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Philly’s Hard Hitting Prom’ns
(Manny Rivera & Will Ruiz) established a foothold in the once torrid
and still simmering Atlantic City scene with a show at Bally’s
Resort Casino on Saturday night (03/07/20). The ballroom of some
1,500 was about two-thirds full to see a good main event with an
upset. The red corner swept the undercard.
The main event was an
excellent local showdown between two prospects coming off defeats
and battling Father Time to boot. Having lost his last bout a year
ago, 37-year-old Derrick Webster, 168 ¼, Glassboro, 28-3 (14), took
on Gabriel Pham, 164 ½, Pleasantville, 12-2 (5). Like Webster, Pham
lost his last bout, but only six months ago, and while no youngster,
enjoyed a seven-year advantage in age. That wasn’t Gabriel’s only
advantage, as became evident at first bell. He was taller than
Webster and with a longer reach. Accustomed to having a sizable
reach advantage and the ability to hold opponents at bay, Derrick
was lost without it and immediately let Pham take control. Both
southpaws, the two were jabbing away and finding range until late in
the first when Pham threw a long jab and followed with a sneak
inside left that spun Derrick to the floor. Webster was not hurt but
the crowd was stunned at the sudden turn of events and the emergence
of the underdog.
Round two was again a cautious
jabbing session but Webster was backing away and Pham was
controlling the action. Action was never sustained, but the contest
had a riveting tension as the star was being well contained by the
underdog. Long lefts dominated a close third. It seemed Webster may
have been starting to find his groove until the stunning fourth.
Pham landed a long right and as Webster tried to move to the side to
keep from being cornered, Gabriel kept right in step and then buried
him with a long, spearing left. The favorite crashed to the canvas,
nothing fluky about it as there had been in the first. This time it
was for real and Pham was in solid control. The rest of the round
produced little, but it was a different fight. Action was a bit more
crisp in the fifth, but with no change in direction. Late in the
seventh, Gabriel put together four punches that had Derrick shaking
his head in mock defiance. The favorite tried desperately to salvage
it in the final round and had Pham yielding ground for the first
time in the fight. But most of the long shots were misses and the
attempted rally fizzled. A good fight; Webster fought gamely but
Pham had a tightly controlled and smart offense that took the
unanimous decision. Eugene (Henry) Grant scored 77-73, Lawrence
Layton and Allen Rubenstein 78-72. Ricky Vera refereed.
CUEVAS CRUSHES PANIAGUA
Jeremy Cuevas, 140 ½, Phila., 13-1 (10), was far too big and strong
for compact Nestor Paniagua, 137 ½, Santa Fe, ARG., 26-10-2 (17), in
a scheduled six. The southpaw favorite clobbered the hapless import
at will, as running and crouching provided no respite for Nestor. In
the second, there was nothing left for Paniagua but to escape as a
left hook to the head and solid right to the body sent him down. He
was then in full flight when a swiping left to the head had him
flopping on the canvas and rolling over face down to signal referee
Eric Dali that he was through, a KO at 2:55.
TAPIA BREAKS DOWN COLON
Christian Tapia, 131, Coamo, PR, 11-0 (10), did a nice job of
breaking down fleet-footed Carlos Colon, 129, Hatillo, PR, 5-3 (3),
in a scheduled six. Colon circled away and worked the jab in
controlled but serious boxing, while Tapia calmly walked him down
and worked in telling body shots. Finally Carlos sank to the canvas
under the body punishment and looked through late in the second, but
got up and made it to the bell. The visitor gutted his way back into
the contest in the third with sharp and contained boxing, but
Christian was making him pay. In the fourth, a left hook to the
liver sank the game underdog to the floor and referee Vera counted
him out at 2:02.
VELASQUEZ ROMPS MOLINA
It was just shooting fish in a barrel as Thomas Velasquez, 133 ½,
Phila., 10-0-1 (6), romped over posturing but ineffective Gustavo
“Gusano” Molina, 134, Tlaxcala, MEX, 24-2 (9), in a scheduled six.
The fans loved it as their favorite did about as he pleased while
the underdog made it into the third round. Velasquez opened up full
tilt in the first, flailing away out of a squared stance but digging
some nice rights to the body. He settled back into more conventional
boxing behind the jab in the second, but jolted Molina with a long
left hook as the bell sounded. In the third, Gustavo was getting the
daylights beaten out of him yet kept motioning Thomas to “come on
and fight.” He did. Body shots had the Mexican bent over as if to
protect his apparently soft belly. Trapped in a neutral corner, “The
Worm” was blistered and crumbled to the canvas as referee Eddie
Claudio was stopping it, at 2:48. A right to the body was the
payoff.
SELDON STOPS BUNTING
Erratic Isiah Seldon, 159 ½, Somers Point, 14-3-1 (5), impressed
against a decent local opponent, Darryl Bunting, 162 ½, Asbury Park,
4-7-2 (2), in a scheduled six. Blistering trading started at first
bell, with Bunting letting both hands go but throwing long, sidearm
punches while the slightly more conservative Seldon held off for
straighter, more solid blows. A portent of what was to come ended
the first round as a left hook stunned Darryl just as the bell
sounded. In round two, Bunting was again opening up with both hands
as Isiah drilled him with a beauty of a straight right lead down the
pike, spreading him on the canvas. Darryl got up and gamely tried to
regroup but was battered and rocked , a left hook the payoff as ref
Dali stopped it at 0:34.
SINAKIN CLOBBERS JONES
Benny Sinakin, 173 ½, Phila., 6-0 (3), opened the show with a
laugher over Leroy Jones, 174 ¼, St. Louis, 3-8 (2), in a mauling
four. The favorite clobbered freely with both hands while the
underdog tried to reduce the beating by grabbing and clinching.
Sinakin tried to open up the trading by mocking Jones with coital
pelvic gyrations. It didn’t help. Referee Claudio penalized Leroy in
both the third and fourth for holding. Sinakin tried his best and
did have Jones hurt in a pounding to the bell in the third. All
40-34.
Kurt Wolfheimer was publicist,
Julius Proenza kept time, and Mark Fratto ring announced.
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