Mike Jones sends Pinzon packing & Rosado stops Mundy @ Bally's!

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The date is October 10, 2009 and the city is gridlocked. The Phillies bats were stymied by three New York hurlers, in effect denied their shot at becoming back-to-back MLB world champions. Also this week, a piece of Philly boxing history was lost as The Spectrum closed it's doors for good this week after being sent off to memory lane by a four night rock fest courtesy of Pearl Jam. To top it all off, SEPTA is on strike as Local 234 president Willie Brown had the audacity to order the men and women of The Transport Workers Union off the job and to the picket lines in hopes of a raise in these hard economic times, leaving many people standed in their tracks making routine travels to work and school a nightmare.

As the week finally ended, I was headed to Atlantic City to catch the fights. On this card, Mike Jones makes another statement that he is a young welterweight to be reckoned with as he retains his NABA Welterweight title via 5th round KO over Raul Pinzon in Atlantic City NJ. The started off a bit slow and methodically but did a 180 early in round 5 as Jones began to let his hands go, hurting Pinzon with head shots before ending matters with a single vicious body shot that left Pinzon on the canvas in agony, making no attempt to beat the 10 count. Sources close to the NJ commission say Pinzon suffered broken ribs.

With the win, Jones keeps his title and world ratings as well as furthering a statement that the journeyman type is no match for him. Network execs should take notice because MJ would make an excellent choice of opponent for any young 147 lber in the world....

In the co main event, Gabriel Rosado bounces back with a 7th round TKO win over Latif Mundy during a battle of Philly Jr. Middleweights. Best fight of the night, good exchanges and the rounds see-sawed until a big surge from Rosado hurt Mundy midway through the 7th, after a continued assault, the referee was left with no option but to call a halt to the battle.

 

In other action...

Mike "No Joke" Stewart recovered from a 3rd round knockdown to win a unanimous decision over Louis Lejia by scores of 57 - 56 across the board.

Josh Mercado won a hard fought unanimous decision

Ronald Cruz won a decision over Ashante Henderson in a fight closer than the final scores indicated.

Vasquez Shocked at The Arena!

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 photo by Jay McGuigan 

The North Jersey based promotional outfit KEA Boxing made their Philly debut this Friday night to the tune of a 9 fight card at the Arena on the corner of Swanson & Ritner in front of near sell out crowd. A new promoter was a welcome sight to many and this night was to be a bit of a test drive  on possible things to come. While most fights on the undercard resulted in convincing wins for the A-sides, the main event had some juice to it. There weren't many people in the building who thought Victor Vasquez lost his six round fight against Carlos Vinan. Unfortunately for Team Vasquez,  two those people were ringside judges and the final result was North Jersey resident Vinan being named winner via split decision after six rounds were all said and done. Many have called and written in to say they feel this was a robbery. Scores were 60 - 54 for Vasquez but over ruled by tallies of 59- 54 & 58 - 56 for Vinan. The Philly Keith Sports scorecard read 58 - 56 for Vasquez. To everyone's credit, the fight was competitive and some of  rounds were pretty close. Vinan, true to his form, applied a lot of pressure but Vasquez clearly landed the better punches in almost every exchange in every round. The fight was fairly repetitive from rounds one through six. Vinan would come forward winging some shot, Vasquez would meet him in the center throw a few counters and get out of dodge before anything big could land. Vinan's best work came when he could get Vasquez on the ropes which he was able to do a few times. To me it wasn't enough. 

On the undercard locals Kareem Cooley, Angel Occasio, Bryant Jennings & Liz Sherman has little trouble racking up wins in their fights. Union City southpaw Juan Rodriguez showed flashes of a future prospect against a determined Dontre King in one of the more competitive battles of the evening. Rodriguez scored a solid third round knockdown and withstood an early 4th round rush from King to sweep the scorecards at the end of their 4 rounder.

Ardrick Butler's fight was canceled due earlier in the day. Official word was that Butler was hit by a car jogging in the morning. This has not been verified by anyone on Butler's team.

Complete recap with photos to come soon....

 

 

Fast Eddie getting Ready for Klitschko!

Fast" Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs) is working hard in the Pocono's as he prepares for this 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 and his coach Rob Murray says they have the formula to shock the world. My question is, is there a snowballs chance in hell that Chambers will get a fair shake in Germany if the fight goes to the scorecards??


No TV has been confirmed just yet but I am sure someone will pick this up. Hopefully we can get a chance to see Eddie attempt to become the first Philly Heavyweight champ in quite some time. Stay tuned for more info....

Mike Jones , Gabriel Rosado & Jamaal Davis Fight In Atlantic city NEXT Saturday!

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On February 27th, Peltz Boxing returns to Bally's Casino in Atlantic City for a seven fight card with at least two of these bouts being televised live on the new Fox Sports Boxing Show. In the main event we have Mike Jones (19-0, 16ko's) defending his NABA Welterweight title against veteran Henry Bruseles (28-3-1, 15ko's) of Puerto Rico in the 10 round main event. This will mark Jones third consecutive start at the casino, a place where he hasn't lost a second of either of the fights he was in. This fight looks to be no different as even Jones team concedes that "Bruseles is a good all around fighter but Mike does everything he can do better, we should have no problem". The 29 year old Bruseles comes in on a 7 fight winning streak with his last loss coming in 2005 against Floyd Mayweather. Jones will need an impressive performance to captivate the imagination a national audience that has eluded him to date and also to recapture a local buzz that seems to be fading a bit. One vicious KO could solve all that in an instant. Either way - a victory will surly improve his already impressive world rankings which currently stand at Jones is # 7 in the WBA, # 11 by the IBF. # 16 by the WBC. Along with being promoted by Peltz Boxing, Jones team is considered amongst the best in Philly as he is managed by Doc Nowicki and Jim Williams and trained by Vaughn Jackson.

In the co-feature Gabriel Rosado (13-4, 8ko's) again finds himself matched tough when he takes on proven veteran Saul Roman (32-5, 27 ko's) of Tijuana in a 10 round co-feature. Rosado is coming one of his best performances as a pro when he stopped Latif Mundy in this same building last November. Roman, a 10 year pro at 29 years old, has fought some of the best with mixed results. The two men share a common opponent in Kassem Ouma - both ironically won by split decision. There is only one way we will find out who is the better fighter and I would think the winner should be in line for at least one of the Spanish titles floating around the business. Good matchmaking and potentially a good fight.

Jamaal "Da Truth" Davis (11-5, 6ko's) will take on the rough Ossie Duran (23-8-2, 9ko's) in an 6 rounder. Davis is another guy who hasn't had much duck meat lately and the durable Duran will surely test his conditioning and stamina. Duran has survived attacks from James Kirkland, David Lopez and recently took Fernando Guerrero to the limit in a losing effort. Davis can pop - so it will be interesting to see how his shot holds up against guy who has been near the top and given a game effort. The winner of this one should should be in prime position to take on a name fighter for a nice paycheck in the near future.

Dennis Hasson is listed for this card though it is unconfirmed and no opponent has been named at  press time.

In an added bonus you will see Kendall Holt of Paterson, NJ take on Kaizer Mabuza of  Johannesburg, South Africa in a 12 round IBF junior welterweight title eliminator; Glen Tapia, Passaic, NJ, vs. Tyrone Miles, Camden, NJ, 4, junior middleweights; Troy Maxwell, Galloway Township, NJ, vs. Todd Eriksson, Dover, NJ, 4, super middleweights.

Expect to see the shoehorn at the entrance as all tickets are said to be sold out! Check eBay if you are desperate....

KEA Boxing to debut in Philly with Victor Vasquez as Headline @ The Arena!

       

Promoter Andre Kut wants to make Philly his new home base for his KEA Boxing and on February 26, 2010 - he tests the waters to see if this is a good fit. In the main event he has a good one as local lightweight Victor Vasquez takes on tough guy Carlos Vinan in a 6 rounder. Vasquez is hands down the most exciting fighter in Philly, now he gets his first chance to carry the load as a headliner as the main attraction. This assignment isn't a duck either, despite Carlos Vinan's record - he holds wins over quite a few prospects - including Eric "Outlaw" Hunter.

Vasquez has been training out of Costello's Gym in the Northeast under the eye of Chris Rotella. There has been a steady improvement in fundamentals since making the switch, now we get to measure the progress against a seasoned vet who has faced many a style in the ring. They say styles make fights and this one matches up to be a slugfest.

The co-feature has rising Welterweight Ardrick Butler taking on Norman Allen of Maryland. Butler has shown steady improvement throughout 2009 and looks to take it to the next level in 2010. But don't listen to me, get the story from the men themselves!

Philadelphians Kareen Cooley & Bryant Jennings will make their pro debut while Angel Occasio looks to go 2- 0.

More info on this card along with video from the press conference........... 

Philly Keith Sports Talk Radio - test

Episode 1 - "The Test Drive" - Recapping action over the weekend of 2-26-10 and previewing fights through March.

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

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

Gabriel Rosado wins a war, Mike Jones gets by Bruseles in Atlantic City!

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On February 27th, Peltz Boxing brought another strong, evenly matched card to Bally's Casino in Atlantic City, this time with Top Rank boxing in the fold to take part in the new boxing series on Fox Sports Net. The goal of the night was to get rising welterweight Mike Jones (20-0, 16ko's) some much deserved TV time as he continues his quest to rate amongst the best on the world in his division. His opponent was Henry Bruseles (28-4-1, 15ko's) , a better than advertised journeyman riding a 7 fight winning streak. The NABA titlist got the job done to the tune of a unanimous decision victory in front of a sold out crowd, most of whom came to see MJ perform in the main event. While there is no argument that Jones deserved a W in this fight, he had a much tougher than expected time against the shifty veteran.  Bruseles was able to work his way inside undeterred for most of the contest and Jones never set out to impose his will on the smaller opponent, opting to box, circle and move around without much forward motion. Bruseles found his way unabated into Jones chest for most of the night which made things very tight in the first half of the match. Jones was able to take control in round 5 and won every round from there on out as he landed the better power punches and did a better job of avoiding the game Bruseles attack. Like the old timers say - win this one, look good the next time out. Call this fight one to grow on as it will undoubtedly serve as a learning experience for Jones.

     

Add Saul Roman (32-6, 27ko's) to the list of accomplished veterans that "King" Gabriel Rosado (14-4, 8ko's) has beaten as the 24 year old Philadelphian was awarded a narrow split decision  following a 10 round blood bath which saw momentum swing back and forth throughout the contest. Roman can be credited as the aggressor but Rosado's precise counter punching and timely power shots were keys to victory.  There was nothing fancy in this fight, just a good old fashioned rumble between two tough fighters. Roman built a lead early - Rosado stormed back in the middle rounds and it was give and take down the stretch. Roman fought through a bad cut over the right eye while Rosado's left eye had a slow leak. The co-feature was the fight of the night with many in press row having scoring scattered across the board. Scores read 97 - 93 for Roman but were over ruled by two tallied of 96 - 94 for Rosado who continues to show he is one of the best Philly has to offer despite what his record may say.

On the undercard

Jersey boys Troy Maxwell (2-0, 1ko) and Todd Erickson (0-3-1) waged four rounds of absolute mayhem in this unexpectedly entertaining action packed rumble. Erickson built an early lead using his size and speed to connect but Maxwell kept up the pressure and eventually broke the seal in round three. Both men traded and landed many hard punches. Maxwell's ear was a mess, Erickson wasn't very stead at certain points, both sucked it up and fought to win until the very end. The score cards read 39 - 37 x 3 for Maxwell. Erickson also deserves a nod for a job well done.

Ariel Espinal and Tony Pietrantonio waged their own war in a bit of a sloppy yet very good 6 round back-and-forth rumble that Espinal won by 5th round TKO. Both fighters stood inside and traded hard, wining bombs. Momentum shifted throughout but Espinal's late assault led the referee to stop the fight against a dazed Pietrantonio's protest.

Ossie Duran and Jamaal Davis went toe to toe for 4 hard rounds. It was give and take but it was the accomplished veteran Duran who was giving that much more in this shortened fight. Davis stayed game, took the best Duran had to offer and stood his ground. It went to the cards which read 40 - 36 across the board for Duran.

We may have seen the final chapter in the career of ex champion Kendall Holt as he was surprisingly and soundly defeated by the anonymous Kaizer Mabuza via 6th round TKO. Holt had a good first round but Mabuza applied non stop pressure and eventually wore down the big name from Paterson. Holt's corner stopped the fight in between rounds 6 and 7.

Glen Tapia came out of the gate like a pit bull scoring an early 1st round stoppage against Ty Miles.

Complete write up with photos to come soon.

Danny "Swift" Garcia Passes a Stiff Test on ESPN!

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        photo courtesy of www.fightnews.com

Big shout out goes to "Young Swift" Danny Garcia who was sternly tested on national television and came out on top despite not having his best stuff on this particular evening. The Golden Boy Promotions prospect was matched against experienced fringe contender Ashley Theophane of England and the Brit gave everything he had in effort to take Garcia's 0.

We didn't see a slick boxing amateur in this fight, instead Garcia showed the look of a guy who can take a good punch, won't lose his composure and also wasn't afraid to impose his will immediately after badly losing a round. It was a little too close for comfort as the end result was a split decision win for the young Philadelphian.

With all of this said, there is still some sharpening up to do at the gym but overall - to beat this caliber fight at this stage of Garcia's career is an accomplishment to be proud of. A few more fights and he should be ready for the top of the class in the 140 lb division.

Manny Folly wins the US National Championship title!

Philly Flyweight Manny Folly of Rock Ministries won the US Under 19 National Championship title over the weekend in Cincinnati when he defeated local favorite David Carton via 22 - 6 decision. This win gets Folly an invite to train at the Olympic training Center in Colorado - a big boost to his goal of earning a slot on the 2012 team that will compete in London.
Congrats to the up and comer along with his team at The Rock Ministry.  All the best to you in the future!

Talk about it on the forum http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=1190.msg9006#msg9006

Joey DaWejko and Brian McGinley interview

Tacony's Joey DaWejko and trainer Brian McGinley speak on their future as Joey prepares to make his Philadelphia Debut (as a pro) at The Legendary Blue Horizon 2-5-10




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

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

Tomasz Adamek wins a unanimous decision over Jason Estrada

Over the weekend in Newark, Tomasz Adamek wins a unanimous decision over Jason Estrada. The official scores were pretty wide but Michael Riccardelli was ringside and saw it a bit differently. The big Polish ticket is now in line for a showdown with Chris Arreola, click the link to get the rundown on how Adamek performed in this bout and also get the inside on the undercard...

 http://phillykeith.com/Adamek%20eeks%20Estrada