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Junior middleweight prospect Prichard Colon, Orocovis, Puerto Rico, remained undefeated with a dominant but uninspiring points victory over veteran Hector Munoz of Albuquerque, NM, Saturday night. The six round main event at South Philadelphia's 2300 Arena nearly came to an abrupt halt in round one when a devastating right uppercut by Colon had Munoz on the canvas. However, the young favorite could not finish the seasoned vet, and within a few rounds appeared disinterested in even trying for the KO. Instead Colon settled for a landslide unanimous decision and the extension of his unblemished record, 13-0, 10 KOs. There wasn't a round in the six-session affair that you could even contemplate giving to Hector Munoz, 23-14-1, 15 KOs. Colon was in the lead from the moment the first bell sounded until the last second of the sixth and final round.
Colon landed sharp jabs, hard right hands and beautiful left hooks - all night long. He cut Munoz over the left eye and effortlessly pounded away at his head and body. We really couldn't ask for more. Or could we? Despite his overwhelming display of skill and promise, Colon disappointed me in his inability to bring the fight to an early close. He crushed Munoz with an uppercut in round one, and had time to finish the job before the first round concluded. The fact that Colon couldn't do the job right then, is a credit to Munoz' toughness. However, the youngster had five more rounds to complete the task. Colon kept up the pressure in round two and even picked up the pace in the third. It was in this round that Colon cut Munoz and landed numerous power shots, including another good right uppercut and a vicious left hook. Despite the beating he was taking and the fact that he had been stopped eight times previously, Munoz remained on his feet. Truly he is one tough hombre. But then in round four, Colon seemed to lose interest in getting a knockout. Yes, he kept punching and occasionally tested Munoz. But it appeared that he began getting very comfortable with the idea of just coasting to the final bell and collecting his "W".
I was impressed by Colon, but I was also disappointed in him. It isn't a felony to fail to score a knockout, but not trying is at least a misdemeanor. Colon moves on to fight another day, and probably will go far in the sport. However, I'll reserve judgment until he displays a fraction of the killer instinct of Felix Trinidad, one of the Puerto Rican heroes Colon had emblazoned on his boxing trunks for this fight. All three judges gave Colon every round. John Poturaj and Bernard Bruni scored it 60-53, while Alan Rubenstein had even wider at 60-51. My score was 60-53. Shawn Clark was the referee.
Probably the best fight of the evening was the 6-round junior middleweight clash between Anthony Prescott of Cherry Hill and Grayson Blake (blue trunks) from State College, PA. Both came into the fight with similar records and similar stories. Prescott, 5-4-2 with 2 KOs, and Blake, 5-3 with 2 KOs, are two guys that you can always count on for an honest effort. They come to fight and dream of breaking out of their club fighter status. They might be put on a card as "filler", but they often steal the show. They are true fighters. On Saturday night, Blake and Prescott traded punches for six rounds in a bout loaded with entertainment and shifting momentum. Prescott started strong, winning the first two rounds. The second was an exciting three minutes with both boxers landing hard shots and giving it their all. Blake landed a solid left hook, but Prescott blasted back with a pair of rights that hurt the Blake. Prescott threw caution to the wind and flurried away with punches that drove Blake across the ring on rubbery legs. Prescott pinned him in the corner and kept punching. As the round wound down, Prescott's attack slowed and he appeared to be winded. Blake took over in round three while Prescott caught his breath. Blake had his best round in the fifth. He worked his jab well and stayed in control. Later in the round Blake fired an uppercut that had Prescott hurt and holding on. Entering the final round, Blake was up 3-2 on my card. However, Prescott rallied in the sixth with a good body attack. Then a right uppercut caught Blake, and by the end of the round Prescott hammered him again with a hard overhand right. For me, Prescott's effort in the final round was enough to deadlock the bout at three rounds apiece. However, all three official judges turned in identical scores of 58-56 for Garyson Blake (4-2 in rounds). It was a good, close fight, and I can't argue too much with the official verdict. Blake improved to 6-3, while Prescott's record evened out, 5-5-2.
Wilmington middleweight Kyrone Davis, 6-0, 3 KOs, continued to impress with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over journeyman Jonathan Garcia, 4-12, 1 KO. Davis won the first three rounds easily, before the two fighters went toe to toe in round four.
The fourth was the only round you could argue that Garcia might have won. However by the fifth, he was exhausted and offered little resistance the rest of the way. Unfortunately for Davis, he too became winded toward the end of the fight, and had to settle for a decision win. All three judges scored the fight a 60-54 landslide for the promising Delawarian.
Cleveland southpaw Raynell Williams, 6-0, 3 KOs, defeated Ryan Picou, 2-5, of Las Vegas, but had to come off the deck to do it. In round four of the lightweight fight, Picou caught Williams with a surprise counter right hand that floored the undefeated hopeful. But Williams beat referee David Franciosi's count and immediately got back to business. He buckled Picou's knees in the following round with a nasty body shot and then held the edge in the sixth and final round as well. Williams won the bout with 59-55 (twice) and 58-55 official scores. My tally was 58-55.
Brooklyn cruiserweight Earl Newman also extended his undefeated streak with a 4-round unanimous decision over Atlanta's Yuwshua Zadok. Newman dropped Zadok with a left to the body in round three and went on to win the bout by three official scores of 40-35. My score was the same.
Philly's Stephen Fulton improved to 4-0, 1 KO, winning his first 6-rounder with a unanimous decision over Eric Gotay, 3-3, 1 KO. Fulton stalked Gotay from the beginning of the fight and fired good right hands that won him every round. In the final round, Fulton appeared to hurt Gotay with a chopping right, but the Puerto Rican fighter survived until the final bell. The scores were 60-54 and 59-55 twice. I scored the fight a 60-54 shutout.
Cincinnati lefty Jamontay Clark extended his winning ways, but went the full distance for the first time in his pro career. Clark, 4-0, 3 KOs, won a 4-round unanimous decision over Vagas-based Dominique Foster, 2-7-1, in a welterweight contest. All scores were 40-36.
The only knockout of the night came in the evening's opening bout when solid gold prospect Antonio Russell, the brother of world rated featherweight Gary Russell Jr., made a successful pro debut with a crushing KO of Harold Reyes in an over-the-weight bantamweight fight. Russell, Capitol Heights, MD, looked like a true powerhouse when he clobbered Reyes with an explosive right hand in round two. Reyes collapsed from the violent punch, and referee Benji Esteves stopped the fight without a count. After a few frightening moments, Reyes got up and left the ring on his own steam. The time of the spectacular knockout was 2:10. It's only January, but if another KO beats this one for the "Knockout of the Year" Briscoe Medal, I'll be surprised. This 8-bout card, promoted by Kings Boxing Promotions and XFE, was originally scheduled for Harrah's Casino and Racetrack in Chester, PA, but renovation work at that location forced the show's move to South Philly. |
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