In Wilson's last bout he upset the 2006 US Amateur Champion Adam Willett.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can email Philly Keith at keith@phillykeith.com


Go to http://www.phillykeith.com/ for up to the minute info on the Philly boxing scene

Derek Ennis Tunes up for takeoff!

photo by Tony Gargano www.pixgargano.com

On January 15, 2010, USBA Jr. Middleweight champion, Derek "Pooh" Ennis (19-2-1, 12ko's) of Germantown will sharpen up before the first mandatory defense of his title when he takes on fading vet Edwin Vasquez (22-14-2, 8ko's) at the Arena for a scheduled 8 rounder. Ennis is said to have changed his training ways and appears to again be in tip top shape. This is a retry of a scheduled 2007 match where Ennis failed to make weight, sparking off a debate on his dedication to the sport. All of that seems to be put to bed now, as he weighed a career low 151 lbs in his last match, when he turned in the Philly 2009 Fight of the Year in a 12 round win over Eromosele Albert at The Blue Horizon. With Ennis on point and Vasquez being a loser of his last 5, don't bet on this going the distance.  Ennis is tentatively scheduled to defend his USBA belt in April in Atlantic City. Win that, and you are ranked in the top 5 of the IBF Pooh!

The undercard will feature undefeated North East Philly prospect Tony "Boom Boom" Ferrante (8-0, 4ko's) taking on Andre Hemphill (8-13-2, 5ko's) in a 6 rounder. Ferrante seems to be on a quest to clean out the local Light Heavyweights around town. Hemphill has lost four of his last five but is known to be a spoiler when fighting in this area, most recently blasting out Richard Stewart in 3 rounds. We will see if he can pull the rug out this time around... The Boxing Barber Victor Vasquez (10-3, 5ko's) and Gustavo Dailey (4-7, 1ko) square off for a potential 6 round riot. Also scheduled for action are Coy Evans and  Big Poppa Speller 

R.I.P. Francisco Rodriguez

Talk about it here http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=1039.msg8001#msg8001

photo from www.8countproductions.com

It is my unfortunate duty to report that Francisco Rodriguez of Chicago passed away Sunday night from injuries sustained in his USBA title bout against Teon Kennedy at The Blue Horizon. Many in the Philly boxing community have expressed their condolences to all affected by the passing of this great warrior. From the bottom of our hearts, R.I.P.

 

PLEASE MAKE DONATIONS PAYABLE TO:
The Francisco Rodriguez Fund
C/O National Republic Bank of Chicago
1201 W. Harrison St,
Chicago, IL 60607
312-738-4900

 

For a full write up of the action on Peltz Boxing card, check out Marc Abrams recap here courtesy of 15rounds.com