WEBSTER DEMOLISHES SAI

 Story & Photos by John DiSanto
 

Derrick Webster, Glassboro, NJ, brought an abrupt halt to a very long evening of boxing at the 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia Tuesday night, when he finished his main event bout against Obodai Sai in just 22 seconds.  The scheduled 6-round super middleweight fight was the final attraction in 13-bout pro & amateur show put on by Joe Hand Promotions and D&D Management. 

Webster, a six-foot-four-inch southpaw, came out in round one and before you knew it, landed an unassuming right hook to the head of Sai.  The Ghanaian fighter absorbed the punch, took two steps back, and then collapsed in his own corner, partially held up by the corner pad. 

Sai remained frozen in that position while referee Shawn Clark completed the 10-count.  The total elapsed time of the bout was 22 seconds – including the count! 

The quick victory extended Webster’s undefeated streak to 18-0, with 9 KOs. Sai, fighting in the US for the first time, fell to 23-2, 17 KOs.  It was his first loss by knockout. 

DUBOSE WINS
In the 4-round semi-final bout, Philly’s Antonio Dubose won a clean shutout over Arturo Santiago in a junior lightweight contest.  Dubose hurt Santiago in round two with a big left hook, and dominated all of the fight’s action.  By the fourth round, both fighters were tired – Santiago was too tired to turn the fight around and Dubose was too tired to score a stoppage. 

All three judges, David Braslow, George Hill and Alan Rubenstein scores the fight 40-36 for Dubose, 7-0, 2 KOs.  Santiago slid to 7-10, 4 KOs. 

SPARROW SOARS
Philadelphia junior lightweight Avery Sparrow continued his impressive rookie year with a showy 4-round decision over Jesus Lule of Ft. Myers, FL.  Sparrow used an effective jab, a strong body attack and steady right hand power shots to run away with the fight.  Lule traded with Sparrow in round one, but began to shrink from the battle over the last three rounds. 

In the end, the judges (Braslow, Hill & Rubenstein) scored the fight a 40-36 shutout for Sparrow, 3-0, 1 KO.  There was no other way to see it.  Lule went home 6-10, 1 KO. 

COBBS STILL UNDEFEATED
Blair Cobbs, Philadelphia, defeated Julian Sanchez, Houston, on points in their 4-round junior welterweight contest.  Southpaw Cobbs looked flashy and dynamic in round one, landing numerous left-leads while zipping in and out of the action with ease.  However, as the rounds ticked by, Cobbs’ flash transformed into showboating.  Although he won the fight easily, Cobbs let the opportunity for a knockout pass, and thus had to settle for a decision for the first time in his 4-0, 3 KOs, career.  Still, he may be one to watch. 

Dave Braslow saw the fight 40-36 for Cobbs, while George Hill and Alan Rubenstein thought it a bit closer at 39-37.  Sanchez lost for the first time, 1-1. 

APOSTLE UPSETS CONQUEST
In the first pro fight of the night, Piotr Apostle defeated local lightweight Jerome Conquest in a mild upset.  It was a well-matched fight with Conquest getting off to a good start in each of the first three rounds, before Apostle rallied each time to steal rounds one, two and three, with his more powerful punches. 

It was a frustrating pattern for Conquest.  Once again in round four, Jerome was doing well for most of the final three minutes.  But then, just like clockwork, Apostle began coming on strong again and hurt Conquest just before the bell.  It was a typical late rally by the Atlantic City fighter, but it came too late to steal the round this time. 

Still, Apostle had done enough to win the fight.  All three judges scored it 39-37.  It was the first loss for the Philadelphia fighter (1-1).  Apostle improved to 2-0. 

AMATEUR BOUTS
The rest of the evening was loaded with eight amateur bouts.  All of these fights were well matched and entertaining.  The highlight of the amateur portion of the show was an electrifying clash between two of Philly’s best young 145-pounders. In that bout, Jaron Ennis stopped Mark Dawson with three knockdowns in round two.  The TKO came at 2:35 of the second round. 

The complete list of amateur results were as follows:  

Sharif Owens W3 Vito Melnicki, 95 lbs. 
Dylan Price W3 Andrew Literal, 112 lbs.
Michael Rauchut W3 Justin Bell, 170 lbs.
Devin Haney W3 Nick Chandler, 132 lbs.
Joseph Adorno W3 Zach Bartram, 130 lbs.
Jaron Ennis TKO2 (2:35) Mark Dawson, 145 lbs. 
Christian Carto WDQ3 Jordan White, 114 lbs.
Khalil Miller W3 Tom Hogan, heavyweight

John DiSanto - South Philly - November 25, 2014
 

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