Philadelphia’s New Alhambra Boxing Results – 3/07/08
Posted on | March 9, 2008 | 1 Comment
Mtagwa Decisions Valtierra in Crowd-Pleasing Bout
By Tony Penecale (Ringside)
Certain fighters seem to bring out the best in each. If popular Philadelphia slugger Rogers Mtagwa is a powder keg, then Aldo Valtierra is a lit match. And when they meet, fireworks are bound to erupt. The two engaged in a stirring slugfest, a rematch of their July ’07 brawl, with Mtagwa rallying down the stretch to capture a unanimous decision in front of the partisan crowd at South Philadelphia’s New Alhambra fight venue.
Mtagwa, 129, Philadelphia via Tanzania, was originally slated to defend the NABF featherweight title he won against Valtierra against highly-ranked Roger Gonzalez. When Gonzalez and original replacement David Martinez both pulled out with injuries, Valtierra, 131, Mexico City, accepted the chance to avenge last year’s defeat. With Valtierra unable to make the limit of 126 lbs, the bout was switched to a 10-round non-title affair.
The bout started slowly with each combatant feeling the other out and looking for openings. Mtagwa was the aggressor, walking in behind a sharp jab and trying to create an opening for his potent right, one of which finally landed as the round was ending.
The action picked up in the 2nd round when Valtierra landed a hard right that sent Mtagwa stumbling to the ropes. Mtagwa roared back and regained control, landing a series of hard right hands, snapping Valtierra’s head back. Valtierra found more success in the 3rd and 4th rounds, controlling the tempo and using his reach advantage to keep Mtagwa at bay.
The tempo swung back to Mtagwa’s favor in the 5th round. After absorbing several punishing shots early in the round, Mtagwa attacked aggressively and rocked Valtierra late in the round. However, it was Valtierra who came out energized in the 6th round and landed a series of right hands against a seemingly fatigued Mtagwa.
As in their first bout, it was dead even after six rounds and up for grabs. And similar to their first bout, it was Mtagwa who grabbed it. Starting in the 7th round, Mtagwa found his second wind, and started to land his right hand with regularity, which had Valtierra on the verge of crumbling on several occasions. But just when it seemed the iron-jawed Mexican would collapse, he fought back and hit Mtagwa with a flush right hand and left hook.
A pivotal moment occurred in the 8th round, with Mtagwa in control, Valtierra was penalized one point for repeated holding of Mtagwa’s head. The vicious back-and-forth exchanges continued through the final three stanzas. At the final bell, both weary warriors raised their hands, to a standing ovation from the sell-out crowd.
The unanimous decision went to Mtagwa by scores of 97-92 and 96-93 (twice). Mtagwa improves to 23-12-3 (17) while Valtierra falls to 24-9-1 (13).
In the co-feature, Teon Kennedy remained on the fast track to stardom, out-punching and out-hustling, Castulo Gonzalez, over eight rounds. Kennedy, 125, Philadelphia, set the tempo in the 1st round, thwarting Gonzalez, 126, Lynn Massachusetts, spearing him with right hands and causing swelling around his left eye. Gonzalez kept pressing in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but found little success, as Kennedy continued to rake him with combinations and uppercuts.
Kennedy remained just too good and too fast for Gonzalez, whose punches started to lose steam by the 5th round. Gonzalez kept trying to force the fight in close and Kennedy started to oblige in the 6th round, staying inside and landing hard body shots. With the fight in his favor, Kennedy starting boxing more in the 7th and 8th rounds, allowing Gonzalez to control the tempo.
Kennedy was rewarded by the judges for his overall body of work, winning by scores of 77-75 and 78-74 (twice). With the victory, Kennedy remains undefeated at 8-0 (4) while Gonzalez falls to 9-5 (3).
In other bouts:
Pedro Martinez, 194, Philadelphia, opened the card with a spectacular knockout over Kenyatte Ravenell, 196, Greensboro NC. The bout was back-and-forth from the opening, with Martinez landing clubbing rights and the southpaw Ravenell countering with straight lefts. Late in the 2nd round, Martinez trapped Ravenell in a corner and landed several vicious right hands, prompting the referee to stop the fight as Ravenell slumped to the canvas where he remained for several minutes.
Martinez wins his pro debut and is now 1-0 (1) while Ravenell falls to 1-3 (1).
Victor Vasquez, 136, Philadelphia, had to overcome the rough-house tactics of Rami Ibrahim, 137, Philadelphia, to win a majority decision. Ibrahim started fast, trying to wrestle and maul Vasquez, who after a slow opening round, started to land the crisper and cleaner punches from the outside. Vasquez found a home for his right hand in the 4th round while Ibrahim kept coming forward, even as his left eye was reduced to a grotesque mess by the final round. Vasquez was the winner by scores of 59-55 (twice) while the other judge had it even at 57-57.
Vasquez ups his record to 7-1 (4) while Ibrahim dips to 2-7-1.
Making his pro debut in front of a throng of loyal supporters, Dennis Hasson, 164, Philadelphia, won a unanimous decision over the brash John Michael Terry, 166, Portsmouth Virginia. While Terry was content to pose, play defense, and throw the occasional wild shot, Hasson stayed calm, landing more effective punches against his unorthodox opponent. In the end, Hasson was victorious as all three judges scored it 40-36.
Hasson is now 1-0 while Terry falls to 2-10-3 (1).
Travis Thompson, 133, Pottstown Pennsylvania, scored an impressive one-punch knockout over Emmanuel Roses, 134, Philadelphia. Thompson was the aggressor throughout before he finally caught up to Roses, in the 2nd round, landing a brutal left hook that crumbled Roses face first where he was counted out.
Thompson improves to 2-1 (2) while Roses remains winless at 0-2.
In the battle of fighters making their pro debut, Anthony Flores, 130, Philadelphia made quick work of Gustavo Dailey, 132, Philadelphia. Flores immediately found a home for his straight right hand against the southpaw Dailey, sending him sprawling to the canvas in the opening minute. Dailey rose on unsteady legs where he ran into a barrage of Flores right hands, finally prompting the referee to intervene and rescue him from further punishment.
Flores with the victory is 1-0 (1) while Dailey is now 0-1.
The card was promoted by Peltz Boxing and Joe Hand Promotions. The next bout card at the New Alhambra is scheduled for Friday, May 9.