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UPSHER HAMMERS Steve Upsher Chambers, Philadelphia, returned to the Blue Horizon ring after a bum foot forced a nine month interruption of his career. His opponent, Aaron Drake, came in from Kansas City with a decent 13-6 record, but put up little resistance in the scheduled 6-rounder. Chambers snoozed through most of the first round before dropping Drake with a right as the session wound down. In the second, a flurry of punches wilted Drake all the way to the canvas. He got up, and even engaged in one torrid exchange that proved to be his last gasp of the fight. A hard right-left-right by Chambers dropped the out-of-towner once again, and referee Gary Rosato waved the fight to a close as Drake reclined on the mat. With the win Upsher boosted his record to 20-1-1 with 6 KOs. The bout was scheduled for six rounds.
The show was promoted as "Public Safety Night", and before the six-rounder started, several presentations were made in the ring to various members of the police force, fire department, and the military. Approximately 750 fans turned out for the event. |
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In the walkout
bout, Joselito Collado (in blue trunks at left) probably ended the career of Jules
Blackwell with a one-round stoppage at 2:01.
Phoenixville's Blackwell was making his first start since
suffering a brutal KO loss to Darrell Martin last December,
and many wondered how he would react when he felt another
glove to the chin. Well, it did not go well. In just the
first round of the scheduled six, a right by Collado dropped
Jules on his back. Blackwell dripped onto the ring apron and
struggled with the ropes while he gamely tried to continue.
He got up, but was very unstable, and stumbled into his own
corner. Referee Blair Talmadge waived the fight over, and
everyone familiar with Blackwell knew it also signaled the
end of his 8-3-2 (3 KO) run as a pro fighter. Collado
returned to Queens. NY 8-0 with 2 KOs. It was his second
straight impressive showing at the Blue. 
Just before the main event Mondre Pope,
Norfolk, posted a six-round unanimous decision over Isaac
Suarez, Lancaster. Pope dropped his opponent in rounds two
and three. Suarez came back from the brink pretty well,
especially in round four, but could not make any real
headway in the fight. Pope took the decision by scores of
58-54 & 58-55 twice. It was the first loss for Suarez, 7-1
(3 KO). Pope improved to 2-0-1. 
Philadelphia's Phillip McCants
(in white trunks at left) resumed
his career after a three-year layoff with an nice four-round
win over Tyson Schwiegger of Kansas City, MO. A press
release earlier in the week touted McCants as the man who
owned a TKO over rising welterweight star Mike Jones in the
amateurs. In our first look at McCants (it was his first
Philly appearance), and he impressed with an exciting and
energetic performance. He winced off a hard body shot by
Schwiegger in the fourth and final round to take the
decision by three identical scores of 40-36. The win
rebooted his now 8-1-1 (3 KO) career. Schwiegger left 3-8-3
(3 KO). 
Jackie Davis, Philadelphia, and Victoria
Cisneros, Albuquerque, put on a real brawl in their four
rounder. Davis was a whirlwind, and swarmed Cisneros
throughout the bout. Cisneros was bigger and stronger, but
couldn't quite match Davis' busy output - although she
tried. The two repeatedly banged heads all night. In one of
the first head clashes, Cisneros came away with a nasty
slash over her left eye, but she fought on without much
affect. Davis got the majority nod 38-38, 39-37 & 39-37. It
was Davis' third straight win without a loss. The more
experienced Cisneros came away 3-7-2. 
Former
NHL tough guy, Nathan Perrott made his professional boxing
debut in a four-round heavyweight fight against
Philadelphia's Makidi Ku Tima, who came in with a 1-0 (1 KO)
record. And in his first time in trunks, Perrott learned
just how tough a sport boxing really is. Maybe he felt a
little uncomfortable off the ice. He was cut in round won
and in frustration threw Tima to the floor. By round two,
Perrott was breathing heavily and showing some serious signs
of wear and tear, but his punches began to land solidly. By
the third round, both fighters were looking exhausted.
Perrott ended the round with a nice combination that had
Tima reeling. But at the bell, it was Perrott who huffing
and puffing for air. The punishment he dished out in the
first three rounds began to pay off in round four. Tima
started holding every chance he got, buying as much time as
he could. Perrott kept punching and eventually Tima tipped
over more from exhaustion than from any one punch. He pulled
himself up no further than to one knee, and referee Rosato
stopped it at 2:52. 
Joe
Alonso of Philadelphia (at left in black trunks with red
stripe) made his pro debut against William Brown of
Cleveland. And despite having a NY Giants tattoo on the
right side of his torso, won over the crowd with his
free-swinging and aggressive style. The truth may be that he
brought much of the crowd with him. He certainly had a rabid
following at ringside before he even threw his first punch.
Alonso won all four rounds on all the judges cards (40-36,
40-36 & 40-35). With the loss, Brown's record evened out at
4-4 (2 KO). 
The
opening bout of the night was a four-rounder between two
debuting jr. welterweight southpaws - Deroy Beaton, Toms
River, and Jason Sia, Philadelphia. The fight was full of
good exchanges. They rocked each other in round one and went
to war in the fourth. Beaton got the decision on all three
cards: 39-37 & 40-36 twice. (Note: pictured above: Beaton in
black trunks and Sia in Red.)