Baker Upsets Stewart in Delaware

Baker Upsets Stewart in Delaware Ken Hissner - kenhissner@yahoo.com


Dave Tiberi’s TNT Boxing Promotions had a main event that sent the fans home buzzing! New Castle Delaware’s Richie Stewart (14-5-2, 8 KOs) used a vicious body assault on Orrum, North Carolina’s Tony Baker (6-8, 3 KOs) who countered with numerous power punches and pulled off the upset in an eight round light heavyweight thriller at the PAL Center in Hockessin, Delaware Saturday night.


Stewart found himself on the canvas in the first round from a straight right hand punch he would later say “I never saw it coming.” Stewart got up facing his own corner and referee Steve Smoger instead of counting got Stewart by the shoulders and turned him around to face his opponent. Baker’s record is very deceiving. He later said “I took this fight on a week’s notice. I got robbed by split decision in North Carolina in my last fight so I didn’t know how the judges would rule this one.” The first round knockdown was the difference on two of the judge’s scorecards. Joe Pasquale and Steve Weisfeld both had it 76-75 while Dewey LaRosa seemed off with a 78-73 score all for Baker. Boxing Tribune had it a draw. Stewart said “I just found out a couple of days ago that there was a change in opponents.” When asked why he came in so light he said “my original opponent was a light heavy but I was told to come in at 170 for this opponent.” In August Baker had scored a first round knockout over Philly’s then unbeaten Tommie Speller (4-2, 3 KOs) at the National Armory. Three of his losses were to current WBC light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson, former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Jermain Taylor and Peter Manfredo, Jr. of The Contender fame.


After taking the first two rounds Baker was hit after the bell by Stewart and retaliated with a punch of his own. Both fighters seemed to show a lot of respect for each other during this fight. Stewart’s nature reminds one of Tex Cobb inside the ropes. It looks like he is just having a good old time in there. Baker would state after the fight “he’s the kind of guy I would like to hang out together with after the fight.” Stewart used a good body attack in the third and fourth round’s before Baker came back to take the fifth round. Stewart was always on the attack but took some hard shots from Baker throughout the fight. He seemed to come back and take the sixth and seventh rounds. The last round had the fight up for grabs with both fighters swapping punches at the bell.


The semi-six round junior middleweight match had former Contender show’s Aaron Torres (16-6, 6 KOs) getting knocked off balance with his right glove touching the canvas in the first round by Youngstown, Ohio’s Jesse Williams (4-5-1, 2 KOs) forcing referee Vic deWysocki to give him an eight count. Torres would out hustle Williams the rest of the way. For some reason Williams fought southpaw for two rounds and switched to orthodox the rest of the way. Even Torres was overheard in the ring afterwards telling him he had more trouble with him boxing southpaw.


Youngstown southpaw Josh “The Juice” Harris (1-0, 1 KO) made his debut and looked very impressive dropping New Castle, Delaware southpaw Luis Santiago (0-4) twice in the first round. Both fighters were just over the cruiser weight limit. In the second round Harris landed a right uppercut that may have broken Santiago’s nose. The referee deWysocki stopped the fight shortly afterwards at 1:27 of the round with blood covering Santiago’s face. The twenty-five year old Harris looks like a prospect to watch.


In a four round cruiserweight match-up Hockessin’s Dan “Bada Bing” Biddle (2-1, 2 KOs) looked like he should head back to the tough man circuit while Philadelphia’s Zeferino Albino (3-3, 1 KO) countered while ducking the wild swinging Biddle. Judges Pasquale and Weisfeld both scored it 39-37 while LaRosa had it 40-36 all for Albino who at times joined in adding some comic relief for the fans.


47 year old middleweight Bernard “Road Dog” Miller (1-1-1) entered the ring with an entourage carrying a giant stuffed dog and a picture frame of what looked like a little girl.

Little did they know New Castle’s Mighty Mike Tiberi (3-0, 1KO) was not be intimidated by this. Miller was quite stiff legged and was jabbed off balance by Tiberi who would follow up with straight right hands in this four rounder. Only when Miller would hold and hit inside was Tiberi at risk. I was informed he had a deal with the commission allowing Miller to fight until he lost. Tiberi just put him into retirement!


Opening the show was a very talented former amateur star from Philadelphia Teon Kennedy (7-0, 4 KOs) in a four round featherweight match with Lancaster’s Arthur Parker (1-5, 1KO). Kennedy put a hurting on Parker whenever he wanted. His jab alone was a power punch. In the second round Kennedy hit Parker on the back of the head with a left hook as Parker was pulling away. A right uppercut put Parker on the canvas. This little southpaw has a heart as big as a lion but belongs in a lower weight class but there are too few opponents around for him. Both Judges Weisfeld and LaRosa had it 40-35 while out in left field Pasquale scored it 39-36 all for Kennedy.


TNT Boxing’s next promotion will be February 8th at Dover Downs, Delaware. This will be their third different site. There are plenty of fans in Delaware and it’s a matter of finding the right place for them to gather in order to pay the bills. Dave Tiberi is a man of integrity who puts on competitive fights. Tonight’s show and main event proved that!



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