Boxing Dreams: Minnesota’s Fantasy Matchups (Part 2)

It’s a known fact: bloggers are empty-headed know-it-alls.  It’s the empty-headedness that gives us such liberty to say anything.

Now consider these possibilities:

Jason Litzau -vs- Tyrone Harris – Litzau’s prospects are actually a little tough to sort out.  Harris is a nice match on paper, though – he has a good record and his worldwide standing is pretty close to Litzau’s.  But Harris is a couple inches shorter than Litzau and has less power, he’s been kayoed twice in his five losses, and he’s almost local (Michigan).  Litzau needs a good step-up fight, and this could be it.  Fly in the ointment: Harris is already penciled in against South Korea’s Ji Hoon Kim for February 12th.  Hopefully the promoter has Litzau’s number handy in case Kim falls out.

Andy Kolle -vs- Ronald Hearns – Two years ago I wanted Kolle to fight Gee Cullmer of Philadelphia, and that would still be a nice one to pad his record, but Cullmer hasn’t progressed as Kolle has.  Then I was agitating for a Kolle match with Harry Joe Yorgey, but Yorgey was demolished by Alfredo Angulo in early November, and there’s speculation out of Philly that the 32-year old Yorgey may choose to retire.  This leaves Hearns.  Hearns is 23-1 but doesn’t have nearly the resume that Kolle does, and didn’t look good in a loss to Yorgey earlier this year.  Bonuses #1 and #2: Hearns is an orthodox fighter and has a suspect chin.

Phil Williams -vs- Matt Vanda II – This one has already generated some talk, so why not?  Williams has told everyone who would listen that he could have gone another ten rounds in the first fight, and that if he had it to do over he would have unloaded on Vanda in the early rounds instead of waiting till late.  Vanda isn’t known for backing down from a challenge, but he may feel that there’s little reason to do it again.  Just the same, fight fans would like to see it, and that’s usually reason enough!

Willshaun Boxley -vs- Allen Litzau – Two confident fighters who must be disappointed with their recent results and who have already established the beginnings of a rivalry.  It’s ready-made!  This one seriously must be on some promoter’s to-do list, and I think  know whose!

Gary Eyer -vs- Jeremy McLaurin – Eyer (7-0-1 with 5 kayos) put himself on the statewide map by winning his thrilling battle with Levi Cortes on December 4th.  At the same time, he showed that he can get down to lightweight territory, weighing in at 133.5 for the Cortes fight.  McLaurin (5-0 with 4 kayos) just cut his ties with Seconds Out Promotions and seems to be looking for challenging fights to move him up the ladder.  This fight has the potential to be a real crowd-pleaser, and the two fighters’ undefeated records would look nice on a fight card.  Alternate plan: McLaurin -vs- Levi Cortes.

Javontae Starks -vs- Patrick Cape – The conventional wisdom says that this isn’t as much a matchup as it is a measuring stick.  Starks was understudy to Demetrius Andrade on the USA Boxing team.  Andrade made his professional debut against Cape a little over a year ago, winning by TKO in round 2.  It would be interesting to see how Starks performs against Cape, wouldn’t it?

The Fistic Mystic says: Before we ride off into the sunset, let’s review my proposals from last time (March 31, 2008) and see what actually transpired:

Anthony Bonsante -vs- John Duddy II - didn’t happen, and never will, because Bonsante is retired, and hopefully that’s a permanent state of affairs.  Duddy is less of a prize than he was back then anyway, since Billy Lyell deflowered him.  (Billy Lyell!)

Boxley -vs- Wilton Hilario – boy, this one is a long way off now.  Boxley is still a tough and talented fighter, but he’s lost three in a row.  Hilario is back on track and riding high, following his UD win against then 18-3 Leon Bobo in November.

Raphael Butler -vs- Eddie Chambers - this one happened, and frankly it wasn’t pretty.   Chambers, not a heavy-handed slugger by any stretch, TKO’d Butler in the sixth.  Chambers has gone on to win four subsequent bouts and is scheduled to face the younger Klitschko (Wlad) on my birthday (March 20th) in Germany.  Butler, by contrast, has gone 3-3 with a no-decision since, though he is on the record saying that two of the losses (a split decision and a majority decision to Homero Fonseca of Houston, in Houston) were gamey.

Jason Litzau -vs- Cristobal Cruz - this one hasn’t happen, and likely never will.  Cruz is the IBF world champ at 126#, and Litzau appears to have found a home at 130#.

Matt Vanda -vs- Sebastian Demers - This is another one that happened, and went poorly for the Minnesota guy.  Few Minnesotans saw it, but it was reported to have been an entertaining battle.  Vanda lost a landslide decision (shut out on all three cards) and has gone 5-3 since, but has continued to spring surprises on boxing fans (a close loss to Julio Cesar Chavez in 2008, a close win against Tocker Pudwill in 2009, the surprising win against Phil Williams at 165# in 2009) while Demers has gone 6-1 since.

Zach Walters -vs- Hugo Pineda II - Here’s another that will never happen.  This looked like a good revenge fight a year and a half ago, but that was before Walters lost three out of four starting with Shawn Hammack in August 2008.  Walters retired following his latest loss, and it’s for the better.  It’s good for a Minnesota kid to get out while the getting is good.

Want to talk it over?  Go to the Minnesota Boxing Forum for for discussion!

Raphael Butler’s View, and a Latin Euphemism for ‘Oops’

After talking to Joey Abell a couple of days ago and publishing a short article based on his comments, it seemed appropriate for me to give some virtual ink to Raphael Butler, as well

I spoke with The Silencer tonight about his feelings about the publicity that his December 4th fight with Joey Abell has brought, what he remembers (and doesn’t remember) about that night, and the possibility of a rematch.

Given a free rein to talk about whatever he wanted, Butler chose to lead with his feelings about his friend, Joey Abell.  “Well, reading some of the articles on the internet, it just doesn’t seem like Joey’s being honest about his side of the story.  And it’s also kind annoying me that he doesn’t seem to show any remorse for what happened.  I do feel like Joey heard the bell. I don’t think that Bobby Brunette heard the bell.  But Joey was trying to touch gloves when Bobby told us to fight, and I turned back to go to my corner – that’s when he hit me.”

“I do remember hearing the bell.  I do remember thinking that I was going to get a minute to clear my head.  The first knockdown was a good knockdown and I even remember thinking that maybe this was a good thing because now Joey would stand and fight instead of running.”

“The first knockdown was a legal knockdown,” Butler reinterated.  “He did knock me down fairly that time.  Then the bell rang, and there was a flash and I woke up in the locker room.  I don’t remember that I got up and walked around and that we hugged and I talked to the crowd.  The only thing I remember is waking up in the locker room and the doctor asking me a lot of questions.  Anything that happened after that bell I don’t remember.”

I asked Butler whether he was concerned about long-term damage from the trauma of the punch or the fall, and whether he had gone in for an examination after the fight.  “I don’t have any ill effects from the fight, I don’t have any headaches or anything.  I have some loss of memory, just that ten minute period. But other than that I feel perfectly fine.”

Despite his impression that Abell hasn’t shown adequate public contrition, Butler asked me to mention that Abell had sent him a text message “to tell me that he was sorry and trying to reassure me that he didn’t hear the bell.  He also promised me that he would take a rematch to settle the score.”  I asked Butler whether he would take that fight.  “I’m definitely interested in a rematch.  Minnesota wanted us to be rivals, now they’ve got it.”

Mea Culpa

Some local boxing fans have objected to my use of the expression “meal ticket” in a conversation with Star Tribune writer Abby Simons, a conversation that ended up serving as the basis for an article that she wrote.  The objectionable term came up when I tried to explain why Dan O’Connor was irate at the ending of the Butler-Abell fight – Simons quoted me thusly: “He had just watched his friend and meal ticket get knocked out cold, and that can only happen so many times in a career.” [italics added]  Some people feel that there’s something sinister or dishonorable about the idea of a manager profiting from the work of his fighter.  It’s also been explained to me at length by several people that neither O’Connor nor Butler’s other manager, Steve Munisteri, have ever taken any money from any of Butler’s purses.  As Butler himself explained, “Neither Dan nor Steve have taken any money from my purses, and Steve is paying my way through school now.  They would actually save money if they didn’t help me out.”

While not conceding that the phrase itself should be offensive, or that there would be anything inappropriate about a conventional relationship between fighter and manager(s), I do apologize to those who are offended and I would retract that word if it were possible.  I would hate for my choice of words to call into question the honor of Dan O’Connor.  Unfortunately don’t have the power to retract that word, nor did I realize when I spoke it that it would be published.

Joey Abell Has Answers, plus A Correction from the Fistic Mystic

This article began with a simple purpose: several people pointed out to me that it was Dan O’Connor who Joey Abell was protecting during the group tussle in the ring on Friday night, and not Ron Lyke.  It seemed proper to get a clarification, so I called Abell to see what he had to say.  Abell was as gracious and friendly as usual, and answered a few more questions at the same time.

Fistic Mystic:  Some people have told me that my initial report was wrong, and one of them in particular thought it was very important for me to clear this up!  Who was it that was underneath you, who you were protecting?

Joey Abell:  Yeah, that was  Dan O’Connor.  I was just trying to keep people off of him, so he wouldn’t get hurt.

FM:  Keep him from getting squished?

JA:  Yeah, that’s right.

FM:  Okay.  Now having fought Raphael once, for a round anyway, would you fight him again?

JA:  I would fight him again, any time.  Especially after that, that one round.

FM:  He did hit you with at least one good shot.  Did it bother you?  It looked like you shrugged it off…

JA:  I didn’t really even  notice it or acknowledge it.  Some people did tell me afterwards that I’d been hit pretty hard, but I don’t know.

FM:  The fight was originally called a disqualification before it was changed to a no-contest.  How did you feel about…

JA:  I felt the same way – it happened to me once before, in South Dakota, when I hit a guy who had one knee down…

FM:  I was at that fight

JA:  Yeah, and this was kind of the same thing.  It probably looked bad to half of the people who saw it.  But to the people who had my view it was legitimate.  This was the same.  Half of the people didn’t hear the bell.

FM:  Did you get paid?  Was there any talk of withholding any of your purse money?

JA:  I don’t know, I left early and I don’t exactly know.  But I know that there was some kind of issue going on there.  There was talk, but I’m not sure whether it had anything to do with the result of the fight.

FM:  I’ve heard that some people are saying you weren’t fully in the neutral corner following the knockdown.  Were you?

JA:  You know, when you knock someone down you’re pretty eager to go again.  I didn’t want to lose that advantage or that opportunity…but I got yelled at, so I took a step backwards, farther back than I would have been.  Yeah, I was in the neutral corner.

FM:  How soon would you fight again?

JA:  Today!

FM:  Do you have any plans?

JA:  Ah, no, I haven’t had my meeting yet.  We usually have a meeting after each fight to see what’s on the agenda.

The Fistic Mystic says:  I was wrong!  When Joey Abell arched his body over a gray-haired man in a satin jacket, that was Dan O’Connor, not the similarly attired Ron Lyke.

Big Swat, and Other Thoughts from Target Center

If I could pick one theme to characterize tonight’s fights at Target Center, it would be Big Swat.

Some guys had it and others didn’t, but as much as boxing fans love it, it isn’t always the deciding factor in a fight.

One guy who had Big Swat didn’t win.  That was Silas Ortley, who showed good power while losing to Dave Peterson – a fight that was stopped by the referee after the fourth body-shot knockdown.  Oddly, I thought that when Ortley wasn’t dropping to his knees from body shots, he looked like the stronger and more effective fighter, despite his soft and pudgy appearance.  (Yes, I have looked in a mirror lately.)

Two little guys who have Big Swat fought each other.  Gary Eyer -vs- Levi Cortes was the fight of the night and a legitimate candidate for Minnesota’s Fight of the Year, 2009 Edition.  In round 1 Cortes looked stronger and more effective.  Things were not looking good for Eyer, of Horton’s Gym in Duluth.  But starting in round 2, the two young lightweights pounded each other silly almost nonstop until the end of the six round fight.  Eyer won the decision, but this was one of those fights where you wish they could both be rewarded.  I talked to Eyer briefly after his fight, and he seemed in awe of what he had just experienced.  What did I say to Eyer?  I told him to take some time off, because he has earned it!

Two big guys whose hallmark is Big Swat fought each other, but that one ended badly due to an unfortunate case of Late Swat.  Initially ruled a DQ win for Raphael Butler (and a corresponding DQ loss for Joey Abell), the outcome has reportedly been changed to a No Contest.  Thank goodness - that was the right decision.  Thank you, Boxing Commissioner Scott LeDoux!

One man’s attempt at a Big Swat hurt his shoulder. That would be Ronnie Peterson, in his fight with North Dakota’s Tomi Archambault.  Peterson had shoulder surgery before he turned pro, and he suffered another shoulder injury tonight.  Tonight’s injury forced Peterson to quit on his stool, not something that any fighter wants to do, and certainly not with his dad working in his corner.  Get well soon, Ronnie.  If you have to have surgery again, let me know where to send the flowers.

A man who is known for Big Swat lost by quick knockout to a man who is not.  Zach Walters, nineteen of whose twenty-four wins have come by knockout, lost an incredibly quick fight by kayo after he was roughed up by Larry Sharpe, who only managed eleven knockout wins in thirty prior fights – as a light middleweight!  Sharpe moved up to super middleweight and battered a bigger, ostensibly stronger opponent.  It just goes to show you that sometimes Big Swat shows up in unexpected places.

Hector Orozco isn’t a great fighter, but he has conjured up some Big Swat before.  Against Tony Lee tonight, Orozco could sure have used some more of that BS, but Lee was too quick, too elusive, and summoned too many Little Swats.  Orozco just couldn’t find it when he needed it.

Yevgeniy “Boris” Shishporenok showed a great facility for snuffing his opponent’s attempts to uncork a Big Swat.  Totally unexpected, and very impressive.  Don’t try this at home, kids: Boris twice caught his opponent’s incoming punches in his own very strong hands like a catcher catching a fastball.  I don’t know how to convey the image to the reader, so I’m going to repeat myself: he just caught those punches in his hands and tossed them away like fungo balls.  For his part, Boris landed a phantom Big Swat that nobody really seemed to see or hear, but which flattened his opponent just the same.  Philosophical query: if a punch lands on a man’s jaw and nobody hears it, does it still hurt?  Evidently the answer is yes.

Last of all, Saverino and Jacob.  Saverino Garcia and Jacob Dobbe put on a good show, but neither man particularly impressed.  A small dose of Big Swat would have spiced things up a little bit, guys.  Maybe next time one of you could, you know, let his opponent land a big haymaker.  Just a suggestion.  Because everybody loves to see a fight end with a great big Swat!

S.N.A.F.U.

Here’s how the end of tonight’s state heavyweight title went down, as I saw it:

As the first round drew to a close, Joey Abell had Raphael Butler in trouble.  He knocked Butler down, and the referee, Bobby Brunette, didn’t hear the bell ring as he was busy counting and evaluating Butler’s condition.  Abell obviously didn’t hear the bell, and (this is my opinion, based on what I saw) Butler didn’t know the bell had been rung, either.

Brunette waved the two fighters back together and Abell moved in and finished Butler off with a tremendous punch that knocked him stiff.  While this was happening, Dan O’Connor and the rest of Butler’s Brigate were pounding on the mat with their hands and their stool, and the crowd in the Target Center was screaming that the bell had sounded.

After that it was mayhem.  O’connor did his best Rock Newman impression, Ron Lyke and Jim Maurine entered the ring in Abell’s defense, and the crowd moved toward Lyke, knocking him down and threatening to trample him.  Abell arched his body over Lyke until the referee and comission personnel regained control of the situation.

Ring announcer Dan Cole announced that the outcome of the fight was a disqualification win for Butler, and further announced that Butler had won the state heavyweight title.  Afterwards Cole interviewed Butler on the PA system, and asked Butler whether he had heard the bell ring.  Butler said he had heard it ring and wasn’t expecting Abell to throw any more punches, and that’s why he let his guard down.

We need some questions answered.  The most pressing are these:

1. Should the fight be a DQ or a No-Decision?
2. If the ruling is that it’s a DQ, can the title be awarded to either fighter, since neither earned it?

Joey Abell/Raphael Butler and Zach Walters/Larry Sharpe Round-by-Round

Good evening, and welcome to Abell/Butler and Walters/Sharpe at Target Center in Minneapolis!  We’ve got quite a complement of media here tonight, which is a welcome change of pace for Minnesota boxing.  It’s 7:20 and the crowd is just beginning to file into the arena, so we might see a little delay in the  start of the show.

• Note to my favorite reader: I left the phone in the van, and I’m not going back out there to get it!
• An announcement has just come down requesting that officials report to ringside.  Let’s get this show rolling!
• Scroll to the bottom of the page to follow along – the fights are listed in reverse chronological order.

Joey Abell (now 25-5 with 24 kayos) loses to (is not defeated by) Raphael Butler (now 36-8 with 28 kayos) by disqualification in round 1 of 10 scheduled.

Round 1

Abell is jabbing and backing up, Butler jabbing and coming forward.  Butle lands the first good shot of the night, a short right hook after Abell missed with a left.  Abell connects with a left hook to the chest of Buter, and a pause…both men fire at the same time, no advantag yet.  Now Butler jumps in and there’s a clinch.  Bobby Brunette breaks the two apart.  both men are circling to their left, and Abell zaps butler with a left.  Butler lands a big right to the head of Abell, Ice bounces off the ropes and moves across the ring.  Abell sticks a hard left into theches of butler, and Butler can be seen saying something…unclear what.  Abell bounces a good right off  the head of Butler, gets  butler backing up, and pounds him into a corner!  butler goes down to his knees, rises slowly, and the men begin punching again after the bell!  NOBODY SEEMS TO HAVE HEARD THE BELL, and referee Brunette isn’t trying to break them up!  Abell clocks Butler with a thundering left hand, Butler appears to be knocked unconscious, and all hell breaks loose – the O’Connor crew storms the ring in protest, Ron Lyke and Jim Maurine go to the aid of their man, and now there’s a huge melee.  Ron Lyke is at the bottom of the pile, and Abell is arching his body of Lyke’s to protect him.

I hope this fight is ruled a no-contest and not a DQ…we’ll have to wait and see.

Ring announcer Dan Cole has announced that Raphael Butler is now the Minnesota heavyweight champion.  I’m not sure this is the case – we need a ruling on whether a title can be won on a disqualification, pronto!

-

Zach Walters (now 24-5 with 19 kayos) is defeated by Larry Sharpe (now 24-7 with 12 kayos) by TKO at :56 in round 1 of 8 scheduled.

Round 1

Sharpe comes right out and gets into Walters’ face, cornering Walters and battering him with an extended barrage of hooks and overhanded shots that put Walters down no more than thirty seconds into the fight!  After a mandatory eight count it’s more of the same, and Walters ends up sunken in a neutral corner, red-faced and helpless.  Referee Bobby Brunette stops the bout after just 56 seconds.

Memorable: in his post-fight interview with ring announcer Dan Cole, Sharpe calls out Matt Vanda!

-

INTERMISSION…

Ronnie Peterson (now 3-1) is defeated by Tomi Archambault (now 1-1) by TKO due to an injury after 2 rounds of six schedulued.

Round 1

This fight begins tactically, with neither man committing to an attack, but feeling each other out.  As it develops, Archambault looks like the aggressor, but Peterson is comfortable (or seems so) backing up and fighting from a Money Mayweather-like posture.  Archambault traps Peterson against the ropes and pummels him for a good ten or fifteen seconds, but Peterson finally escapes and scoots across the ring.  Archambault may have hurt Peterson there, it looked like a right hook and it left Peterson rubbing the left side of his face.  Now Archambault has Peterson against the ropes again, and lands a long series of grunting body shots before Peterson escapes.  Peterson is not impresssing so far in the first round.  The round ends with Archambault coming forward.

Round 2

Archambault gets Peterson into the ropes yet again, and though Peterson punches his way off the ropes, he doesn’t get away and takes more punishment than he should.  Peterson is a sharp puncher, but seems to be in the habit off walking straight backward to get away from trouble, and that doesn’t work.  Archambault lands his best punch of the fight, a left to the head of Peterson, and peterson retreats again.  Peterson walks backwards into a corner again, but this time deftly executes a switcharoo, putting Archambault into the corner before – you guessed it – retreating again.  Archambault impresses by feinting a left, and when Peterson flinchhes, nailing him with a right from outside his field of vision.  This round ends as the last one did, with Archambault coming forward.

Round 3

This fight has been stopped due to a shoulder injury – we can only assume it’s to Peterson, as no one has said yet.  Archambault has now been declared the winner by TKO.

 

Gary Eyer (now 7-0-1 with 5 kayos) defeats Levi Cortes (now 3-1 with 2 kayos) by unanimous decision (58-54, 57-55, 57-56) after 6 rounds.

Round 1

Cortes throws the first punch, a left jab, and there’s a short lull before both men commence to throwing power shots.  Now another moment of quiet, and Cortes comes in throwing extremely hard right hands.  Eyer counters with at lesast one good body shot that could be heard throughout the arena, and after another lull Cortes charges in with a vicious left that snaps Eyer’s head back.  Cortes comes in and puts his head down, allowing Eyer to get off a monster shot to the body.  Cortes is a beast, throwing hateful punches that have Eyer ragdolling around the ring, but each time Eyer comes back with credible counters that show he’s still game.  Now Eyer tries to lead with a  right, but Cortes ducks it, pushes him into a corner, and nails him again.  Cortes lunges in and lands another snapping right, and Eyer retreats to the ropes, where Cortes flurries again until the bell rings.

Round 2

Eyer lands a good left jab that snaps Cortes’ head back at the start of the round, Cortes comes forward and misses with a right, taking a big left to the head as his comeuppance.  Eyer lands a left, ducks two big shots from Cortes, and lands a hook or uppercut.  Cortes measures, measures, and throws an overhanded right that lands flush to Eyer’s cheek.  Cortes tries the same move again, this time Eyer craftily ties him up and drags him backwards across the ring.  Cortes ducks and charges, and Eyer lands a big counter left.  Cortes’s ragin bull routine might be losing its effectiveness.  cortes connects a right hook to the body froma wide angle, eyer feints a punch and Cortes flinches.  cortes shortens up his hook and lands wit hless powerr.  Cortes jumps in again, and catches Eyer repeatedly.  Eyer backs up into the ropes and there makes a stand, firing back with hooks and uppercuts that make the crowd roar!  Wisely getting off the ropes, Eyer is again retreating while Cortes throws power shots of every variety from every conceivable angle until the bell rings.

Round 3

Cortes is stalking but not throwing for the first twenty seconds of the round.  eyer is moving back and to his left, changes direction, head fakes, and then atacks.  Cortes goes on the attack, eyer steps back and to the right, throws a big left hook , and drops Cortes hard.  Back up after the count, Cortes looks like easy prey, but when Eyer tries to finish him off, Cortes latches on hard and won’t let go until both men crash ito the ropes, and Eyer does a twisting body slam.  Cortes is looking lost, but at just the most desperate moment, lands a big hook that snaps Eyer’s head all the way back.  the two men separate, and referee bobby brunette stops the action so Cortes can be inspected by the ring doctor.  Upon the approval of the ring doctor, cortes comes back out looking for blood.  Cortes lays into eyer with a ferocious extended combination, eyer fires back in turn, and the two go toe-to-toe in the center of the ring for what seems like a full minute!  When it’s over both men are looking rough, but Cortes’ face is covered in blood from the eyes down.  Cortes is landing his leads, but Eyer is countering effectively through the end of the round.  What a round!

Round 4

eyer leads, Cortes lands two effective shots.  eyer may be better off countering.  cortes continues to come forward, suddenly eyer charges and lands one big right.  Cortes gets him back twice, and eyer finishes the encounter with a hard left.  Back to the center of the ring, where cortes attacks but is hit flush witha horrorizing eyer right that sprays blood across the ring.  Cortes is back to stalking, and as he jumps in there’s a sickening thud as the two men’s heads clash.  As the fighters separate, eyer hard a splash of blood on the back of his right shoulder.  No telling where that came from.  Cortes is throwing mostly single shots now, bleedding heavily from the mouth, Eyer waits until there’s five seconds left in the round and then flurries with his back to the ropes.  As the bell rings, the crowd applauds what is developing into a possible FOY candidate.

Round 5

The lips of Levi cortes, I must say, look like punctured and oozing sausages.  Cortes is attacking again, and Eyer seems to be getting tthe upper hand with ferocious counters that would knock a horse cold.  Cortes attacks again and again, Eyer, sometimes eats big power shots, but equally often connects with deathly counters.  cortes is down!  eyer hit him with another counter and his knees buckled – but cortes is up before bobby brunette can count .  eyer pursues cortes into a corner and pummels him, but as the two men meet once again the center of the ring, cortes hits Eyer with three big rights.  Cortes is still pursuing Eyer as the bell rings, round 5 is in the books.

Round 6

Cortes starts the scoring with a hard left-right-left that freezes Eyer momentarily, but Eyer collects himself and resumes countering.  Eyer charges forward with a left and right hook that both miss, and the combatants take a short break.  Cortes is bleeding heavily from his nose.  Cortes , coming forward, lands two straight rights and backs Eyer into a corner, but may be too tired to capitalize – at any rate, Eyer walked out of the corner.  Cortes is coming forward again, but putting his head down, he is hit with a tremendous right uppercut that the crowd didn’t seem to notice.  Two tired warriors are trading, toe-to-toe, an extended flurry like I have never seen before!  The round ends with an exhausted Cortes taking terrible punishment from Eyer’s hooks and uppercuts.

Dave Peterson (now 12-0 with 7 kayos) defeats Silas Ortley (now 4-8 with 3 kayos) by TKO at 1:22 in round 4 of 6 scheduled

Round 1

Ortly throws an alligator-armed right jab to start things off, Peterson lands a soft shot, and Ortlye goes hard to the body three times.  Peterson sees this kid is earnest, and bangs on him for a few seconds, Ortly gets inside and lands big looping hooks to the body and head of Peterson.  Peterson is moving well but punching softly, Silas is a charging bull, but despite all his uncouthness he lands.  Peterson lands a good rigth hook to the ribcage, and Ortley  leans uncomfortably to this right.  Peterson had better use that jab!@  Ortly comes charging in and lands several more winging punches.  Peterson lands three softies and Ortly misses with a big right.  Peterson’s smooth boxing is beginning to show.  Peterson alnds three more body shots without getting touched back, but on his next foray into Ortley’s body, Peterson eats another big hook.  Peterson puts his right out to hold Silas at bay, but Ortley signals bad intentions by throwing a hook at the outside of Peterson’s straightened elbow.  The bell rings with Ortley landing two more hooks on Peterson’s melon.

Round 2

Peterson is trying to be elegant, but Ortley counters his soft hook with a big heavy-handed right that moves him.  Peterson puts his head down and gets caught under Ortley’s armpit.  Ortley sportingly lets him out after throwing just two more punches, and they’re back at it.  Simultaneous punches – a right from Ortley and a Left from Peterson – land knuckle-to-knuckle in mid-air.  Ortley lands another big power shot, and Peterson counters while  moving backwards.  Peterson ducks again, and gets caught in the armpit of Ortley again.  Peterson is landing very soft lefts, then suddenly comes to life, landing three resounding rights to the body of Ortley.  Ortley is throwing with lless conviction now…Peterson lands a big liver punch to Ortley, and Ortley hesitates before taking a knee.  he’s in obvious pain, and looking like a deer in the headlights as Miezwa counts eight or ninee before Ortley rises.  Ortley’s mouthypieces is out.  Now as the bout resumes, Ortley shakes off the effects of the punch and throws a flurry of big shots that may have hurt Peterson.  The bell rings, and as Miezwa steps in between the men, Ortley throws three angry overhanded punches and then makes a challenging gesture at Peterson.  Things just got more interesting!

Round 3

Ortley is looking like the ggressor here, landing several good one-twos.  Petreson ducks inside, and Ortley lands a huge right to the ribcage!  Peterson backs up, and Ortley nails him in the face, drawing out a big “Oooooh!” from the crowd.  Peterson is ahving a hard time figuring Ortley out.  now Peterson gets smart and digs to the body with several big hooks that would hurt a bronze statue.  Ortley is punching down at the larger, crouching Peterson, and peterson is continuing to geo hard to the soft body of Ortley.  Ortley absorbs one too many body shots and goes down on his knees again, but after the mandatory eight count, it’s business as usual.   Peterson, countereintuitively, is going downstairs consistently on his shhortter opponent.  Now ortley catches Peterson with a big body shot as peterson moves backward.  Peterson flurries again as the round comes to a close, and again Ortley goes down from yet another body punch!  Ortley jumps to his feet at the count of nine, and the timekeeper rings the bell as soon as the fight recommences.

Round 4

Despite al the hurting, Ortley comes out game for the fourth.  A lunging hook from Ortley lands on Peterson, Peterson ducks duwon and to the right, and ortley alertly targets his exposed side.  Ortley catches Peterson on the ropes and lands two big shots, and Peterson escapes.  Back in the center of the ring Peterson lands three good body shots, Ortley puts his head down and bulls him backwards into  a corner – both men still punching all the way to the ropes.  Peterson gets out, and as the two reengage catches Ortley with another big body shot, and this time Miezwa waves the fight off immediately.  TKO.

 

Hector Orozco (now 1-4) is defeated by Tony Lee (now 1-0 with no knockouts) by unanimous decision (39-36, 40-35, 39-36) after four rounds.

Round 1

Orozco extends a hand of greeting as the fight begins, and Lee ignores it.  Orozco throws a few sharp jabs to the body to kick things of…there’s a pause in the action – I think that Lee lost his mouthguard.  Upon returning to action lee throws some ineffective but straong-looking hooks at Otrozco.  Lee traps Orozco against the ropes and lands at least two very hard shots to teh head of Orozco, but the two clinch and  have to be broken up by referee Gary Miezwa.  Lee lands a big right to the head of Orozco, and Orozco leans hard into the ropes…is he baiting Lee?  Apparently not, because as Orozco comes off the ropes Lee caches him with another shot that puts Orozco off balance again.  Orozco puts both hands on the mat, and that’s going to be a knockdown.  After the mandatory eight count, the fight resumes with Lee trying unsuccessfully to follow up and end things early.  At the sound of the ten second warning, Lee puts on a flurry that has Orozco reeling, but Orozco is a tough dude and he withstands the storm.

Round 2

the second round begins with Orozco trying to come out aggressively, but a stiff jab puts hm back in his place.  A period of tentative jabbing ends with Orozco landing a rock-hard right hook to the head of Lee.  There’s more tactical boxing with no advantage to either man, then on a clinch Lee lands a right handed rabbit punch that escapes the ref’s notice.  Orozco tries to attack but gets hit with a good two handed coutnerattack from Lee.  Lee is landing loud and hard punches, but they seem to be mostly to the upper arms and shoulders of Orozco.  Orozco shoots out a right jab and gets hit hard with a counter right.  Orozco is coming forward, but lee is getting the better of the exchanges.  Ten seconds to go, and neither man is in attack mode…now Orozco comes lunging forward, but Lee backpedals out of danger and the bell rings.

Round 3

Tony Lee is a fast and artful boxer, but Orozco is a tough buldog, not a chihuahua as his nickname suggests.  Lee lands a good flurry of power shots, but Orozco is unmarked and bounching on his toes.  Orozco shoots out right jab and sits down on a left hook to the body that lands.  Lee, coming forward, misses badly with a right hook.  Orozco comes forarrd and lands a good right, but follows through too far and ends up turning away from Lee.  No counter from Lee.  Orozco tries another right and misses completely.  Lee isn’t a bomber, but his jabs are scoring.  Orozco comes in with fire, but lee gets underneath and flurries with five punches to the abdomen.  Orozco comes back blazing, but can’t score as the round ends.   As he returns to the corner, Orozco is sporting a big, long welt above his right eyebrow.  Head butt?

Round 4

Our combatants touch gloves as the round begins, then both unload all their best shots.  Lee is a more accurate puncher, thus he got the better of that exchange.  Now Orozco is on his toes and bouncing to his right and backwards..Lee is attacking hard, but  now as he lunges in to attack there’s an apparent clash of heads.  based on the position of his head as they met, I’ll guess that Lee got the worst of it.  Orozco is smiling as he attacks, landing a nice right that lands to Lee’s head.  Lee bulldozes lee backwards into a neutral corner but does not appreciable damage, and Lee gets out.  Lee may be losing some speed, and he’s getting caught with  more regularity as a result.  lee lands abig right hand, but Orozco comes bakc hardder and rocks lee!  Lee’s hand touches the mat, but referee Miezwa ruels it a push, not a knockdown.  Not sure I agree.  Orozco, for his part, was offended that as Miezwa  broke the two men up, his gentle push put Orozco off balance, resulting in a butt splat on the canvas.  Back at it, both men are eager but unable to do any damage, the ref breaks apart a clinch just as the ten-second alert is sounded, and the round ends before any  more punches are thrown.

Yevgeniy Shishporenok (now 7-1 with 6 kayos) defeats Will Gillette (now 0-1) by TKO at :57 in round 2 of 6 scheduled.

Round 1

Boris enters the ring to Queen’s masterpiece, ‘Fat Bottom girls.’  He is introduced as a ‘rock solid 280#,’ which may be optimistic.  The two fighters come out with guns blazing, and Gillette briefly traps Boris in a neutral corner, but Boris gets out unscathed.  gillette is landing hard shots to the head and body, fighting from a crouch that might put him too far from Boris to do any real damage, but then he reaches up and lands a righthanded haymaker that snaps booris’s head back.  boris is now coming forward, but gets hit with a hard body shot.  boris catches gillette with a  good shot, but my view is obscured by referee Gary Miezwa.  Boris continues to walk forward.  gillette throws a big looping hook that boris catches with one hand and tosses aside.  Now gillette puts his head down and bulls straight into bori’s midsection, and  the referee has to break the two apart.  A lot of artless feints and head bobs lead up the the end of the first.

Round 2

Gillette lands a right jab to the body of Boris, but Boris catches another punch with his hands and casts it aside.  Gillette is ducking his head while he comes forward, and Boris, stepping back and to the left, lands a tremendous knock that puts Gillette flat on his face.  Gillette is quick to his feet, but after looking into his eyes, ref Gary Miezwa makes the call to stop the fight.  TKO!  Speculation at ringside is that Gillette may have hit his face hard on the mat and done a little self-inflicted damage.

 

Saverino Garcia (now 1-0-1) defeats Jacob Dobbe (now 0-1) by unanimous decision (40-36, 40-36, 39-37) after four rounds.

Round 1

The fight begins with a spirited exchange, Dobbe landing three hard straight rights in a row, Garcia shooting back with harder shots, but fewer.  The action moves to another corner and Garcia comes out on the wining end of another slugging exchange.  In the middle of the ring Garcia scores big with a single right hook to the head of Dobbe, and the pace finally slows.  Now Dobbe is stalking, Garcia looking to counter with lefts and rights.  Garcia scores with a snow left-right-left-right, but Dobbe gets him back with a nice counter.  Dobbe is slowing noticeably now, and Garcia is landing with both hands to the head and body.  Dobbe is trying to be the aggressor, but doesn’t have any steam left.  No sooner do I say that, than Dobbe lands a good straight right, but moments later Garcia scores with a powerful right at the bell.

Round 2

Round two begins with Dobbe coming forward, right into a hard left from Garcia.  Dobbe connects with his best punch of the night, a right o the chin of Garcia.  Then another!  Garcia counters, but Dobbe hits him hard to the left side of his ribcage.  Garcia misses with a soft right, but Dobbe fails to counter.  Garcia lands one three punch combo, then another, then too many punches for me to count!  dobbe is hurting, but he throws back and connects with two good shots.  A hard left to the face of Dobbe brings a smile or a grimace from Dobbe – hard to say which.  Now the two sluggers trade in the center of the ring, Garcia rocking Dobbe repeatedly.  Garcia tries a big left hook – Dobbe fails to move, but Garcia misses completely.  Garcia now lands several good shots from both hands.  Dobbe is stil coming forward, Garcia moving back and to his right.  Garcia lands  anice right that snaps Dobbe’s head back.  Garcia senses the round is drawing to a close and flurries…and flurries…now the bell rings and Garcia lands a hard right significantly post-bell.  Dobbe is staggered, regains his balance, and puts his hands on his knees.  I think he’s considering quitting, but he returns to his corner via a crooked line.

Round 3

No penalty to Garcia for the late shot.  Garcia comes out agggressive, dobbe counters a flurry with a well-deserved elbow.  the two trade again, and dobbe appears to be spitting blood.  A hard left jab rocks Dobbe, then another…but Dobbe returns fire, landing a good power shot.  dobbe may have connected with another left elbow to the face of Garcia.  Dobee is ducking and lunging, and landing occasionally.  Garcia is moving around…then Johnny Johnson can be heard shouting ‘Now! Now! Now!” and Garcia flurries again, but dobbe is nothing if not tough.  Garcia lands a good right hook and dobbe nods at him.  Dobbe paws with a left jab and Garcia misses badly with a right.  Garcia lands a tremendous left that impresses the crowd.  dobbe’s punches have little behind them – Garcia parries a punch in the old-fashioned style just before the bell, and this round is over.

Round 4

Dobbe looks reluctant as the round begins, but he finally lands a strong shot, a big straight right that sends s spray of sweat up from Garcia’s head.  Dobbe lands a second, similar punch, but Garcia is unmoved, backs Dobbe into his own corner and batters Dobbe.  Garcia stuns Dobbe with a left-right, then flurries again.  Dobbe continues to come forward, but is not effective.  Dobbe wipes his face with his mit and looks at the blood, casually wipes the blood on his pants, and returns to fighting.  Dobbe lands several rigths over about thirty seconds, but Garcia again sshrugs him off and flurries with a series of power shots that wilts Dobbe further.  the two nearly clinch, but mutually push each other away.  Referee Gary Miezwa breaks the two after a clash, and now the en second warning, and Dobbe lands one more big right before taking two hard counters from Garcia, and the bout is over.

Time For A Shakedown, and Other Thoughts

It’s time to see the Minnesota boxing scene grow and change.  Time to see someone rise and someone else fall.  Time to get behind a local heavyweight hero.

There’s going to be a reorganization in Minnesota boxing at the Target Center on Friday night; either Joey Abell or Raphael Butler is going to come out of this scrap as Minnesota’s main man in the biggest division in boxing.  For whichever man wins, this is going to be the biggest win of his career.  On the flipside, the conventional wisdom seems to be that for the loser, it’s the end of the road.  I don’t happen to think that’s really the case.  The loser of this fight will just have another loss on his record, and that’s really nothing new for either man.

No, the real significance of this fight isn’t who comes out the loser, because both men have lost before and will again.  In boxing, every man not named Marciano or Calzaghe eventually loses.  The real significance is going to be who walks out of Target Center with with the wind at his back.

Other Stuff

It’s a little disappointing that there hasn’t been more media talk about this upcoming fight.  It seems that the fighters have done their part to promote the show, but where are the TV commercials, the print ads, the radio spots?

There’s been some talk, both publicly and privately, about how Raphael Butler is finally taking his boxing career seriously, finally taking responsibility for his weight and cardiovascular fitness.  A public example would be this article from Todd Bechthold at MNboxingleague.com.  I can’t give you a private example, for reasons that should be obvious.

Joey Abell isn’t a trash talker by nature – in my experience he doesn’t seem to be much of a talker at all.  Butler also seems like a good-natured guy, but he found it in him to make some provocative statements about this fight for the sake of  the media.  I feel like an old-time yellow journalist when I say that it’s too bad these guys like each other so much, because it would make for better press if they were at each other’s throats!

Mostly forgotten in all the talk about the main event is the fact that Zach Walters has been matched with a pretty good fighter who isn’t washed up.  To put it gently, that doesn’t always happen.  Although Sharpe is at a significant size disadvantage, it’s worth noting that he is coming off a first-round demolition of Bruce Rumbolz, who beat Shawn Hammack, and who Matt Vanda was unable to put away in eight rounds just last year.

There hasn’t been much talk about it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tony Lee-Hector Orozco fight is the most entertaining bout of the night. Lee is an excellent fighter with a fine amateur pedigree, and Orozco is a comer who has sprung a surprise before.

Robb Leer

Former KSTP sportscaster Robb Leer is the guy who issued my press credentials for this event.  Seems he’s gone rogue and started an independent PR firm, Leer Communication & Consultants.  I’m sure this isn’t news to newspeople, but it was to me, because I’m just a schlub.  Learn more about Leer’s outfit here.

Raphael Butler -vs- Joey Abell: Predictions

Boxing figures chime in on how they expect Friday night’s heavyweight battle to go down:

Todd Bechthold: First big punch probably wins.  It may come down to boxing skill, because both guys have power.

Willshaun Boxley: I think that Joey’s definitely going to win for sure, and I think it’s going to be by knockout.

Jamaal Marcc Bradley (amateur fighter): Joey Abell by KO in round 4

Mike Dempsey (boxer and trainer): Joe by TKO in 7

Gary Eyer (pro fighter): I’ve never seen Abell fight and I’ve only seen Butler once, so I say whoever comes in lighter at the weigh-ins will win.

Sean Hickman (coach): The only prediction I’d like to make is that I believe someone is going to get kayoed if both of these guys want it as much as the other, which they should at this point in their careers.  They both have great athletic ability, knockout power, and are in desperate need to make a statement.

Graham Houston (writer): Abell TKO8…I think he might have better staying power than Butler.

Andy Kolle (MN middleweight champ):  I am going to go with Abell just because I think his conditioning will carry him through the initial onslaught and bring him to victory.  No disrespect to Raph because he is an excellent fighter and he could very well prove me wrong!

Brett Mauren (writer): I say Butler comes out and shocks Abell by knocking him down in the first, but gasses out fast and Abell stops stops him in the 4th.  It’s gonna be a slugfest.

Cory Rapacz (matchmaker): Abell TKO3

Andrew Studer-Ginsburg (gadfly): I like Butler by decision.  Butler looks to be in good shape.   I think he’ll outbox [Abell] late.

Caleb Truax (pro fighter): Joey KO 3rd round.

The Fistic Mystic says: Butler may be the more gifted all-around boxer, but I think that Abell has real world-class power.  Everything else being nearly equal, power is going to be the deciding factor in this fight.   Abell by KO.

Upcoming Boxing Event: Abell -vs- Butler on December 4

 

Target Center

Still basking in the afterglow from Caleb Truax and Mohammed Kayongo’s wins Friday night in Saint Paul, we look forward to the next big boxing event in Minnesota.  What to watch for:

• Joey Abell and Raphael Butler, both Minnesota kids whose careers have gone off track, meet for the Minnesota heavyweight title about a year and a half too late.  The winner will get a big career boost, while the loser will continue to be an obscure, second-tier pro heavyweight.
• Zach Walters searches for redemption for his recent losses.  Some fans had hoped for a revenge bout with Shawn Hammack, but instead of a revenge bout he gets a match with a man (Sharpe) who beat a man (Rumbolz) who beat the man (Hammack) who beat Walters back in August of 2008.
• Travis “Freight Train” Walker takes a bout with the “Russian Giant” – a 6-1 big dude who has yet to win a bout against an opponent with a win.  Read that again: not an opponent with a winning record, but an opponent who had ever won a fight at the time of their meeting.
• Ronnie Peterson gets a rematch with the man, Tomi Archambault, who was briefly given credit for beating him, before the result of that bout was nullified and the bout ruled a no-contest.  As some have said, Peterson has something to prove – but no less does Archambault, who had to be upset and embarrassed by the erasure of that win.
• Gary Eyer and Levi Cortes meet in a curious match of unbeaten local boys.  Anyone who has seen Eyer fight knows that he is fast, strong, and efficient.  Has anyone seen Cortes fight?  I haven’t.
• Dave Peterson is matched with a serviceable opponent in Silas Ortley.  Peterson is coming off a tough, close win against previously undefeated Corey Rodriguez, so he’s earned an easier match.  It’s up to “the Prodigy” to make sure that he doesn’t take the night off, because Ortley has proved that he has a good heart and a good chin, despite his lackluster (4-7) record.
• A matchup of young men looking for their first wins: Saverino Garcia, who is pretty good, takes on Allante Davis, who just isn’t that good.
• Tony Lee – a very good amateur – turns pro against dangerous Hector Orozco, whose unimpressive record doesn’t give an accurate idea of his potential.

Joey Abell (25-4 with 24 kayos) -vs- Raphael Butler (35-8 with 28 kayos), heavyweights, scheduled for 10 rounds, for the Minnesota state heavyweight title

Zach Walters (24-4 with 19 kayos) -vs- Larry Sharpe (23-7 with 11 kayos), light heavyweights, scheduled for 8 rounds

Travis Walker (33-3 with 28 kayos) -vs- Yevgeniy Shishporenok (6-1 with 5 kayos), heavyweights, scheduled for 6 rounds

Ronnie Peterson (3-0 with 3 kayos) -vs- Tomi Archambault (0-1), super featherweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Gary Eyer (6-0-1 with 5 kayos) -vs- Levi Cortes (3-0 with 2 kayos), welterweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Dave Peterson (11-0 with 6 kayos) -vs- Silas Ortley (4-7 with 3 kayos), light middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Saverino Garcia, (0-0-1) -vs- Allante Davis (0-3), light middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Tony Lee (debut) -vs- Hector Orozco (1-3 with no kayos), weight unknown, scheduled for 4 rounds

What’s News?

I heard the familiar thud-thud-thud of helicopter rotors tonight, a sound that – oddly – warms my heart.  That distinctive sound of a helicopter reminds me of the last few months that I lived with both of my parents before they separated for good.  My dad was a soldier (still is, in fact) and was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  In those days the sound of helicopters, loud and low, was a constant accompaniment to daily life; a happy memory, bittersweet to recollect.

I glanced up at the night sky in time to see a medivac helicopter, only a few hundred feet up, racing toward the hospital on the north end of town.  I thought to myself, “I wonder who’s hurt or dying up there.”  I pondered some possibilities – a victim of violent crime, a farmer fresh from a machinery mishap, a motorist hurt in a traffic accident…I wondered, “Will I find out from the ten o’clock news?”

But here’s a strange thing about “the news” – it’s only news if “the news” tell us that it is.  In the spirit of the old cliche (if it bleeds it leads), let’s consider the most prevalent variety of news item: how many crimes are committed every day in an American city?  How many of those crimes are reported on the TV news?  The newspaper presents a greater volume of news, it’s true, but even they don’t get it all – especially considering the widespread cutbacks which have afflicted their industry lately.

A few weeks ago a professional athlete nearly died in competition, right here in Minnesota.  Jesse Barbot suffered a subdural hematoma during a boxing match at Shooting Star Casino in Mahnomen and had to be rushed, in a 100 mph ambulance ride, 75 miles to the big hospital in my adopted hometown of Fargo for emergency surgery.  Barbot’s story is well on its way to a happy ending; it appears that the doctors were able to avert any permanent neurological damage, and Barbot was able to check out of the hospital and go home yesterday.  News coverage: Zero.

The next four weeks will bring Minnesota fight fans more fights than we’ll know what to do with.  Starting with November 13th we have a sold-out, televised show featuring two of the highest-profile boxers in Minnesota in the main event (Matt Vanda and Phil Williams), as well as the professional debut of an elite amateur (Javontae Starks).  From there we move on to November 20th in St Paul, when a local boy (Caleb Truax) fights a former world champ (Carl Daniels) for a minor title belt, then a Minnesota-based African immigrant (Mohammed Kayongo) fights a California-based prospect who is bringing in an entourage of his Welsh compatriots (James Todd) for another minor title belt.  Finally, on December 4th, Minnesota’s top two heavyweight prizefighters (Joey Abell and Raphael Butler) duke it out for bragging rights and a state championship belt at Target Center.  Supporting fights for this downtown Minneapolis event will feature a Jungle Boy, a Freight Train, and a Prodigy.

Will any of these events be considered news by the mainstream press?  I wouldn’t bet on it.