Jimmy “Kilrain” Kelly (26-2, 10 KOs) of Manchester, United Kingdom defeated Kazakh contender Kanat “QazaQ” Islam (28-1, 22 KOs) by majority decision in the ProBox Promotions’ main event Friday evening in Plant City, Florida.
Kelly, who captured the WBO Global Middleweight Championship, won with scores of 96-94, 97-93 and 95-95. The fight took place at Whitesands Event Center, one of 11 scraps put together by the Florida-based company headed by Garry Jonas.
“I thought I won every round,” said Jimmy Kelly, who admitted after that he wanted to fly home quickly to see his two kids. “I even hurt my hand and could only box with my jab during the last four rounds. Despite that, I still feel I won every round. I felt his pressure, but I didn’t feel his power. Kanat was looking for the counter all night, but I didn’t let him do it.”
In the co-main event, “Pistol” Pete Dobson (15-0, 9 KOs) of The Bronx, New York beat Mexican southpaw Jose Miguel Borrego (19-4) via wide unanimous decision. Dobson’s accuracy, movement, ring generalship, all of that added up to a long night for Borrego, by scores of 97-93, 98-92 and 100-90. Dobson has sharpened his game by getting superior sparring, against the likes of Terence Crawford, of late.
Jonathan Eniz (12-8, 2 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina scored an upset unanimous decision victory against Mark Reyes Jr. (14-2, 12 KOs) of Tampa, Florida after 10 rounds of action. The three judges scored the fight in Eniz’s favor with the following scorecards: 95-94, 95-94, 96-93.
The Argentine won over the sold-out house with this fast hands, crazy stamina and slick movement. Reyes Jr looked a step behind at times, but he drew massive cheers from locals, for his ability to slick and duck, when he avoided getting tagged hard as Eniz flurried maniacally in round nine.
Najee Lopez (3-0, 3 KOs), a cruiserweight standout of Puerto Rican nationality who represents Ellwood, Georgia, scored a second-round knockout victory against Alex “El Principe” Theran (23-7, 15 KOs) in what was his first fight scheduled for six rounds. Lopez scored two knockdowns, the latter of which ended matters at :33 of the aforementioned round. Lopez said after that he believes he’s ready for another step up, after downing a boxer who’d battled Anthony Yarde, Yunieski Gonzalezand Hot Rod Kalajdzic. “I feel like I can compete with the best of them,” Lopez said after the victory.
Marques Valle (4-0, 4 KOs) of Wesley Chapel, Florida scored a vicious stoppage win over Robbie Rose (1-2) of Richburg, South Carolina in what was a scheduled six-round welterweight battle. The older Valle brother, age 23, ended the fight at 1:29 of the very first round. His power and hand speed were on a different level.
Rising Puerto Rican knockout artist Julio Solis (6-0, 6 KOs) scored a first-round knockout against Trenton Gibson (1-1) of San Antonio, Texas in a lightweight battle originally scheduled for four rounds. The time of stoppage was 1:41 of the opening round. A healthy portion of the sold-out crowd seemed to be Solis rooters.
Floridan prospect Dominic Valle (3-0, 3 KOs) defeated Nelson Colon Torres (4-6, 3 KOs) of Aibonito, Puerto Rico via knockout in what was originally a scheduled four-round bout in the super featherweight division. Valle, the younger of the Valles, at 21, ended matters at 1:56 of the third round.
Light heavyweight Matthew Tinker (8-0, 6 KOs), a UK-born prospect who calls the United States his home, maintained his undefeated record by defeating Brandon Maddox (8-5-1, 6 KOs) of Detroit, Michigan via six-round unanimous decision. Tinker, using a persistent jab, won with scores of 58-56, 58-56, and 59-55.
Casey Dixon (1-0, 1 KO) of Atlanta, George won his first professional bout via second-round knockout against Arsenio Hall (3-6) of Chester, South Carolina in a light heavyweight clash. The brawler Dixon ended matters at :28 of round two.
Imran Haddabah (4-0, 4 KOs) of Saint Petersburg, Florida knocked out Dominique Wiltz (0-3) of Houston, in a light heavyweight bout. The bout was halted at 2:39 of the second round as the 6-4 winner struck with a nasty hook which buzzed Wiltz badly.
Tommy Wu (1-0) made a successful professional debut with a four-round unanimous decision win against Anthony Curtiss (3-14, 2 KOs) of Butte, Montana. The California welterweight came out rumbling in the first, and he found a stubborn target in Curtiss. Wu won via scores of 39-36, 40-36 and 40-36.
Iván Armando García defeats Saúl “Baby” Juárez
Iván Armando “El Magnifico” García defeated Saúl “Baby” Juárez by unanimous decision, 96-94, 96-94 and 100-90, to become the new WBC Light Flyweight Silver Fecarbox Champion last night on EstrellaTV’s monthly boxing series, Boxeo EstrellaTV. The series occurs on the last Friday of every month and is broadcast from BB Auditorium in Mexico City.
The young García tried several strategies to beat the experienced Juárez, who at the beginning of the fight went on the attack and hit him early, from short and medium distances.
The scores showed an even fight in the early rounds between the equally matched opponents. García threw his cross while Juárez bet on uppercuts. That gave García good results, but not enough for a knockout.
After the early rounds, two of the judges had the bout even 38-38, 38-38; the third judge scored it 40-36 for García.
The fight continued, with Juárez in front and García waiting for the right moment to counterattack, forcing more blows in the center of the ring, with the scores after the middle rounds all in favor of “El Magnifico,” 77-75, 77-75 and 80-72.
In the last two rounds, Juárez tried to salvage the fight by going for the knockout, but García changed his strategy and kept his distance. He threw punches sporadically, knowing that the score would bring him victory.
Jesús “Chiquito” Haro from the United States defeated Oscar “El Guapo” Bermúdez from Mexico City by unanimous decision, 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92, in what was the semifinal fight of the night at 10-rounds at strawweight.
Elizabeth “Polvorita” Cruz from Mexico City was unable to beat Brenda “La Hormiguita” Balderas from Mexico City, who won a split decision victory 76-75, 75-77, and 75-78, in an eight-round strawweight fight.
Brandon Alberto “Ratón” Jiménez junior from the State of Mexico made his debut by defeating Alejandro “El Cuervo” López from the State of Mexico by unanimous decision 60-54, 60-54 and 60-54, in six-rounds at flyweight.
Michael “El Buitre” Martínez from the State of Mexico was unable to beat Emiliano Rojo from Guadalajara who prevailed by unanimous decision, 37-40, 36-40, and 36-40, in four-rounds at super welterweight.
Fernando Job Chichia from the State of Mexico was defeated by Carlos Antonio “Gallito” González from the State of Mexico by unanimous decision, 36-40, 36-39 and 37-39, over four-rounds in super bantamweight.
Kevin Pérez from the State of Mexico defeated Jacobo Reyes of San Luis Potosí by unanimous decision, 39-37, 39-37, and 39-38, in a four-round clash at lightweight.
Torres & Whitley register impressive knockouts
Granite Chin Promotions successfully kicked-off its 2022 campaign last night with “Showcase,” featuring many of New England’s best and most popular professional boxers, at Sheraton Hotel in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Only the second pro boxing event ever held in Framingham, “Showcase” was streamed live on bxngtv.com. Granite Chin Promotions’ next event will be March 19 in Derry, New Hampshire.
“This was the club show of all club shows,” promoter Chris Traietti said. “We had three fighters get their first pro wins. Then, we saw the cream rise. We asked Denzel (Whitley) and Carlos (Castillo) to step up and they did their jobs. The difference between Denzel and his father (Derrick) and uncle (Darren) is that Denzel has somebody to look out for him. (Denzel’s father and uncle are his coaches and both are former pro fighters.) They (father and uncle) had people who exploited their toughness. I’m going to capitalize on his talent. He will be in his first scheduled 8-rounder in his next fight this June.”
In the main event, Puerto Rico-native Jeffrey Torres (10-1, 6 KOs) used his height, length and skill advantages against his Mexican opponent, Israel “Filipino” Rojas (14-26, 5 KOs), who was unable to withstand Torres’ assault right from the opening bell. Rojas was dropped early by an overhand right, and he immediately got on his bicycle, but the change in strategy didn’t work. Rojas went down again, this time from a right cross, and the fight ended when the referee didn’t like the way Rojas responded after he beat the count.
Rising welterweight prospect Denzel “Double Impact” Whitley (8-0, 6 KOs) stopped converted MMA fighter Alfred “Keenan” Raymond (1-1, 0 KOs) in the third round. Whitley started putting his punches together in round two and in the third, he dropped Raymond with an overhand right and the fight was stopped because Raymond injured his right shoulder when he landed awkwardly, and he was unable to continue.
“I give myself a C+ because I should have started faster,” Whitley harshly graded himself. “He was a good opponent who brought it to me and that’s what I needed. I’m still undefeated! I’m working my way up to eight rounds and fighting better competition. I’m going to push it to the limit.”
Rising welterweight prospect Josniel “TG” Castro 8-0-1, 6 KOs) suffered a cut over his left eye from an unintentional clash of heads versus Jesus Rivera Garces (18-27-1, 12 KOs), the former WBC Youth World Super Lightweight Champion from Mexico. The fight was stopped in round three on the advice of the ring doctor and declared a no contest.
In a fight that could have been held in the proverbial phone booth, light heavyweight Stephen “Clubber” Langlais (4-1, 3 KOs) out-slugged Scott “Scotty Bombs” Lampert (2-4, 2 KOs), who lived up to his nickname early in the fight. Langlais went downstairs in the second round, in which Lampert took a knee, and a straight right to the stomach dropped Lampert, leading to the referee stopping the fight.
Super middleweight Laurent Humes (4-0, 4 KOs) knocked down a game Juan Celin Zapata (6-21-2, 4 KOs) four times in the opening round en route to a first-round technical knockout. Humes used a left hook to the head for the first two knockdowns, then went downstairs with a left hook to the body for Zapata’s third trip to the canvas, followed by another left hook to the body that ended the show with two seconds remaining in round one.
Young junior middleweight Carlos Castillo (5-0, 3 KOs) needed rounds and he got six from Antonio Chaves Fernandez (9-42-4, 3 KOs) to win a 6-round majority decision. Castillo, 23, fought in his first scheduled six-round and was taken the distance by the always difficult Fernandez.
Undefeated southpaw prospect Steve Sumpter (4-0, 4 KOs) needed only 1:03 to dismiss super middleweight David Rohn (0-12-1). Sumpter dropped Rohn on the seat of his trunks with a straight right and soon after he closed the show with a left hook that led the referee to stop the fight.
Brazilian junior middleweight Maycon Oller (1-3, 1 KO) upset Jamer Jones (2-1, 2 KOs) in the second round. Jones used his jab as a range seeker, moved inside, and battered Oller throughout the opening round. But Oller came back strong in the second, catching Jones with a couple of head-snapping punches. One sent Jones flying onto the ropes that was ruled a knockdown, but he was hurt and when Oller connected on a few more solid shots and he was out on his feet, when the referee wisely halted the action.
Framingham rivals Saul “The Spider” Almeida (1-14-4, 1 KO) and Kevin “Lucky” Lewis were in a grudge match. Lewis’ pro debut was anything but lucky for him as he was unable to continue after three rounds against cruiserweight Almeida, a Brazilian MMA fighter of note in New England. The two were supposed to fight each other last October, but Almeida came in overweight and their fight was scrapped. Almeida recorded his first pro boxing win in his 19th fight.
In a battle of previously winless junior middleweights, Anthony “Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (1-2, 1 KO) and Robert Bricks (0-9) came out throwing bombs. The action didn’t slow as Andreozzi landed much more often, mostly with powerhouse exchanges in an all-out brawl. The end came in the second round, when Andreozzi closed the show with a right uppercut from which Bricks never recovered for a second-round technical knockout victory.
Highly decorated amateur Felix Parrilla (4-0, 4 KOs), fighting out of New Haven (CT), completely outclassed his opponent, Ecuadorian junior lightweight Ronny Arana (0-5), who was unable to beat the referee’s count after getting hammered and dropped with a vicious left hook to the body in the opening round. Parrilla was a 4-time New England Golden Gloves Champion, as well as a silver medalist at the 2018 National Golden Gloves Tournament.
Florida junior middleweight prospect Eric Tudor (2-0, 2 KOs) unleashed his fury on Rynell Griffin (8-51-2, 2 KOs), unloading a dozen unanswered punches on Griffin, who was trapped in a neutral corner, until the referee waved off the fight midway through round two.
Journeymen Larry “Slo Mo” Smith (13-50-4, 9 KOs) and Manny “Shake Em’ Up” Woods (17-16-1, 6 KOs) opened the nighty in a competitive fight between veteran middleweights. Smith was the aggressor from the opening round, cutting off the ring and throwing combinations, while Wood relied too often on one big punch, The fight was stopped on the advice of the ring doctor in the ninth round because of cut over Woods’ left eye and awarded a technical knockout to Smith.
Trent Rawlins Defeats Santander Sildago
Australian heavyweight Trent Rawlins (13-2-1, 10 KOs) scored a six-round majority decision win over Santander Sildago (30-11, 24 KOs) of Arboletes, Colombia in the main event of a MarvNation Promotions card Saturday evening in Pomona, Calif.
Rawlins won with scores of 58-54, 58-54 and 56-56. The event, which was billed as BoxFest 2, took place at The Derby Room and was streamed in its entirety on MarvNation’s official YouTube channel.
“I felt great,” said Trent Rawlins. “My opponent was a veteran. He was a tough guy with 30 wins. It was a tough fight and all praise be to God for giving me the victory tonight. I’m going to keep building in order to one day fight for the heavyweight championship of the world.”
In the co-main event, Ashton Sylve (7-0, 7KOs) of Long Beach, Calif. stopped Aldimar Silva (22-19, 14 KOs) of Sao Paulo, Brazil in the second round of a scheduled six-round featherweight fight. Sylve won with a time of 0:32 of the aforementioned round.
Mylik Birdsong (13-0-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. defeated Daniel Perales (12-22, 6 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico via unanimous decision in a six-round welterweight fight. Birdsong won with three scores of 58-55.
Raul Solomon (9-1, 8 KOs) of Long Beach, Calif. beat Jeremy Ramos (11-12, 4 KOs) of Colorado Springs, Colorado via unanimous decision in a six-round super middleweight bout. Solomon won with two scores of 59-55 and one score of 60-54.
Ruben Islas (4-0, 3 KOs) of Rialto, Calif defeated Alen Dudo (0-1) of Sarajevo, Bosnia via unanimous decision in a four-round super featherweight fight. Islas won with three scores 40-36.
Saul Bustos (15-0-1, 8 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. beat Martin Angel (21-20-1,14 KOs) of Sonora, Mexico via unanimous decision in an eight-round 147-pound battle. Bustos won with three scores 80-79.
Alan Garcia (5-0, 4KOs) of Ulysses, Kansas knocked out Luis Norambuena (4-9-1) of Talca, Chile via knockout in the second round of a scheduled four-rounder in the 135-pound division. Garcia won with a time of 0:38 seconds of the round just mentioned.
Lawrence King (11-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles, Calif. defeated Abel Nicolas Adriel (25-23-3, 5 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina via unanimous decision in a six-round super middleweight fight. King won with three scores of 60-54.
Juan Sanchez (2-0, 2KO) of Buena Park, Calif. knocked out Chilean prospect Javier Lara (2-1) in the first round of a scheduled six-round welterweight fight. Sanchez won with a time of 2:51.
Sincere Brooks (2-0) of Long Beach, Calif. won against Andres Abarca (2-8) of Normandy Park, Washington via four-round unanimous decision in a super lightweight bout. Brooks won with two scores of 40-36 and one score of 39-37.
William King (2-0) of Perris, Calif. beat Michaels Mendez (0-3) of Las Vegas, Nevada. via unanimous decision in a four-round super lightweight bout. King won with two scores of 40-36 and one score of 39-37.
Rawlins vs. Silgado was a six-round heavyweight fight presented by MarvNation Promotions. The event took place on Saturday, Feb. 26 at The Derby Room in Pomona Calif. The entire card was streamed live on MarvNation’s official YouTube channel.