Boxing Update: Upcoming Myth Show, August 14

Matchmaker Cory Rapacz confirms that opponents have been locked in for August 14th for Brad Patraw and Jose Hilario.

Bantamweight Patraw will fight Javier Segura of Mitchell, Nebraska.  Segura has been around the block and back again, accumulating a record of 4-16 along the way.  Segura’s record suggests he’s a patsy, but his four wins all came by knockout.  This is a pretty good match for Patraw, who is fast, strong, and tough but could use some experience.

Hilario’s opponent is 1-2 Hector “The Fine Chihuahua” Orozco – the same Orozco who stole Duluth welterweight RJ Laase’s “O” with a split decision win last may.  Though Orozco isn’t a glamorous opponent, don’t expect him to be a pushover for Hilario, a super featherweight.

The August 14 show at The Myth is promoted by Midwest Sports Council.

Upcoming Boxing Event: May 21 in Duluth, Minnesota

Horton’s Gym Promotions presents a six or seven-bout card at Grandma’s Sports Garden in Duluth on Thursday, May 21st.

What to watch for: Unbeaten junior welter Gary Eyer rematches Scott Robinson.  In their first match, on March 28, Eyer was the faster and stronger man en route to a TKO win when referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight after two knockdowns in the first round.  Robinson, however, felt that the fight had been stopped prematurely – and he promises a different outcome when the two meet again.  “The Prodigy” Dave Peterson attempts to resurrect a dormant boxing career when he faces tough but unrefined Iowan Joshua Rodriguez in a 6-round light middlweight bout.  Well regarded welterweight RJ Laase tries to run his record to 5-0 against Hector Orozco.  Two talented amateurs make their pro debuts as Jorey Olson and Anthony Wallace mix it up in the cruiserweight division.  Heavyweights Hyacinthus Turnipseed and Enobong Umohette face each other as each vies for his first professional win.  And in an odd twist, Lakendriedk Craig is listed on Boxrec as the opponent for both Tyler Hultin (pro debut) and perpetually hopeful Andson Griggs.  Unless this is a three-way battle, one of the two opponents will have to either face someone else, or bow out of the show.  Promoter Chuck Horton could not be reached for a clarification.

Gary Eyer (5-0-1 with 4 kayos) -vs- Scott Robinson (3-9-1 with 2 kayos), junior welterweights, scheduled for 6 rounds

Dave Peterson (9-0 with 6 kayos) -vs- Joshua Rodriguez (4-7 with 3 kayos), junior middleweights, scheduled for 6 rounds

RJ Laase (4-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- Hector Orozco (0-1), welterweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Jorey Olson (0-0) -vs- Anthony Wallace (0-0), cruiserweights, scheduled for 4 rounds — UPDATE: this fight has been canceled

Hyacinthus Turnipseed (0-4) -vs- Enobong Umohette (0-1), heavyweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Lakendriek Craig (0-0) -vs- Andson Griggs (1-0-1 with zero kayos), light middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds — UPDATE: this fight has been canceled

Lakendriek Craig (0-0) -vs- Tyler Hultin (0-0), middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds

Happy New Year, Please?

Some of our Minnesota fighters gained ground this year, others saw their stock fall – some considerably.  This was a tough year for Minnesota fight fans, but there were some bright spots.  Here’s my take on who’s been moving up, who’s been going down, and who needs to make a move.

Risers:

• Caleb Truax has passed some milestones this year.  He ticked off five more wins to run his record to 9-0, he fought out of state twice (California in June, South Dakota in November), he beat two fighters who were coming off wins (Thomas Rittenbaugh and Bobby Kliewer), and he spent two weeks working out with contender Enrique Ornelas at Big Bear, CA.  There is not another fighter in Minnesota whose stock has risen as much as Truax’s in 2008.
• Willshaun Boxley has only fought three times since turning pro in 2007, but he has tried oh-so-hard to make more fights.  Those in the know acknowledge that Boxley has been willing to fight all the best young pros in Minnesota this year but the fights have just not developed.  Boxley’s inactivity is not his fault.  In January Boxley traveled to Chicago to face 28-fight veteran Barbaro Zepeda, and in February he kayoed Nick Arellano at the Myth in Maplewood.   Although Boxley’s upcoming fight with 12-7 Torrence Daniels will take place in 2009, the groundwork was laid in 2008.  This is enough progress to make Willshaun Boxley one of the top risers in Minnesota in a year when not much rising took place.
• Jon Schmidt isn’t one of the big names in Minnesota boxing, and he only fought twice in 2008.  But Schmidt engaged Tim Taggart in an exciting battle on Taggart’s home turf this year and came out the victor, then came out on the winning end against Silas Ortley at Grand Casino Hinckley.  These bouts saw Schmidt improve his record to 6-1, and that puts the Iron Man in a good place.
• RJ Laase made the most of his opportunities in 2008, winning all three of his fights including an exciting four rounder against the always competitive Mike Davis and a 3rd-round TKO against tough Tyler Gould.  The win against Davis looks even better in light of Davis’s 2nd-round TKO of Gould in December.  If Laase continues to win in 2009, there’s no telling what Chuck Horton might have in store for him.  Whatever you might think about Horton and his gym, there’s no denying the professional strides that both Andy Kolle and Zach Walters have made under his management.

Fallers:

• Anthony Bonsante’s August 1 loss to Adonis Stephenson and the inexplicable and embarrassing circumstances surrounding it didn’t just damage his career.  It further tarnished the already cruddy reputation of Minnesota boxers.  Bonsante is a talented and smart old fighter who could still resurrect his career if he faces and defeats Andy Kolle or Kenny Kost soon.  A rematch with Matt Vanda could also be a nice main event.  Help us out here, Mister Bonsante.  Minnesota fans need a sugar daddy.
• Zach Walters had some good moments in aught-eight.  His wins against faded veterans Carl Daniels and Aaron Norwood looked like nice steppingstones, and Shawn Hammack was supposed to be a nice looking and useful win.  When Walters suddenly went lame and got TKO’d in the final round of a bout he had been dominating, it was a big setback.  The cancellation of his October meeting with Cory Phelps further stalled his career.  Walters is a gifted  fighter with many advantages who should yet make a dent in the light heavyweight division, but the dawn of 2009 finds him no closer to a title shot than he was a year ago.
• Andy Kolle, who once told me that he would like to fight five or six times a year, has now fought just twice in the thirteen months since his decision win against Matt Vanda – one obscure win in Superior WI and one very well publicized 1st-round loss to welterweight titlist Paul Williams.  One good win would help Kolle to regain his stature as one of the top middleweights in the Upper Midwest, but 2008 has not been kind to Kaos.
• Joey Abell is just as good a fighter as he was last April, when his record was a glossy 20-1.  Now three consecutive losses have sullied his reputation and set back his career.  First came a shocking kayo loss to unsung Andrew Greeley, then a disappointing split decision defeat at the hands (and bullet-shaped forehead) of former cruiserweight titlist Al Cole, and finally – worst of all - an exasperating DQ loss to the woefully overmatched Jason Nicholson.  Now in the quest for a guaranteed win, Abell’s team has matched him with 5-24 Orion Sistrunk of Philadelphia.  Apparently Jimmy Poopwater was not available.  Seriously, Abell is big and strong and smart and athletic.  He doesn’t need to scrape the bottom of the barrel looking for guaranteed wins.  I respect you and I want to be your friend, Joey.  But I also think you should be fighting (and defeating) guys like Gerald Nobles at this point in your career, not a never-was like Sistrunk.
• Raphael Butler has continued to be Minnesota’s busiest prizefighter in 2008, fighting nine times.  Unfortunately, Butler lost four times this year – twice to respected heavyweights Eddie Chambers and Malik Scott, but also twice to unsung Texan Homero Fonseca.  Butler finds himself in a different position than he was in a year ago, and so do his fans.  A bout between Butler and Joey Abell would once have been considered a local superfight, but now it’s looking less and less alluring.  Someone had better make this fight while we’re still interested!

Sideways:

• Phil Williams – The thinking here is that Williams’ wins against Butch Hajicek (a useful measuring stick) and Marcus Upshaw (Minnesota’s knockout of the year) did much to elevate Williams’ status among Minnesota fight fans.  The loss to Marcus Oliveria knocked him back down a couple of pegs.  But Williams might be right when he says that losing to Oliveria was a blessing in disguise.  Williams acknowledges that he has concentrated too much on knockouts so far in his career, and volunteers that he needs to spend more time on his footwork and body positioning.  A broken right hand suffered early in his TKO win against Jason Dietrich has put Williams’ boxing career on hold for a while.  Time will tell whether Williams takes advantage of this opportunity to cultivate the less glamorous skills that any successful fighter must rely on.
• Matt Vanda headlined a pay-per-view event in Las Vegas this 2008, but it’s hard to say whether his stock has risen or fallen since this time last year.  Vanda brought his crowd-pleasing style to Canada to face Sebastien Demers in an IBF-sanctioned title fight last February, and in losing, pleased the crowd.  He also fought Julio Cesar Chavez twice, one of those bouts generating some controversy and the other being the aforementioned PPV headliner – but he lost both fights.  Vanda did manage two victories this year, but they came against Bruce Rumbolz and Desi Ford.  What does such a year get you?  If you play your cards right, it gets you some very good paydays and a lot of pats on the back.  But it does not make you a rising star.

Make a move, already!

• Kenny Kost, inactive since his April 26 loss to Hector Camacho Jr, works in the construction industry.  So it’s understandable that his summer and fall would be booked solid.  But it’s January.  A fight with Kolle, Bonsante, or Vanda should be makeable.  Caleb Truax has mentioned Kolle’s name more than once.  Even if no out-of-state fighters are kicking Kosts tires, he shouldn’t be lacking for prospects.
• Antwan Robertson – wait a minute, Antwan Robertson?  He’s a small man, record is 4-0,  only turned pro in 2007…so why is Robertson not listed as a “Riser” like Willshaun Boxley?  Simple: Robertson only fought once in 2008, and that wasn’t even in his weight class.  And it was in Canada.  Ugh.  This is no swipe at Lil Superman or his coach/manager, John Hoffman.  The Fistic Mystic understands that it’s hard for small men to find fights.  The good news is that the rumor mill suggests that Robertson may fight in Wisconsin on Valentine’s Day, and John Hoffman has been talking about putting on a show in Fargo this May.  Here’s hoping that Robertson finds some willing opponents in 2009.

Non-Factors:

• Troy Lowry only fought once all year and that was a loss.  At age 38 it appears that Lowry’s career is in cold storage.   It’s a shame for the local scene, because Lowry make an interesting opponent for either Andy Kolle or Kenny Kost, and with a win against either man he could angle for one more big payday.

Profile: “Jungle Boy” Zach Walters (Part 2)

Attempting to rebound after a shocking loss to Shawn Hammack on August 31, Zach Walters was scheduled to fight Cory “The Cobra” Phelps on October 25.  That event, however, has been postponed until November or December.  Walters announced the postponement in an October 15 press release that included this somewhat cryptic statement: “The plan is to make a huge fight card to burst the local boxing scene to a new level.  We hope to keep our fight with Cory Phelps for that date and so far that looks like it will work out.”  The Fistic Mystic is as curious as you are to find out what it all means.  In any case, Phelps’ 13-4 record doesn’t include any significant victories, but as Walters points out, “Phelps is not coming to lose and we can’t count out our fellow boxers that come in to give us a rough night.”  Walters didn’t like it that I called Phelps a tomato can in an earlier article.  “I think it is disrespectful… I am prepared to make sure the fight is a solid win for me, of course, but your comment takes away from the win and leaves the fans to take it for granted.”  He’s absolutely right, and I suppose that I’m guilty as charged.  I’ll have to pull out the old thesaurus and see whether I can find a less insulting euphemism for an opponent with a limited chance to win.

I asked Walters to analyze his boxing style and he described himself as a boxer/puncher, but said “I can drop a big bomb when I need to.”  His strategy is to cater his style to his individual opponent.  His training generally consists of running in the morning and boxing in the afternoon, but he is reticent to reveal too much about his training.  Since turning pro at the age of 21 Walters has fought as a light heavyweight almost exclusively, and plans to stay there – “I feel very comfortable at 175 lbs.”

As he attempts to regain ground that was lost with the defeat to Shawn Hammack, Jungle Boy’s training is taking place in a new setting.  Last spring a fire damaged the building that housed Horton’s Gym and rendered most of the gym’s equipment unusable.  By the end of the summer a new home had been found in downtown Duluth, but in the meantime Horton’s stable of fighters was forced to improvise.  “We trained in a pole barn out of town [until the new location was ready]…the transition was rough, but fighters and trainers hung together. Now we have a new beginning in a nice facility.”

Walters had this to say about his friend and gym mate Andy “Kaos” Kolle.  “Kolle’s last fight was a big opportunity for him. Kaos is the kind of guy that never backs down from a challenge. He stepped in with a guy that is regarded as the pound-for-pound most dangerous fighter. Paul Williams must be everything he is talked up to be because I have known Kolle since we started boxing and I have never seen him hurt like that. I know that if Kolle can see a shot coming he’ll brace himself for it and it won’t hurt him. The hook he got hit with came wide behind his vision. That’s what I think got him. I watched him prepare for the fight. His level of intensity was off the charts. I figured Williams was in for a tough night with KAOS. When it ended as it did I was shocked. Kolle makes no excuses and he is in good spirits. He lost a fight to a two time world champ. His career is very accomplished for having less than 20 fights. He will come back strong as ever before.”

Walters offered a further endorsement of two other Horton’s Gym cohorts: “RJ and Gary are good. They have their own styles and are polar opposites aside from their potential to make some waves in the boxing scene.”  RJ Laase (4-0 with 2 kayos) is known as a smooth and technical boxer, while Gary Eyer (4-0-1 with 3 kayos) is a flamboyant fighter with good power.

One of the very compelling aspects of the Jungle Boy story is his desire to bring a title fight to Africa.  It should come as no great surprise that a young professional athlete wants to ply his trade in front of the hometown folks, and it’s natural that Walters has a persistent vision to bring a title fight to Madagascar.  “Back in 1999 I was in Madagascar with my brother Jake on a mission trip. Before leaving the island for the US we had a chance to visit with many of our friends. My Malagasy was rusty from not using it much in the states, but I had enough vocabulary in order to tell them that I had gotten into boxing and would someday return to Madagascar. At the time I was an amateur boxer. When I turned pro the sport opened up new doors for me. When I won the WBC-African Boxing Union title I thought it would be a great opportunity to line up a title defense in Madagascar. That way I’d fulfill my promise to return and would also get a chance to showcase my boxing.”  That vision may not be on the back burner, exactly, but it isn’t front-and-center at the moment.  Losing is bad in any game, but in prizefighting it’s a calamity.  Usually a fighter who wants to win a major title isn’t allowed to lose at all on his way to the top.

In one of my more presumptuous moments I asked Walters to tell me something he had learned from each of his three professional losses.  His reply to that query was one of the more emphatic responses I got from him.  “The first loss [to 10-2 cruiserweight Robert Linton in 2004] I got ripped off by the judges. I learned not to rely on the judges to get a win. I learned that to win a fight I have to take it away from my opponent. I became more aggressive after that loss and worked on my punching power.  The second loss [to 38-3 Hugo Pineda in 2006] I learned about prefight distractions. I learned that I can’t beat everyone on determination alone. After that fight I focused on my boxing skill to become a better ring general. My trainers worked on giving me more dimensions. I became a better boxer after that fight. This last loss [to 15-6 Shawn Hammack] I learned about dehydration. I was boxing superbly and had the fight in the bag. I don’t feel like was beaten by my opposition. The loss was the result of a fluke punch that found its mark at the right time.  I found out afterward that an element of dehydration is a surge of endorphins. I could feel a cramp developing in the back of my left leg, but didn’t think much of it because I had plenty of energy. Anyway, when I got hit I knew something was way off. I couldn’t shake the punch. Dehydration got me.”

The Fistic Mystic says: The time can’t be too far off when the Jungle Boy will be given an opportunity to step up to the next level.  Here’s hoping that this loquacious young man with the fascinating story will make a major splash in the rapidly evolving light heavyweight division.

Upcoming Boxing Event: October 25 in Superior, WI

It’s customary for a boxer who has recently lost for the first time – or for the first time in a long time – to be served a tomato can upon his return to the ring.  Thus is it being done with Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters, who was shockingly and suddenly knocked out by Shawn Hammack on August 31 after building an unbeaten streak that had reached eight fights and eighteen months.  The circumstances of that unexpected loss are well known: Walters and Hammack had gone at it for seven and a half rounds of an eight round fight, Walters was comfortably ahead on the scorecards, and Hammack landed a one-in-a-thousand punch.  The Jungle Boy made a valiant attempt to regain his orientation and finish the fight, but was unable and the fight was stopped at 2:28 of the final round with Walters out on his feet and getting pummeled.

Walters, now 23-3 with 18 kayos, seems to suffer from no lack of confidence, saying “I’d fight Hammack in a heartbeat. He got lucky in that last round, but luck counts in boxing.”  But the situation demands a tomato can, and so one has been retained for the occasion: Cory Phelps of Kentucky.  What does Walters know about Phelps?  “He is coming down to light-heavy to box me after four fights at cruiserweight.  He looks like he is about my height and has fast hands.”  Though Phelps’ 13-4-1 record looks sporty at first glance, it is illusory.  Phelps has three victories against Tyron Mack (now 4-46), one against Kevin Rainey (now 2-28), and one against Eric Starr (now 15-37-3), and he has never beaten an opponent with a winning record (though he did manage a six-round draw against Bobby Gunn, who was 18-3 going in).  What Phelps brings to the table is clear: he is a credible-looking opponent, he has been in the ring with several good prospects, and he has been around the block a few times, having fought in nine states plus once in Germany.  Says the always candid Walters, “I believe I’ll still reach my ultimate goal.  Right now I have no choice but to keep going and fight the guy in front of me.”

Walters and Phelps headline an October 25 card to be held at Mortorelli Gym in Superior, WI.  The remainder of the card looks like this:

• Zach Walters (23-3 with 18 kayos) -vs- Cory Phelps (13-4-1 with 7 kayos), light heavyweights, 10 rounds
• Gary Eyer (4-0-1 with 3 kayos) -vs- Scott Robinson (3-8 with 2 kayos), lightweights, 6 rounds
• Andson Griggs (1-0) -vs- Silas Ortley (3-5 with 2 kayos), middleweights, 4 rounds
• RJ Laase (4-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- Clinton Bendickson (1-0 with 1 kayo), light welterweights, 4 rounds
• Skulli Armannsson (1-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- TBD, heavyweights, 4 rounds

Boxing Results: August 31 at Fortune Bay Casino

What to watch for: Jungle Boy Zach Walters takes on a rugged veteran on a three-bout win streak in Shawn Hammack, skilled boxer RJ Laase tangles with northwestern brawler Tyler Gould, flambouyant knockout artist Gary Eyer takes a step up in opponent quality, cheesehead Nick Popowich from Green Bay is matched with North Dakota’s Terrence Trottier Jr, fiery Michael Davis of Grand Forks takes on new pro David Duncan, and Montreze Evans of Indiana makes his professional debut against Brian Cohen from Pennsylvania.

• Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters (now 23-3 with 18 kayos) lost to Shawn Hammack (17-6 with 13 kayos) by knockout in round 8 of 8
• Tyler Gould (5-2 with 5 kayos) lost to RJ Laase (4-0 with 2 kayos) by knockout in round 3 of 6
• Gary Eyer (4-0-1 with 3 kayos) majority draw with Guadalupe Diaz (4-4-1 with 1 kayo) in 6 rounds
• Terrence Trottier Jr (1-3) defeated Nick Popowich (0-1) by TKO in round 3 of 4
• Michael Davis (2-5 with 2 kayos) defeated David Duncan (0-1) by knockout in round 1 of 4
• Brian Cohen (4-1 with 2 kayos) defeated Montreze Evans (0-1) by knockout in round 3 of 4

Update: Andy “Kaos” Kolle (August 2008)

Young Andy “Kaos” Kolle, originally from Fergus Falls, has decided to make his temporary move to Duluth a permanent arrangement.

Kolle (17-1 with 12 kayos) had been a student at North Dakota State University in Fargo until January of this year, when he quit school to take a shot at being a full-time professional boxer.  Until then Kolle had been taking classes four days a week and making a long drive every weekend to spend three days working out at his professional home, Horton’s Gym in Duluth.  Back in December, just before making the move to Duluth, Kolle told me that he was committed to stay in Duluth through May.  After a long winter and spring with no fights (two dates were set and canceled; in February and again in April), Kolle’s management finally found him an opponent for June.  Kolle put on a great show in beating veteran middleweight Jonathan Reid (34-9) in a ten-round fight for the vacant NABA US middleweight title.  So sharp was Kolle that of the three judges, one scored eight rounds in his favor, one gave him nine, and one gave him a sweep of all ten rounds.

Kaos celebrates a win

At this time Kolle is back in Fargo settling his affairs there.  The lease on his old apartment expires at the end of August, and he plans to return to Duluth permanently.  One thing that’s unclear at this time is the status of Horton’s Gym, which lost its home in June when an intense fire badly damaged its building and much of the gym’s equipment.  “To be perfectly honest with you I don’t know much about the gym in Duluth,” Kolle says.  “I just know that when I left we didn’t have a gym or equipment to train with.  I came home to work and finish off my lease at my apartment in Fargo so I could complete the transition to Duluth and be…a permanent resident up there.  [After my lease is up] I will be getting a place of my own up in Duluth.  If the gym isn’t ready when I get up there I’ll make do just like the rest of the guys have been.  I started my pro career training myself out of my one stall garage, if that’s what we gotta do then so be it.  If God can bring you to it, he can bring you through it, right?”

I asked Kolle about Tony Bonsante’s disastrous loss to Adonis Stevenson on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, in which Bonsante was knocked down in the first round and seemed to be out cold until the count of six – when he suddenly rose looking strong and alert at the same moment the ref stopped the fight.  “I actually worked the night of Bonsante’s fight so I invited a bunch of people out to the bar I work at to watch what was potentially my next opponent.  Needless to say, it didn’t get them excited about a matchup between the two of us.  I really have never pushed for a fight – except when I fought Vanda because at the time I personally felt I needed to fight him – and I’m not going to push my team for this fight.  If my team wants me to fight Bonsante then you better believe I’ll be ready.  If they want me to move in another direction, like moving to 154#, then I’m fine with that as well.”  If another fighter said this I might suspect bluster, but Kolle has never been coy with me and I’m inclined to believe this is really the way he feels.  Just the same, Bonsante remains the Minnesota middleweight champion, and combined with his very respectable 31-10 career record, that makes him an attractive and saleable opponent.

An unsavory source recently tried to feed me an implausible rumor about who Kolle has been sparring with lately, and I mentioned that to him.  “I love rumors, but that’s exactly what this is, a rumor.  Since I have been in Fargo…the only sparring I’ve had has been with a big heavyweight from Grand Forks.”

Although Kolle isn’t scheduled to fight August 31 at Fortune Bay Casino in Tower, his Horton’s Gym cohorts Zach Walters and RJ Laase are.  An interesting aspect of this card is that Kolle’s friend and stable mate Laase (3-0 with 1 kayo) is scheduled to fight Tyler Gould (5-1 with 5 kayos), who is also a friend and a former training partner of Kolle’s.  This is a highly anticipated match between two of the best young welterweights in the Upper Midwest, and a good reason to make the long, long trek to Fortune Bay on Labor Day weekend.  Says Kolle, “It’s going to be a classic matchup of a smooth boxer [Laase] against a raw slugger [Gould].  It will be entertaining!”  Under the circumstances Kaos has to be careful who he associates with.  “I have run with Tyler on a few occasions before I knew the fight got inked [but] RJ is my teammate so I can’t put myself in the mix of these two guys.  I have to be loyal to my team.”

Kolle may know what his future holds, but apart from making his move to Duluth permanent and continuing to train hard, he isn’t revealing much.  He says he doesn’t worry too much about the future; he just fights whoever his team puts in front of him.  Minnesota’s boxing fans will just have to wait and see what emerges from Kaos.

The Fistic Mystic says: There are a lot of intriguing potential opponents out there for Kolle: Minnesotans like Bonsante, Kenny Kost, and Caleb Truax could all make for great local publicity and compelling matchups.  In the wider world, a famous name like the always-working Yory Boy Campas (who still has a big punch but can be outboxed) or an untested rising comer like Gee Cullmer (a friend in Philly thinks this is a good match) would look good on Kolle’s resume.

Boxing Results: June 7 at Wessman Arena in Superior, WI

Results for the Saturday June 7 fight card in Superior follow.

Snippets from Superior:  Zach Walters blew out Aaron Norwood as expected, getting the knockout in round 2.  This win gives Walters a second minor title (NABA regional to go with his WBC-ABU) and is expected to catapult Walters into the top ten in the WBC world light heavyweight rankings.  Andy Kolle beat Jonathan Reid of “Contender” fame, going the distance with the tough and experienced old pro and adding another prestige win to his resume.  With the win Kolle also gains his first official belt, the NABA middleweight title.  After their fight Reid graciously called Kolle a champion and vowed to continue his boxing career.  Flamboyant Gary Eyer remains unbeaten and Terrance Trottier Jr is still searching for his first win after Eyer kayoed Trottier in the first round of their junior welterweight tilt.  Everyone wants to know, and here’s the answer: Eyer wore tie-dyed feather-boa shorts and lime green shoes.  Tim Taggart comes up short in his match with tough guy Jon Schmidt of the ACR Gym in Anoka, Schmidt getting the TKO win with a fourth-round stoppage in a fight that the Duluth News Tribune described as a “bloody” affair.  RJ Laase pads his record with a majority decision win against Mike Davis, a North Dakotan who has yet to take his first pro victory.  Icelandic heavyweight Skuli Armannsson, a highly decorated amateur, takes out local boy Caleb Nelson with a second-round knockout in a fight that represents the professional boxing debuts of both fighters.

• Zach Walters (now 23-2 with 18 kayos) defeated Aaron Norwood (now 25-10 with 13 kayos) by knockout in round 2
• Andy Kolle (17-1 with 12 kayos) defeated Jonathan Reid (34-10 with 19 kayos) by UD in 10 rounds
• Gary Eyer (4-0 with 3 kayos) defeats Terrance Trottier Jr (0-3) by knockout in round 1
• Jon Schmidt (5-1 with 4 kayos) defeated Tim Taggart (2-1 with 1 kayo) by TKO in round 4
• RJ Laase (3-0 with 1 kayo) defeated Michael Davis (0-5) by MD in 4 rounds
• Skulli Armannsson (1-0 with 1 kayo) defeated Caleb Nelson (0-1) by knockout in round 2

Updated Info on June 7 Fights in Superior

The card for the June 7 event in Superior Wisconsin has evolved a little bit.  Here’s a combination of the information published on Boxrec.com and information gleaned from the fight poster from Horton’s Gym in Duluth:

• Zach Walters (22-2 with 17 kayos) -vs- Aaron Norwood (25-9 with 13 kayos), light heavyweights, scheduled for 10 rounds, for the WBA-America light heavyweight title
• Andy Kolle (16-1 with 12 kayos) -vs- Jonathan Reid (34-9 with 19 kayos, middleweights, scheduled for 10 rounds, for the NABA title
• Gary Eyer (3-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- TBA, scheduled for 4 rounds
• Tim Taggart (2-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- TBA, scheduled for 4 rounds
• RJ Laase (2-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- TBA, scheduled for 4 rounds
• Jake Betz (2-2 with 2 kayos) -vs- Skuli Armannsson (no professional record found), heavyweights,  rounds

 

Finally, More Info on April 25 Fights at Grand Casino Hinckley

Minnesota’s strongest weight class is on a roll right now.  Middleweight Kenny Kost won a thriller at the Myth last weekend.  Middleweight Matt Vanda is fighting for a minor title in Montreal this weekend.  And perhaps most significantly, some details have finally begun to trickle out on the April 25 card featuring middleweight Andy “Kaos” Kolle at Grand Casino Hinckley.

Kolle has been forthcoming about the fact that he doesn’t know who he might fight on April 25, even admitting that until a contract is signed, he really doesn’t want to know who he might be fighting.  Nevertheless, www.minnesotaboxing.com has reported that Kolle is expected to fight for a minor title, and the published (albeit incomplete) card from BoxRec seems to corroborate that, showing that the fight is scheduled for 10 rounds – the first scheduled ten-rounder of Kolle’s career.

Here’s the card that’s floating around the internet as of this afternoon:

• Andy Kolle (16-1 with 12 kayos) -vs- TBA, 10 rounds, middleweights
• Phil Williams (7-0 with 7 kayos) -vs- Reggie “Concrete” LaCrete (4-0 with 3 kayos), 6 rounds, light heavyweights
• Tim Taggart (2-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- Alton Bear (0-1), 4 rounds, super middleweights
• Gary Eyer (3-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- TBA, 4 rounds, welterweights
• RJ Laase (2-0 with 1 kayo) -vs- TBA, 4 rounds, welterweights
• Paul Fernandez (2-1 with 2 kayos) -vs- Tim Carrizales (4-7 with 3 kayos), 4 rounds, featherweights
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