Round 1

Lavoy comes out throwing from the start, windmilling into his opponent.  Grove is no shrinking violet, and he’s lashing out here and there as the opportunity presents itself.  There isn’t much science in the early going, but Lavoy does slow down after a bit, and eventually finds a home for a good straight right, which he lands repeatedly.

Round 2

Lavoy rushes in again, but his offensive is shorter-lived.  Grove responds with a couple of effective one-twos.  Lavoy is discovering his jab, and he is scoring well with it.  In the last fifteen seconds of the round Grove starts coming forward, landing a nice extended flurry of power punches that lasts until the bell.

Round 3

Lavoy’s pattern is to come out aggressive, and he does so again, but it’s hard to say how effectively.  It seems that much of his aggression is going into the wind.  Grove is now landing a big left jab.  Lavoy has no defense for it.  Grove is dominating this round – at one point I counted no fewer than eight consecutive jabs, landing to Lavoy’s face!  Lavoy is on his heels and breathing heavily as Grove continues to come forward, and the bell rings.

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Matt Umland (Unattached – Wadena) defeats Ryder Grove (Iron Range Boxing Academy) by decision after three rounds (90#)

Round 1

Umland comes out with tremendous aggression, battering Grove from the opening bell.  Ryder can do little but keep moving, hoping Umland will punch himself out.  Midway through the round referee Tyler Hultin pauses the action to warn Umland for an illegal punch.  Near the end of the round Grove does connect wtih a good one-two, but this round goes to Umland by a dominant performance.

Round 2

Umland seems a bit winded in the second, but continues to outperform Grove.  He’s an aggressive and hard-nosed kid.  Grove lands a couple of shots in the middle going that put Umland off balance but doesn’t capitalize.  Umland finishes the round with more measured aggression, but Grove scored a bit more in the second than the first.

Round 3

Umland isn’t punching with the same snap that he did in the first two.  Grove is getting a lot of advice from the crowd, because everyone can see that Umland is tiring.  Grove is trading on more or less even terms with Umland now, but he doesn’t seem to see his opportunity.

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Wayne Lavoy (White Earth Nation) is defeated by Jerimiah Asmund (Wadena – Stomp Boxing) by referee stoppage in the first round (128#)

Round 1

Asmund comes right out and asserted himself in the first fifteen seconds, landing several hard shts that hurt Lavoy.  Referee Hultin gives Lavoy a standing eight count almost immediately.  Action resumes and Hultin warns Asmund – I think for holding and hitting.  Action resumes again and Asmund jukes left, then right, then walks right in and pummels Lavoy.  This one is over – referee stoppage.

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Isaac Nokes (White Earth Nation) is defeated by Chazzy Roper (sp?) (Leech Lake) by referee stoppage in the second round, 138#

Round 1

Roper seems to be a late substitution, but he shows he belongs right away, trading with Nokes in an early slugfest.  Roper is going to the body, and connecting with the taller Nokes with some hurtful shots.  Nokes groans loudly during an exchange in the middle of the ring, but rather than an eight count, the referee pauses the action and gives Roper a warning for low blows.  I didn’t see anything low, but I saw Nokes get hurt to the body.  Nokes spends some time in the corner and comes out refreshed, going toe-to-toe with Roper.  Roper is going body-head, body-head with some success.  Nokes comes forward and lands a very big right hand to roper’s head, but Roper shakes it off and comes forward again.  There’s more trading, and Roper is letting more of those shots through.  More trading as the round ends.

Round 2

The second ends as the first ended, with lanky Nokes and stocky Roper trading power shots.  Roper is a bulldog!  Nokes stumbles and puts his hand down on the mat, but it isn’t being counted as a knockdown.  Action resumes with Ropes backing Nokes into a corner, landing one particularly harsh right hand in the process.  In the corner Roper pounds Nokes until the referee must administer another eight count.  This time, looking closely into Nokes’ eyes, the referee doesn’t like what he sees and waves the fight off.  Win for Roper!

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Andretti Bushey (Leech Lake) is defeated by Seth Gerving (Lakes Area Boxing) by decision after three rounds (138#)

This was a late addition to the card, not in the program.  At the outset I didn’t even know which fighter was which, so there’ll only be a summary.  Bushey has poor footwork, fought off his back foot, had his knees locked much of the fight, held his hands low, and didn’t show much offense until the final round.  But near the end of the third round he did land a big shot to Gerving’s head which resulted in a standing eight count.

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Levi Holmquist (Fergus Falls Boxing Club) is defeated by Josh Polluck (Unattached – Minneapolis) by decision after three rounds (190#)

Round 1

Holmquist comes out looking to fight scientifically, but Polluck, a big hitter, has come to rumble.  Polluck has his hands full with an unorthodox fighter showing tremendous aggression.  What we have here is two two guys whaling on each other.  About hafway through the round we get our first conventional one-two combination from Holmquist.  Both men are wearing out and wearing down as the round progresses, but Polluck scores a couple of times with nice shots in the late going.

Round 2

Holmquist goes to the body early, coming in low and throwing hooks.  Polluck continues to be rough and unorthodox, holding and flailing.  Polluck’s legs seem to be fading midway through the second, but he does land a big overhand right.  Holmquist comes forward, but another overhand lands.  Polluck is starting to come through Holmquist’s defense.  Another big right staggers Holmquist and he nearly goes to a knee.  Referee Gilbert Hernandez gives Holmquist a standing eight, which seems to be just what Holmquist needs.  The remainder of the round is pretty tame.

Round 3

Polluck knows he’s found a home for his looping right, and he’s determined to throw it a ton.  Holmquist turns the tables on him, landing a big combination that leaves Polluck looking out the earhole of his headgear  The fight is paused briefly while his headgear is adjusted.  Upon resumption of the fight Holmquist looks much stronger, battering Polluck with power shots.  Polluck is exhausted now, just swinging his arms.  Holmquist is stalking, landing single left jabs and right hands.  As the bell rings, Polluck’s legs are gone.  If this was a fight, Holmquist won it.  But it’s a boxing match, so we’ll have to see what the scorecards say…

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Sam Anderson (Fergus Falls Boxing Club) is defeated by Jamaal Bradley (Red River Golden Gloves) by decision after three rounds (190#)

Round 1

Bradley, taller by a few inches, comes out with some fast left jabs.  But the fighters spend some time circling before Anderson finally turns on the juice.  Anderson mounts a sustaind assault that pins Bradlety on the ropes, and continues to throw punches, most of them blocked, until the referee administers a standing eight count.    After the break there’s more of the same, with Anderson  again trapping Bradley against the ropes, but this time Bradley shoves him away and shows some offense.  Somewhere along the way Bradley has popped Anderson’s nose, which is bleeding profusely.  It was probably one of those fast jabs – sometimes Bradley is too fast for his own good.  Anderson is an aggressive bull, coming forward to the end.

Round 2

Anderson knows what he has to do, and he comes forward with great agression, knocking Bradley down with a big flurry.  Bradley is prepared for Anderson’s next rush, and tags Anderson back, sending a huge spray of blood onto the first row, with most of it landing on yours truly!  There’s a standing eight count for the dazed Anderson.  Anderson next catches Bradley with an illegal low blow, which leaves Bradley shouting and groaning in agony.  A break ensues, but afterwards fireworks erupt!  Anderson comes forward with tremendous aggression, and Bradley might as well be countering with a hammer!  Both men are windmilling at each other, and both are landing huge shots.  Bell and round – the crowd is screaming!

Round 3

Anderson has shown himself to be very, very tough.  He’s taken many of Bradley’s best shots without blinking.  But about thirty seconds into the third round Bradley stuns Anderson and then lands about ten straight shots.  It’s a bloodbath out there, and a little bit over here, too.  There’s another eight count for Anderson.  Bradley has timed Anderson, and he’s countering with huge right hooks when Anderson tries to get inside.  Anderson is getting tentative.  He knows every time he comes forward he’s going to be punished.  In the end, Anderson can no longer get inside, and his entire face is covered in blood, as is my shirt.

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Ron Engrum (Golden Lakes Boxing) -vs- Colton Warner (Unattached – Minneapolis)  THIS FIGHT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

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Intermission

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Denver Peterson (Red River Golden Gloves) defeats Chace Metelak (Lakes Area Boxing) by decision after three rounds (132#)

Round 1

Peterson comes out aggressive, jabbing furiously and making Metelak run.  With the stage set, Peterson slows down his pursuit and the two settle into a more conventional style of combat.  Both fighters are very fast and athletic, but Metelak, much taller, lands the first hard shot of the fight.  Metalak lands a couple more power shots.   Seeing the difficulty of his proposition, Peterson puts his head down and bulls forward, landing some effective body shots just before the bell.

Round 2

Peterson is looking more tenative, trying to jab his more lengthy opponent from the outside.  Metelak is sharpshooting now, and Peterson ties him up.  Metelak comes forward with evil intent but Peterson counters him and lands a right hook to the body.  Now there’s an exchange in which both men want to stand their ground, which make for good action.  Metelak lands the hardest shot of the round near the end, a right hand that jolts Peterson’s head back.  Bell.

Round 3

Peterson lands a big left that dazes Metelak and then capitalizes by coming forward and absolutely hammering his opponent with a bevy of power shots.  Metelak literallyy turned his back and ran away from that flurry.  Both fighters are winded now, and though many punches are being thrown, not many are landing.  Peterson keeps putting his head down and punching blindly as he comes forward.  His coach and the referee both admonish him for that, and finally he keeps his head up and lands a hard right hand to punctuate the third round and the bout.

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Seth Carpenter (Fergus Falls Boxing Club) is defeated by Matt Mason (Lakes Area Boxing) by decision after three rounds (160#)

Round 1

Carpenter is a long, lanky fighter and he starts the bout with a lot of jabs, but Mason lands a hard right hand to his ribcage, drawing a big reaction from the crowd.   Our combatants spend some time circling, then Mason goes on the attack and walks forward, winging shots from both hands.  Mason seems to be getting the upper hand when carpenter suddenly lands a big jab that freezes his advance.  The rest of the round is more tactical, with Mason trying to attack and Carpenter playing defense.  Near the end of the round Carpenter sees an opening and tries to land a big shot, but misses and eats a hard counter.

Round 2

Mason is the aggressor in the second round, comstantly coming forward and landing the bigger shots.  Carpenter tries to counter while moving bvackward, but it takes him half of the round before he lands a good shot.  It’s a very good shot though, snapping Mason’s head back.  Yet Mason keeps coming forward, and he’s clearly the bigger hitter, and the more hard-nosed fighter.  Carpenter has pretty good footwork for a tall guy, and near the end of the round he seems to be trying to hold his ground.  This stymies Mason’s advance and gives us a better exchange near the end of the second.

Round 3

Carpenter is showing more offense as the third commences.  Carpenter tries to land a big one-two, but both punches are blocked, then Mason comes rushing forward, throwing wildly.  Carpenter lands a jab that staggers Mason!  After an eight count the fight resumes with Mason taking a more careful approach.  The fight is becoming more strategic.  Then Carpenter lands a hard single shot that seems to wake Mason, and Mason goes on the attack again.  Mason backs Carpenter into the ropes and gives him everything – Carpenter lasts until the final bell, and I don’t think this one will be too hard to score.

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Clayton Bruchowski (Eastman) defeats Albert Bolt (Wadena Golden Gloves) by decision after three rounds (135#)

Round 1

Bruchowski comes out throwing but doesn’t land anything in the early seconds of the round.  Bolt, much shorter than his opponent, has to look for a spot to attack, and finally lands a good shot.  Bruchowski has a very fast jab and a very vocal coach, and he is taking advantage of both.  Bolt is a well put together young man, and he seems to be a bigger hitter, but he’s having hard time getting close enough to land anything.  Bolt tries to duck under Bruchowski’s guard, but Bruchowski is able to counter most of his attacks effectively.  Near the end of the round Bolt lands a short right hook to Bruchowski’s body, and the smile on Bruchowski’s face proves that he felt it.

Round 2

Bruchowski crosses the ring eagerly at the start of the second.  Bolt is trying to be faster, and comes forward to land a single power shot.  Now there’s an exchange in the center of the ring and both men land well.  Bruchowski’s coach is shouting that Bolt it hurt; he must have seen something I didn’t.  Bolt has decided to come inside and take Bruchowski’s power shots in order to land.  Bolt gets mixed results, as bruchowski shows a good ability to potshot him.  Bolt finally gets inside and lands a viciuos shot to Bruchowski’s body.  Bolt stays inside for a change, and lands several more good body shots before Bruchowski regains his bearings and counters his attack.  The bell rings with both men missing on power shots and getting tangled.

Round 3

Bolt is tring again to get inside.  Bruchowski is continuing to counter effectively, landing beautiful short right hooks on Bolt.  Bolt is circling rapidly, looking for an opening.  Bruchowski is beginning to come forward.  Bolt is a tough kid, but the height disadvantage is probably too much for him to overcome.  Bruchowski lands one big right to Bolt’s head.  Bruchowski again lands cleanly, a combination this time.  This round ends with Bolt again misfiring on an attack.

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Killer Jackson (Unattached – Anoka) defeats Luke Wiebolt (Lakes Area Boxing) by decision after three rounds (135#)

Round 1

Wiebolt walks right up to Jackson at the start, and Jackson shows he is an adept counterpuncher.  Wiebolt is aggressive, and he is landing some shots, but Jackson has good fast hands, and he takes a shot well.  Wiebolt is not a graceful fighter, but he does come forward.  Wiebolt has a bit of a tendency to lean forward and throw punches with all of his weight on his front foot, so Jackson is able to walk through most of his punches.  A small percentage of a large quantity of punches are landed in the first round, with Jackson having a decided advantage.

Round 2

Wiebolt comes forward again to start the second.  Wiebolt lands a good right to the body of Jackson, but Jackson comes back with a one-two the puts Wiebolt off balance.  Wiebolt’s response is to increase his aggression, you have to like a fighter like that.  Wiebolt contines to press the attack, but he is slowing down as jackson stands his ground and counters him effectively.  Wiebolt is bleeding from the nose.  jackson lands four big single right hooks in a row.  Wiebolt’s balance is suffering.  Jackson is keeping Wiebolt at a distance with jabs and hammering the body.  Wiebolt continues to attack as the round ends.

Round 3

Between rounds Wiebolt’s corner asks him how he feels, and he replies quite audibly “I’m so tired.”  Wiebolt comes forward at the start of the third, throwing punches as he walks forwarsrd.  Jackson is very good at setting his feet and throwing body shots.  Wiebolt trades with him, but jackson is hurting him with right hand after right hand.  Especially to the body.  Wiebolt tries to attack once again, but Jackson throws a big right hand that glances off wiebolt’s head and staggers him.  There’s a standing eight count.  Coming back from the break Wiebolt attacks again, this time landing some good shots to Jackson’s head and body.  Jackson, bless his soul, is very tough and doesn’t flinch or react.  The bell rings with both fighters winging punches.

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Joey Suda (Red River Golden Gloves) defeats Cory Sylvester (Eastman) by decision after three rounds (180#)

Round 1

This is a study in opposites.  Sylvester is a short, heavy kid.  Suda is probably the tallest fighter in the building, and slim.  Sylvester is cirling Suda.  In the early going Suda is potshotting his shorter, slower opponent.  Sylvester takes a particularly sharp shot tothe head and comes up blinking.  Sylvester’s coach is shouting at him to come forward.  Suda attacks and Sylvester counters with a big right hand that will score well.  the rest of the round consists of pawing jabs and off target power shots from both men.

Round 2

Between rounds Sylvester received instructions not to back up.

Suda comes out looking for blood, and lands several hard shot.  Suda comes forward again and this time Sylvester lands a very hard jab that forced him to back off.  The figers are circling to their left.  Suda throws a combination that includes a hard right to the midsection of his pudgy opponent.  Suda backs Sylvester into a neutral corner and feints twice, then misfires on a flurry, which allows Sylvester to escape.  moving across the ring Suda throws a right that hurts Sylvester.  After an interval with little action Sylvester scores with a tremendous left hand that seems to move Suda about two fight to his left.  Surprisingly, Suda is unfazed and continues to attack.  Sylvester springs two more of those thudding hooks to Suda’s body and head, but Suda shakes it off and continues to attack, scoring nicely in the closing moments of the round.

Round 3

I think Suda is finding that fighting Sylvester is like fighting a boulder.  Sylvester is a stronger, tougher fighter than he appears.  Suda is the mobile fighter here, circling Sylvester and pressing a flash attack.  He needs to watch out for those big counters from Sylvester.  Sylvester is not above some roughhouse tactics.  Suda is sharpshooting now, throwing fast and unpredictable combinations that land.  Sylvester’s counters, though effective, are sporadic.  As the fight comes to a close Suda is sticking and moving, Sylvester is trying to find an opening for his bombs.

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Amar Kovacevic (Red River Golden Gloves) is defeated by Blake Herron (Unattached – Brainerd) by decision after three rounds (141#)

Round 1

The fight starts slowly, with both men feinting and dodging.  Herron is the first to attack, landing a couple of soft punches to the body of Kovacevic; Kovacevik lands a glancing blow to the head of Herron.  Herron is using speed and movement to force Kovacevik into a tentative attitude, darting in and out and landing one or two punches at a time.  Near the end of the first, Kovacevik attacks but Herron counters well and lands a loud, slapping punch that impresses the crowd.

Round 2

Kovacevik must have gotten good advice between rounds, because he walks right across the ring and plies Herron with a murderous three punch combination to start the round.  Herron is continuing to move around the ring, but Kovacevic is pursuing and bombing him now.  One punch from Kovacevic sends  Herron reeling across the ring, another binds him sideways at the waist.  Herron is still scoring too, but the tide seems to have turned in Kovacevic’s favor by the end of the first.

Round 3

Herron comes forward, sits down, and flurries body shots into Kovacevic’s body at the start of the third.  There’s a furious rally in the middle of the ring, Herron is throwing more punches but Kovacevic has upped his output as well, and his punches definitely have more ustard on them.  Kovacevic has a nice left hand, and it’s landing to Herron’s head with regulatiry.  Herron moves well to his left, and at one point he shimmies to his left, stops suddenly and throws a big one-two that lands.  Kovacevic continues to attack, though with less success than before. The round, the fight, and the evening end with another good rally between Herron and Kovacevic.  Bell!

Round 1

The fight starts inelegantly with both men ducking down and throwing simultaneously, neither man scoring.  They begin circling rapidly clockwise, with McManigle doing most of the attacking, and what little scoring there is.  Cluever lands the first shot, a big right hand that echoes.  McManigle scores next, with a counter right that thrills the crowd.  Cluever, trying to avoid a clinch, nearly turns his back on McManigle, but dodges a bullet as no damage is done.  Moments later mcManigle lands a big shot that drops Cluever.  Cluever is up quickly however.  The remainder of the rounds sees McManigle score frequently with head shots while Cluever tries to tie him up.

Round 2

Cluever would like to be the aggressor here, but McManigle is much faster.    McManigle lands a few good shots in the early going, but Cluever finally whips an overhand right in and pops him with a good shot.  McManigle is throwing bombs with evil intent.  Cluever spins around from one punch, and later turns his back on McManigle again to avoid taking a punch straight on.  McManigle is manhandling Cluever.  After some rough stuff McManigle lands a major four-punch combination that hurts Cluever.  McManigle is poking a hard jab into Cluever’s face now, scoring repeatedly.  Cluever returns the favor as the round draws to a close, and the bell rings with both men on the attack.  I’m not convinced the fight will last another round.

Round 3

Cluever, who has a strange and awkward style, scores with a couple of flurries on the inside.  Suddenly McManigle is down from a single right hand to the ear.  He looks hurt, but he gets up quickly.  McManigle is no longer circling, but rotating to face Cluever, who continues to orbit.  McManigle is huffing.  Cluever is attacking with more confidence now, and hurts McManigle with a big right to the body.  McManigle misses with a big round hook and nearly dips to his knee, but saves himself just in time.  Cluever is attacking the ribcage viciously, and McManigle is definitely hurt.  Again Cluever goes to the body, and McManigle is in agony.  Bell!

Round 4

McManigle is staying low and attacking to keep Cluever away from the body.  Cluever lands another right to the ribs, and the pain is evident on McManigle’s face.  Finally, with one more dig to the left side of McManigle’s ribcage, Cluever puts him away.  McManigle goes to a knee and referee Mike Robinson calls the fight.  What an unexpected outcome!

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Nathan Seelye (now 0-1) is defeated by Dustin Mason (now 4-0 with 4 knockouts) by TKO due to injury retirement in round 2 of a fight scheduled for 4 rounds

Round 1

Seelye has a longer reach than Mason, and in the early going he tries to take advantage with jabs and sweeping hooks, but doesn’t land anything.  Mason lands the first punch of the fight, as one of a flurry lands.  Mason is beginning to come forward and misses with a big right.  Seelye, seeking to be the aggressor, comes forward and gets hit with a  right hand.  After a lull, the two close ground and Mason does good work on the inside, landing a right to the temple of Seelye.  Mason is pursuing now, and catches Seelye backing up to the ropes, landing another power shot.  Seelye deftly clinches.  Seelye is shaking his left hand; it may be hurt.  Seelye is carrying his lead hand low.  Mason tries to attack but gets tied up again, and hits the back of the head, drawing boos from the crowd.  The round ends without further incident.

Round 2

Seelye is retreating and circling to his right in the early moments of the second.  Mason is having trouble landing a punch.  Now Seelye switches to southpaw, but Mason finally catches him with a lead left – Seelye clinches again.  Now Seelye is back to orthodox.  There’s a tie-up on the rope and Mason is getting frustrated.  Mason is coming forward and Seelye, backing into his own corner, instructs his cornerman to throw in the towel.  Cornerman Kevin Tjaden replies “Are you sure?”  Seelye says “Throw in the towel,” looks at his hand, and shakes it.  Seelye retires and the fight is over.

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Nick Capes (now 0-4) is defeated by Ray Edwards (now 3-0 with 2 knockouts) by TKO about twenty seconds into the first round of a bout scheduled for 4 rounds

Round 1

Edwards shows some respect for his opponent in the opening seconds of the fight.  The two circle for a moment, and then Capes ducks in and tries to land a haymaker.  Edwards counters, punching down at his much smaller opponent, and catches him on the top of the head.  It’s clear that this fight is over the moment Capes hits the mat, and referee Eddie Obregon waves it off.

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Trenton Titsworth (now 5-15-2 with 2 knockouts) and Rondale Hubbert (now 1-0-1 with 1 knockout) fight to a majority draw after four rounds.  (36-40, 38-38, 38-38)

(The first thing you need to know about this matchup is that Trenton Titsworth is a long, lanky beanpole.  His arms are like tree limbs, so he’s going to have a big reach advantage over the normally proportioned Rondale Hubbert, who appears to be a full head and neck shorter.)

Round 1

Our combatants are circling.  After twenty seconds or so Hubbert sends out some tentative, exploratory jabs, and then fires a big hook that misses.  Finally after an extended feeling-out period, there’s a flurry, and both men seem to have landed slapping punches.  Another lull ensues, and suddenly Hubbert charge in, punches wildly.  Titsworth seemed to have parried most if not all of his punches. Tittsworth is feinting and moving his feet.  Hubbert shuffles in and attacks suddenly again, but Titsworth ties him up.  Hubbert is trying to figure out this puzzle.  Hubbert tries to duck inside but Titsworth counters and lands a right hand.  Hubbert backs into a corner, but Titsworth lets him escape.  Titsworth’s corner wants jabs, but interestingly, he likes to lead with his right, which essentially gives up his reach advantage.  Bell!

Round 2

In a four round fight you don’t get to spend much time figuring out your opponent, so Hubbert knows he needs to be aggressive.  He charges in low and gets under his opponent’s defense, then lifts him off the mat.  Now Hubbert tries the same thing again, but a clearly annoyed Titsworth punches down on him and lands.  Hubbert is coming forward now, and titsworth lands a hook to the body.  Hubbert is getting frustrated.  Now he tries getting rough, but titsworth ties him up.  Titsworth has lost his mouthpiece – there’s a pause while renowned referee Eddie Obregon gets a replacement from Titsowrth’s corner.  Hubbert attacks hard now, bulling his way inside and attacking with gusto.  Titsworth, no dummy, uses a double jab to score.  There’s some brawling going on now, and bad blood is developing.  The tide of the round seemed to flow in Hubbert’s favor as it drew to an end.

Round 3

Titsworth opens the third with some meaningful jabs.  Hubbert tries to get inside his defense but gets tied up.  Hubbert is getting rough now, charging inside, leading with his head, and throwing an elbow to Titsworth’s throat.  There’s a break, and then another clash in which a frustrated Hubbert is trying to manhandle titsworth.  Titsworth owns a slow and lazy jab, which he throws slowly and lazily.  All the fighting is on the inside now, which favors the more muscular Hubbert.  Hubbert is talking to Titsworth.  Titsworth comes forward and misses a power shot, and there’s another clinch with all the roughhousing that that involves.  Hubbert finally scores with a clean whshot.  After a clinch, Hubbert gets free and turns and walks away from Titsworth.  Did he forget to protect himself?  Yes he did, and Titsworth hits him with a hateful wing shot to the head, followed by another that he put everything into!  Hubbert tries to fight back, but Titsworth ties him up, and that was a rare moment of action in this bout.

Round 4

Hubbert knows he needs to score a lot now, and he comes out very aggressive.  He shoots his wad and seems to peter out.  Hubbert is working hard to get inside, but once he does Titsworth keeps leaning forward on him and smothering him.  Hubbert comes forward again and finally lands a good left hook to the head.  After another clinch Hubbert lands two good power shots that glance off titsworth’s head.  This is a much tougher fight than Hubbert was epecting.  Hubbert is circling Titsworth, looking for an opening to land a home run shot.  Hubbert’s hands are dropping, and if Titsworth could attack more effectively he would score here.  Titsworth tries to jab at th wide-open Hubbert and Hubbert counterattacks viciously, sending Titsworth reeling into the ropes, where he leans back to avoid Hubbert’s home run shot, and that was a close shave!  There’s grappling and infighting as the round draws to a close.  This was a better fight than I think anyone here expected.

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Preston Shane (now 1-2 with 1 knockout) is defeated by Aaron Green (now 10-0 with 8 knockouts) by KO in the first round of a fight scheduled for 4 rounds

Round 1

About fifteen seconds into the first round Aaron Green knocks his opponent out with a jab.  No kidding, folks – it’s over.

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Cheyenne Ziegler (now 3-10 with 2 knockouts) is defeated by Tyler Hultin (now 5-1-1 with 3 knockouts) by KO in round 2 of a fight scheduled for 4 rounds

Round 1

Ziegler comes out crafty, ducking down, whipping long punches, and getting bck out before Hultin could tag him.  There’s a flurry of punches by both men, which climaxes with Ziegler knocking Hultin momentarily off-balance.  Coming out of a clinch, Hultin catches Ziegler on the temple with a right hand and momentarily knocks him off balance.  Our fighters are trading in the center of the ring now.  Coming in Ziegler either hit Hultin with a right hand or with his head, it’s hard to tell which.    The pro-Hultin crowd is going wild at every opportunity, and Hultin gives them several opportunities, tagging Ziegler with several power shots in the middle of the roudn.  But Ziegler finishes strong, landing a couple of good right hands in the late going before Hultin flurries again in the last ten seconds of the round.  This looks to be a crowdpleasing bout.

Round 2

Ziegler bends at the waist to land a right hand on Hultin, and Hultin slaps him with a counter.  Hultin is going on offense, but Ziegler is a fast and shifty fighter, so most of Hultin’s punches miss.  Hultin lands a right hand that puts Ziegler off balance again, and then another one.    Ziegler moves in close and make Hultin brawl with him.  though Hultin lands several big shots, Ziegler makes him pay with tough counters and mauling.  The brawl moves into the red corner – Ziegler’s corner – where Hultin slips in a couple of hooks and a hard uppercut.  A vicious body shot puts Ziegler to the mat on his hands and knees, and though he tries, he can not get off his haunches before referee Eddie Obregon counts him out.  Hultin wins by body shot knockout and the crowd goes bananas.

Brief Results:

“Doctor” Dan Pozarnsky (Red River Golden Gloves) is defeated by Sam Anderson (Fergus Falls Boxing) by corner retirement in the second round.

Round 1

Anderson looks like the bigger man.  Pozarnsky starts out strong, attacking almost from the first bell.  Anderson measures for a while, then begins to counter effectively.  About midway through the round Anderson wobbles Pozarnsky with a big right, and Pozarnsky is given an eight-count by the referee. The break is enough for Pozarnsky to get his bearings and finish the round, and he even manages to put some punches together before the bell.

Round 2

Anderson is stronger and it shows.  He cracks Pozarnsky’s egg twice in the second round, first earning another eight count and then scoring a knockdown.  Pozarnsky is hurt and the fight is rightfully stopped by his corner.  The crowd cheers enthusiastically for both men – the stronger and more skilled Anderson and the very willing Pozarnsky.

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Mark Shumacher (Red River Golden Gloves) defeats Tim Schuett (Lakes Area Boxing) by decision after 3 1-minute rounds.

Round 1

Schuett is the busier fighter, attacking with confidence and power.  Schumacher is picking his spots, jabbing and countering.  A low blow by Schuett hurts Schumacher and the match is briefly stopped.  There isn’t time for any effective boxing after the break.

Round 2

Schumacher come out on a tear and backs Schumacher into the ropes early in the second.  Schumacher attaccks lustily while Schuett counters strongly with his backt o the ropes.  Schuett gets free and tries to counter while Schumacher, seemingly spent, curbs his punch output.  Schumacher scores with a counter right and pursues his retreating opponent across the ring, but Schuett recovers from the attack.  The remainder of the round consists mainly of Schuett leading and Schumacher countering.

Round 3

Schuett, stronger in the early going, may be losing some punch resistance.  Both men are tired and slowing.  Schumacher spends most of the round coming forward, pressing the action, while Schuett scores with occasional counters.  The bell rings and the round and fight end without any significant advantage in scoring this round.

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Colton Warner (Minneapolis, MN) defeats Pierce Foss (Forks Fighters), by corner retirement in the second round

Round 1

Warner, noticeably larger than Foss, is lighter on his feet and punches with more power.  It doesn’t take long for Warner to score with some big shots – mostly right hands – while Foss tries to jab and move.  Foss doesn’t like those big shots, and who can blame him?  About midway through the round the fight is reduced to Warner postshotting Foss, with Foss hoping to get lucky with a big counter.  Warner scores well with a lot of Kelly Pavlik-style one-twos.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see this fight stop early.  Foss’s feet slowed down and his legs seemed to get heavy as the first round progressed.

Round 2

Foss looks refreshed by the break between rounds, but Warner lands some more big one-twos, with the emphasis on the right-hand follow.  foss looks good momentarily with some slick counters, but Warner gains the upper hand and the referee gives Foss a standing eight count.  Foss knows the score, and tries to get cute, but nothing is working.  Warner tracks him down though, and batters him with an extended barrage.  There’s another eight count, and ring doctor Najeeb Hallak (sp?) inspects Foss’s bloody face.  Foss’s corner waves the towel, and Warner is declared the winner.

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Jamaal Bradley (Red River Golden Gloves) is defeated by Matt Friesen (Forks Fighters), by decision after three 2-minute rounds

Round 1

Bradley comes out on offense, firing a furious flurry  that misses its mark.  The tempo slows, and Bradley continues to try to score, with Friesen taking the role of cagey counterpuncher.  Friesen scores with a good combination, then the fighters separate and when the come back together there’s a clinch.  Bradley has a shoe untied – a momentary pause while his corner takes care of business.  Afterwards there’s little action; just bradley attacking and Friesen dodging.

Round 2

Bradley is missing with some big roundhouse punches.  He’ll need to button that up or Friesen will catch him and hurt him.  Finally Bradley lands a punch, but he’s warned by the referee for slapping.  Friesen isn’t punching as hard as Bradley, but he is landing here and there; his lighter punches are probably turning up better on the scoresheets.  Bradley lands a good looking right to the body of Friesen, but he doesn’t follow up and Friesen doesn’t respond.

Round 3

Bradley, the much faster man, is circling Friesen and feinting, but not scoring.  Finally Friesen puts together some offense and forces Bradley into the ropes of the red corner, where he scores.  Moments later Friesen stuns Bradley and traps him in a corner where he lands a dozen shots, maybe more.  Bradley needs to fight back; right now he doesn’t look good at all.  Friesen isn’t as fast or athletic as Bradley, but his more polished skills are carrying the fight.  Bradley misses with another wild looping overhand right and Friesen punishes him again with several hard shots just before the bell.

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Amar Kovacevic (Red River Golden Gloves) defeats Sergio Garcia (Fergus Falls Boxing) on points after three 2-minute rounds

Round 1

Kovacevik is first to score with a double jab.  Garcia is letting him take some shots and not responding imediately.  Garcia opens up about 40 seconds in and pops Kovacevik with a big shot.  Garcia lands a low blow that the referee doesn’t seemt o notice.  Kovacevik scores with a counter right.  Kovacevik is the busier man and has good fast hands, but Garcia is punching with more authority.  Kovacevik is moving his feet a lot, moving forward and back and circling Garcia.  Garcia spent the first round biding his time and sharpshooting Kovacevik when opportunities presented.

Round 2

Garcia comes out on the attack, but Kovacevik counters with a hard right that moves his head.  In the early exchanges of the second round Kovacevik is outscoring Garcia.  Garcia opens up more and lands a few shots, but Kovacevik answers with a nice short right hook.  Kovacevik, bleeding from the lip, scores with two left jabs and a right follow-up.  Garcia is trying to fight with surgical precision, but Kovacevik is keeping him uncomfortable.  Kovacevik may have outscored Garcia this round, but Garcia made him suffer.

Round 3

Garcia knows he’s behind and comes out very aggressive in the third.  He rocks Kovacevik, but Kovacevik collects himself and begins to counter effectively.  Kovacevik is attacking when the two men get their feet tangled and Kovacevik slips to the  canvas.  Garcia thought it was a knockdown and walked away casually, resulting in a brief delay.  There’s a flurry that favors Garcia, then the referee deducts a point from Kovacevik, it’s unclear for what, although he did issue a warning early for holding Garcia’s head down.  Upon the resumption of action this fight turns into a brawl, and both men let it all hang out!  Garcia is coming forward and although Kovacevik looks ragged, he is scoring with counters.  As the bell rings Garcia is finishing a combination.  Both men wheel around and walk to their corners without touching gloves.

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Joey Suda (Red River Golden Gloves) defeats J.J. Moen (Forks Fighters) by decision after three 2-minute rounds

Round 1

The fight starts with both men firing  Moen is coming forward and grimacing while he attacks.  Both fighters are long and lean, and they’re using a lot of jabs.  Power shots have to travel a long way to land.  Moen comes forward, using his man-strength and ring savvy against the teenaged Suda.  Suda is at his best when he counters.  Moen did some good work when he bullied Suda and when he attacked the body.

Round 2

More jabs this round, but a few seconds in Moen dropped his head and tried to bull into Suda, who responded with some hurtful power shots to the head and body.  Moen continues to come forward and circle to his left, while Suda counters.  A good left hook-straight right combination scores for Suda.  Moen seems to be slowing down.   Suda’s corner tells him that Moen is hurt, but Moen keeps coming forward.  Moen scores with a big straight punch that snaps Suda’s head back, and the crowd responds appropriately.  Moen, coming forward again, lands a big right, and may be taking control of the fight.  The bell rings, and Suda will be looking for some good advice from his corner between rounds.

Round 3

Moen attacks from the opening bell, but Suda responds with power shots that land and blunt Moen’s attack.  Moen lands a crossing punch that impresses the crowd.  Morn is trying to impose his will on Suda, but following a break, Suda rushes forward and lands two hard shots to the head.  This fight is turning into a war of attrition, with both men landing big shots and both men slowing.  Suda steps forward and Moen sticks right hand into his throat.  Moen grins while he attacks and lands at least one of a flurry of punches, but Suda counters and snaps his head back.  Both men are still looking for an advantage when the round and the fight end.  I couldn’t guess who will be declared the winner.

It’s now 7:28pm and the first fight is about to begin.  Updates will begin at the bottom of this page.

At 10:41pm all the preliminaries are over and we’re getting ready for the start of Truax-Vanda.

Main Event: “Golden” Caleb Truax (now 21-1-1 with 12 kayos) defeats Matt “The Predator” Vanda (44-15 with 24 kayos) by Unanimous Decision after 10 rounds.

Round 1

Vanda comes out jabbing, and goes to the body of Truax early.  Truax’s first punch landed is a left hook to the head.  Truax, the larger man, is going hard at the body of Vanda, and Vanda is coming back equally hard at the head of Truax.  Truax counters Vanda’s right with a left that puts Vanda momentarily off balance, but does not hurt him.  After some tactical work, Traux comes at Vanda again with some hard shots.  Harder than is the norm for a first round.  Vanda throws three left hooks at the body of truax, then latches on and the two ggrapple, Vanda bulling Truax into the ropes.  Now Truax lands a big stright right to Vanda’s face.  The two circle to their left and Vanda doubles up on a head shot.  A few more seconds and the bell sounds.

Round 2

Vanda comes out aggressive again, throwing three to the body and one to the head of Truax.  Truax backs off and then comes forward again, jabbing to set up something bigger.  Vnda goes to the body again.  Now Vanda goes down from an inadvertent leg sweep by Truax.  Action resumes, and a brawl breaks out.  Truax lands a couple of huge rights to Vanda, who responds with three big shots of his own.  though the two are trading shots, Truax’s punches seem more effective.  The two land simultaneous jabs.  Thre’s a loose clinch and Traux tries to punch out of it, but Vanda fires back.  Now Vanda lands three shots to break the clinch. All the work is being done inside now, with the fighters standing shoulder to shoulder and hitting each other to the body.  Truax backs off and jabs, then forces vanda to cover up with a flurry of power shots.  Vanda throws two shots to end the round; one might have landed.

Round 3

Trua lands a couple of jas to start the round, then Vanda attacks with power shots, and another period of brawling ensues.  After trading on equal terms, Truax lands a hook to the body that moves Vanda.  Vanda is being aggressive, but he finds himself retreating more than he would like.  Now both men drop their shoulders, and body shots are flying.  It’s head shots that break a clinch, though.  Truax is doing a good job of bullying his opponent, but Truax is tough as nails, and comes out of a tussle slugging.  You get the feeling that Vanda really thinks he can win by having fun in there, and for him brawling is fun!  Truax lands a bunch of good shots only to have Vanda fire up the crowd with a single flurry as the round comes to a close.

Round 4

Truax lands four, five, six big right hands to Vanda’s head.  Vanda comes off the ropes swinging, but Truax definitely got the better of him there.  Truax is again coming in with power shots.  Now Vanda turns him around and rains power shots on Truax for a few seconds.  Truax is having good success with power combinations.  Vanda’s punches are starting to get slower, but he’s giving it all he’s got.  ther’s a clinch and referee Mark Nelson breaks the fighters.  Truax lands a left hook and then a right uppercut.  Vanda fights back with a shoeshine.  Truax is the crisper puncher.  Truax misses with a left, then lands a right and a left.  Vanda fights back, but Truax puts together another series, culminating in a hard right hand just before the bell.

Round 5

The fighters are circling to their left.  Truax is getting through with his left hand, over and over.  Vanda never seems in trouble though, because nothing fazes him.  Truax doubles his left hand and then lands a hook to the head of Vanda.  Vanda comes forward swinging, landing a few, but Truax again stops him and forces him into a shell with counters.  Truax blocks Vanda’s left with his hand, but Vanda’s left lands with some power.  Truax increases his head movement, dances a bit, and comes in with body shots.  There’s some daylight between the two men now, and Vanda takes a few potshots.  Truax steps inside and tries to get rough, but Vanda pops him once and they wrestle on the ropes.  Now they separeate and they’re just slugging it out.  Truax gets Vanda on the ropes and shoots a few good shots into him, but the bell rings with Vanda still having fun.

Round 6

both men are jabbing again to start the sixth, but then Truax lands a seeries of power shots from both hands, and for the first time tonight, Vanda looks frustrated.  Truax beats Vanda to the punch again.  Vanda is circling and coming forward.  he ducks a shot from Truax, comes up and lands a left, but then ruax pops him three or four good ones.  Vanda sneers at Truax.  Truax lands the sedond half of a 1-2.   There’s a clinch, and Vanda comes out of it looking tired.  Truax corner Vanda and goes head-body.  Vanda worms his way out, but Truax pours it on.  finally Vanda lands three punches of a four-pounch combo.  Truax is boxing, Vanda is trying to brawl.  Now Truax forces Vanda into a corner where he lands two shots.  The bell rings as Vanda is about to throw an overhand right, and he pulls back his punch.

Round 7

Vanda comes out aggressive this round, but his force peters out after a good sequence.  Truax is battering Vanda to the head, but vanda reverses course and comes forward, landing two shots.  Truax counters, and the two clinch again.  Out of the break Truax is jabbing, backs off, and then steps in and lands two good shots.  Vnda comes forward and lands a wicked, whipping left ot the body.  this boxing match is beginning to devolve to a wrestling match.    Traux steps back and then charges in again, but they’re mauling, not landing clean shots.  Now vanda steps back and both men land power shots.  Truax leads with a soft left and hten lands a hard right.  Vanda pushes Truax into the ropes, but Truax punches his way out.  Vanda counters, but can’t sustain his aggression.  Truax lands a right to the ribs of Vanda.  Vanda lands a left, there’s the sounding for ten seconds left, and he lands two more.  The fighters trade shots, and Vanda lands the last one of the round, much to the delight of his numerous supporters.

Round 8

Vanda comes out swinging again, but truax lands more shots and harder shots in the exchange.  Vanda raises his right hand and grins at Truax, which incites the crowd.  Backing Truax into a corner, Vanda lands his best shot flush on the chin of Truax.  Truax cturns on him, landing a couple of big shots.  More mauling now, and and more mauling…finally Truax punches out of it, landing one big right to Vanda’s head.  Truax lands some arm-weary punches on Vanda, Vanda fires back.  Truax lands two in earnest, and Vanda fires bak again.  There’s a break, and Truax comes in hard, landing a big right that puts Vanda on his heels. Vaanda stays with him, comeing back with power shots.  Now Truax lands a huge straight right that has Vanda reeling, and he chases Vanda across the ring landing power shots at will.  Just before the bell Vanda comes back to life, rocking Truax with two mule-kick power shots.  More screaming from the crowd!

Round 9

Truax comes out throwing in the eighth, but Vanda finishing his combination for him.  Vanda lands some har jbabs, and Truax comes back at him with both hands.  Truax lands three big shots, steps back, and then steps back in and does it again.  Vanda continues to throw back.  Truax gets the better of almost every exchange, but Vanda is tough.  Truax comes inside to throw power shows, Vanda sucks him in and lands a big right.  After a brief break they go back to mauling.  Vanda lands several left hands and Truax can’tget free to answer back.  Truax comes in aggressive, and Vanda has his best moment of the fight, landing a dozen or more spower shots.  Finally Truax breaks free, raises his hands, and smiles that famous smile.  Both men are tired, but they’re warriors and they’re still going at it.  Truax traps Vanda on the ropes and lands one punch out of a flurry, but it’s a big right that snaps Vanda’s head back.  The bell rings with Vanda sneering at him again.

Round 10

Vanda might be counting on Truax to fade, but Truax is coming forward with power shots again in the tenth.  After landing two good shots Truax eats one good one in return.  There’s some more mauling, in which Vanda lands a couple of body shots at close quarters.  The crowd is chanting Vanda’s name again for about the tenth time this fight.  Truax has Vanda in the ropes and lands a tremendous left that seems to slow Vanda.  Vanda finally comes back with a two-handed assault that increases the noise level in this auditorium.  they’re trading now!  Finally the exhausted men both fall in, leaning on each other and taking a mutual break.  Truax steps in and lands a left right that move Vanda.  Vanda throws a right and Truax’s counter just about turns him sideways.   Truax tries to attack but Vanda neutralizes his attack and throws a tremendous volley, which Truax returns.  Now they’re both stumbling across the ring throwing monsterous shots from every angle – it’s the fight of the year!  The bell rings and the fight is over.  The combatants hug – what else could they do?

Summary: Vanda is a warrior, but Truax is bigger and stronger.  A ball-out brawl between a bigger man and a smaller man predictably goes in favor of the bigger man.

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“Sir” Charles Meier (now 7-2-2 with 3 kayos) defeats Travis Perzynski ( 2-3 with 1 kayo) by Majority Decision after 8 rounds.  I could not hear the first score, but I believe the last two were both 76-74.

Round 1

The fight starts out slow, with lots of jabbing and feinting.  Perzynski finally lands the first punch, and moments later, Meier lands the first power shot.  Meier is looking a little loosey-goosey out there, and indeed his corner is calling for him to button things up.  Perzynski comes forward, missing with most of his punches – Meier is moving his hands a little, jabbing some, but mostly watching for an opening.  Meier throws a clubbing overhand right to the head of Perzynski, who continues to come forward.  Meier lands a let and right to the face, then a right to the abdomen of Perzynski.  Perzynski’s right hand is a little slow, and Meier is countering it well.  Meier again goes head-body.  Just before the bell Meier lands a left and right to the gut, and though Perzynski didn’t show it, that must have hurt.

Round 2

Perzynski isn’t chasing Meier in the second as he did in the first; there’s more circling and jabbing.  Perzynski doubles the left jab, but Meier fires back with much faster hands, landing two shots.  Perzynski is pumping the jab now, which is a very good idea.  He gets Meier off balance and chases him all the way around the ring twice, but does little to follow up the initial score.  Meier shuffles forward, throwing a left to the body and then retreating.  Perzynski scores with a single shot to the face.  After a brief lull, Meier lands a haymaker right hand to the head of Perzynski.  it was a very dramatic looking punch, and the crowd is impressed.  Perzynski is showing more aggression now, but Meier likes to counter and makes the most of it the opportunity as the round draws to a close.

Round 3

Perzynski is coming forward again, and the lanky Meier is jabbing him away.  Perzynski lands a tentative righ to the body of Meier.   Now Perzynski comes forward and lands an overhand right to Meier’s head, but there’s no follow-up.  perzzynski throws a sort of an uppercut that just clips the chin of Meier.  Now there’s some trading, and each man lands.  Meier in particular lands a good short left that turns Perzynski’s head.  Meier is coming forward now, and Perzynski is jabbing.  Meier must feel he’s got Perzynski where he wants him.  Perzynski again throws that terribly slow double jab.  Meier comes forward and lands a big right that snaps Perzynski’s head to the side and puts him off balance.  Perzynski scores with a 1-2 of his own.  The fighters get a little bit tangled at the end of the round, and it looked like Meier got one good shot in.

Round 4

After plenty of jabbing from both men to start the round, Pezynski lands a picture perfect jab and straight combination, but again with not much mustard.  There’s a little bit of trading, and then a pause in the action as Perzynski seems to have some discomfort in his eye.  Not sure what that was about.  This is a very tactical round, with a lot of jabbing, feinting, and missing of punches.  Meier steps in and misses with a big left, and Perzynski grabs him and shoves him toward the ropes.  Perzynski’s jab seems more pesting than anything, but it is keeping Meier away.  Meier finally decides to get physical and attacks the body, then clinches.  Perzynski comes forward and there’s some good trading for the first time in this fight.  In the last ten seconds of the round Perzynski cracks Meier a couple of good shots and has Meier reeling in the ropes as the bell sounds.

Round 5

Meier is jabbing again to start this round, which induces perzynski to jab too.  Meier jabs at Perzynski’s body, the his head.  Meier lands four consecutive punches, one to the head and three to the body, and Perzynski fires back.  Meier lands a big slapping right.  Perzynski pumps the jab some more.  Meier unleashes one big overhand right that could have vaporized Perzynski if he was a bigger puncher.  Meier is starting to get more aggressive.  Perzynski rushes forward buut Meier pops him in the mouth with a left.  Perzynski times Meier and lands a single power shot, but Meier lands a 1-2 only moments later.  The fight is getting sloppy now.  With ten seconds to go in the round Perzynski tries to attack, but Meier puts together his best sequence of the fifth round, scoring with two particularly good power shots.

Round 6

Perzynski comes out very aggressive and chases Meier into and out of a corner.  Meier regroups and tries to fire back, but Perzynski gets him on the run again, landing several good running shots.  Perzynski and Meier throw at the same time, neither man landing.  Meier looks like his feet are back under him and whips a hard right into Perzynski’s midsection, then does it again seconds later.  Meier scores again, and then pops Perzynski attemting to counter.  Perzynski is a tough dude though, and keeps coming.  Meier steps back and throws a wide right that turned left on third avenue to get back into the building.  Meier knifes a left into Perzynski’s body.  Perzynski nods and comes back at him, chasing Meier and catching him in the last ten seconds of the round.  The two trade, and Meier lands the last and most effective punch of the sequence.

Round 7

Meier is jabbing again to start the seventh.  Meier reaches back and lands a straight right to Perzynski’s head.  Perzynski gives chase, but when he caches Meier he takes two hard shots for his trouble.  Perzynski raises his right hand to attack and Meier lands a huge shot that after a short delays, lands Perzynski on his butt.  Pezynski rises at about the 8 count, nodding his head that he’s okay to continue.  Meier is throwing power shots now, but having touble landing them.    Perzynski, hands up, takes a couple of big shots from Meier.  Perzynski is backing up, trying to survive the round, and Mier keeps landing single and double shots.  Meier is going body-head and hurting the head.  Perzynski comes forward at the end of the round, tries to mount an attack, but Meier counters him again.  I’ll say this for Perzynski – he may be slow and have a limited repertoire, but he is a decent tactician and he can take a punch.

Round 8

Meier comes out agggressive, trying to score with a hard jab.  Perzynski walks through the jab and lands a big left-right to the head that for a moment looked to have meier in trouble.  Meier steps out of trouble and shows his earnestness with a fair 1-2 of his own.  Meier is trying to end it, and lands a couple of hard shots at close range that have Perzynski hurting.  Still Perzynski comes forward, missing a lot of punches but finally landing two shots that fereze Meier momentarily.  Meier misses with a jab and a hook, but Perzynski can’t counter.  Meier lands a glancing right to the face.  Meier attacks recklessly, landing one but missing two more.  Perzynski sees the recklessness and attacks, landing a big right (I think?) that puts Meier on his backside and skidding across the mat.  Meier gets up quickly and the two trade as the round ends.  In the corners, Meier looks disgusted and Perzynski looks ready to go more rounds, chatting and laughing with his cornermen.

Summary: Meier is the more skilled fighter and that should score him a win in the bout, but Perzynski gave a good account of himself and certainly made it interesting in the later rounds.

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Mohammed Kayongo (now 16-2 with 11 kayos) defeats Gilbert Venegas (11-8 with 7 kayos) by unanimous decision, 58-56, 58-56, 58-56

Round 1

Venegas is pushing a preventative jab at Kayongo in the early going.  No intent behind it except to keep Kayongo away, which is wise as Kayongo is a big hitter.  The two men circle to their left.  Circle, circle, circle.  Certain elements in the crowd are critical of the tentative approach.  Kayongo throws a soft triple jab.  Finally Venegas throws a straight left that connects, and Kayongo hits him back several times, hard.  Venegas lands another left, and Kayongo goes 1-2 on him.  Venegas again connects, and Kayongo pops his head.  Kayongo throws a hook that lands solidly.  Venegas wants to brawl – Kayongo lands a 1-2, and then a 1-2-2.  Venegas hasn’t got the speed or the power to hang with Kayongo for long, so he’s using aggression to try to end it early.  The round ends with a short rally that sees neither man gain an advantage.

Round 2

Both men circling to their left, throw their jabs in sync a few times.  Finally Kayongo breaks the pattern with a left hook that collides with Venegas’s head.  More circling, and a double left jab by Kayongo.  Now Kayongo puts together four left jabs.  Kayongo dips his left shoulder and throws a rising straight left.  Venegas lands a strong lead left.  Venegas is punching a little wildly now and misses a couple of times, but then connects nicely with Kayongo’s head.  Kayongo isn’t punching like a man seeking a knockout, more like a man who wants to score.  Venegas can’t catch up with Kayongo’s speed, so he’s coming forward.  A wide left hook lands for Venegas, but it lacks steam.  As the ten second warning sounds Kayongo attacks, but as his attack wanes Venegas lands his best 1-2 of the fight.  Bell!

Round 3

Venegas comes out jabbing again, but this time he’s trying to land those jabs.  Venegas lands a shot and Kayongo counters, then showboats, and his cornerman is clearly not happy about it.  ”We’ve got work to do!”  Kayongo throws several uppercuts, and then several more uppercuts – that was unusual.  Venegas is following Kayongo, who is on his bicycle.  Finally Kayongo reverses direction and throws several powerful lefts.  Venegas can’t match him punch for punch, but does connect with one good right.  A brief lul, and Venegas lands another good right.  Now a hard two punch combination.  Kayongo bends forward at the waist, and Vengas hits him with a loud slapping right handed body shot.  Kayongo is biding his time, but Venegas takes the initiative, flurrying and landing several times before in the last ten seconds of the round.

Round 4

I’m not seeing the attack I had expected from Kayongo, and I recall that he hit Venegas on the elbow early in the fight.  I wonder whether he hurt his right hand then.  Kayongo triples the left jab.  He’s moving around a lot, and Venegas has to sharpshoot him.  Kayongo bends his knees and shoots a right hand at the body of Venegas.  Venegas barely misses with a grazing shot in response.  Venegas lands a wide, looping right hand.  Kayongo is getting hit a lot, or more than I had expected, and they aren’t pitty-pat punches.  Venegas goes on the attack, forcing Kayongo into an extended confrontation.  That, I think, favors Venegas, who now lands twoo big rights and then two big lefts.  Venegas is getting the better of this round.  Kayongo tries to counter, but Venegas lands a nice right hook as the round nears its close.  The round ends with flurries from both men.

Round 5

Venagas comes out confident, leading with that left jab again.  Kayongo jabs from his waist and lands it.  Now Kayongo lands a double left jab and both men stand still for a while, bouncing but not attacking.  This round is looking like a jabbing match.  Kayongo finally lands a slow, wide hook.  Kayongo snakes two left jabs through Venagas’ defense.  There’s a lot of trading going on here, but little damage is being done.  Kayongo must be leading the punch count.  Kayongo leans forward and tries to use his length to score, but Venagas potshots him and puts him off balance.  Now Venagas begins charging forward, throwing power shots.  Kayongo throws three left uppercuts, but Venagas counters with power shots from both hands.  The crowd thrills as these men trade shots – here’s 30 seconds of great action to end the round.

Round 6

Our combatants touch gloves to start the final round.  Venagas is again the aggressor, but Kayongo is jabbing effectively to stymie him.  Venagas throws a left and a right as he jumps inside, and there’s a clash of heads.  Venagas hugs Kayongo and apologizes.  Kayongo appears to score with a good power shot, but my view was blocked.  Venegas pursues him counterclockwise around the ring, occasionally landing a single shot.  Kayongo tries to attack, but Venegas pops him with a big right hand.  Now Kayongo goes down with a thud, but I think Venegas stepped on his foot.  Venegas tries to help kyongo up, but referee Mark Nelson shoos him away and lets Kayongo get up on his own.  Venegas is attacking again, but Kayongo counters with great power and great effectiveness. As Kayongo showboats Venegas lands one huge right hand to Kayongo’s temple, which precipitates an amazing flurry to end the bout.  What a barnburner!  The round and the fight are over, and frankly I wouldn’t want to be scoring it.

-

Jon “The Ironman” Schmidt (now 11-3 with 6 kayos) is defeated by Michael Faulk (3-2 with 2 kayos) by TKO in round 1

Round 1

Faulk throws the first feint and the first punch of the fight, and lands the first punch, a right to the body.  The two tangle briefly, but then the referee stops the fight and directs both men to neutral corners.  It’s explained that the fight doctor wasn’t present at the start of the fight.  As the bouts resumes, for about a minute there’s little or no action, just a lot of circling and feints.  Finally Faulk lands a good left to the head of Schmidt and the men clinch.  Faulk punches on the break, but the ref didn’t seem to notice.  Faulk lands a beauty of a left and Schmidt goes down hard!  Schmidt pops up too fast, a sign of a hurt fighter.  As action resumes, Faulk attacks viciously, throwing everything at Schmidt and trapping him on the ropes.  Many, many punches land, and Schmidt  can’t get away and isn’t throwing back.  Finally Schmidt gets free, and countering, lands at least one good right hand – but Faulk pursues him around the perimeter of the ring, finally catching him and trapping him again on the opposite side of the ring, whereupon referee Scott Erickson finally stops the fight with only seconds left in the first round.

-

Tony “2Sharp” Lee (now 7-1 with 3 kayos) defeats Leonard Overstreet (0-3) by Unanimous Decision, 39-37, 40-36, 39-37

Round 1

Lee, a slick boxer, comes out with feints and jabs.  Overstreet walks in and tries to land a left to the body, but Lee punishes him with several mean shots from both hands.  Overstreet is coming forward tentatively, and Lee is using his speed to hurt him when he tries to attack.  Lee lands a vicious left to the face of Overstreet and Overstreet grimaces.  There’s a pause in the action as Lee waits for Overstreet to commit a punishable offense.  Overstreet lands a right to the head of Lee, and afterwards Lee is bleeding from his left eyebrow.  Overstreet is misses with a left but lands a right to the body of Lee.  Lee doesn’t seem distracted by the blood, but he might not know yet that he’s bleeding.  Overstreet is moving around now, acting more confident.  He finds an attack blocked and tries to move to his right, but Lee hurts him with a left hook.  No more action before the bell.

Round 2

There’s good action to start the second, with both men throwing and circling to their left.  About thirty seconds in Overstreet leads with a left and Lee counters with a left.  Overstreet is circling to his right and as Lee turns to face him, a nasty welt is evident on his left cheek.  Overstreet is encouraged, and comes in hard, dropping a big right o the ribs of Lee.  Lee’s speed avantage is diminishing.  Now Lee flurries and misses with all his punches except a big right hand at the end, which bends Overstreet sideways.  Overstreet continues to come forward, but Lee lands a nice rising hook.  Overstreet wants to trade – Lee would be wise to stick and move instead.  As the round ends, Overstreet lands a short shot to the body and Lee misses with his counter, and Overstreet stands and grins as Lee returns to his corner.

Round 3

Overstreet comes out aggressive and lee obliges him by trading.   There’s little defensive technique to this round – some punches are missing their targets, but none appear to be deliberately blocked.  Lee comes forward with a double left jab, and that was pretty.  Overstreet  lands one power shot and eats two more.  Overstreet retreats and comes forward again – Lee jabs him to the face.  That jab is beginning to reappear, and it sets up a nice three shot combo.  There’s a clinch, and refeeree Mark Nelson looks closely at Overstreet as they break; Overstreet smiles sweetly at him.  Overstreet throws a left that misses, and Lee inadvertently connects a counter right to the back of his head.  Now there’s an exchange that clearly favors Lee, as his power shots excel Overstreet’s.  Both men miss with parting shots, and the third round ends.

Round 4

Lee doubles up his left jab, then singles it, then doubles it again.  There’s a clash of heads, and Mark Nelson pauses the fight to warn both men.  As action resumes Overstreet lands a right that shudders Lee, but Lee responds with a furious flurry that clearly hurts him.  Now Lee lands consecutvive right hooks.  Overstreet is a little wobbly, and Lee sees his advantage.  Overstreet’s lazy punches are leaving openings for Lee, who capitalizes with sharp single shots.  Overstreet comes forward with his head down.  Overstreet attacks again – his punches are slower, but they’re landing.  Lee seems willing to take a shot to land two, but with his speed he shouldn’t have to.  Overstreet lands a couple of thudding power shots, but Lee resopnds with three shots.  Overstreet comes in hard and headbutts Lee, and there’s some scuffling as the bell rings.

Summary: Lee outclassed Overstreet, but he didn’t play to his advantages as he should have.  He relied on his superior speed and power and it worked tonight, but…

Damion Hill (now 0-1) is defeated by Kenneth Glenn (now 2-0 with 1 kayo) by unanimous decision: 39-36, 39-36, 40-34

Round 1

These two are said to have a history, and they both come out firing in the early going.  Hill lands the first good shot, a thudding right to the body, but then the two back off and measure each other.  Hill comes forward and lands the second punch of a 1-2 to the head of Glenn.  Glenn shuffles in and connects with a couple of good power shots, then does the same thing again.  Both men are mostly stationary fighters, bouncing but not moving.  Hill, who is taller, is beginning to jab, then a  double jab.  Glenn is the more aggressive man, and his punches have some mustard.  He punches Hill into a corner, but Hill counters and escapes.  the two trade again, to no advantage.  Now Glenn attacks with an intent, and backs Hill into a corner, but hill again escapes.  Hill jabs, then retreats.  With a few seconds to go Hill fires a lazy left and Glenn counters with a smart right hand. Bell.

Round 2

Our fighters touched gloves at the end of the first, and again at the start of the second.  Glenn is again more effective.  Being much shorter, he has to get inside to land.  Glenn gets too close and Hill hammers him with an overhand right.  Hill’s corner tells him to attack the body, and he does briefly, but then goes back to the head and Glenn lands a big single right hand.  Neither man is putting punches together effectively.  Hill is now circling to his left, and Glenn is rotating to his right.  Hill’s corner keeps telling him what a great job he’s doing, but now Glenn attacks and lands a good straight right.  A few moments later the scenario repeats.  Glenn knocks Hill’s mouthguard out during a wild flurry with about ten seconds to go, and despite shouted alerts from the crowd, referee Scott Erickson allows the round to conclude.

Round 3

Both men are trading artlessly, shuffling forward and back in the third.  Hill is fighting with his mouth open, and standing flat-footed.  Glenn continues to attack, landing a good right hook to score.  Hill counters with a good left as Glenn tries to follow up.  Glenn is a brawler by nature, but Hill has more potential to box.  Hill, however, looks exhausted.  Glenn is’t taking the initiative as he was earlier.  Now Glenn charges in and knocks out HIll’s motuhpiece.  Hill goes down to his knees but no knockdown is called.  Insterad his corner inserts his mouthpiece while he kneels in his corner.  Returning to action, Hill has the look of a spent man.  He continues to stroll flatfooted as Glenn chases and pummels him.  Now he turns his back and walks away.  This fight should be stopped.  The bell rings, and Hill loses his mouthpiece again as he drops to his knees in his corner, but no action is taken by the ref.

Round 4

Glen is the aggressor again.  Hill is trying to counter, but he has to time Glenn or it’s all for nothing.  glenn connects with a right that knocks Hill’s mouthpiece out again.  Hill is crouching with his hand on the mat as the referee deducts a point.  Back to action, and Hill misses with a left hook and swallows several power shots from Glenn.  Hill’s corner seems to think that was a good exchange for him.  Glenn chases Hill into a corner again with a flurry that hurts, but Hill finally lands one good counter and Glenn backs away.    Hill continues to try to counter, but his punches are too slow to chase his opponent.  I spoke too soon, Hill lands a single good counter that changes Glenn’s direction, but the result is only temporary.  Glenn rushes in again, and again Hill stumbles backwards into a corner.  A clean overhand left lands for Glenn.  With ten seconds to go, Hill finally attacks and though he wins the last ten seconds, he clearly lost this round and this fight.

Summary: this was a fight without art or science; both men were merely reactive, watching for an opening and throwing a punch.  Fun to watch, though.

-

Jeremy “Lights Out” McLaurin (now 10-5 with 5 kayos) defeats DeWayne Wisdom (2-8 with 1 kayo) by Unanimous Decision, 39-37 on all three cards.

Round 1

Wisdom strikes firsst, a lead left to the body.  Wisdom traps McLaurin agains tthe ropes and pummels him.  Mostly to the body, and McLaurin doesn’t like it.  Wisdom pounded the body for a good 20+ seconds, before McLaurin grappled him into a clinch.  McLaurin has a great height advantage, but Wisdom is the bigger hitter and the more aggressive fighter.  Wisdom is using plenty of head movement and aggression to neutralize McLaurin and lands some good power shots in the process.  McLaurin finally lands a good left to the body but doesn’t follow it up.  Wisdom is weary and McLaurin connects with a big right to the head – a big one.  Wisdom smiles and shakes it off, then attacks, scoring well in the process.  No significant shots land in the last ten seconds of the first round.

Round 2

The second round begins with McLaurin stalking, and he does connect with some good body shots in the early going, but a taller man with a greater reach should be able to score to the head, shouldn’t he?  After a break, the two clinch, but they break themselves up without the ref’s assistance.  McLaurin flurries with light punches and scores.  Wisdom lands a couple of big left hands separated by 2 or three seconds.  Wisdom isn’t built for the long haul, but this is only a four rounder.  McLaurin smacks Wisdom, a glancing blow with his right.  Now the pace is slackening.  McLaurin traps Wisdom in a neutral corner and goes upstairs, downstairs, upstairs.  Wisdom is huffing a little bit, but ducks and cmoes back up with a big left hook.  Another haymaking left connects for Wisdom, but he doesn’t have the same snap to his punches that he had earlier.

Round 3

This round begins with McLaurin stalking again, but Wisdom stops short and fires a few power shots.  McLaurin tries to attack, but Wisdom counters with a big shot and then flurries, all the time glaring at McLaurin’s corner rather than McLaurin himself.  Wisdom bulls McLaurin into a corner and flurries slowly.  McLaurin continues to back up, but counters while Wisdom attacks.  Wisdom tries to duck under a round left punch but it catches the top of his head and his balance is momentarily affected.  Now Wisdom goes on the attack, and his aggression is very effective.  If those shots aren’t hurting McLaurin, well they’re hurting me from 20 feet awsay.  McLaurin unleashes a few disjointed power shots, but again Wisdom shrugs off the power shots and flurries back at the end of the round.  This must be disheartening for McLaurin – it clearly is affecting the morale of his corner crew.

Round 4 McLaurin is shooting out a lazy left jab intermittently to start the fourth, but Wisdom again goes on the attack, and lands at a better clip and with more effectively than McLaurin can counter.  McLaurin is trying to time him, and does finally connect with a roundhouse left.  McLaurin walks in and pops Wisdom with a right, but Wisdom doesn’t let him follow up.  A flurry from McLaurin draws a grunt from Wisdom.  Wisdom is not in the kind of condition McLaurin is, and that may be a factor here.  wisdom is plowing in with his head down now, and his punches lack force.  McLaurin, who has thrown fewer puches tonight, is punching more effectively than Wisdom now.  But Wisdom soldiers on, putting his forehead into McLaurin’s chest – an uppercut would be useful here.  Ten seconds to go and the two trade, with McLaurin getting the better of it, and the bell rings.

Summary: Wisdom clearly won the first three rounds, but McLaurin deserves the fourth.  I think the hometown crowd is going to be disappointed in this result.

Summary: I think it’ll be scored 3 rounds to 1 in favor of Wisdom.  He clearly took the first three, and McLaurin deserves the fourth.

The personal reasons are simple – I have a wife, four kids, two jobs, and not enough time or energy for the creative process.

The professional reasons are more complex, but they boil down to this: I’m tired and discouraged and disillusioned with the small-minded people who think they can realize their big dreams by thinking small thoughts.  These people are called promoters and matchmakers.  I alluded to the difficulty of dealing with these people in a recent article, and more recent developments have crystalized my thoughts on the issue.

I wish all the best to Minnesota’s fighters, both amateur and professional.  I have never had a confrontation with any fighter for any reason, and some of them are among the nicest, most well-balanced people I have ever met.  I have only the highest regard for the officials (judges, referees, administrators, etc) who make it all possible.  And as far as the promotions are concerned, I hope they all have just enough success to keep trying.

What’s next?  I’ll finish a couple of in-progress articles – especially the long-gestating profile of Gary Eyer that should have been (would have been) published last night if not for a major blog-host snafu.  Then I’ll turn out the lights and revert to being just a fan, which is good enough for anyone.

Thanks for reading.

Minnesota-based smallweight fighter Willshaun Boxley is in New York at this hour, preparing for tonight’s match with unbeaten Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski (8-0, 2 kayos) of Quincy, Mass.

Like Boxley, Kielczewski is a solid, well-built fighter.  Unlike Boxley, Kielczewski is a natural lightweight – Boxley has fought from 122 to 133#, but is a naturally smaller man.  Also unlike Boxley, Kielczewski is not a puncher; though unbeaten, he has stopped only two of his eight opponents.  Here’s the caviat for Boxley: Kielczewski compiled an amateur record of 118-26 and won the New England Golden Gloves twice, finishing as runner-up in his class at the 2008 Nationals.

Boxley, who bills himself as “The One,” is as always confident that he’ll perform well.  This time, however, Boxley is reluctant to predict an outcome on the rationale that predicting a knockout sets a fighter up to waste energy trying to end his fight early, while predicting a win by decision suggests a lack of confidence.

Saturday night in Iowa City, boxing fans will have the chance to see sixteen fights for one admission – five amateur Muay Thai and eleven professional boxing bouts.  Of course, as they say, “Nothing is final until it is final,” but here’s the card as it’s expected to play out.  If you’re on the fence about whether to go, the bang-for-the-buck factor may be the decisive determinant.  You can call promoter Adam Pollack at 319-338-1633 for ticket information.

Boxing:

Main Event – Emily Klinefelter (9-0 with 3 kayos) -vs- Christina Ruiz (5-3-1 with 3 kayos), super bantamweights, scheduled for 6 rounds

Dan Almeida (3-0 with 3 kayos) -vs- Michael Limpy (debut), welterweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Johnny Garcia (4-0 with 3 kayos) -vs- Reggie Nash (9-26-1 with 2 kayos), light welterweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Jacob Mangum (2-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- Kurt Brandt (2-0 with 2 kayos), cruiserweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

George Carter Jr (1-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- Wade Ervin (0-1), middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Lance “Ray” Rogers (debut) -vs- Joey Nguyen (0-1), lightweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Andre Wilson (11-5-1 with 9 kayos) -vs- Levi Martin (0-1), lightweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Curtis Tate (2-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- Jerry Mosley (debut), heavyweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Monyette Flowers (6-10-1 with 4 kayos) -vs- Billy Hayes (debut), middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Marvin “Papi Gallo” Jones (1-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- Terry Aldridge (0-1), heavyweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Travis Fulton (14-25 with 14 kayos) -vs- Chris Tish (debut), heavyweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Amateur Muay Thai:

• Jonathan Greene, Iowa City, vs. Adam Blake, Iowa City, light heavyweights
• Josh Johnson, Iowa City, vs. Adrian McMullen, Washington, junior welterweights
• Zac Ashoff, Iowa City, vs. Eric Thomas, Carthage, IL, middleweights
• Damien Roth, Iowa City, vs. Lonnie Scriven, Cedar Rapids, light heavyweights
• Shane Burtzlaff, Iowa City, vs. Marc Tong Van, Cedar Rapids, lightweights

The Fistic Mystic says: Hassan Wasswa and Marcus Oliveira may yet redeem a portion of the honor of Midwestern boxers this weekend, as both are scheduled for action on Saturday night the 29th.  Wasswa, a Ugandan transplant living in Minneapolis, fights Steve Cannell in Nova Scotia and Wisconsin-born Oliveira is scheduled to chew up and spit out an opponent named Jenkins in Detroit.

• Corey Rodriguez has gone 1-1-2 in the last 18 months, against four opponents whose combined record at the time he fought them is 24-4.  Rodriguez hopes to grant his career some momentum as he faces unbeaten (9-0) welterweight Achour Esho in Chicago on Friday night.  Catch Rodriguez’s remarks about the fight and his opponent here and here.
• Joey Abell is taking a chance – a big one – facing 29-2 Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola in Temecula, California.  The risk-reward factor is what makes this match such an attractive gamble for the big boxer/bomber from Champlin, MN.  Though a natural athlete with a beard like a copper kettle, Arreola has never taken his conditioning seriously and has failed to develop or refine his boxing skills since turning pro in 2003.  In a marked contrast of dispositions, Abell is a conditioned and disciplined boxer whose luck and chin have not yet shown equal to his speed and power.  This fight will be televised on ESPN2′s Friday Night Fights.
• Also making the trip to California, but definitely not just tagging along, is Jon Schmidt.  ”The Iron Man” is matched against a red-hot prospect in former Olympian Shawn Estrada (10-0 with 9 knockouts).  Some will say that Schmidt is just cashing in or will only be interested in lasting the six-round distance, but Schmidt is known to be a workout fiend with pride and fire to spare.  Don’t be surprised if Schmidt goes for broke against the favored Estrada.
• Hassan Wasswa is slated to face Canada’s Steve Cannell in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Saturday night.  It’s a rematch for the always  game Wasswa, who was shut out by Cannell in June of 2010.
• Marcus Oliveira fights for the first time since July when he meets 21-17-1 Demetrius Jenkins, a former a fringe contender-turned swaybacked trial horse, at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.  This fight is a supporting bout on the undercard of Saturday’s Devon Alexander-Timothy Bradley event.

• Of interest to those who saw Edwin Rodriguez and Aaron Pryor Jr win their fights with James McGirt Jr and Dyah Davis at Fargo’s Scheels Arena on November 13th: Rodriguez and Pryor face each other in a super middleweight bout tonight on ESPN.    Though Pryor (15-2 with 11 kayos) has a pronounced advantage in height and reach, those seem to be his only advantages over Rodriguez (17-0 with 13 kayos), a hot prospect approaching contender status, who will be widely favored.  The Friday Night Fights broadcast will originate from beautiful Key West, Florida.  Peter Manfredo -vs- Daniel Edouard tops the bill and the broadcast.
• Joey Abell, who faces Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola in California on January 28th, will be accompanied on the road by fellow ACR Gym denizen Jon Schmidt (10-1 with 6 kayos).  Schmidt is slated to face former Olympian Shawn Estrada (10-1 with 9 kayos) of East Los Angeles in a six-rounder.
• Seconds Out Promotions brings us an IBF light heavyweight title eliminator on February 4th.  The fight will feature Otis Griffin and Yusuf Mack.  At this time the Fistic Mystic has no information on the undercard.
  
  

  Emily Klinefelter (9-0 with 3 KOs)

• On February 5th in Iowa City, Adam Pollack of Win by KO Promotions will present a mixed show with amateur Muay Thai (4-5 bouts) and professional boxing (6-8 bouts) at the Johnson County fairgrounds.  The show will be headlined, as usual, by one of the Klinefelter girls.  The one sure thing on the card so far is the main event, which will pit super bantamweight Emily Klinefelter (9-0 with 3 kayos) against Christina Ruiz (5-3 with 3 kayos).  Tickets are available at Sushi Kicchin at the Old Capital Mall or by calling Win by KO Promotions at 319-338-1633.  The fairgrounds is located at 4261 Oak Crest Hill Road in scenic Iowa City.
• Hortons Boxing presents a once-postponed show in Duluth on February 12th.  It can be confirmed that the following fights have been inked: RJ Laase -vs- Hector Orozco (rematch), Al Sands -vs- Zach Ziegler, and Aaron Green -vs- Jordan Ziegler.  Gary Eyer hasn’t been matched yet but is still expected to appear on the card.
• Philip Adyaka is now managed by Scott Tolzmann.  It was originally believed that Adyaka would fight Gary Eyer in Duluth on February 12th, but Adyaka is now penciled in opposite Jonathan Perez for the 26th of February at Grand Casino Hinckley.  As of Thursday night the Hinckley show was reportedly 99% confirmed.  The headlining bout there is the much-anticipated rematch of Caleb Truax-Phil Williams, which ended in a surprising Split Draw back in April of 2010.  In that fight Truax had swept the early rounds but Williams took that last couple of rounds with effective power punching – it looked like a decisive points win for Truax until the scores were read, but in the end it’s the scorecards that do the deciding.  Supporting that bout is an interesting mix of fighters from Seconds Out Promotions and Midwest Sports Council (MSC).  Could this signal an era of greater cooperation between the two promotions?  That’s an eventuality that this writer has persistently hoped for, and in print.