New Alhambra 07-20-07

Photos by Mike "Teek" McGuigan

They were fighting again on the corner of Swanson & Ritner this past Friday featuring a NABF featherweight title bout between South Philly’s Rogers Mtagwa, ranked #5 by the IBF, going in against Aldo Valtierra on Mexico and a highly anticipated PA Welterweight State title eliminator pitting Mount Airy’s Mike “Machine Gun” Jones against Doel Carrasquillo of Lancaster, PA. On the under card, the rumbling Joe Christy once against accepted a tough assignment squaring off against Doug Esbenshade in a battle of tough middleweights. There were some hot rumors flying around about Jose “El Macho” Medina’s next fight but first he had to get past Mustapha Johnson of Indianapolis, who showed he was in town for more than just a quick paycheck. Rising featherweight Teon Kennedy looked to stay undefeated against New Yawker Elias Castillo. Mexican lightweight Ricardo Medina retuned to Philly looking to score another upset, this time facing the slick Kevin Carmody. To close out the evening, two Philly boys got it on as South Philly’s Andrew Gizzi took on West Philly’s Robert Evans in a battle of cruiserweights eager for their first professional win. This 7 bout card was brought to us by Peltz Boxing in association with Don Chargin Promotions and Joe Hand Promotions and televised on Telefutura / Univision.



12 ROUNDS VACANT NABF FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE

ALDO VALTIERRA.....vs.....ROGERS MTAGWA
126 pounds................123.5 pounds/28 years/5'5"
Mexico City, Mexico.......South Philadelphia
Black/White.....TRUNKS....White/Black
24-8, 13 K0s....RECORD....22-11-2, 17 K0s

It was a must win match for both fighters. Rogers Mtagwa, ranked #5 by the IBF, is on a mission to secure a big payday against a name fighter on national television. Valtierra, a fighter who has been on the big stage before, was looking to erase the stain left by Jason Litzau in his last fight as he dropped a 10 round decision live on ESPN2. The NABF Featherweight Title and a top 15 WBC ranking were hanging in the balance and both fighters knew that a win would be the big break both needed at this point of their career.

This one turned out to be a solid, closely fought contest from beginning to end. Mtagwa came out of the gate swinging and quickly connected with a lunging left – right combo that sent Valtierra into the ropes. Mtagwa was unable to capitalize as Valtierra was able to slow down the pace in the final minute, sticking the jab and working the body.

Aldo kept cooking the ribs in the second as he walked Mtagwa down, pressing the action and initiating the flow of the fight. While Valtierra’s work output was higher, Mtagwa constantly landed the cleaner punches and finished off the second round with a beautiful right hook a millisecond after the bell sounded which looked to have Aldo crashing to the canvas. To his benefit, his falling body was intercepted by referee Gary Rosado who made a 1 armed snag to stop the fall.

After a sloppy third, Valtierra took control in the middle rounds highlighted by some good toe to toe action when Valtierra would focus on the body and finish upstairs and Mtagwa responding with right and left hooks of his own to Aldo’s ear.

The middle rounds were even money, Valtierra continued to press the action and work at a higher volume but Mtagwa’s power punching seemed to be the great equalizer in spots of exciting two way action. Mtagwa began to use the uppercut which popped his opponents head back multiple times. Valtierra got rocked with a left hook early in the 9th but was able to weather the early storm and pull out the round by bullying the smaller Mtagwa and working on the inside against the ropes.

It was a close one coming down the stretch and the press row scoring was all over the place. Some had it even, some thought Mtagwa had a slight lead, others though Valtierra was way ahead. The 10th was a rock solid round as both men stood in front of each other giving and receiving everything the other had to offer. The pace was steady in both the 11th and 12th but Mtagwa looked to get stronger and Aldo seemed to be fading yet still very game. Mtagwa capped off his late rally with a four punch combination to Valiterra’s face in the final seconds of the fight to secure a much needed 12th round.

The fight went to judges and the score cards were mixed as it was scored 116 – 112 in favor of Mtagwa, 115 – 113 for Valtierra and the third and final ring magistrate saw it 116 – 112 in favor of Rogers Mtagwa, the new NABF Featherweight Champion of the World.

After the fight, Mtagwa’s manager Joe Parella emphatically told us that Team Mtagwa is now gunning for a world title shot. When asked about the fight, both he and Mtagwa said they knew it would be a tough fight and were glad they were able to pull it out. They also said there are some things they still need to work on, a statement that trainer Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts seemed to whole heartedly agree with.













8 ROUNDS - WELTERWEIGHTS

DOEL CARRASQUILLO..........VS.......MIKE JONES
145 pounds..........................146 pounds/
Lancaster, PA.......................North Philadelphia
Puerto Rico Flag........TRUNKS......Black/White
10-4-1, 8 K0s...........RECORD......8-0, 8 K0s

The co-feature was probably the most anticipated fight in my young career covering the Philly fight scene. On paper, it looked like a hell of a match-up and more importantly, it was a local fight where the outcome had significance as the winner would go on as a mandatory challenger for the state title. While Mike Jones had been thrilling the crowd with bone breaking knockout power, there were still a few questions lingering regarding his legitimacy as a true prospect. Enter Doel Carrasquillo, the Lancaster roughneck with a barnyard brawler style who has been blowing out fighter after fighter on Terry Nye’s Friday Night Fight Series circuit. Coming into the fight the question was “is Mike Jones for real”? Six minutes later, the fans rushed outside of the New Alhambra to catch a smoke and propose the question “can Mike Jones be stopped”?

It even looked good as both men walked down the aisle. Carrasquillo was led to the ring by his trainer Terry Nye and Nye had a scowl on his face that said these guys meant serious business. Team Promise followed down soon after and Jones entered with his usual black hat turned backwards and a stoic look in his eye, showing no signs of pressure or intimidation as the capacity crowd roared when he entered the ring.

The bell sounded to start the fight and Jones quickly established that his left jab would be the weapon of choice in the early going, stinging the Lancaster slugger time after time and dodging his opponents few offerings for the majority of the round.

In the 2nd, Jones stayed with the jab early and Doel tried to open it up some throwing loaded right hands intended to separate Jones head from his shoulders. Unfortunately for him, none landed flush and this gave Jones the opportunity to return the favor throwing two and three punch combos, one of which was a blazing overhand right along the ropes that broke Doel’s nose. Carrasquillo tried his best and continued to fight back but the attack seemed to be too much. The round ended and the blood flowed from Carrasquillo’s nose, leaving his corner to decide that it would be in their best interest to stop the fight.

After the fight Jones stated that it was his plan to work the jab early. When asked about his opponent he stated “he thought he was a tough guy. He did have a nice sneaky right though” With the win, Jones keeps the knockout streak in tact at 9 – 0, 9ko’s and inches closer to realizing his immediate goal of becoming the state champ.

So what’s next for the Machine Gun? With roughly 15 rounds of pro experience under his belt it may be too early for something major but based on the quality of fighters showcased on series like Showbox or ESPN2, he would be a very good fit. Maybe they can dig up a steel chinned Mexican fighter who can last more than 3 rounds with the powerhouse. Either way, this was an impressive performance and a much easier night than originally anticipated.

Winner 3rd round TKO: Mike Jones 9 – 0, 9ko’s
















4 ROUNDS - FEATHERWEIGHTS

TEON KENNEDY.........VS.........ELIAS CASTILLO
126.5 pounds....................128.5 pounds
North Philadelphia..............Brooklyn, NY
Blue/White..........TRUNKS......Black
3-0, 2 K0s..........RECORD......Pro Debut

Philly’s featherweight division is starting to logjam with young talent, and tonight it was former amateur standout Teon Kennedy’s turn to showcase his skills, this time against Elias Castillo from the Brooklyn Zoo who was stepping through the ropes for the first time as a professional. Castillo is now looking for a new line of work after this one.

Kennedy got the job done with his quick and accurate punches upstairs and downstairs and won every round after 3. Early in the 4th, Kennedy worked Castillo into the corner and fired off a plethora of punches, this grand finale concluding the fight :56 into the round by way of a perfectly placed body shot that dropped Castillo to a knee leaving him unable to beat the 10 count.

With the win, Kennedy raises his record to 4 – 0, 3ko’s. Hopefully, we will be soon treated to a dustup with Isaac Suarez!






6 ROUNDS - JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS

JOSE MEDINA..........VS......MUSTAPHA JOHNSON
155 pounds...................152.5 pounds
North Philadelphia...........Indianapolis, IN
Camouflage.........TRUNKS....Cream
14-8, 10 K0s.......RECORD....3-2, 2 K0s

Jose “El Macho” Medina, the Puerto Rican rib buster from North Philly has been involved in some of the more entertaining fights this area has seen over the last 2 years. His straight ahead style and big left hooks are things that make a crowd happy. Tonight he was matched against the lesser experienced Mustapha Johnson from Indiana. Rumor had it that with a win, Medina would be a lead candidate for a Jr middleweight showdown against certain tough, bald headed white guy in Atlantic City next month.

Johnson should consider using the ring moniker of “The Spoiler” because he left the New Alhambra with a split decision victory that Medina team felt was absolute bull. It was a back and forth contest that could have gone either way. Johnson had a lot of success with his left jab, catching Medina time and time again as he tried to bully his way inside. Medina was the more powerful of the 2 men and did his best work sending the action into a corner and firing off his patented left and right hooks to the body. This was the theme of the fight for the majority of the 6 round contest.

It went to the cards with one seeing it 40 – 36 for Johnson, a second seeing it 40 – 36 Medina and the third calling it 39 – 37 for Mustapha Johnson who improves his record to 4 – 2, 2ko’s.







6 ROUNDS - LIGHTWEIGHTS

KEVIN CARMODY........VS.......RICARDO MEDINA
137.5 pounds..................134.5 pounds
Mt. Airy......................Wilmington, DE
Blue Sequins.......TRUNKS.....Red
10-7-2, 1 K0..................29-32-5, 17 K0s

At first glance, it was an interesting match-up on paper as Kevin Carmody was coming off a 1st round knockout live on ESPN2 and Ricardo Medina was last seen high tailing it out of the Blue Horizon after taking a controversial split decision win over Lenny DiVictoria back in February. After two entertaining rounds, this fight became sort of monotonous as Carmody would put his back on the ropes, keep his hands down and try to shake and bake the incoming Medina with counter rights and lefts. Medina is like a small city street, one way, and that way is straight forward, digging his head into you chest throwing high volumes of rights and lefts to the head and body.

The fight went to the scorecards and once again, Medina hops into the el-Camino and speeds off with another hotly disputed decision, this time of the unanimous variety winning on all three cards by scores of 58 – 56 x2 and 59 – 55.

His style may not be pretty, but it seems to get the job done. I wonder how a prospect like Hammerin’ Hank Lundy would fare against the well traveled Mexican who has taken on some of the best in the business…..





4 ROUNDS - CRUISERWEIGHTS

ANDREW GIZZI.........VS......ROBERT EVANS
193 pounds...................189 pounds
South Philadelphia...........West Philadelphia
Blue................TRUNKS...Black/Red
0-2.................RECORD...0-2

The final bout of the evening was one people who stuck around were saying was the most entertaining as Andrew Gizzi of Costello’s Gym fought through a nice sized cut over his right eye to earn a 3rd round TKO over Robert Evans who was unable to continue midway through the round due to an injured shoulder.

These cruiserweights wasted no time getting into it with Gizzi steaming forward, taking some solid right hands from Evans and retaliating with rights of his own. A close first round broke down into a fight in the second highlighted by a Goldberg like spear from Gizzi followed by two quick rights as both men crashed down to the canvas. The guys got up and the fight went on. Evans seemed fired up and stayed inside to trade punches and get physical, landing some good ones upstairs but also receiving quite a few to the body. Somewhere in the scuffle, Gizzi suffered a cut over the left eye and the blood started flow.

The third started right where it left off with both fighters in the corner. Gizzi forced the action into the corner and fired away. Evans was able to escape but his shoulder got dislocated at immediately signaled for the fight to be stopped.

Winner: Andrew Gizzi by TKO,:33 seconds into the 3rd round.








6 ROUNDS - MIDDLEWEIGHTS

JOE CHRISTY.........VS........DOUG ESBENSHADE
160 pounds....................158.25 pounds
South Philadelphia............Lancaster, PA
Black/Red..........TRUNKS.....Blue/Whte
7-11-2, 2 K0s......RECORD.....6-5, 1 K0

The card opened with a solid Middleweight contest as a South Philly favorite Joe “Kid Vicious” Christy once again accepted a tough assignment taking on Doug Esbenshade of Lancaster, PA for a 6 round melee. With a win, Christy would be in line for crack at Clarence “Sonny Bono” Taylor’s WBC Continental Middleweight belt and finish a trilogy that is currently tied at 1 win apiece. Esbenshade was last seen in Philly about a year ago and lost a hard fought decision to one of our best in Harry Joe Yorgey.

This one came as advertised as Christy swong for the fences and landed a couple of homerun rights but Esbenshaden showed his can give just as good as he takes throwing the crisper punches. There were head butts, elbows, plenty of rib punches in clinches and even a tackle in the 5th. It was a back and forth affair from beginning to end and a very entertaining way to start the evening. There were no knockdowns and the fight went to the cards where two judges saw it deadlocked at 57 – 57 while a third thought Christy eked it out by a margin on 58 – 56 ending it in a majority draw. Coming up next, Taylor – Christy III at the New Alhambra on August 23rd!


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