Boxing Results – Cisco Arena in Oaks, PA – June 21, 2008

Posted on | June 23, 2008 | No Comments

Ennis Destroys Manning in Two Rounds

By: Tony Penecale (Ringside)

Returning from a 10-month hiatus, Derek Ennis was brutally destructive in getting himself back in the win column, flooring the overmatched Todd Manning five times before the referee stopped in contest in the 2nd round.

Ennis, 156, Philadelphia, was last seen getting starched by Alphonso Williams in a bout he was controlling at South Philadelphia’s New Alhambra arena. It was a more focused Ennis who stepped in the ring and Manning, 158, Wheeling WV, never knew what hit him.

From the opening moments, the talent gap between the fighters was evident as Ennis was much faster and he took advantage, blasting Manning with combinations to the head and body. Ennis landed a sizzling right hand and Manning was down for the first time. A few seconds later, Manning found himself on the canvas again, courtesy of a right hand to the body. After valiantly pulling himself up, Manning ran into another series of punches, including a right hand that deposited him on the canvas again moments before the bell rang, saving him for the time being.

While many in the crowd curiously wondered why Manning was allowed to continue, they were happy to cheer the ring card girl one more time. Ennis made sure they wouldn’t see her again, as he finished the job shortly into the second round, flooring Manning two more times with body shots, finally forcing referee Hurly McCall to halt the contest.

Ennis now improves his record to 13-2 (10) while Manning falls to 6-4-2 (3).

In other bouts:

Anthony Gatt won a sloppy and ponderous decision over Kevin Hood in a heavyweight contest. In their first meeting in November, the four-round bout ended in a draw. Gatt had been idle since but Hood was on the losing end of two TKO defeats.

Gatt, 214, West Chester PA, found success early, clubbing Hood, 209, Lancaster PA, with a series of power punches and staggering him with a solid hook late in the round. Gatt was unable to build on his momentum and the bout became a sloppy affair with Gatt landing the harder shots and Hood countering with volleys of light, cuffing punches. By the 4th round, both combatants were dead tired, as they each tried to close the show with arm-weary punches.

The judges favored Gatt’s heavier blows, awarding him the decision by scores of 40-36 (twice) and 39-37. Gatt raises his record to 6-0-1 (4) while Hood runs his winless streak to four and is now 5-9-1.

Shannon Anderson wasted no time in dispatching John Fleming in just over a minute. Anderson, 176, Coatesville PA, attacked the southpaw Fleming, 176, Winston-Salem NC, at the opening bell and within seconds had him trapped in the corner where he unleashed a flurry of right hands. Fleming tried to fight his way out but after fielding two flush right hands to the head, he slumped to the canvas. Anderson attacked again and had Fleming back on the canvas within seconds, forcing Hurly McCall to save him from additional punishment.

Anderson improves to 4-1-1 (2) with the win while Fleming remains winless at 0-2.

In a bout of unbeatens, Coy Evans and Jason Rorie fought to a spirited four-round draw. Evans, 124, Philadelphia, boxed smartly in the opening round, countering the aggressive Rorie, 128, Greensboro NC, with straight right hands to the head and body. Rorie started asserting himself more in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, using his advantages in size and strength to back up Evans and land hard single shots. Rorie seemed to tire near the end of the 3rd round and allowed Evans to regain momentum and control the pace over the final stanza.

The three judges all differed in opinion with one seeing Rorie winning 39-37, with another tallying an absurd 40-36 in favor of Evans, while the deciding judge had it a stalemate at 38-38. Evans is now 2-0-1 and Rorie is 1-0-1 (1) and a rematch is a possibility.

The opening bout of the evening was a rockin’ affair as local favorite Travis Thompson, ignited the crowd with unanimous decision over Elisa Castillo. Thompson, 133, Pottstown PA, charged out at the opening bell, firing wild haymakers, and backing Castillo, 133, Bronx NY on his heels. Castillo was able to land several counter punches and Thompson rallied the crowd, slipping several shots, using the dip-low defensive style made famous by Pernell Whitaker.

More impressive than his defensive prowess was the offensive explosion Thompson started the 2nd round with, flooring Castillo with a big right hand. While still dazed, Castillo was able to avoid most of Thompson’s follow up attack and even landed a few shots of his own. Over the final two rounds, it was mostly Thompson throwing and Castillo catching, with both fighters receiving a standing ovation at the bell.

The judges all scored in favor of Thompson with verdicts of 40-36 and 40-35 (twice). Thompson improves his record to 3-2 (2) while Castillo drops to 2-3.

The card was promoted by Greg Robinson’s Power Productions Inc. The next show will be an outdoor event on Friday, August 1 at the Oaks Sports Extreme Complex with Rasheem Brown and Rashiem Jefferson in the co-features.