Derek Ennis Highlights a Night of Knockouts at The Blue!

On February 5 2010 – The Philly fight faithful snubbed their nose at certified blizzard to witness a classic night at The Legendary Blue on Friday. In the main event Derek “Pooh” Ennis sharpened up to the tune of a 5th round TKO over game journeyman Edwin Vasquez. Pooh pounded his head to no avail, but once he began to hit the body, the rock crumbled as Vasquez took two knees at the end, knowing it would take a miracle from Jesus to get a W.

In other action, it took Joey DaWejko longer to put on his socks than it did to dispatch his opponent, scoring a KO :47 intp the 1st round of his homecoming fight.

Ronald Cruz made a big statement when he bombed out Martinus Clay midway through the 3rd round of their scheduled 6 rounder.

Eric “Outlaw” Hunter and Andres Gustafson both scored some nice early KO wins.

Jackie Davis again pumps out the fight of the night in a 4 round rumble that had the crowd on their feet throughout.

Clement Bethea and Henry Northam fought like they were competing for a spot in Maximus Roman empire.

Complete write up with photos here http://phillykeith.com/bluehorizon2-5-10

Mike Jones sends Pinzon packing & Rosado stops Mundy @ Bally’s!

Talk about it on the forum http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=969.0

The date is November 10, 2009 and the city is gridlocked. The Phillies bats were stymied by three New York hurlers, in effect denied their shot at becoming back-to-back MLB world champions. Also this week, a piece of Philly boxing history was lost as The Spectrum closed it’s doors for good this week after being sent off to memory lane by a four night rock fest courtesy of Pearl Jam. To top it all off, SEPTA is on strike as Local 234 president Willie Brown had the audacity to order the men and women of The Transport Workers Union off the job and to the picket lines in hopes of a raise in these hard economic times, leaving many people standed in their tracks making routine travels to work and school a nightmare.

As the week finally ended, I was headed to Atlantic City to catch the fights. On this card, Mike Jones makes another statement that he is a young welterweight to be reckoned with as he retains his NABA Welterweight title via 5th round KO over Raul Pinzon in Atlantic City NJ. The started off a bit slow and methodically but did a 180 early in round 5 as Jones began to let his hands go, hurting Pinzon with head shots before ending matters with a single vicious body shot that left Pinzon on the canvas in agony, making no attempt to beat the 10 count. Sources close to the NJ commission say Pinzon suffered broken ribs.

With the win, Jones keeps his title and world ratings as well as furthering a statement that the journeyman type is no match for him. Network execs should take notice because MJ would make an excellent choice of opponent for any young 147 lber in the world….

In the co main event, Gabriel Rosado bounces back with a 7th round TKO win over Latif Mundy during a battle of Philly Jr. Middleweights.

Best fight of the night, good exchanges and the rounds see-sawed until a big surge from Rosado hurt Mundy midway through the 7th, after a continued assault, the referee was left with no option but to call a halt to the battle.

In other action…

Mike “No Joke” Stewart recovered from a 3rd round knockdown to win a unanimous decision over Louis Lejia by scores of 57 – 56 across the board.

Josh Mercado won a hard fought unanimous decision

Ronald Cruz won a decision over Ashante Henderson in a fight closer than the final scores indicated.

Mike Jones has 10 rounds of target practice, but is injured in win Jamaal Davis gets a hard earned win @ Bally’s

Talk about it here on the forum

http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=878.msg6539#msg6539

photos by Mike “Teek” McGuigan

In a bout that was billed at ringside as “Jones versus The Volcano” MJ wasn’t faced with a bubbly fire of molten lava, instead he was the one who ruptured as he exploded on Lenin “The Volcano” Arroyo with rights and lefts over the 10 round distance en route to a unanimous decision win at Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City. It wasn’t Jones (18-0, 15ko’s) best performance, there were times where he looked bored and others times where he played to the crowd. On the plus side, he displayed patience, when he jabbed it was sharp and put his combinations together very well. Make no mistake, he dominated this fight from start to finish. Jones energy level was still high even at the end of the fight so the gas tank definitely was fueled with diesel. He also used the opportunity to shake off some rust as he has only fought 5 complete rounds in the past year coming into this match-up.

Strike 3 Larry Mosley, ur out! Ben Tackie steps in to fight Mike Jones @ Bally’s August 8th

Stick a fork in LA’s Larry Mosley, he is done…again! For the third time this year, Mosley vs. Mike Jones (17-0, 15ko’s) has been cancelled, this time for good. The main event has been salvaged though and the new B side will be former world title challenger Ben Tackie (29-11-1, 17ko’s) of the Bronx via Ghana in the 12 round headline attraction on August 8th at Bally’s casino in Atlantic City for Jones NABA title.

Jones, considered by many to be the #1 prospect in Philly by many is rated #10 by the WBA, #12 by the IBF, #12 by the WBO & #26 by the WBC, all in the Welterweight division. This will mark Jones second defense of the NABA Welterweight title that he won in Philly back in November of 08. In his first defense, Jones blitzkrieg’d Columbia’s Dario Esalas who lasted a mere 2 rounds at The Blue Horizon. Overall Jones has steadily captured the imagination of Philadelphia boxing fans with his vicious knockout power, becoming one of the top draws in recent memory. Almost everyone is in agreement that he has the offensive tools to make a run at the divisions elite, but the question still lingers – can he take as good of a shot as he can give? He was slightly tug with little effect in each of his last two fights as the match regressed from boxing to bar room brawling, Jones winning each with dynamic KO results. We have still yet to see any opponent present any significant trouble to Jones in any of his 17 pro bouts. Take it as you please but the bottom line is that MJ is hands down the most exciting fighter from Philly at this present time. If he comes correct by using his jab and fighting a smart fight against Tackie he should have no problem. If he tries to blow him out of the water, he could be in for a rude awakening.

Nakash stops Brunelli in 7, Edmunds is Marvel-ous against Tyric Robinson @ The Blue!

photo by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

I have to tip my cap to “The Don” Don Elbaum. It seems like every time there is a fight under his watch at Mother’s house, I am always complaining that he never has the card finalized more than 2 days before bell time or that he is always throwing some cheese ball gimmick out in the main event and giving it the hard sell. It was the same ol’ story this time around with “the Italian – Jewish Philadelphia” title on the line in the main event, with the state #1 contender in the Super Middleweight division Gee Culmer not offered an opponent that would get Greg Sirb’s stamp of approval, with other fights being patch worked with last second fill ins. With all of that in the air on April 3rd, The Don patchwork produced one entertaining card this Friday in front of a jam packed audience who came from all walks of life.

The main event more than lived up to expectations as Israel’s Ran Nakash (17 – 0, 13ko’s) got the fight of his life from Mayfair’s Dave Brunelli (8-5, 3ko’s) and still pulled out the victory in a match that ended early in the 7th due to the doctors orders because of Brunelli’s apparently cut eyelid. The fight started with more hoop la than a Super Bowl half time show. Italian announcer, Jewish announcer, Italian anthem singer, Jewish anthem singer, USA anthem singer, Italian ring girl… you catch my drift.

After the ring cleared and the men got down to business, we were treated to a damn good Philly style main event. After 2 rounds it looked like Nakash was going to send the Brunelli and his big crowd home disappointed early. By round 4 Brunelli was showing balls the size of grapefruits as he took a lot of Nakash’s best power shots and encouraged him to keep on coming, standing an exchanging at short range. Midway through round 6, the possibility of Brunelli snatching the fight with a late KO wasn’t out of the question as he backed Nakash up with a few good shots of his own and kept fighting strong. It wasn’t to be, as referee Gary Rosado ordered Brunelli to see the doctor at the start of round 7 to check on a swollen eye and bloody nose, wounds the doctor deemed too serious to continue. It was an unfortunate ending to a fight that allowed both fighters to show their wares. Nakash again showed he is a non stop buzzsaw and is not just some built up boxer, Brunelli showed up in the best shape of his life and displayed a toughness that even his biggest detractors have to appreciate. After the fight Nakash said “I was really surprised he was able to take those shots. he is a really tough fighter”. Here’s to both men for putting on a fight that lived up to the hype.

In the co-feature, Frankford’s Julius Edmonds bullied his way to a 6 round unanimous decision win over Philly’s Tyric Robinson in their highly anticipated Jr. Welterweight contest. From start to finish, Edmunds fought like he wanted to make a statement and his mission was to stay in Robinson’s chest and for every second of every round. He exerted all of his energy to push forward and punch hard throwing a variety of combinations to the head and body while smothering anything his opponent could fire back in return. Robinson did not back down and punched back every step of the way but it was Edmunds who was clearly in control the entire time. The fight went to the score cards which read 60 – 54 x 2 & 58 – 56 for Edmunds. It is another strong showing for Edmunds who many feel can match up with any 140 lb fighter competing in this area. When asked about this fight he said “this was a very good win for me, Tyric Robinson is a known fighter in this area.” When asked about who he wanted next he replied “I’m not sure but I’m thinking maybe a fight with Victor Vasquez.” Now THAT would be one hell of a fight….

On the undercard…

Reading’s Julio Caesar Matthew’s won a hard fought unanimous decision over NJ’s William Gill. It was a steady pace through most of the fight where each men landed some good, single shots. Matthews did some good work in rounds 4 and 5 as the south paw was able to land clean left hands. Gill came on strong in the final minute, landing consecutive rights that quickly swelled up Matthews eye. It eventually went to the cards which read 60 – 54, 59 – 55 & 58 – 56 all for Matthews who improves to 7 – 0 with 5ko’s.

Queens NY featherweight Joselito Callado out boxed and out rumbled a determined, yet limited Jason Rorie of NC over 6 rounds. There were spots where Joselito would literally box circles around his opponent, but to the delight of the fans he opted to make a toe to toe fight of it for half of the fight and got the better in the two way exchanges. The only thing Callado lacks is pop but aside from that you can tell he is a very good, well rounded fighter. The cards read 59 – 55 x 3 for the Queens native. Before the fight, special guest ring announcer Mike Missinelli was booed mercilessly but when it was over the fans gave both fighters a standing ovation.

Jr. Lightweight Paul Fernandez got back on the winning track with a 4th round KO over TN’s Joseph Francisco, a fighter who all but gave up after an impressive 1st round. In the beginning Fernandez slowly moved forward, stalking in a Jason Vorhees manner and Francisco took full advantage using the ring, landing a few shots and getting out of there. As the fight wore on Francisco kept showboating but stopped throwing where as Fernandez began to land good combinations upstairs. Down the stretch, Fernandez dropped his opponent twice and it got to the point where referee Gary Rosato stopped it at 2:57 of the final round.

Welterweight Ronald Cruz stayed undefeated in a decent showing against a very in shape Shannon Hill of Cincinatti. Cruz loaded up a lot and did connect with some heavy bombs as Hill tried to circle and box for most of the fight. Cruz was most effective on the rare times he went to the body, something he should keep in his arsenal for the future. If he slipped in a few jabs, we could have a threat on our hands…. Take nothing away from Hill who did come to fight but in the end all the judges were in agreement that Cruz was the winner by scores of 40 – 36 x2 and 39 – 37.

In the opener, Taneal Goyco and Davit Davitashivili put on a wild, somewhat sloppy slugfest much to the delight of the crowd. Goyco landed some bombs early but Davit fought back hard in the middle. Davits face looked like an old piece of roast beef near the end with cuts and swelling on both eyes but he gave it all he had. Goyco did his thing as well and did more down the stretch to secure a unanimous decision win by scores of 39 – 36 x 3 as Davit was deducted a point for head butting in the 3rd.

Click this link to see the fight photos from Anthony Gargano http://pixgargano.com/boxing1.aspx

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can email Philly Keith at keith@phillykeith.com

Go to www.phillykeith.com for up to the minute info on the Philly boxing scene

Tony Ferrante wins by KO, Belasco squeaks by Barbosa @ The Arena!

I was unable to attend the Xtreme Productions fights at the Arena this past Friday so I can’t give my hit on the actual fights since there is no footage available but “The Wolf” Kurt Wolfheimer of FightNews steps up to the plate to give his always reliable account of how the matches went down.

In the main event it is reported that Ryan Belasco and Jesus Barbosa traded throughout on the inside in a bout that could have been fought in a phone booth. Belasco got the nod on the official scorecards by a score of 58 – 56 across the board but The Wolf’s unofficial tab had the fight 58-56 in favor of Barbosa. The forum is buzzing a bit on this fight as well with opinion scattered across the board on who the true winner was. I can think of a good way to settle it once and for all….REMATCH!

It is also reported that Tony “Boom Boom” Ferrante scored a 5th round KO over Chris Archer in a fight that the Northeast native won convincingly. Looks like Ferrante passed a good test against a solid opponent here. I am now hearing whispers of a wanted match against Wildwood’s Chuckie Mussachio are surfacing from the Ferrante camp for the BAM belt… Shine it & sign it up Joey Eye!

Wahid Raheem and Gabriel Diaz did battle in a give and take fight that see-sawed back and forth throughout with Raheem getting the majority decision. This was billed as the potential show steamer by the insiders and The Wolf thinks both of these fighters can make some noise in the near future.

Ronald Cruz of Bethlaham stays undefeated with a one punch KO over the debuting Russell Cloak. Keep an eye out for Cruz who has looked good every time out.

Kamarah Pasely continued his improvement and hits the .500 mark as he out boxed the debuting John Burgos over 4 rounds of Cruiserweight action. The Wolf says Burgos couldn’t find an answer for Pasley’s movement and combination’s. Give Pasley his credit as he continued to work hard after a tumultuous start in the boxing world. Let’s see who he fights next?

Last but not least, in women’s action Jackie Davis, a protege of all time Philly great “Mighty” Ivan Robinson, scored a 3rd round TKO over Ohio’s Natoya Ervin in a fight The Wolf called a “near perfect performance”.

For the complete run down, check out Kurt Wolfheimer’s full write up here. http://www.fightnews.com/?p=6600#more-6600

Nakash blows out Carrol in 2, Shmouel wins return bout at The Blue!

photos by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com
At the Legendary Blue Horizon this Friday, boxing fans flocked to the Broad street for a solid 6 fight card which saw undefeated Israeli heavyweight Ran Nakash continue his knockout streak when he dismissed the light challenge of Ryan Carroll, dispatching the Delaware, Ohio native in less than 2 rounds. Nakash, a hand to hand combat instructor in the Israeli Army, used a body assault to pave the way to victory as Carroll’s flabby midsection wasn’t built to withstand the power punches downstairs. During this short fight, Carroll was dropped to his knees twice from shots to the bread basket. Midway through the 2nd, referee Steve Smoger saw enough and call a halt to the contest as it became apparent that Carroll was ready to gas out at any moment. Now at 17 – 0, Nakash should be on the doorstep of a good fight against someone capable of presenting a stiff challenge.

photos by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

In the co-feature, Pittsburgh Jr. Welterweight Khristian Geraci had a rough night. Not only did he get bombarded with boo’s as he entered the ring due to wearing a Steelers jersey (a first class football organization btw), he was also bombarded with rights and lefts from his opponent, Elad Shmouel who wasted no time in his return to the ring after a 14 month layoff. Shmouel, who also serves in the Israeli Army, showed he was still explosive and in this one, didn’t waste much time finishing the job late in the 2nd round. Geraci tried but he was no match for the Kosher Pitbull who vows to get back on track and put together another winning streak.

photos by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

In a 6 rounder, Julius Edmounds of Philly’s Frankford section pounded out a unanimous decision win over the previously undefeated Lindwood Herd of Atlantic City. The majority of the contest was spent in the wheel house as both men traded shots at close quarters. A lot of the rounds were tightly contested by Edmounds stepped it up at the end of every round to clearly take the advantage. I wouldn’t mind seeing an Edmounds – Victor Vasquez dustup sometime….

photos by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

Southwest Philly’s Ardrick Butler earned his first win as a pro with a split decision over Anthony Abrams in a good Jr. Middleweight match. Butler showed flashes of the tools which made him an amateur champion back in 2005 and Abrams didn’t lay downin his retun from a 3 year layoff. Butler flashed a quick doble & triple jab and threw some nice combinations to the body. At times he was too active, other times he laid back and took pictures. Abrams knew one direction and that was forward which left little time for relaxation. In the end it went to the scorecards which read 39 – 37 for Abrams but that judge was over ruled by a 39 – 38 & 39 – 37 tally for Butler.

photos by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

In the fight of the night, South Philly’s John Turner had New York’s Marcus Bianconi in trouble early but the Gleason’s Gym representative sucked it up and fought back to score a 2nd round TKO in a fight that was stopped on the advise of the ringside physician due to trouble with Turner’s leaky nose. There have been reports that Turner also broke his hand in 3 places in the 1st round though that hasn’t been verified. In this short slugfest, both threw and landed some bombs, Turner got caught late, let’s see a rematch!

photos by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

In the opener, Ronald Cruz scored a 3rd round knockout over the pro debuting Adam Duncan. Cruz started out fast, scoring 2 knockdowns in the opening round but Duncan toughed it out and was competitive through 2. In the 3rd, Cruz landed a lot of heavy shots to cause the ref to step in and end it.

photos by Anthony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

The fights were brought to you by Vernoca Michael & Don Elbaum. To see more pictures of the night go to www.pixgangano.com

Derek Ennis decisions Bono, Belasco KO’s DeVictoria @ The New Alhambra

photos by: Tony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com
For the first time in 2009, it was fight night in Philly. After almost 6 weeks of inactivity in this town, it was finally time to watch the pros throw down. The venue was the fabled fight hall on the corner of Swanson & Ritner, the one and only New Alhambra. But this particular event had a mysterious air about it for weeks. On a typical fight night here, fans would come to see a card by the Fairmount Hall of Fame boxing promoter, J. Russell Peltz. This time around, I knew that I wouldn’t be greeted by a smiley lady with the cool hat or a witty comment contradicting a statement made on this site. That was a given. On this night, it was Greg Robinson and his newly formed Xtreme Productions running the show. That’s cool, he is a known promoter in these parts, but people were asking, why him? why here? why now? Those were the burning questions asked by those who cough up their hard earned cash to pay the steep ticket fees. Something was up but nobody was talking. Omerta…Philly boxing style… Gotta love it.

After a long wait in the frigid wind, I finally made it to the box office window. I made my acquaintance with two new pleasant ladies handing out the media bracelets. So far, so good and was sent inside. After a being on the wrong end of a ridiculous security search that would have snagged a jailhouse balloon runner red handed, I was eventually granted full access and free to roam my longtime favorite venue. Immediately I noticed the naked walls. The life sized banners displaying images of yester-years Philly boxing fight icons were nowhere to be seen. Instead of Bennie Briscoe and Joey Giardello, all that remained were a few flags carrying on the legacies of former ECW icons like Terry Funk and “Flyboy” Rocco Rock. Once I found my seat in press row, word around the ring was that the gym is the back was just about empty. Then it all came together in one fell swoop. It was announced that Xtreme Production (formerly known as Power Productions) is moving in for good. No more Oaks, no more Armory, this is home and they plan on being here to stay…exclusively. The plot thickens and the saga continues so stay tuned. It is bound to get deeper.

Overall it was a solid kick off to a new year as promoter Greg Robinson and matchmaker Ty McNeil collaborated for a 5 fight card in their new home.

Click Here to Comment

Main Event
Jr. Middleweight Division
(non-title bout)

Derek “Pooh” Ennis…vs…Clarence “Sonny Bono” Taylor
Philadelphia, PA…………..Wilmington, DE
16-2, 12ko’s……………………12-19, 6ko’s

The housewarming party was highlighted by PA State & USBA regional Jr. middleweight title holder Derek Ennis (17-2, 12ko’s) who continued his resurrection towards national Jr. Middleweight status with a clear cut 8 round unanimous decision over late replacement journeyman Clarence “Sonny Bono” Taylor (12-20, 6ko’s) in the main event. Before the fight some were saying that if Bono didn’t give a good showing, it was a strong possibility that State Athletic Director Greg Sirb might pull his boxing card. Ennis won every round from the 3rd on but Bono lives to fight another day as he kept it competitive through out as he kept his promise to fight for the memory of his trainer who was tragically murdered just last week .The determination was there and he was an aggressive initiator, it wasn’t enough to handle the speed and slickness of Ennis who consistently used Bono’s awkwardness against him, setting up traps along the ropes, counterpunching effectively and using the ring to his advantage. Bono did have his moments and occasionally landed some good punches, in particular the 6th when he got Ennis attention with a hard right hook. Overall, Ennis skill set was too tall a task to overcome. The fight eventually went the distance and the scorecards read 79 – 73 & 78 – 74 x 2. Look for Ennis to step it up significantly soon.

Click Here to Comment

Co-Feature
Jr. Welterweight Division

Lenny DeVictoria…vs…Ryan Belasco
Philadelphia, PA…………Wilmington, DE
11-12-1, 3KO’s……………8-2-3, 3KO’s

The co-feature was thought it be a nice piece of competitive match making. Instead it turned out to be the last hurrah of a proven Philly ring warrior as Delaware’s Ryan Belasco (9-2-3, 3ko’s) saw little resistance in his fight against Lenny DeVictoria (11-13-1, 3ko’s), ending things midway through the second round with a few body shots followed by a single right hand which surprisingly kept his opponent on a knee for the full 10 count. Some say it was a very good right hand, some say it was a long list of ring wars catching up. Soon after the bout, it was announced that this was to be the last time Lenny will lace up the gloves as his team noticed a steady decline in performance over the past few fights. One chapter of Lenny’s life closes and another opens as he plans on getting his CDL license for a new career in the trucking industry. Congrats and thanks for Lenny for making the right move and giving us so many good fights. Also, Congrats to Belasco on a very good win. Speculation of an 8 – 10 round Belasco – Tyric Robinson fight were swarming soon after. That could arguabley be a state title fight…..

photos by: Tony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

Click Here to Comment

Welterweight Division

Lou Rodriguez…vs…Ray Ellis
Philadelphia, PA……Philadelphia, PA
PRO DEBUT…………PRO DEBUT

Philly Rumbler Lou Rodriguez (1-0) grinded out a majority decision win in his pro debut against a fellow debuter Ray Ellis (0-1) in a very entertaining 4 round welterweight contest. Rodriguez sported an ankle bracelet, a fast set of hands a pretty good chin. Ellis, an aspiring chef and student at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, showed a big heart and applied a lot of pressure as these two went at it for all four rounds. Rodriguez was in control early, winning the first two rounds with a nice blend of combinations to the head and abilty to avoid trouble as Ellis pressed forward. The tide changed in the 3rd as Ellis consistent pressure allowed him to storm back in the fight, having a big round as he found a way to break through Rodriguez defense and land some good punches of his own upstairs. It was anyones fight down the stretch and both fought for the win in a 4th round that saw good moments for both fighters as Ellis fought through a leaking mouth and Rodriguez overcoming early fight jitters. It went to the cards which read 39 – 37 x2 for Rodriguez with the final judge saying it was even at 38-38. Let’s see both of these guys again against different foes!

photos by: Tony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

Click Here to Comment

Welterweight Division

Ronald Cruz……….vs………Joel Rios
Phoenixville,PA…………….Philly via Puerto Rico
pro debut……………………..1-4

Jimmy DeOria’s latest charge Ronald Cruz (1-0) showed some spark in his 4 rounder against a tough Joel Rios (1-5) in a 4 round welterweight battle. Cruz looked very sharp when he fought on the outside, putting strings of combos together. Rios did leave some marks too, especially when they fought in the inside. Activity was the difference here as Cruz was the one who threw most and overall was the sharper of the two. If any young fighter is looking for a test early in their career, give Rios a call, he showed he can last under heavy fire and keep on coming. But, at 32 years old, his team feels it may be in his best interest to leave this sport to the young guys. On the other hand, Cruz, if he calms down a bit a lets the fight start coming to him, he could be a guy to watch out for in the future.

photos by: Tony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

Click Here to Comment

Cruiserweight Division

Kamarah Pasley….vs…Cullen Rogers
Philadelphia, PA………..Akron, Ohio
0-3……………………………9-22-2, 5ko’s

In Cruiserweight action, Kamarah Pasley (1-3, 1ko) got that elusive first win with a second round knockout over Cullen Rogers (9-23-2, 5ko’s) . Pasley was able to land good leather and dig deep hooks into the horribly awkward Rogers all night. Pasley dropped Rogers with a left early in round 2, then continued the assault when his opponent got up. Rogers didn’t go back down but offered nothing in return leaving referee Shawn Clark no option but to stop it. Congrats to Pasley, a guy who never gave up on his dream of getting that W! Keep your eyes open because word is that Pasley is signed up to fight again on January 31st against Pedro Martinez at South Philly high school! Can he make it 2 in a row? We will see!

photos by: Tony Gargano / www.pixgargano.com

Click Here to Comment

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can email Philly Keith at keith@phillykeith.com

Go to www.phillykeith.com for up to the minute info on the Philly boxing scene

Xtreme Productions New Alhambra preview with videos

Power Productions kicks off the 2009 Philly fight year on January 16th at The New Alhambra in South Philly. The undercard is still unsettled but the main event and co-feature are etched in stone. I have all four contestants giving their side of the story. In the main event, PA State Jr. Middleweight champ Derek “Pooh” Ennis (16-2, 12ko’s) is scheduled to take on local veteran tough guy Clarence “Sonny Bono” Taylor (12-19, 6ko’s) of Delaware for a scheduled 8 rounder. Things looked shaky at the start of the week as Bono’s longtime trainer, Derrick Hoey, was tragically shot and killed over the weekend which could understandably call for Bono to reconsider taking this fight. But Bono told me personally that he plans to fight on despite the personal tragedy. It is official so the breakdown goes like this. In 2008 Ennis rebounded from a bad end in ’07, where he was unexpectedly KO’d, to the tune of a 4-0 record and putting himself back in striking distance of a significant televised fight on the national level. Ennis last outing was icing on the cake as it was his most complete performance as a pro, boxing a 10 round masterpiece over the 20 win vet Troy Browning to claim the state title and a portion of the USBA title. It was a big step forward. While few will doubt his offensive skills, some still wonder if he has the beard to make it to the big time. His last loss came in this very building in the summer of ’07 in a fight he was highly favored to win. If he can avoid the big punch, he has the skills to make a nice run in this sport. His opponent Bono on the other hand has lost 8 of his last 10 fights since winning a portion of the WBC title early in 2007. With that being said, Bono’s bar room tough guy record only tells a part of the story. He will give you an honest effort and usually makes his opponent fight hard for the duration. Let’s not get it twisted, Ennis is a HUGE favorite here, but this is Philly boxing and strange things always seem to happen. But hey, I only speak from the ring apron, click below to hear it from the guys who will be in there getting it on!

Derek Ennis

Sonny Bono

In a nice piece of matchmaking, the co-feature is said to have Delaware’s Ryan Belasco (8-2-3, 2ko’s) taking on Philly’s Lenny DeVictoria (11-12-1, 3ko’s) in a 6 rounder. Both fighters, at times, have been outstanding in the ring. There have also been a few occasions where both fighters have come in unprepared and laid a couple of duds. DeVictoria’s record is a misleading as he has taken on some of the best young, undefeated prospects this sport has to offer. Most memorably, he knocked off the then highly regardless Elad Shmouel in Philly’s 2007 fight of the year. Most recently, he fought to a draw against the rather ordinary Ricardo Media. Belasco on the other hand is cut from the cloth of his fellow Delaware fighters. Tough, has good fundamentals, and is willing to fight but no special skill that jumps out at you. Early in his career, problems of running out of gas attributed to draws and losses in fights he very well could have won. It looks like he has found a cure as he has gone deep into fights lately and looked fresh near the end, particularly against the boxing barber Victor Vasquez in one of the best of 2008. Both men had ample time to prepare for this fight so there should be no excuses. This is definitely an interesting contest, as these are two of the top guys locally fighting at 140 lbs. Expect some sparks to fly in this one as both men are usually happy to trade leather with an opponent.

Listen to both fighters tell it themselves

Lenny DeVictoria

Ryan Belasco

In Other Action…

Junior Welterweight Tyric “Too Sweet” Robinson (9-3, 3ko’s) returns to the ring looking to erase memories of his latest outing against Jason Cintron which ended in a one sided loss. No opponent has been announced. Once Too Sweet ranked in the top 5 of the Philly Keith pound for pound list. Lets hope the real Too Sweet shows up for this one instead of the guy we saw last time.

Philly lightweight Ronald Cruz will make his pro debut against Joel Rios (1-4, 1ko) of Puerto Rico.

Heavyweights Kamarah Pasley (0-3)and John Carlisle (0-1) , both of Philly, will battle it out as both seek their first wins as a pro.

Lou Rodriguez of The Philly Rumblers Boxing Club is scheduled to make his awaited pro debut after a false start back in October when his opponent fell out last minute. He will take on Ray Ellis who is also making his pro debut.

A light welterweight scrap between two fighters with their only win coming by way of the dirt nap face off as Allentown’s Eluid Torres (1-0-1, 1ko) takes on the challenge of Pleasantville, NJ’s Omar Brito (1-0, 1ko) over 4 rounds of promising action.

Cleveland lightweight Miguel Gonzalez (1-0, 1ko) is not on the card due to being unable to find an opponent.

For tickets call 267-687-7560 or 267-809-0057

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can email Philly Keith at keith@phillykeith.com

Go to www.phillykeith.com for up to the minute info on the Philly boxing scene