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Story by John DiSanto |
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Teon Kennedy continued his comeback Saturday night with a 10-round unanimous decision over Joselito Collado in the main event at Bally's Atlantic City. Kennedy dominated much of the action, but it was a hard-fought battle all the way. Collado tried to keep on the move during the fight, but Kennedy was able to entrap Joselito and force him to exchange. When they did, Kennedy was the stronger puncher and the more willing battler.
Kennedy was effective with a body attack, which he used in spurts to slow Collado down. However, the New Yorker proved to be a tough opponent throughout the grueling bout, making close many of the rounds that he didn't win.
Beginning in round two Kennedy, brought the fight close with his body work, and began stringing together more rounds with some gritty fighting. Kennedy won the third and forth, but the rounds were close. In the fifth, Collado ripped a right and then a left hook that stole the close session. After five rounds - halfway through the fight - Kennedy had a slight 3-2 lead. However, he put together another good run in the second half that secured the victory.
Kennedy rolled through the tenth round, landing well with a good right hand and a pair of strong left hooks, that closed the show. All three judges had Kennedy in the lead after ten rounds. Luis Rivera scored the fight 98-92, and Joe Pasquale and Henry Grant had identical 96-94 scores. I had the fight 98-92, 8-2 in rounds. "He was more of a boxer than I though he would be," a stiff-jawed Kennedy said after the fight. He also said through tight lips that he thought he might have suffered a broken jaw in round two, thanks to a Collado head butt. However, on his way out of the Bally's Event Center, the fighter's father, Ernest Kennedy, reported that the painful injury was from a damaged tooth, and probably not a broken jaw.
The win was the second straight at 130 pounds for Teon, 19-2-2, 7 KOs. He looked good physically, but appeared to still be making some adjustments at the new weight. The 122-pound version of Teon seemed to have more more power and greater intensity in the trenches. However, those qualities may return with more fights at 130. Collado lost for the second time in a row and went home 13-3, 3 KOs.
In the 8-round co-feature, Atlantic City junior welterweight DeCarlo Perez wobbled but did not go down in his tough battle with Jamar Freeman of Wilson, NC. The fight was a struggle between two good pro fighters, but it was Perez who emerged with the victory after a full eight rounds.
As the fight progressed, Perez occasionally found himself in danger by a surging Freeman, but in each case managed to carefully fight his way through the trouble and keep one step ahead on the scorecards. After eight rounds, judges Joe Pasquale and Henry Grant both had Perez in the lead 77-75 (5-3 in rounds), while judge Luis Rivera gave Perez a bit more breathing room at 78-74. The solid win for Perez was a bit nerve wracking for his fans, but improved his record to 11-2-1 with 4 KOs. Freeman lost for the second time as a pro, and went home 9-2-2 with 5 KOs. Rafael Montello of St. Clair, PA, a former knockout winner over DeCarlo Perez, overpowered Jose Calderon in a scheduled 6-round welterweight fight. After four fairly even rounds, Montello caught Calderon, of Fajardo, PR, with a series of heavy blows and used a thudding right hand to drop and disarm Calderon. On the deck, Calderon crawled to his knees and made a throat-slashing gesture to signal to his corner that he was finished. Still, he climbed to his feet. But referee Lindsey Page took one look and stopped the fight. The time was 53 seconds of round five. Montello upped his slate to 3-4, 3 KOs, and Calderon fell to 4-3, 4 KOs.
In a bruising 4-round cruiserweight bout, Dave Valykeo, Neptune, NJ, took a close majority decision over rugged Philadelphian Brian Donahue (white & red trunks). The fight was a brawl from the opening bell. The fighters slugged it out in round one, and Donahue surprised the undefeated Valykeo, as well as the large Bally's crowd, by landing the heavier blows. Donahue is a tough character with a long back story who returned to ring action last year after a six year layoff. From the time he returned, he's entertained Philly-area crowds with his brawling style, but has been hard-pressed to win a fight since his first comeback bout. Donahue was clearly at Bally's as the opponent, an easy mark for Valykeo, but he nearly pulled an unlikely upset. For four rounds the pair abused each other. Donahue was tougher and harder-hitting, but Valykeo began to outwork him in the second half as Brian tired. In the final round, a lumpy and blotchy-faced Donahue finished the fight with a right hand bomb. However, it wasn't enough to sway the judges. Pasquale and Grant awarded the decision to Valykeo 39-37. Judge Rivera saw it even, 38-38. I too had the excellent scrap scored as a draw.
In a junior welterweight punch-out, Berlin, NJ's Nathaniel Rivas (black & green trunks) won his professional debut and a 4-round unanimous decision over a winless Carlos Nieves of Puerto Rico. Rivas dominated the brisk bout, dropping Neives in round two with a left hook and generally having the better of the entertaining action. Nieves came off the floor and nailed Rivas with a hard 1-2 before the round ended. It was a message to Rivas that his first victory wouldn't come easily. And it didn't. Nieves put up a fight, but Rivas took all four rounds. His body attack highlighted the second half, and nailed down the win on the scorecards. Pasquale and Grant again turned in identical 40-35 cards, while Rivera scored 40-33. My tally agreed with Pasquale and Grant. Rivas went home 1-0, Nieves 0-5.
Philly heavyweight Mark Rideout (white trunks) won his fourth start with a second round TKO of North Philly's Aaron Leonard. Rideout was the favorite to win, but Leonard surprised him in the first round with a staggering left hook. The punch almost floored Rideout, but he remained upright and later rallied to hurt Leonard with a variety of hard punches of his own. In round two, Rideout trapped Leonard on the ropes and hammered him with three consecutive rights that put him on the floor. Leonard beat the count, but Rideout jumped back in and after a rhythmic left-right-left-right crashed home. At that point, referee Brian O'Melia stepped in to save Leonard. The time of the TKO was 1:27 of the second. Rideout improved his record to 4-0 and registered his first career KO. Hard luck Leonard slid to 0-1-1.
There were two walkout bouts after the main event. Junior lightweight Anthony "Bad Boy" Burgin, Philadelphia, huffed and puffed, but couldn't blow down durable Jose Del Valle of Bayamon, PR. Burgin, caught Del Valle with everything but the kitchen sink during the 12 minutes of action, but the tough Puerto Rican never budged. It was an all-out, head-hunting assault by Burgin, but he had to settle for another decision. Perhaps a little more body work would have paid dividends, but Del Valle's midsection never seemed to enter Burgin's radar. Still it was a one-sided win and another good showing by Bad Boy Burgin, 5-0, 1 KO. Judges Pasquale and Grant agreed on a 40-36 shutout (as did I), while Rivera found a round to give to Del Valle, and wound up with a 39-37 total. Del Valle fell to 1-3-2.
Ismael Garcia won the last fight of the night with a powerful display against Michael Sunkett. Garcia, Vineland, NJ, met Louisville's Sunkett in the first round and dropped him with a right hand. Sunkett survived, but Garcia finished the job in the following round. Garcia landed a right and a left uppercut before Lindsey Page stopped the fight at 2:02 of the second round. Garcia extended his winning streak to 6-0, 3 KOs, while Sunkett sunk to 1-3, 1 KO. The fight was promoted by Peltz Boxing and televised live on the web by PandaFeed.tv. Larry Tornambe was the ring announcer. Peltz returns on September 26th with a show at the Sands in Bethlehem and then at Bally's Atlantic City on September 28 (in a co-promotion with Top Rank). UPDATE
UPDATE
- August 26, 2013): |
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Collado
started the fight with a surprise, cracking Teon with a sharp
right that had him stunned. A follow up barrage wobbled Kennedy,
but the Philadelphian endured the attack and carved out a nice
win. 
Kennedy's
best round came in the ninth when his punches hurt Collado a few
times. Joselito appeared in danger, especially after a series of
right uppercuts by Teon had him holding on in a neutral corner.
But Kennedy could not put his opponent down. 
The fighters split the
opening two rounds and squawked at each other as tempers
overflowed after the bell ended round two. In round three
a right-left combination along the ropes by Freeman hurt Perez
badly. For a moment it appeared DeCarlo would fall, but he
weathered the storm and fought back gamely. 
