THE PHOENIXVILLE, PA FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHT REPORT

Yorgey, 154, came out firing up the opening bell landing a right hand that clearly staggered Wayka, 152 ½. Things only got worse for the Native American fighter as he was driven to the canvas with a hard body shot moments later. Once the action resumed, Yorgey jumped on his prey, using his superior speed to blister Wayka with combinations.

Wayka’s only respite from the assault came when one of his bodyshots strayed low, causing a 20-second delay as Yorgey recovered. A fired-up Yorgey picked up right where he left off with another series of combinations that dropped Wayka against the ropes. Wayka rose on unsteady legs and was quickly met with a lightning-fast (pun intended) combination that left him face down in the neutral corner where referee Gary Rosato halted the contest without issuing a count.

Yorgey’s raises his record to 18-0-1 (9) while Wayka falls to 14-6 (8).

After the bout, Yorgey proclaimed that this year is “his coming out party” and called out former USBA junior welterweight champion and Contender Season 2 participant, Mike “No Joke” Stewart, who was seated at ringside.

Matchmaker Don Elbaum has high hopes for this matchup saying it would be “the biggest fight around locally.”

While the night may have belonged to Yorgey, the fight of the night belonged to two female gladiators making their professional debuts, as Philadelphia’s Olivia “The Great” Fonseca and New York’s Melissa St. Val engaged in a thrilling slugfest.

St. Val, 139, neutralized the six-inch height advantage of Fonseca, 145, attacking her early and forcing the fight to be waged in close quarters. St. Val scored cleanly in the 1^st round, coming over the top of Fonseca’s low guard with hooks and overhand rights.

Fonseca was finally able to establish her offense in the 2^nd round, timing St. Val’s rushes with uppercuts. The torrid place was clearly draining both combatants going into the 3^rd stanza, where Fonseca was able to flurry and score the cleaner punches.

Going into the 4^th and final stanza, with the outcome hanging in the balance, both women took turns firing their best punches. The result was a draw as all three judges scored the bout 38-38. This reporter had Fonseca winning the narrowest of decisions by the score of 39-38 (2 rounds Fonseca, 1 round St. Val, 1 round – the 4^th– even).

In other results:

Heavyweight Travis Kauffman, 232, Reading, scored and impressive 2^nd round TKO over Kevin Hood, 217, Coatesville. Kauffman started fast, attacking Hood early, and forcing him into a defensive role.

After landing some impressive body shots in the 1^st round, Kauffman started to muscle the fatigued Hood on the inside, dropping him early in the 2^nd round, with a hard right hand to the ribcage. Kauffman kept the pressure on Hood, again dropping him two more times before referee Hurley McCall stopped the bout.

Kauffman’s record improves to 9-0 (7) while Hood now stands at 4-6.

In their first encounter, it took Joey DeMalavez two rounds to dispatch Phil Hinklin. When they met this time, DeMalavez, 162, Manayunk, seemed determined not to let it last as long, charging Hinklin, 166, Philadelphia at the opening bell. With about one minute remaining in the round, the strategy paid off as DeMalavez landing a combination on the ropes, dropping Hinklin to his knees where he remained for the entire count.

DeMalavez ups his record to 6-2 (3) and Hinklin falls to 1-6-1.

Young and up-and-coming Latif Mundy, 155, Philadelphia kept his perfect record intact with a workman-like decision over Manuel Guzman, 155, Lancaster. Mundy’s superior technique and speed enabled him to win all four rounds over Guzman. All three judges had it a shutout for Mundy, who is now 4-0 (1). Guzman sees his record fall to 2-3 (1).

Baltimore’s Tim Coleman, 147, also kept his perfect record safe with a decision win over John Lipscomb, 145, Akron OH. Coleman was in control, as he kept Lipscomb on the end of his punches and landed right hands. Lipscomb offered little offense in return and was not quick enough to land his counter punches. At the end of four rounds, Coleman was declared the winner by scores of 39-37 and 40-36 (twice). Coleman who is a relative light puncher improves to 9-0 (2) and Lipscomb is now 3-10-1.

Two highly anticipated bouts were scratched from the card for medical reasons. Phoenixville’s Jules Blackwell, was hoping to showcase his skills in the very gym where he played high school basketball in the late 90s. Unfortunately, when his bout fell through, he was forced to box and exhibition with Philadelphia’s Bryheim Douglas, whose bout had also fallen through.

In attendance was Mike Stewart, there to scout Yorgey. Other notables included former IBF featherweight champion, Calvin “Silky Smooth” Grove, Earl “The Pearl” Hargrove, and up-and-coming prospects Chazz Witherspoon and Max Alexander.