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In the main event at the Met in North Philly, Malik Hawkins, Baltimore, 15-0, 9 KOs, defeated Andre Byrd, Jacksonville, FL, 7-7-2, 1 KO, by unanimous decision, in a slow-paced welterweight eight rounder. After an entertaining night of seven other fights, closing the show with this snoozer was a let down. And the crowd of about 2,500 let everyone know how they felt, booing loudly midway through the fight.
That Byrd was a late substitute may have thrown Hawkins - as well as the matchmaker - but none the less, the bout has already been forgotten by all who witnessed it. Hawkins easily handled the challenge, dominating the action, and scoring a knockdown in round seven. It was a sudden thrill for those with their eyes on the door, but Byrd survived and the fight dragged on to the final bell.
From my seat, Hawkins won every round of the fight and picked up an extra point for the knockdown. Two of the three official judges, Adam Friscia and Steve Weisfeld, both agreed and turned in tallies of 80-71. Gail Jasper saw the fight 78-74. Hawkins retained his NBA-Americas welterweight belt, with the win.
Southpaw Wiggins looked good at the Met two months ago, beating Samuel Teah over eight. If he could add a similar victory over the rising Pizarro, Tre'Sean would secure his reputation as a Philly-killer. Pizarro, loaded with talent and the key cog in the Hard Hitting Promotions stable, was expected to either sink or swim against Wiggins. On Friday night, Pizarro did neither.
The fight was a closely-fought battle between the two. Interesting and at a high level, if not a classic confrontation. Pizarro jumped out to an early lead, taking the first three rounds with sharps jabs and stiff right hands. For those nine minutes, he appeared to have just enough skill and flash to take the fight from Wiggins. However, Wiggins got on track in round four. he landed hard left hands and pressed Pizarro to the ropes. At one point, Tre'Sean trapped Branden in a neutral corner and appeared to shake him up a bit. But Pizarro leapt out of the corner like a cat in water, avoiding further punishment. The volley by Wiggins captured a third straight round for him, evening the score on my card. Tre'Sean had a strong seventh round as well. His jab landed well and his left hand power shots were on the mark. The round ended, and Wiggins went back to his corner with a narrow lead of four rounds to one.
It all came down to the eighth and final round. Would Tre'Sean continue his hot streak, or would the talented teen rally for the win? The problem was that with only one round remaining, it appeared the best Pizarro could do was even the score with a good last round. Pizarro showed toughness and maturity and did all he could to win the round. But Wiggins did the same. The two fenced for much of the round, and exchanged a bit less than in previous rounds. The eighth was probably the closest of the fight, but Pizarro did what he needed to do to stave off defeat, taking the round and pulling the result on my card to a draw. When my card comes up even, I don't like it. Surely there must have been a factor that put one man above the other. But given round by round scoring, this one was a solid draw, four rounds apiece. Had been a ten rounder, we may have gotten a winner, but perhaps that will be left for the next time.
All three judges, Adam Friscia, Ron McNair and Steve Weisfeld, turned in the same 76-76 tally. That's four rounds to four. Afterward, both boxers felt that they had done enough to win. I don't blame them, but this fight was a squeaker from beginning to end. Wiggins, 11-4-2, 6 KOs, left with his PA state title belt intact, while Pizarro, 14-1-1, 7 KOs, kept his NBA-Intercontinental title belt.
Maryland-based Ugandan Sulaiman Segwa, 12-2, 4 KOs, upset previously undefeated Gadwin Rosa, Ocala, FL, 10-1, 8 KOs, by unanimous decision after eight rounds. The junior lightweight lefty dominated the action throughout, hurting Rosa several times during the fight. Segwa just came coming and did not stop punching. Rosa struggled to survive at times in the fight, but showed plenty of durability. Although he fell far short on the official cards, the bout gave him some needed experience and exposure to adversity.
Judges Steve Weisfeld and Ron McNair saw the fight 79-73 for Segwa. Gail Jasper had it a shutout for Segwa, 80-72. I gave Rosa the sixth, and scored the fight 79-73. Segwa was a joy to watch in the ring. He is a straightforward stalker-puncher, and those are crowd-pleasing qualities. Let's hope we see him here again. ROCK SCORES TKO Although Rock's weight was a very high 275.4, he posted one of his most impressive wins to date. Bissett was a willing recipient, and victim to seven previous knockout losses, but Rock did what he was supposed to do and looked big and powerful in the process. TAPIA POWERS PAST CHIRINO SINAKIN REBOUNDS FROM
KNOCKDOWN Sinakin won the wild first round, but both fighters landed often. Pierre jolted Benny with a hard right hand in the second round that floored the undefeated fighter. It was the first time in his young pro career that Sinakin had tasted the canvas. Apparently, it was a taste he didn't like. Benny jumped to his feet and regained control of the bout over the final two rounds, cementing the victory and his reputation as an exciting crowd-pleaser. After four full rounds, Sinakin won by scores of 38-37 (Adam Friscia) and 38-36 twice (Steve Weisfeld and Ron McNair). ROSA SMOKES HOLT WILLIAMS WINS BY TKO The show was promoted by Hard Hitting Promotions, and was the second boxing event at the newly restored and reopened Met. Hard Hitting returns to the Met on June 28th. |
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