Results for tonight’s card (“Cornered”) at Grand Casino Hinckley will be updated on a round-by-round basis, for as long as my laptop battery lasts.
First bout of the evening:
Ismail “Sharp Shooter” Muwendo (now 3-0 with 2 kayo)s defeats Josh “Jungle Man” Jungjohann (now 0-2), featherweights, by KO in round 1 of 4 scheduled.
Round 1
Early action is all Jungjohann pressing while Muwendo counters. About a minute in Muwndo catches him with some vicious shots, lefts and rights, that wobble him. Jungjohann stays wobbly while he takes thirty seconds more shots, then goes down in the ropes. He’s up quickly enough, but he’s clearly not all there. This would be a good time to stop the bout. It continues, however, and Muwendo hits him with an awful right that puts him down hard. Jungjohann falls backwards into the ropes, the back of his neck landing on the bottom rope and gets a little bit of a whiplash. The crowd goes silent as the fight is obviously over. The doctor keeps Jungjohann on his back for a couple of minutes, then he gets up slowly with the assistance of his stool.
Second bout of the evening:
Michael Faulk (now 1-0) defeats Marvin Rodriguez (now 1-2) by majority decision after 4 rounds
Round 1
Early on Faulk establishes that both his left hand and his right are effective weapons. Rodriguez is undaunted, lunging in with hooks. Rodriguez lands a good right coming out of a close engagement, signaling his seriousness. Faulk appears to have more power, but he gets hit pretty frequently. A big right hook lands to the top of Rodriguez’ head. The two circle, both missing with haymakers. A lull in the action lasts until Faulk lands a pair of good right hooks afew seconds apart, and now both men are warned against leading with their heads. It would have been reasonable to warn Faulk for hitting on the back of the head. The two jab until the bell.
Round 2
Rodriguez comes out jabbing, Faulk hooking. Both men are tentative, and then they clinch. Rodriguez throws a hook to the ribs on the break, and is warned. The two circle to their right, each man throwing (and occasionally landing) power shots. Faulk lands a right-right-left. Now a jab to the abdomen lands for Faulk, and he takes a shot from Rodriguez in return. More circling, and Faulk catches Rodriguez coming in. A vicious right landed but had no discernible effect. Another clinch, followed by more jabs. Both men duck in at the same time, and they may have clashed heads. Just before the bell Rodriguez lands a useful body shot.
Round 3
This round begins with a token jab from Faulk, then he launches and lands a good left and a good right. A strong right lands to Rodriguez’ head, but he keeps coming. Now he appeals to the ref, motioning to the back of his head. Rodriguez is pursuing Faulk, occasionally landing good shots but just as often eating them. In a clinch Faulk lands a heavy right hook to the left temple of Rodriguez. Tentative boxing ensues, punctuated by another right from Faulk, which lands on the bridge of Rodrigeuz’s nose. Rodriguez continues to pursue, and finally lands a huge right to Faulk’s head. Rodriguez’ corner is going crazy, but their man fails to capitalize. Near the end off the round Faulk loses his balance and puts a hand to the canvas, but referee Mark Nelson rules it no knockdown. No further action before the bell.
Round 4
Comedy in the corner as Faulk’s corner forgets to insert his mouthguard, then juggles and drops it on the floor. Once we get started the two combatants trade hooks until Faulk lands a monster that wobbles Rodriguez. The tough Mexican keeps his feet and the fight continues. Now Rodriguez is chasing, landing a flurry of good power shots. Faulk showboats with a bolo punch. Sweat flies as the two brawl in the center of the ring. Rodriguez chases Faulk into the ropes, Faulk bounces off the ropes and comes back at him. Both men are landing good shots, neither is backing down. Rodriguez lunges in and eats a shot, then lands his last good punch of the fight. Round and fight are over.
Third bout of the evening:
Willshaun Boxley (now 5-1 with 3 kayos) is defeated by Thomas Snow (now 11-1 with 8 kayos) by majority decision after 6 rounds
Round 1
Snow comes out aggressive as advertised, but Boxley shrugs off his early punches. Tentative jabbing takes over, Boxley dancing but throwing little nor nothing in the early going. Snow occasionally touches Boxley with a light jab, but nothing effective. Boxley is now following his opponent, but waits to throw punches with anything behind them. Boxley begins to come around halfway through the round, staggering Snow with a right. Now Snow clinches, spins around Boxley, and shoves him away. Dirty tactics. Boxley is lunging in with power shots, but now he slacks off. The two are sizing each other up. Boxley lands a power shot to the body, then Snow clinches and bulls him backwards into the ropes. Snow ducks under a hook and ends up in Boxley’s armpit, and that’s the round.
Round 2
Both men are in a hurry to engage, but ref Gary Miezwa holds them back until the bell. Snow lands a good jab-jab-hook combo, but Boxley is unintimidated. Boxley lands a right hook but doesn’t follow up. Lots of tentative boxing, then Boxley lands a good left hook. Boxley gets off balance but saves himself from falling by leaping and spinning back to his feet. Both men are jabbing carefully now, little aggression is to be had. The southpaw Snow seems to pose a riddle for Boxley. Boxley gets off balance again as he lunges and punches at the same time. Snow is awkward for him, but has yet to hurt him. Those jabs can be annoying though, and Snow has plenty of them. Ron Lyke can be heard in Boxley’s corner pleading for more offense, but the round ends without any fireworks.
Round 3
Boxley ducks under some hooks from Snow, and Snow settles for a few more soft jabs. Now Snow flurries with hooks but it’s unclear whether any landed. Boxley picks a spot and lands a big right, but follows it with no more punches. Boxley finds himself inside but musters no offense. Snow is on the run now, and Boxley is chasing. Boxley is avoiding a lot of punches by ducking and dancing, and he’s good at covering up, but defense alone won’t win this fight. Boxley blocks a couple of uppercuts from Snow. Snow is trying every form of offense he can think of, and sooner or later something’s going to work if Boxley doesn’t respond. Now Boxley lands a couple of power shots. More dancing and spinning, and the round ends.
Round 4
Boxley alternates between a defensive clinic and reckless showboating. Boxley drops down and lands a good right to the midsection of Snow, but it’s a single punch and Snow gets away. On a wild punch Snow spins himself out and has to touch the mat with his hand to stay up. Finally Boxley, encouraged, comes alive and lands a flurry of power shots. Lyke calls for body shots, but Boxley refuses to be coached. Snow lands his punches mainly to Boxley’s arms. Snow finally lands three successive punches. Now he’s on the run again, and all Boxley can do is chase him and lunge. Boxley lands a big right hook just before the bell.
Round 5
The round begins with dancing, then Snow lands a hard punch to the head of Boxley. Snow lands another good punch and Boxley can be heard saying audibly, “Nice shot, nice shot.” Boxley lands another flurry of power shots, then a lull is followed by a lesser flurry from Snow. Boxley is walking flatfooted around the ring, following Snow. He appears uninspired. Lyke continues to shout at Boxley to do something, anything. “Come on, you’re giving him the fight!” Both men look like defensive wizards, but that doesn’t make an entertaining fight. For about the fourth time this fight Snow clinches and then spins around Boxley as if to mount him from the rear. And the bell rings.
Round 6
In the sixth round Boxley finally comes out with fury and desperation. Boxley is landing good punches from all angles, and Snow is tired. Now Snow tries to plant his foot for a punch and slips and fals. Getting up, Snow immediately lands a low blow. Boxley is literally running after Snow, but Snow is doing a good job of punching as he retreats. Boxley settles down. Again Snow spins behind boxley. Boxley is showing all the aggression in this round, and it’s finally showing some effect. A left hook catches a retreating Snow, and Snow responds by holding. Boxley is shredding Snow’s defenses, and all Snow can do is keep running. Now Snow runs around the ring with his hands in the air, as if in celebration, and the bell rings. Fight over.
The Fistic Mystic says: I’m mystified by this decision. Boxley didn’t show much offense tonight, but Snow showed even less. What exactly was Snow rewarded for?
Fourth bout of the evening:
Marcus Oliveria (now 19-0 with 15 kayos) defeats Otis Griffin (now 19-6 with 7 kayos) by KO in round 2 of 8 scheduled.
Round 1
Griffin comes out aggressive but is bounced back by a strong hook from Oliveria. Oliveria uses good body punching to score in this round with Griffin landing occasional strong jabs. Much infighting ensues, but at this point my computer dies and I’m forced to begin rescue measures.
Round 2
Oliveria starts strong, perhaps not wanting to fade like he did against Rayco Saunders. Oliveria gets Griffin into a corner and lands a number of strong power shots, but Griffin escapes and resumes his effective boxing strategy. Oliveria suddenly catches Griffin with a breathtaking right uppercut that puts him down and out. Instant knockout, and referee Mark Nelson hesitates only a second before waving off the whole affair.
Fifth bout of the evening:
Caleb Truax (now 12-0 with 8 kayos) defeats Durrell Richardson (now 11-3 with 4 kayos) by split decision after 8 rounds
Round 1
Both men come out quiet, and after excessive inactivity Richardson landing the first punch of the fight, a soft right jab to Truax’s jaw. The two are measuring each other, neither taking any risks early. Richardson inches forward, Truax inches back. Truax is feinting but not throwing. Truax is pawing at Richardson’s right mitt, way off target. Richardson throws a lazy jab and Truax connects. Richardson jabs low and does not connect. Truax throws an earnest jab that does not connect. Much jabbing, but no further connects in this round.
Round 2
Let’s see whether some emphatic coaching in the corner has any effect on Truax’s game. First thirty seconds is spent backing Richardson up, and Truax finally lands a sort of a hookercut. Richardson is trying to do his work from the outside, but he is too slow and heavy on his feet. Truax is pursuing, but Richardson is doing a good job of staying away. Not such a good job of fighting. Richardson lands a left that resounds but does not work. After a long lull Richardson lunges with a jab. That lunging jab lands a couple more times. Richardson’s footwork isn’t great, he’s seen to stumble occasionally. No significant action for the remainder of the round.
Round 3
Truax is more aggressive in this round, and eventually connects with a straight right that pushes his opponent into a corner. Richardson escapes, but a point is made. Richardson isn’t tring to work behind his jab, he’s trying to do all his work with the jab. Truax dances straight back from a power combo. Nothing notable is happening here. Lots of jabbing and dancing. Richardson lands an okay shot. Truax is walking him down but not attacking. Richardson appears to be running scared now. It’s tough to describe a round in which nothing really happens. Bell rings.
Round 4
Richardson comes out with a frenetic but ineffective attack. Truax is pumping the jab but not connecting. Now a good right jab connects for Caleb. the crowd chants for Truax, who is puching with greater frequency now, though seldom landing. The jab is aimed at the head now instead of the hands. Richardson dodges and runs. Richardson is feinting but not often throwing. Now he lands two punches about five seconds apart. Truax finally corners Richardson but Richardson uppercuts his way out of the corner after eating just a couple of power shots. A counter right cross lands to Richardson’s face. Truax lands a glancing straight right. Now Richardson seems off balance again, but he may just be tired. Bell.
Round 5
Let’s end this thing quick, Caleb – before my battery goes kaput. Richardson lands a nice jab and gets gone before Truax can make him pay. Truax continues to pursue as Richardson runs two thirds of the way around the perimeter of the ring. Truax is getting closer and closer to catching Richardson off, working very hard to do it. The crowd is chanting again. Richardson tries a power shot and Truax counters effectively. Later while trying to escape from the ropes Richardson stumbles and falls but it’s no knockdown. Truax is pressing the action but with little result. Richardson throws a right and a left hook, but both fall short. Truax jabs but misses. A hook lands to the midsection of Truax. Bell, round.
Round 6
[connectivity issues]
Round 7
[connectivity issues]
Round 8
This round begins with more aggression from Truax, and his better physical connection shows. A good left jab catches Richardson on the right cheek as he attempts to escape from a corner, but Richardson does escape. Both men are primarily jabbing, but Truax’s jab is more snappy. Truax continues to give chase, and finally corners Richardson. Directly in front of his cornermen Truax throws a barrage of hooks, but none manage to damage his opponent. Richardson runs some more, and all Truax can do is run after him. Richardson lands here and there, but nothing to write home about. Bell rings, bout over.
Sixth bout of the evening:
Antwun Echols (31-10 with 27 kayos) -vs- Phil Williams (10-1 with 9 kayos), light heavyweights, scheduled for 8 rounds
Round 1
Williams immediatley begins walking down his opponent, echols holding his hands high and waving at the Drill. After a lengthy period of measuring Echols jumps in with a hook. Williams is switching up from right to left handed with regularity, and is landing infrequent, but powerful, hooks. A left hand from the southpaw stance lands for Williams, but Echols is not subdued. Echols charges but is stopped but a good counter and pauses to regroup. The two are trading power shots like battleships: infrequent but powerful. Williams deftly ducks a right from Echols with ten seconds left in the round, and the two dance and feint for the remainder.
Round 2
Williams begins to retreat but with his back to the ropes, lands a thunderous right hook to the head of Echols. Echols hasn’t lasted this long for nothing; he’s game. Echols grabs and wrestles Williams, but he is unable to stop the onslaught as Williams bulls him into his own corner and lands several very effective power shots. Williams is connecting coming and going, all Echols can do is complain to referee Mark Nelson. And he gets hit while he’s doing that, too. Williams is moving Echols with almost every punch, even his seldom-used jabs. Echols finally lands some good shots, including a hurtful right-left combo while Williams was trapped in a corner.
Round 3
Echols is dropping his left hand and stomping in on Williams, and the Drill makes him pay, chasing him across the ring and into the corner, landing power shots with every step, and pummeling Echols in the corner. Echols escapes the corner and fights back, but Williams is the stronger man. A pattern is emerging where every time Echols is hurt he looks incredulously at the referee and compains about something. Redfaced, Echols is throwing dangerous power shots at Williams, but Williams continues to get the better of the exchanges. A killer straight right lands for Williams, and Echols comes back with power shots that back Williams into the ropes. Just before the bell Williams ducks and steps backwards at the same time, getting tangled in the ropes and requiring an intervention from the referee. As he returns to his stool Echols face is streaming blood from somewhere around the right eye.
Round 4
Two mad bombers are putting on an incredible show tonight, with Echols repeatedly landing killer rights and Williams answering with both hands. If there were questions about Williams’ chin he’s answered them by taking the best “Kid Dynamite” has to offer and throwing it back at him. Again Williams backs Echols up and hits him with the kitchen sink, and again Echols shows tremendous aggression and toughness. A right-left combo hurts Echols. Now Echols moves Williams back with a series of hooks, and continues to throw and land vicious shots as Mark Nelson tries to break them. Echols is getting the better of Williams as the round comes to a close, and does not stop throwing punches with the bell, hurting Williams with two shots in overtimne.
Round 5
A shot from Williams hurts Echols, and he nods and invites Williams to do it again. Williams seems more tentative in this round, having been on the run at the end of the last. Weak shots are landing for both men, doing little damage. Now Williams lands a right over an Echols left jab, then a huge right to Echols’ ear, to which Echols’ response is to compain to the ref. Echols is following and jabbing, and Williams is coming back over the jab to hurt him. Now Williams hits Echols with a shot that wobbles him, but is unable to follow up effectvely. Echols goes to the center of the ring and when Williams approaches, hits him again with a hard right. Pawing with the jab, Echols is doing a better job now of keeping Williams on the outside. Williams lands a counter right at the bell, but Echols makes a show of being unimpressed.
Round 6
Both men appear exhausted, perhaps Echols more so. Echols is trying to get inside, where he is very dangerous. A left jab from Williams staggers Echols, but he quickly recovers and comes forward. Williams is landing that jab consistently, but now Echols lands a counter jab that gives him pause. A left from Echols rattles Williams’ head, but Williams retreats and regroups. Williams is huffing now, but he’ll need more ammo to win this bout. Three left jabs in about five seconds slow Echols down. A few more land, but now Echols counters effectively. It looks like Williams, though stronger, is feeling every punch from Echols. A second before the bell Echols turns his back and walks away from Williams.
Round 7
The round begins as the last round ended, with Williams landing left jabs that move Echols’ head. Echols attempts to counter but is caught with two hooks that stagger him and send him reeling into a neutral corner. Williams chases Echols into the corner and pummels him. At this point one of Echols’ cornermen jumps up on the apron and begins whistling at referee Nelson. Nelson, unaware of where the whistling is coming from, allows the bout to continue. Echols runs across the ring seeking respite, but is unable to escape. Williams continues to pursue and to beat Echols to a pulp. Finally Nelson stops the bout, but it’s unclear whether it’s in response to the corner’s urging or because it’s clear that Echols needs to be rescued. Win for Williams by TKO!
The Fistic Mystic says: Echols shows real class afterwards, using his time on mic to praise Williams. Paraphrased: “I was in with Bernard Hopkins and he couldn’t do nothing with me. This man is for real…when it comes time for him to make a step up, he’s going to be the man!”
