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THE STORM IS RISING
Germantown's Farah Ennis, known as the Quiet Storm, scored a one-sided seventh round TKO over Victor Lares of Corpus Christi, TX to capture the vacant NABF super-middleweight title Friday night at Harrah's Atlantic City. The victory was complete with five knockdowns - two in the fourth round, two in the sixth, and the show-closer at 2:34 of round seven. Ennis appeared to be on the verge of a KO much earlier in the fight, but did not rush himself for the stoppage. He patiently - perhaps too patiently - served up the punishment for Lares, who could just not match the incoming fire power. In round four, effective body punching by Ennis spelled the beginning of the end. After that, Lares fell from the accumulation of blows he received, that is until the final punch suddenly sent everyone home. Ennis improved to 17-0, 11 KOs and joined his brother Derek, the USBA jr. middleweight title holder, as a regional champion. The victory should place Farah in the top ten of the WBC, and help pave the way for a step up in competition. Lares fell to 15-5 with 4 KOs. Eddie Cotton was the referee.
Killa' Keenan Smith looked extremely sharp in his landslide dismantling of Anthony Royal of Newport News, VA. Southpaw Smith moved to 3-0 and scored his first career KO when his overhand left caught Royal as the fourth and final round began. He was counted out at :20 of the round. Smith, a little wild in his first two starts, looked far more poised and in control of the action this time. It was a nice step forward for the young fighter. Royal left 0-1-1.
Atlantic City's Joel De LaPaz surprised Troy Maxwell of Galloway, NJ with an old fashioned beat down. LaPaz hurt Maxwell in round one with good body punching and then began marking Troy's face with his crisp and frequent punches. By the end, Maxwell's face was a mask of lumps and bruises, his right eye especially swollen. But he showed his toughness throughout. The four round super-middleweight fight was easy to score - all LaPaz. The three judges gave him every round (40-36, 40-36 & 40-35). The card was staged by Spartan Fight Promotions and titled "The Battle For the Belt." |
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In
the co-feature, heavyweight Chazz Witherspoon continued to
rebuild his career with a TKO of Alexis Mejias after four
rounds of action. Mejias, 11-6 (5 KOs), was a sturdy
opponent for Witherspoon, but in the end could not find a
solution to Witherspoon's jabbing and pressuring style. The
scheduled 10 rounder was stopped during the rest period
between rounds four and five. The win gave Witherspoon a
28-2 record. It was his 20th KO, and his second consecutive
win after suffering a stoppage loss himself about one year
ago. Chazz weighed 233; Mejias was one pound heavier.
Khalil
Farah answered the call to step in as an extremely late
substitute after being in the gym for just two days. The
result was a disastrous debacle that lasted just three
minutes. Atlantic City's Lavarn Harvell, 7-0 (3 KO),
battered Khalil in the first round and dropped him once.
Farah's lack of training showed as he huffed and puffed his
way off the canvas and to the bell ending the first round.
But the fight would go no further. Things came to a
close
moments later when the bout was stopped in the corner with
Farah complaining about a shoulder injury. But the outcome
of the fight was never in doubt. Such is the fate of a club
fighter taking a payday knowing he's not ready to compete.
Farah, 197.5 pounds, slipped to 6-7. Harvell weighed 178.
The fight was scheduled for six rounds.
Millville's
Ismael Garcia won the opening bout, a four round unanimous
decision over Corey Preston of Cincinnati. The NJ fighter,
trained by local legend Richie Kates, made his record 2-0
with the win. Preston dropped to 0-2. All three judges
scored it a shutout for Garcia.
Delaware's
Joey Tiberi scored a quick KO of Tonio Parker of Wilson, NC.
Tiberi dropped his foe twice, the second time for the count.
The end of the scheduled four round jr. lightweight bout
came at 1:54 when referee Earl Brown reached the count of
10.