Lucian Gonzalez holds Jules Blackwell to a draw in Oaks PA

Gonzalez and Blackwell battle to draw in Oaks! by Ken Hissner

Photo by Jeff Julian - www.fightnews.com

It was one of those nights where if it was going to happen it did! Power Productions and Sports Extreme put on a cut down version of the original show but the fans went home happy! It was the first time any boxing was at Cisco Arena in Oaks, Pennsylvania, just outside of Phoenixville. There were but 4 bouts but they all provided a little of something in them. Matchmaker Ty McNeil did a fine job.

The main event was a battle of wits and bumps. These two had sparred in the gym on several occasions in the past. Lucian Gonzalez (4-4-1, 3 KOs), of Reading, was coming off a big win in Reading several months ago. I don’t think Jules Blackwell (7-0-1, 2 KOs), Phoenixville, was expecting Gonzalez to be this aggressive. The southpaw Blackwell did not utilize his jab and height like he should have. He found himself battling it out with Gonzalez on many occasions. When it was all over judge Rich Hopkins had it 59-55 for Gonzalez to the delight of the crowd though Blackwell certainly had more fans there. Judges Carol Polis and Alan Rubenstein had it the same as I did at 57-57, to make it a majority draw. Gonzalez trainer Travis Kauffman, and another ringside reporter Kurt Wolfheimer of Fight News agreed with Hopkins scores of 59 - 55 for Gonzalez.

Blackwell had a lump on the side of his head the size of a golf ball. He used his share of elbows and shoulders to keep Gonzalez off of him and was warned on many occasions by referee Gary Rosado. Gonzalez seemed to enjoy the action by smiling throughout the contest. If this fight doesn’t have all the earmarks of REMATCH on it nothing does. Blackwell’s corner of Jimmy Deoria and Johnny Mulvaney seemed disappointed in the performance of their boxer and satisfied with the draw. “I got robbed,” said Gonzalez afterwards. Where have I heard that before? He certainly landed the most punches overall but you have to do it in each round, not half of them. These two warriors were just over the super bantam limit. Both have fights scheduled in the next two weeks if they are able after this war.

The semi-final bout had light heavyweights Shannon Anderson (3-1, 1 KO), Coatesville, and Zeferino Albino (3-4-1, 1 KO), Philadelphia, in a war of their own. Anderson seemed to take the first round though it was close. In the second round Anderson suffered a nasty cut above the left eye brow, half way down his nose. Somehow at the same time the top rope broke. It caused a twenty minute delay while Anderson stood there bleeding through half of the repair work on the ropes before the doctor stepped into the ring and said Anderson was able to continue the action. Before you know it, as Albino was landing a wide right hand to Anderson’s side, they collided again like a pair of billy goats. The referee Frank Cappuccino started to count when Anderson hit the canvas. Commissioner Greg Sirb being right on the situation in front of him jumped in and ruled it an accidental head butt leaving no other alternative but to rule it a no contest. It seemed Albino was having the better of it at the time. He was filling in at the last moment coming off an upset draw several weeks ago in Atlantic City. Time of stoppage was 1:14 of the second round.

The previous fight, if you want to call it that, was between big Grant Cudjoe (15-3, 10 KOs), Brooklyn, New York, who stopped Octavius Smith, (4-5, 3 KOs), Indianapolis, Indiana who was looking like he hadn’t spent too much time in the gym. Cudjoe landed his jab at will until a right hand dumped Smith to one knee between the two lower ropes. He took the count of referee Rosado on a knee with a dazed look, at 2:01 of the very first round.

The opening bout had Coy Evans (2-0), Philadelphia, coming off a three year lay-off to batter Brooklyn’s Elias Castillo (0-4) in a featherweight match. Castillo was gamed though outclassed by Evans. All three judges had it 40-36 in favor of Evans.

At ringside were former IBF featherweight champion Calvin Grove of Coatesville along with Rob Calloway, the All-American prizefighter who holds the WBC Continental Americas, IBF International and NABA cruiserweight titles. He will be headlining at the Day’s Inn, Allentown, Pennsylvania on March 15th.

The show was followed by a UFC heavyweight title bout on closed circuit for the fans. I certainly wasn’t one of them. There were even two exhibitions of under ten year old kids that fit right in to the old Kid Mitten’s days in Norristown that local celebrity Hank Cisco ran. Cisco was there in tribute to the facility being named after him and his even more famous brother Tony. As a matter of fact two of his former Kid Mitten boxers Herbie Brown and Jeff Jowett (covering the fight) were in attendance. The promoters say they will do it again May 24^th here at Cisco Arena.


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