CHECK OUT THE FNU SPRING, 2011 RING GIRL CONTESTANTS

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VOTING PAGE AND PICK WHICH ONE YOU THINK IS THE HOTTEST!

CHECK OUT OUR RING GIRL PAGE FOR MORE INFO ON HOW TO ENTER OUR NEXT CONTEST (ENTRIES MUST BE IN NO LATER THAN JUNE 5, 2011)

Mixed Martial Arts Links (3-21-11)

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

MMA Fighting Stances: Mixed martial arts intelligence from the cage and ring
USA Today
by Sergio Non By Sergio Non, USA TODAY NEWARK — The leader of the Ultimate Fighting Championship walks a fine line as he promotes his new light-heavyweight champion. Jon Jones’ title-winning performance on Saturday at UFC 128 confirmed his status as …
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MMA Fighting Stances: Mixed martial arts intelligence from the cage and ring

USA Today

Wineland, however, stuffed all three of Faber’s takedown attempts and maneuvered a mini-slam of his fellow ex-WEC champion. Faber came out aggressively in the second round and took Wineland to the mat. MMA Fighting Stances.
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Lessons in Mixed Martial Arts: The Guillotine
Toronto Star
Because mixed martial arts borrows so much from jiu-jitsu — a grappling art developed in Japan and further refined in Brazil – much of the sport deals with finding ways to make your opponent quit. Today we examine one of the most common. …
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Yoel Romero Palacio quickly becoming top light-heavyweight prospect in MMA
Examiner.com
Yoel Romero Palacio is quickly becoming one of the top light-heavyweight prospects in the sport ofMixed Martial Arts. Palacio, who last fought on March 5th, improved his record to 3-0 by making quick work of his opponent Nikita Petrovs. …
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Mixed Martial Arts is Coming to Pattaya Pattaya Daily News A small piece of mixed martial arts history will be made this Saturday when ‘MMAthe Beginning’, Thailand’s first ever dedicated mixed martial arts show, takes place in Pattaya. There will be no fewer than 12 fighters in action with the highlight being … See all stories on this topic »

Pattaya Daily News

MMA: The 10 Craziest Fighters in Mixed Martial Arts Bleacher Report In that sense, every mixed martial artist is just a tad deranged. But the following list is dedicated to the best of the best. The guys who have worked at hard at becoming the craziest guy in all of MMA. Check through to find wacky quotes, … See all stories on this topic »

Bleacher Report

Mixed martial arts facility to open on Vestal Parkway
Press & Sun-Bulletin
The B-Sens need a win here to keep their lead over the Worcester Sharks at three VESTAL — Amixed martial arts training and fitness facility opened on the Vestal Parkway this week to provide “alternative” workouts to people ages 4 and up, …
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UFC among sports grappling with concussion issue
Toronto Star
That doesn’t mean concussions aren’ta critical issue in mixed martial arts. While the National Athletic Trainers’ Association found hockey players suffer 6.5 concussions per 1000 player-games, a separate study by Johns Hopkins University found a much …
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Mixed Martial Arts: Philippou goes for it Newsday (subscription) Photo credit: AP | Nick Catone, top, in action Costantinos Philippou during their mixed martial arts match at UFC 128. (March 19, 2011) Mixed martial artists accepts fights on short notice all the time. It’s part of the nature of a sport that … See all stories on this topic »

Newsday (subscription)

 

NIGHT OF UPSETS HIGHLIGHT ROUND 2 AT HARRAH’S IN CHESTER, PA

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

 

Green, Kevlishvilli, Miranda and Ellis score upset victories while Ocasio and Goyco impressive at Round 2 at Harrah’s in Chester.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHESTER, PA (March 20, 2011)—This past Friday night a capacity crowd at Harrah’s in Chester, PA a saw a memorable night of boxing as it was a night filled with thrilling action with four big upsets topping the bill.

The card was promoted by Joey Eye Boxing along with David Feldman.

In the main event, Bryne Green squeaked out a razor thin split decision over Ryan Belasco.  The difference on the score cards was a flash knockdown that Green scored in round five.  Belasco boxed well and Green landed some quick combinations.

When the scores were announced at the end of the eight round bout, many in the crowd booed as they thought that despite the knockdown Belasco had pulled it out.

In the co-feature, it was much of the same as the main event as Georgi Kevlishvilli made his American debut as he took a controversial split decision from Anthony Flores.

Flores used the jab to keep the hard charging Kevlishvilli at bay but the Russian continued to move forward and evidentially stole rounds by trying to dictate the action.

Again many at ringside were bewildered by the outcome.

After the show, promoter Joey Eye agreed with the consensus ringside opinions.

“The two main fights were definitely controversial and we would want to see rematches on those fights.  I thought Flores defiantly pulled it out and we will be working to secure a rematch for Anthony.”

“But a night like this just goes to show that we aren’t just blowing smoke when we told everyone we want good competitive fights where before the fight you don’t know who will win.  Tonight we saw that as everybody came to win and we look forward to another night like this when we have ROUND 3 on June 3^rd”

Local favorite and Radnor Police Sergeant Jamie Campbell was bitten by the upset bug as last minute replacement William Miranda won a four round unanimous decision over Campbell in their Heavyweight bout.

The tone was set early as in the opening bout, winless Ramon Castro finally got on the right side of a decision as he scored a four round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Luis Castro.

Angel Ocasio kept his perfect mark intact as he scored a knockdown en route to a four round unanimous decision over George Santiago.

Teneal Goyco scored a highlight reel knockout with a fourth round destruction over Dennis Morris.

Ladies Lightweight Elizabeth Sherman scored a close split decision over Karen Dulin in a rematch.

Pro debuting Fred Jenkins Jr. was impressive in his pro debut by stopping Scott Bronner in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Rounding out the card was an exciting fight that ended in a draw between Philadelphia based Lightweight Lonnie Jackson Jr. and William Morris

THESE BOUTS CAN BE SEEN FOR JUST $9.99 ON WWW.GOFIGHTLIVE.TV

FULL RESULTS

8 ROUNDS—LIGHTWEIGHTS—Bryne Green (6-4) 133 ½ lbs of Vineland, NJ S DEC over Ryan Belasco (14-5-3) 134 ½ lbs of Wilmington, DE..scores were 76-75 on 2 cards for Green and 77-74 for Belasco

6 ROUNDS—JR. LIGHTWEIGHTS—Georgi Kevlishvilli (12-1) 129 lbs of Moscow, Russia S DEC over Anthony Flores (9-3-1) 129 lbs of Philadelphia, PA… Scores were 59-55 on 2 cards for Kevlishvilli and 59-55 for Flores.

4 ROUNDS—Lightweights—Angel Ocasio (4-0) 133 lbs of Philadelphia, PA U DEC over George Santiago (1-3) 133 lbs of Brooklyn, NY…scores were 40-35; 39-36; 39-36

4 ROUNDS—HEAVYWEIGHTS—William Miranda (2-2) 230 lbs of Allentown, PA U DEC over Jamie Campbell (3-2) 281 lbs of Ridley Park, PA… scores were 40-36; 39-37 & 38-37

4 ROUNDS-FEMALE LIGHTWEIGHTS—Elizabeth Sherman (3-0) 127 ½ lbs of Philadelphia, PA S DEC over Karen Dulin (2-8) 127 ½ lbs of Mystic, CT… Scores were 39-37 on 2 cards for Sherman and 39-37 for Dulin

4 ROUNDS—Light Heavyweights—Teneal Goyco (4-1, 2 KO’s) 172 ½ lbs of Philadelphia, PA TKO 4 (:36) over Dennis Morris (1-1) 176 lbs of Milwaukee, WI

4 ROUNDS—LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS—Fred Jenkins Jr. (1-0, 1 KO) 170 lbs of Philadelphia, PA TKO 2 (2:21) Scott Bronner (0-1) 172 lbs of Lebanon, PA

4 ROUNDS—LIGHTWEIGHTS—Lonnie Jackson Jr. (1-0-1) 133 lbs of Philadelphia, PA MAJ DRAW with William Morgan (0-0-1) 134 lbs of Philadelphia, PA… Scores were 38-37 Morgan and 37-37 on 2 cards

4 ROUNDS—LIGHTWEIGHTS—Ramon Ellis (1-6) 134 lbs of Philadelphia U DEC over Luis Castro (3-1) 135 lbs of Philadelphia…Scores were 40-36; 39-37 on two cards

THE NEXT CARD AT HARRAH’S CHESTER WILL BE FRIDAY NIGHT JUNE 3^RD

 

 

Providence amateur boxer Toka Kahn-Clary earns spot on U.S. Boxing Team for Pan-Am Qualifier

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

PROVIDENCE (March 20, 2011) – U.S. Olympic Boxing Team hopeful Toka Kahn- Clary, an 18-year-old senior at E3 Academy in Providence, won a close decision today (Sunday) against U.S. Marine Tommy Rogue at the 2011 Pan American Games Box-Offs, held at the Olympic Training Center’s Sports Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

By winning at the Pan American Box-Offs, Kahn-Clary earned a spot on the U.S. Team heading to the 2011 Pan Am International Games Qualifier 1, March 25-30, in Venezuela.

Kahn-Clary and Rogue, who is the U.S. Armed Forces Championship winner, fought to a 13-13 (25-25) deadlock that went in Toka’s favor by way of a 3-2 judges’ poll. He had defeated Louis Cruz in the semifinals, 6-3.

The Liberia-native who moved to Providence 12 years ago had already captured top honors in the 132-pound lightweight division this year at the at the New England Tournament of Champions at Foxwoods Resort Casino (CT), New England Golden Gloves Tournament in Lowell (MA), and Northeast Regional Championships at Lake Placid (NY).

Kahn-Clary’s coach, Peter Manfredo Sr., (Manfredo’s Gym in Pawtucket), has been named as a coach for the New England squad competing in the National Golden Gloves Tournament, as well as the Region 1 team (New England, New York and New Jersey) at the U.S. Championships. “I’ll be seeing plenty of Toka,” his proud trainer said. “This was a real tough fight. Toka was losing going into the third (final) round but he hit him with some real nice one-twos. The other kid kept coming at him and Toka won it with his left. Toka beat Rogue before in Newport when a team from New England fought the U.S. Marines boxing team. They go all over boxing and the boxers are all in tremendous shape. This was a real big win for Toka.”

Last year, Kahn-Clary took gold 123-pound bantamweight class at the National Golden Gloves Tournament. His career amateur record is 71-6 and he has qualified for The USA Boxing National Championships, June 20-25, at Colorado Springs. The top four finishers will qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials to box for a spot on the squad competing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Toka is aiming for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team, which will compete in London. Kahn-Clary would become the third straight Olympic boxer from Rhode Island, joining Jason Estrada and Demetrius Andrade from the 2004 and 2008 squads, respectively.

Fight Report: Essex Eruption – Conquest Cruises, McAleese Supreme But Jupp Robbed

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

By Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro

On Saturday night Steve Goodwin undertook his first big event outside of London with his superb Essex Eruption, sponsored by Revolver Entertainment’s new to DVD action drama Fists of Rage, at the Goresbrook Leisure Centre in Dagenham.

The event was due to be quadruple headlined, but due to an injury to Yassine El Maachi and the BBBofC realising at the last minute that Leon ‘Solid’ Williams’ suspension, due to his being stopped on the 5th February, didn’t expire until the day after the event, it became a double header instead.

It wasn’t just the loss of two of the headline bouts, there were various other last minute injuries that reduced the event to eight bouts instead of the proposed fourteen. Either way those that were lucky enough to attend the off-TV show were treated to a fantastic evening of top class boxing.

With El Maachi and Williams out Romford’s unbeaten Tony ‘The Conqueror’ Conquest bout against current Ghanaian Cruiserweight Champion Prince George Akrong was elevated to main feature.

Right from the opening bell Conquest hunted down Akrong, whose ringname is the Hungry Lion, with a clear intention to get the African challenger out of there early. About two minutes in Conquest let rip with a huge right which missed Akrong’s chin but caught him on the shoulder and send him crashing unceremoniously onto his backside.

Throughout the second round Conquest pushed forward utilising every punch in his packed arsenal, but Akrong’s strength, and determination to shine in front of the British crowd, see him weather the constant onslaught as well as occasionally test the taller and bigger Conquest ‘s chin with massive overhand rights.

Much of the same in the third, that was until mid way through the last minute of the round when Conquest shook the big African to the core with a massive right. In a flash Conquest let rip with heavy lefts and rights as Akrong, with his back against the ropes, covered up in an effort to survive until the end of the round, which he did.

The fourth was all action, with Conquest determined to start of where he finished in the previous round. However Akrong showed his mettle by going forward and taking the fight to Conquest, at times going toe-to-toe exchanging bomb after bomb.

The fifth was almost a replay of the third, with Conquest pushing hard. Eventually the pressure paid off, Conquest backed  Akrong onto the ropes and let rip with huge left to the body followed with a big right to the head. Akrong wobbled badly, but  even though his legs had clearly gone he managed to stay on his feet. Conquest, who had stepped back expecting the African to drop, went back on the attack letting big lefts and rights go until the final bell.

Round six see Conquest step things up and hurt Akrong with a big right hand within seconds of the start. Conquest followed the African warrior around the ring letting off bomb after bomb. After about thirty seconds Conquest landed a peach of right to send Akrong to the deck again. The African got to his feet but looked severely shaken. The referee accepted Akrong’s pleas to allow him to continue but in an instant Conquest was on him letting rip with more big lefts and rights, Akrong didn’t respond or even seem to have any defense and the referee jumped in to call a halt to the proceedings after just one minute of the round.

Co-headline to the Conquest-Akrong bout see the welcome return of Newmarket Light Middleweight prospect ‘Phat’ Pat McAleese, against Spain’s Fran Gonzalez.

There was no feeling out period, both protagonists went to work right from the opening bell. The action was nonstop and produced some of the best pure boxing of the show. For the full three minutes they matched each other punch for punch, it was that close throughout.

Round two see McAleese step things up to try and wrestle control of the round from the gutsy Spaniard. However Gonzalez had no intention to allow him to do so and countered every attack.

Round three see more of the same at first, but the tide was beginning to turn in McAleese’s favour around the two minute mark. McAleese added more venom to his attacks, in doing so forcing Gonzalez to go on the defensive.

Round four see McAleese continue in the same vein, often backing Gonzalez onto the ropes before letting rip with heavy flurries of left and rights to body and head. During one of the later attacks McAleese caught the Spaniard with a heavy left to the ribs, Gonzalez was clearly hurting and covered up. This encouraged McAleese to turn the pressure up another notch. McAleese was relentless playing Gonzalez’s ribs like a xylophone with wickedly fast ten-twelve punch salvos.

Round five was a cracking round for McAleese, who constantly backed up the tiring Gonzalez before letting rip with ten punch plus flurries. As the round progressed Gonzalez occasionally responded with the odd counter attack, but was often thwarted by the fast hands of the Newmarket man.

A sure fire stoppage finish looked on the cards in the final round, as again McAleese caught Gonzalez with a massive left to the ribs. However the durable Gonzalez survived the follow up salvos and went defensive to see out the final couple of minutes. The referee scored the bout 60-54 in favour of a delighted McAleese.

The sixth bout of the evening see unbeaten in four Light Middleweight Michael ‘The Zambezi Hitman’ Norgrove against the super tough Jan Balog from the Czech Republic.

Right from the off Balog went on the attack, forcing Norgrove to go defensive. Throughout the round Balog pressured and Norgrove could only respond with a good stiff jab.

Round two see Norgrove initially readjust his fight plan, choosing instead to go toe to toe with Balog. The only problem is the gutsy Czech only had one form of defense – attack. Norgrove was taking some big punches and by about midway through the round had a noticeable swelling over his left eye. Saying that Norgrove had responded really well and was out boxing his Czech opponent.

Balog pushed hard in the third, but had started to get a bit wild in his attacks, allowing Norgrove to pick him off with some good stiff jabs.

Round four was a lively affair. Norgrove was boxing beautifully and seemed to have neutralised Balog, that is until the second minute when Balog caught Norgrove with a heavy overhand right. Norgrove’s legs buckled and was on his way to the canvas. However thinking quickly Norgrove threw his arms around Balog but instead of it keeping him on his feet he just pulled Balog down with him. For some strange reason the referee decided not to give the count even though Norgrove had clearly been floored by a punch.

The tide turned in the fifth Norgrove used his superior boxing skills to dominate the round. Balog occasionally responded with a wild counter but there was little he could do to stop the constant hard and fast attacks.

Any chance of Balog causing an upset evaporated in the final round. Norgove stepped up the pressure against the rapidly tiring Czech and was controlling things beautifully. Norgrove had been using his jab and straight rights to good effect, however this changed early in the sixth when Norgrove started to go for the body. After the third attack to the ribs Balog took to one knee for an eight count.

When the bout resumed Norgrove went back on the attack in search of his first stoppage finish. It looked like he may just get it, following another cracking shot to the body that forced Balog to one knee for a second time. However Balog did get to his feet to see out the final seconds of the round.

After six scintillating rounds Michael Norgrove was declared victorious by a 60-54 points margin.

I have to add that I’ve watched every one of Michael Norgrove’s fights and I have had my doubts about him, I felt that he would come up short if actually tested. Well on Saturday night he was tested, and tested hard, but came through with flying colours and boxed the best I have seen to date. Also he showed resilience and an ability to mix it up when needed.

Next up was Carshalton Lightweight ‘Pretty’ Ricky Boylan against tall, tough and awkward southpaw Kristian Laight. Fireworks had been predicted and sure enough that’s just what we got.

Right from the opening bell both fighters made it clear they wanted centre ring, yet neither were willing to concede ground. Some great boxing from both protagonists ensued. It was a very close fought round but Boylan probably edged tit with the cleaner more meaningful  shots.

Round two was more of the same, except the tide was flowing Boylan’s way more. Boylan had settled the fastest and concentrated on pure boxing to counter Laight’s attempts to force things by brute force.

Round three continued in the same vein, with Boylan out boxing his older opponent. About midway through the round Boylan landed a beautiful right to the body, Laight instantly winced and grabbed hold of Boylan to get his breath back. As the referee broke them apart Boylan went on the attack letting some cracking left and rights go in quick succession. Laight went on the back foot to try and see out the round, which he did.

Round four was all Boylan, he boxed superbly throughout to earn a tidy 39-37 points victory.

Less than a month after winning on his debut Kris Agyei-Dua was back in action on Saturday against Louis Byrne.

It is hard to think that Agyei-Dua has only had the single bout, he fought like a seasoned pro. From start to finish Agyei-Dua dominated the proceedings with some beautiful boxing. He never put a foot wrong, he jabbed with confidence and was happy to stand and trade when needed.

Byrne is a tough opponent at the best of times but didn’t seem to trouble Agyei-Dua at any time. Unsurprisingly Agyei-Dua secured his second win by a shutout 40-36 points margin.

The third bout of the night see the very welcome return of Luton’s Michael ‘The Real Chunky’ Devine, after a long layoff following a bad stoppage against Mark Alexander last year, against Sid Razak.

Devine was divine, he plain out boxed the resilient Razak throughout. Razak is no walk over at the best of times but Devine outclassed him from start to finish to earn a shutout 40-36 points victory.

Belvedere’s unbeaten Featherweight ‘Saint’ George Jupp was next up against Raffi Khan from Harrow.

Right from the opening bell Khan went on the attack, Jupp kept his cool and kept the aggressive Khan at bay with some solid jabs. Whenever Khan came rushing forward Jupp would use superior footwork, to move out of range, or solid jabbing to stop him in his tracks. Khan was getting some success but usually his shots were wide of the mark.

Whilst it was hard to call the first round, the second and third were clearly young Jupp’s, who had used his Jab to good effect throughout the two rounds. It wasn’t just his jabbing though, in the middle rounds Jupp showed that he is willing to mix it up when needs be.

Khan began to rush his attacks, backing Jupp towards the ropes, and letting rip with wild shots. Most times Jupp would just step around, leaving Khan punching at fresh air, but on a couple occasions Jupp countered with both hands and about mid way through the round Jupp landed a peach of a right which opened up a cut above Khan’s eye.

Clearly aware he was behind on points Khan became even more forceful with his attacks in the final round, often letting rip with multi-punch flurries. Jupp would counter with solid jabs as before but instead of backing off Khan kept coming forward. Khan kept the pressure up to the final bell.

When the referee’s score card was read out – 39-38 in favour of Khan – the crowd jeered, Jupp’s manager/coach Johnny Eames remonstrated with the referee and the assembled photo corps, of which I was one, all agreed that Jupp had won clearly won the middle rounds and probably had done enough to claim the first also.

I feel I should comment at this point that on Friday at York Hall Erick Ochieng suffered the same fate as Jupp, he clearly won two rounds and probably did enough to get a third but the decision went against him.

I bring this up because it seems that some referees and judges are often judging by aggression level mainly.

A prime example of this was Ian ‘Dappa’ Napa’s British and Commonwealth title loss to Jamie McDonnell last year. Napa clearly won the bout, having landed the most meaningful shots, as was proved when Sky televised highlights.

Sky were unable to find a single bit of footage where McDonnell had even landed a punch. McDonnell had been the more aggressive but had failed to make any impact due to Napa’s superior defense and countering.

The same goes for both Ochieng and Jupp in their bouts. in both cases they had exceptional defenses. In almost every attack their opponents made they failed to land a single punch and were easily caught by controlled counter punching.

I know that part of judging process includes aggression but surely ineffective aggression shouldn’t count for more than actual punches landed.

Anyway enough of my griping, the opening bout of the night see Danny Brown take on Iain Jackson in a Middleweight bout.

This was a cracking opening bout and really set the tone for the rest of the show. Both went to war from the opening bell, trading toe-to-toe for virtually the whole bout. Brown landed the most meaningful punches and rightly earned the victory by a 39-37 points margin.

As usual Steve Goodwin put on an exceptional show, one that deserved a much wider audience. It’s about time Sky started looking at some of the excellent small hall promoters, like Steve Goodwin, who constantly put on top class shows, instead of concentrating on the big three who parade out the same old names show after show.

Steve Goodwin’s next event will be at the York Hall on June 4th, miss it and you’ll miss one helluva show featuring some of the Capital’s most talented rising stars.

Shamrock Showdown Fight Report – Upsets And Drama As Hamilton And Anwar Win Big Time

Posted on | March 21, 2011 | No Comments

By Gianluca (Rio) Di Caro

Promoter Spencer Fearon always talks a good fight and his build up to Friday’s double title fight headlined Shamrock Showdown show may have seemed to have been nothing but a load of hype – but it wasn’t, If anything Spencer undersold the show by a country mile.

Spencer has always stated that his shows would feature real 50/50 fights, no journey man specials designed to build up records rather than entertain the paying public. He sure didn’t disappoint on this promise or his promises of all action, drama packed bouts.

The show may have only had four bouts, following Menay Edwards and Jamie Arlain both pulling out rather than face Johnny Eames’ super tough Ultrachem TKO Boxing Gym pairing – London based Cruiserweight prospect Mitchell Balker and Carshalton’s Danny ‘Cassius’ Connor respectively – and Alex Dilmaghani had to pull out after injuring his ankle in training just a few days earlier, but they were four top class, action filled bouts.

Headlining the show was The Real Fight Club’s very own Darren ‘Mr R&B’ Hamilton’s challenge for Peter McDonagh’s Southern Area Light Welterweight crown.

At the weigh-in Hamilton stated that the fight could either be a very technical stand off, which may be boring for the spectators, or it could be a small hall classic. Well ‘Mr R&B’ got that one hundred percent right when he said it could be a small hall classic.

The first round started a little slow, as both protagonists felt each other out, Hamilton had made some radical changes to his fight style,
instead of his usual covered up style he was more open, and took control of the round behind a fluid jab.

More of the same in round two with Hamilton taking the fight to McDonagh. Not to say that McDonagh didn’t have some success with his counters, he did but Hamilton was flowing, his movement was supreme which caused most of McDonagh’s punches to miss, even when McDonagh had backed Hamilton on to the ropes.

McDonagh pushed more in third, constantly backing Hamilton on to the ropes. The big problem for McDonagh was that once he got him backed up he wasn’t able to take advantage of the position. Hamilton just dipped and swayed to avoid McDonagh’s wild shots before opening up with some of his own, which invariably landed. By mid way through the tables had turned and Hamilton was backing McDonagh up and letting rip with extraordinary levels of punches, most of which were hitting the target. McDonagh was already
looking to be in trouble.

Round four was all Hamilton, incredibly he’d stepped up the work rate each time he corned McDonagh on the ropes. Often his 10-15 punch flurries were totally unanswered and it looked just a matter of time before the referee would step in to stop and the fight, but he didn’t.

More of the same in the fifth with Hamilton totally dominating the proceedings and pushing McDonagh back constantly before letting rip with exocet after exocet. About half way through the round it looked to be all over but the shouting as Hamilton backed McDonagh into the corner and let rip with a heavy handed twenty four punch flurry ending with a big overhand right to the head followed by a cracking left to the body.
McDonagh legs were gone but the Savvy lad grabbed hold of Hamilton and hung on for dear life until his head cleared.

Hamilton was on a roll and secured the sixth in similar fashion. His constant attacks were causing McDonagh a major problem. McDonagh tried to change his fight plan, by charging down Hamilton with wild swinging shots, however each forward move lead to him being on the receiving end of a double handed counter.

Round seven was virtually a replay of the fifth, with Hamilton walking McDonagh back onto the ropes before letting rip with heavy handed
unanswered ten-twelve punch combinations, all of which were now landing as McDonagh’s defense was virtually gone.

Hamilton stepped it up even more in the eighth, chasing McDonagh around the ring letting off overhand rights and heavy body shots at will.
McDonagh was taking so much punishment and a knockout end to his title reign looked inevitable. His corner were looking concerned as late on Hamilton launched yet another vicious attack which lead to them throwing the towel into the ring with just two seconds of the round left on the clock.

To put this win for Hamilton, who was ranked #37 in the UK before the bout, into context, McDonagh was ranked #11 and had just come off an excellent win against then top ten ranked Curtis Woodhouse.

Even more importantly Hamilton’s performance was vastly superior to that of the much better known Frankie Gavin, you could say Hamilton out Gavin’d Gavin with his fast hands. Hmm, now that’s a future match up to make every boxing aficionado salivate in anticipation.

Co-feature to the Hamilton-McDonagh was another well matched between two heavily avoided classy fighters –  #15 ranked Adil ‘Platinum Kid’ Anwar and #8 ranked Nathan ‘De Lick’ Graham – for the International Masters Light Welterweight title. The Hamilton-McDonagh fight was a cracker and worthy of a ‘Fight of the Year’ nomination, in normal circumstances. However this fight even outshone that!

Both fighters started hard and fast in the first round with some superb exchanges taking place throughout. Second round started in similar fashion but by about midway through Graham had started to exert some serious pressure, landing more and the most telling punches.

Round three was an all action thriller that started off with Graham piling on the pressure against the slippery, quick footed Anwar. But that was not to last as Anwar landed a cracking right that sent Graham down to the canvas. Graham was quick of the block as the fight resumed and pushed hard to win back the lost point.

About midway through the round Graham was piling on the pressure when Anwar let rip with lightning quick right that sent Graham to the deck for a second time.

This time it was Anwar that attacked hard an fast as the count finished. Graham fought back and tried to take the upper hand. During yet another forceful exchange, prior to which it looked like Graham was about stop Anwar, Graham chased down a rapidly backing up Anwar before suddenly leaping forward with a heavy left, but as he did so Anwar also let a big left off which sent the off balance Graham past him and through the ropes and into the photographers area. Graham scrambled back into the ring just as the bell rang to end the round.

Round four was another all action affair which see Graham dominate for about eighty percent of the round. With just seconds remaining Graham slipped and was unlucky that it was judged to be a knockdown.

The fifth was a very close round with neither really getting the upper hand, both worked their socks off with the dominance exchanging hands to equal measure. Great round of boxing that had the fans on their feet from start to finish, as had the previous rounds.

More of the same in the sixth and again Graham makes a visit to the canvas, whilst I felt this was a genuine knockdown, the referee waved it off which kind of made up for the previous slip counting against him. Graham pulled back a point with this round as not only was he the more forceful he also landed the most meaningful shots by far.

Round seven was an awesome round, with both protagonists giving their all from start to finish. At one point Graham was lucky not to end up outside the ring again, after forcing Anwar back onto the ropes Graham let rip with a big left, but just as he did Anwar side stepped and the momentum carried Graham right over the top rope.

Graham seemed to be really looking for a knockout finish to the eighth, constantly coming forward and letting of bomb after bomb, as Anwar was beginning to look tired and in survival mode. Anwar defense seemed to be stay out of the way and was constantly moving away from Graham and letting out lazy jabs. Each time Graham got close Anwar would frustrate him by grabbing hold before skipping away to safety.

More of the same in the ninth, although this time Anwar’s tactics worked against Graham in the worse way possible as he was caught by a surprise heavy right that sent him crashing to the deck again just mere seconds before the bell.

The tenth and final round was a frantic affair with Graham hunting for knockout finish, which is the only way he could possibly salvage a win for the magnificent effort he had been putting in, however just over midway through the round Anwar lets rip with a cracking right counter to send Graham through the ropes and onto the BBBofC officials table.

Just seconds after returning to the fray Graham finds himself again down and through the ropes, this time on the opposite side of the ring. This time the referee calls a halt to the proceedings on the 2 minutes and 20 second mark.

Preceding the Anwar- Graham bout Hard Knock Boxing Promotions presented awards to Choi Tseveenpurev – for his excellent round 2 performance against Derry Matthews at Prizefighter Super Featherweights last November- and Ashley Theopane for his beating Lenny Daws to become British Light Welterweight Champion.

Side note to this Spencer Fearon has said that he is hoping to have Darren Hamilton challenge Ashley Theopane for the British title in the near future.

Back to the action as the second bout of the night, between highly rated and unbeaten Erick ‘The Eagle’ Ochieng and former ABA winner Luke ‘Lionheart’ Robinson,  proved to be a cracking fight, albeit with a highly controversial end result.

Robinson was out of the traps quickly to close down Ochieng, to neutralise his highly effective jab. Ochieng used a bit of savvy and went on the back foot to find some room to get his jabs off. Robinson kept coming forward throwing some pretty wild shots until eventually he had backed Ochieng onto the ropes. Robinson kept throwing wild off target shots at the ever ducking and weaving Ochieng. Ochieng responded with some highly effective stiff jabs to force Robinson back until his next rally. It was a close round, Robinson the more aggressive, but failing to hit the ever moving target, whilst Ochieng was more controlled and getting results by landing good solid jabs.

Round two was more of the same with Robinson pushing. Ochieng on the other hand was content to stay with his back to the ropes and pick off Robinson at will, with stiff jabs and punishing one-twos to the body. An easy round to call as Robinson barely landed a punch for all his wind milling whilst Ochieng, who barely threw a couple of dozen shots the whole round, landed each effort solidly, much to the delight of this fans who in unison chanted ‘Eagle, Eagle, Eagle’ after each contact.

Both rounds three and four were more of the same, Robinson flies out of the trap but ‘The Eagle’ just stays calm and picks him off at will –
Robinson pushes forward but  barely lands a glove on the ever mobile Ochieng, yet gets caught himself by every precision counter.

The crowd jeer as the referee raises Robinson’s arm aloft declaring him victorious by a 39-38 points margin. Ochieng and his manager-coach Brian Lawrence look around confused as Robinson celebrates.

Shortly after the result was officially read out promoter Spencer Fearon announced that there will be a rematch at his next show, much to the delight of the assembled crowd.

The opening bout of the night see the debut of Danny Davies against Lithuanian Vlad ‘The Impaler’ Balaklijec.

The two very different styles made for an interesting fight. Throughout Davies looked to walk down the elusive Balaklijec with some effect,
especially the final round where Davies landed some good straight rights and a couple of hooks.

In the end Davies’ come forward style got the better of slick ‘Prince Naseem’ style of Balaklijec and after four entertaining rounds was rightly declared the winner by a generous 40-36 margin.

Spencer Fearon is a great addition to the promoter ranks and if he keeps putting on bouts of this quality is surely set to be one of the main
players in the near future.

UFC 128 RESULTS: JONES DESTROYS SHOGUN

Posted on | March 19, 2011 | No Comments

UFC 128 RESULTS: THANKS TO SHERDOG

Match Winner Loser Method Round:Time 1 Erik Koch Raphael Assuncao KO (Punch) 1: 2:32 2 Nick Catone Constantinos Philippou Decision (Unanimous) 3: 5:00 3 Joseph Benavidez Ian Loveland Decision (Unanimous) 3: 5:00 4 Gleison Tibau Kurt Pellegrino Decision (Split) 3: 5:00 5 Mike Pyle Ricardo Almeida Decision (Unanimous) 3: 5:00 6 Edson Mendes Barboza Jr. Anthony Njokuani Decision (Unanimous) 3: 5:00 7 Luis Artur Cane Jr. Eliot Marshall TKO (Punches) 1: 2:15 8 Brendan Schaub Mirko Filipovic KO (Punch) 3: 3:44 9 Nate Marquardt Dan Miller Decision (Unanimous) 3: 5:00 10 Jim Miller Kamal Shalorus TKO (Punches) 3: 2:15 11 Urijah Faber Eddie Wineland Decision (Unanimous) 3: 5:00 12 Jon Jones Mauricio Rua TKO (Punches and Knees) 3: 5:00

 

LUCIAN BUTE STOPS BRIAN MAGEE IN TENTH WITH UPPERCUT AND BRUTAL BODY ATTACK

Posted on | March 19, 2011 | No Comments

Tom Casino/SHOWTIME Photo

Mikkel Kessler Attends Bute Fight to Scout Possible Future Opponent’s

TKO Win in Eighth Consecutive Title Defense

Catch the Replay on Tuesday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME

MONTREAL (March 20, 2011) – International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super Middleweight Champion Lucian Bute successfully defended his title for the eighth time with a 10^th-round TKO over Brian Magee from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.

In front of 12,219 adoring fans, Bute (28-0, 23 KOs) put on a punching clinic that featured brutal body blows and unforgiving uppercuts. His opponent Magee, however, had no plans to give up easily after waiting until the age of 35 to score his first title shot.

The scrap began with both southpaws feeling each other out. The taller Bute threw long body shots and a new-to-the-arsenal right hook while Magee fought to stay on the inside and take Bute out of his rhythm. The fight was close early on but Bute was winning most rounds.

By the sixth, Bute’s body shots started to take their toll. Magee (34-4-1, 24 KOs), of Belfast, Ireland, first hit the canvas with a flash knockdown after Bute hit him squarely in the gut. The seventh round proved even worse for Magee as Bute began to unload on his midsection. After referee Pete Podgorski incorrectly ruled the first knockdown a low blow, Lucian returned to the scene of the crime with another left hand to drop Magee for the second official time in the contest.

Identifying the fight’s mental turning point, Bute explained, “After the fourth round, I realized the body shots were working.”

Whether relying on last-minute adrenaline or just lucky charms, the Irishman was determined to make a comeback.  Magee fired from his corner following the knockdowns to turn in gritty, resilient rounds in the eighth and ninth. Entering the tenth, the crowd noise increased to a fever pitch as Bute began to truly let his hands go. Magee tried to get back inside but Bute countered the attempt with a left uppercut to the chin that knocked down Magee for the third and final time, as Podgorski had seen enough and called the fight at 2:04 in round ten.

Proud of his performance, Magee offered after the bout, “It’s not a bad thing having a loss on your card while fighting the best in the world.”

The fifth consecutive stoppage by Bute begged the obvious question: Who is next? Ready to answer that question was Mikkel Kessler, who flew from Denmark to attend the fight and provide commentary with the SHOWTIME broadcasting team. Asked if he would fight Bute in front of the Lucian-loving Montreal crowd, Kessler responded, “Yea, why not?” He later continued, “[Bute] can have his hometown. I’ll kick his [butt] anywhere.”

When questioned if he would be interested in a match with the former WBA and WBC Super Middleweight Champion, Bute commented, “If he’s well enough to fight, I’ll fight anyone.”

The event was promoted by InterBox and will be rebroadcast on Tuesday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and be available On Demand from March 22 through April 4, 2011.

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING returns in April with Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido on Saturday, April 16at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT and the final of The Bantamweight Tournament: Winner Takes All between Joseph King Kong Agbeko vs. Abner Mares for the IBF Bantamweight World Championship and Vic Darchinyan squares off against Yonnhy Perezon Saturday, April 23 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Steve Albert called the action with Al Bernstein providing color commentary and Jim Gray serving as ringside reporter. David Dinkins Jr. is the executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing.   

For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

 

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