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