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In the main event at
South Philly’s 2300 Arena, DC junior lightweight Joshua
Davis, 11-1, 5 KOs, scored a seventh round TKO over
Pennsauken, NJ's Carlos Rosario, 7-2, 4 KOs. Rosario started
fast, but before long Davis took control with an effective
jab. Solid and steady power punches by Davis soon followed,
and Rosario began to fade in the fight.
Davis dropped
Rosario in round two and then again in the sixth. Rosario
survived both trips to the canvas, but the fight appeared to
be almost over after the second knockdown. In the seventh
round, it was all Davis, who picked up right where he had
left off in the previous round.
Davis’ punches began
landing freely and Rosario offered nothing but guts in
return. Finally, with Davis battering Rosario badly, referee
Gary Rosato jumped in to save the groggy Rosario at 1:49 of
round seven.
AIKENS TOPS SHABAZZ
In the semi-wind up fight, Atlantic City light heavyweight
Antowyan Aikens, 11-3-1, 1 KO, (above left) beat Philly's
Amir Shabazz, 4-1, 1 KO, by unanimous decision after six
rounds. Aikens' jab controlled most of the action, but there
were two or three very close rounds.
Shabazz had his
moments in the fight, but Aikens was more accurate and
landed most of the good shots. After six rounds, the
official judges favored Aikens by scores of 60-54 (Alan
Rubenstein) and 58-56 twice (Rose Vargas and John Poturaj).
VELASQUEZ REMAINS UNDEFEATED
Philadelphia junior welterweight Thomas Velasquez, 9-0, 5
KOs, dominated Mexican Brandon Sanudo, 5-4, 2 KOs, and won a
one-sided unanimous decision over six rounds. Velasquez
really poured it on in the final round, but could not stop
his overmatched foe.
Velasquez is a good
young prospect, but he was not overly impressive in this
fight. He missed often and had trouble controlling the ring.
His opponent made it easy for Thomas, but the prospect’s
rough spots were still apparent. After the six rounds were
over, there was no doubt that Velasquez had won the fight. I
gave him every round, but still expected more in this, his
ninth fight. Two of the official tallies mirrored mine. John
Poturaj and James Kinney scored the bout 60-54. Rose Vargas
gave Velasquez a 10-8 round somewhere along the line,
probably the sixth, and turned in a 60-53 score.
CRAWLEY STILL UNDEFEATED
In a 6-round junior welterweight fight, Tyrone Crawley Jr.,
7-0, remained undefeated with a unanimous decision victory
over Juan Rodriguez of Virginia, 7-7-1, 5 KOs. Rodriguez
pressed Crawley enough to take the first round on my card,
but beginning in round two, the Philadelphian adjusted and
swept the rest of the fight. The southpaw has skills, but
has struggled to stay active since his 2012 debut. He’s had
just seven fights in five years. This start, however, was a
solid win. The official scores were 59-55 (Alan Rubenstein)
and 60-54 twice (Rose Vargas and James Kinney).
ORTIZ OVERPOWERS
RIVERA
Philly junior welterweight Steven Ortiz, 6-0, 2 KOs, TKO'd
Hector Rivera of Puerto Rico, 3-2, 2 KOs, in the second
round. Ortiz put Rivera down with a left hook - right hand
combination at the end of the first round. Had there been
more time remaining, Ortiz would have won in the first. In
the second, Ortiz clubbed Rivera with a left hook that put
him down again. Rivera went down hard, but managed to get
up. However, Ortiz jumped right on him, and went for the
kill. After Ortiz landed a few more shots, referee Gary
Rosato halted the bout at 2:37 of round two. Ortiz looked
sharp and powerful.
MARTINEZ STOPS
GONSLAVES
In a junior welterweight quickie, Gerardo Martinez, 1-0, 1
KO, made a successful debut with a first round TKO over Tito
Gonslaves, 0-2. Martinez, Coatesville, PA, landed one right
hand bomb that put the Philadelphian on the deck. Moments
later, another right dropped Gonslaves again, and referee
Ronald Bashir stopped the fight immediately. The time was
1:47.
WILLIAMS WINS HIS
FIRST
In a messy bout between two winless Philly junior
welterweights, Demetrius Williams, 1-2, outworked Antonio
Allen, 0-6, over four rounds to score his first-ever ring
victory. Williams threw more punches, landed the better
shots, and swept the decision on all three official
scorecards. Rose Vargas, Alan Rubenstein and James Kinney
all saw the bout a 40-36 shutout for Williams.
FLOYD TKOS
MONTALVO
In the show-opener, local welterweight Vincent Floyd, 3-2-1,
2 KOs, stopped Rafael Montalvo, 3-6, 3 KOs, in the third
round of their scheduled 6-rounder. Montalvo, took the first
round, but Floyd battled back and dropped the St. Clair, PA
fighter with a left in the second round. Fully warmed up,
Floyd knocked Montalvo down again in the third, and referee
Gary Rosato stopped the fight at the 1:26 mark with the
fallen fighter still on the floor.
The eight-bout card
was promoted by Marshall Kauffman's Kings Promotions. The
promoter returns to the 2300 Arena on June 24th with
must-win crossroads fight between Kermit Cintron and Tyrone
Brunson in the main event. |
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