7pm – the buzz here is incredible, and the crowd is going to be huge. At least, it’s going to be as big as Grand Casino can accommodate!
Tim Taggart (now 3-2-1 with 2 kayos) and Sam Morales (now 3-3-1 with 1 kayo) fight to a majority draw (38-38, 38-38, and 39-37 Taggart) after four rounds
Round 1
Both men are throwing in the early going, but Morales’ punches are more crisp and accurate. Morales is also moving more quickly and showing more elusiveness. Taggart, though slower, is throwing heavier shots. About midway through the round Morales lands a left to the temple that momentarily freezes Taggart. Morales follows up well. There’s a close-quarters clash and Morales comes out of it bleeding from his left nostril. The blood is smeared, but is not bleeding freely. Good trading as the round closes, and Morales takes a shot to the back of the head that makes him grimace. Round over.
Round 2
The two come out trading again, Taggart backs Morales up to the ropes and dives in, Morales counters effectively with a left-right to the body. This is a busy round, lots of throwing and lots of landing. Taggart lands a slow three-punch combination that impresses the crowd but doesn’t do any obvious damage. Morales steps in to throw the right and comes in too far, landing with his forearm to Taggart’s ear. Straight right lands for Morales and though Taggart shakes his head and smiles, it slows him down enough that Morales is able to follow with a damaging combination. If you thought that Morales would struggle as the smaller man moving up, it doesn’t seem that way – he is landing crisp, hard shots that hurt Taggart.
Round 3
Morales comes out jabbing, but quickly reverts to bombing. The two are trading, with Morales landing punches from all angles and Taggart hoping to hurt him with counters. The two clinch and Taggart reaches around to land a couple of body shots. Morales, coming forward, hurts Taggart. Taggart is alert, but he’s turing into a rag doll, getting hit and blasted around the ring. Morales punches himself out without ending matters, and Taggart has time to collect himself. Now Taggart lands a looping right hook that impresses. Morales dives in, landing a right hook to the body and the top of his head to Taggart’s face simultaneously. Referee Genaro Hernandez pauses the action for an equipment fix, and when the two return to combat there’s only fifteen seconds left – that’s a fifteen second break for both tired men.
Round 4
Taggart has to know that he’s behind on the cards, and he comes out throwing to the body with bad intentions. In a furious exchange Taggart loses his mouthpiece. After getting it back he charges back into Morales, landing a stomping right that lands flush. Morales is showing some wear and tear, with a mark at the corner of his left eye, but neither man has the advantage so far in the fourth. Sloppy, wide punches result in another clinch. Taggart is walking Morales down now – suddenly Morales plants, pivots, and lands a right-left. More slow action, which devolves into a clinch, and then Taggart in a headlock. With ten seconds left in the round both men go on the attack, and Taggart lands a right that staggers Morales! Morales is hurt, but he’s throwing back at Taggart, and though Taggart has the will to attack, he has not the time nor the energy to take advantage. Round over.
Don Tierney (now 1-1 with no kayos) is defeated by Zach Schumach (now 1-2 with no kayos) by majority decision (38-38, 39-38, and 39-37) after four rounds.
After both men are in the ring but before the introductions Schumach shouts to the crowd, “Second round KO!”
Round 1
Schumach comes out with his feet spread wide in a jumping crouch, shooting out double and triple jabs. Plenty of time passes before the first connect, and it belongs to Schumach – a left hook that clips Tierney’s chin. Tierney is jabbing back, and Schumach ducks under a left and lands a right to the body. This is not an action fight like the last one. Tierney misses with an uppercut on the charging Schumach, but no harm – Schumach misses too. Schumach lands a left jab to the midriff of Tierney. Now Schumach throws a triple jab, then charges in to land a right hand. First trade of the bout, and though both men land, nobody comes up roses. Just before the bell Tierney lands a single shot, Schumach responds in kind, and round.
Round 2
The two comes out and circle to their left. Now both are reaching out with the jab, and both men land. Schumach may be thinking about his prefight prediction. The two trade in Tierney’s corner, and Schumach ducks his head while punching, displeasing cornerman Sean Hickman. The two trade again, neither man getting the upper hand. Tierney misses with a right, Schumach feints…Tierney misses with a double right jab, Schumach with a left hook. Schumach jumps in and lands a right hook to the body. Schumach pursues Tierney into a neutral corner and lands a left-left-right, then misses with wild shots. Schumach is the attacker, Tierney looking to counter. Schumach lands another double lefft jab followed by a right hook. There’s a clash, and possibly a mutual head butt, and the round ends with an admonishment from referee Mark Nelson.
Round 3
Tierney opens with a left jab that lands, Schumach responds by mashing the body. Schumach now lands a resounding right to the body. Schumach attacks again, and Tierney jumps back, almost bumping into referee Nelson, who is coming around. Schumach goes back to the jab. Now Schumach ducks ddown and lands a right hook to the body. Johnny Johnson, in tierney’s corner, is yelling for more offense, and Tierney responds with a couple of scoring blows. Now an uppercut grazes schumach’s left cdheek, and Tierney scoots away. Schumach lands two wide lefts and a right – they may have traveled too far to do much damage, but they count anyway. Tierney tries to stick and move, and Schumach catches him, driving him backwards into the ropes but Tierney escapes. Schumach finally lands the big one-two he’s been looking for, and the two paw at each other until the bell.
Round 4
Tierney lands a jab to open the scoring, but a sloppily aggressive Schumach fires back and scores bigger. Tierney catches Schumach charging in with a strong right hook. Now the two circle clockwise and jab. Schumach plays ‘watch the birdy,’ waving his right hand, then jumps in to score to the body. Tierney looks like the more polished boxer, but it’s Schumach’s aggression that is telling the story. Tierney, rangy but slow, is just not scoring with most of his activity. Schumach is crouching, looking up at Tierney, measuring. Schumach lands a soft left jab to the body, misses witha right, then lands a big left hook flush to the side of Tierney’s face. The round ends with ineffective jabbing, and the two smile and embrace.
Matt Vanda (now 42-9 with 22 kayos) defeats Phil Williams (now 11-2 with 10 kayos) by split decision after ten rounds
Round 1
One could call this a feeling out round, but that might give the fighters too much credit – Williams flicked a crisp jab but did little else. Vanda scored with two body shots – a hard left jab and about a minute later, a right hook that reached too far and curled around Williams’ ribs. Let’s hope for more in round 2.
Round 2
Perhaps emboldened by the events of round 1, Vanda comes out shooting. Williams had the first score of the round, but Vanda is far more aggressive now, and the smaller an is pressing the action. Vanda is having some success stooping down and stepping in with single jabs. Williams lands a left hookercut that scores, and follows it up with some jabs upstairs, but Vanda is unfazed, and contines to stand in front of Williams. Now Vanda scores with three powerr shots, and perhaps feeling even bolder, attacks again, driving Williams backwards. Williams lands ahard left jab to the head, but Vandaa responds with two scoring shots. Now Vanda attacks viciously, landing hard power shots that Williams obviously feels. Success invigorates, and Vanda drops his hands, daring Williams to attack. Williams cannot muster any offense as the round ends.
Round 3
Williams stares intently, unflinching, as Vanda comes forward. The two land simultaneous jabs. Now Williams scores with a left hook to the body, and though Vanda responds, Williams is beginning to look stronger. Williams lands two rights and two lefts, and Vanda gets off balance. Williams does not capitalize, and now Vanda is coming forward again. Williams is back to the jab, and that may favor Vanda, as his jab may be his most outstanding punch. Vanda snaps a good jab into Williams’ face, and williams is backing up and looking to counter. Vanda claps a hard right to the body of Williams. Williams lands three successive left jabs before Vanda responds with a power shots. Now a right hook lands to Williams’ midsection, a left misses, and a right hook lands to his abdomen. For the first time Williams looks uncomfortgable. Vanda chases Williams into his own corner and attacks viciously, Williams countering with a good right just before the bell.
Round 4
Vanda can’t wait to begin the fourth, getting into Williams’ face immediately with a jab. Williams lands and then switches to southpaw. Vanda is still aggressive, but now tentatively aggresive, if such an attitude exists. Williams lands a left hook to the body followed by a right. Two left jabs land for Williams. Vanda is still coming forward but having a hard time figuring out this new wrinkle. Williams stays a lefty, lands a power shot, and winks at Vanda. Vnada fires back and scores. Ron Lyke, in Vanda’s corner, demands head movement and gets it immmediately. Vanda lands a straight left. Williams pops a right jab that looks better than it is. Vanda responds with a left jab. Now Vanda avoids a clinch by landing a hard right that inspires the crowd. Round.
Round 5
Williams remains on his stoolk, chest heaving, while Vanda paces. Williams, still in southpaw stance, lands a jab. Vanda is coming forward but not throwing. More jabs from Williams. Vanda comes inside but ducks instead of throwing. Williams continues to score. Now a left hook lands for Williams and he scoots away to his right. Williams scores again, but Williams counters effectively. Vanda’s face is the picture of concentration. Vanda connects a hard left jab. Now Vanda is taunting, stepping left and right, left and right, he drops his hands and wags his face in front of Williams. Now Vanda waves his left hand in a circle before throwing the left jab before throwing it and connecting. All the while his corner screams at him to keep his hands up! Vanda lands two shots and Williams, trying to move away, gets his feet tangled. Vanda resumes his wild antics before the end of the round, then attacks hatefully, driving Williams into a neutral corner. How long till williams goes headhunting? Boxing isn’t working for the tough barber from north Minneapolis.
Round 6
I count six straight right jabs from Williams to begin the round. Vanda is relaxed. Shouted instructions for Vanda are now coming from Johnny Johson, sitting back behind Vanda’s cornermen. Williams hits Vanda with a volley of rights, then lefts. Vanda is hurt and off-balance, but that never lasts long, and Vanda quickly regains his composure. Vanda jumps in to land a glancing left to the body of Williams. Williams shoots out a right jab but gets hit by a left from Vanda. Vanda scores again, and the crowd is enthralled. Williams, trapped in a corner, connects a left jab. Vanda attacks ineffectively, and Williams escapes. Williams is reaching out and h itting Vanda with single shots, but the unpredictable Vanda punctuates the round with one more big shot just before the bell.
Round 7
Williams scores first with a good right hook, and vanda pivots repeatedly on his right foot as if to show that he is unhurt and still unpredictable. Williams is jabbing much more as the fight progresses, Vanda – unexpectedly – is the aggressor, throwing power shots and walking Williams down. Williams, visibly taller, is trying to take advantage of his length against the short-armed Vanda. Williams continues to score left jabs from an orthodox sance. Vanda brings a one-two to the body and scores again. Now a left hand from Vanda snaps Williams’ head back. Vanda comes forward, the two trade, and Vanda ducks under a punch and walks away nonchalantly. Bell.
Round 8
Vanda walks right into Williams’ range and lands a left jab. Williams fires back, but Jim Maurine shouts from Vanda’s corner “He can’t hurt you, Matt! He can’t hurt you!” Vanda seems to believe him. Williams lands three straight left jabs, then a few soft hooks probe Vanda’s defense. Vanda lands flush shots to the body and head of Williams, but Williams shrugs the attack off, comes forward, and lands a very hard jab that momentarily slows Vanda. Vanda continues to come forward, but Williams unleashes a volley of power shots taht scores, and ignites his supporters – a minority in this crowd. Vanda charges after Williams the corner and lands a couple of shots. Vanda, bouncing on his toes, waits for Williams to attack but notattack is forthcoming. Vanda’s bravado may be real or it may not, but it is undeniably impressive – he continues to attack Williams, who covers his body and smiles and nods at Vanda as the bell rings.
Round 9
Williams lands several shots as the round begins. I may have underestimated The Drill’s ability to hang with Vanda in terms of workrate. Vanda is biding his time, jabbing occasionally. Ron Lyke is calling for aggression and getting nothing. Williams is landing a lot of jabs and the cocasional shot. Vanda lands a hard left jab, which presages some power shots of his own. Vanda is coming forward, Williams is countering, and both are scoring. Boy am I glad I’m not judging this fight! Vanda’s left jab comes up short twice. Williams lands a couple of power shots that blast Vanda backwards into the ropes and Vanda comes up looking dazed and confused, stumbling disjointedly off the ropes, then smiling at Williams as if to say “Fooled you!” Vanda turns his back on Williams and walks away just before the bell rings.
Round 10
Vanda stands in the center of the ring, hands on hips, waiting for Williams as the round begins. Williams attacks furiously, knocking Vanda downon his back. Vanda completes a backward roll and jumps to his feet. Referee Mark Nelson dispenses with the mandatory eight count, signifying that there is no official knockdown. Williams attacks again, landing devastating shots on Vanda. The crowd commences competing chants of Vanda-Vanda and Phil the Drill! Williams lands a good left jab twice, but Vanda comes back with more shots that show isn’t out of it yet. Vanda coninues to pressure Williams, but Williams counters and then jumps into Vanda, pummeling him with power shots. The bell rings and Vanda leaps joyfully in the air, hands raised. Everyone in this ballroom, all 2200+, knows that they have just witnessed a tremendous boxing match between two combatants who just love to fight!
Wilton Hilario ( now 12-0 with 9 kayos) defeats Leon Bobo (now 18-4-1 with 2 kayos) by unanimous decision after eight rounds
Round 1
[Connectivity problems - the Grand Casino wireless system may be overwhelmed by all the electronics in the building right now.] First round is tough to score, because the feather-fisted Bobo is fast and elusive, while the hard-punching Hilario can do little more than grab bobo and pound him in clinches.
Round 2
Hilaraio is doing his best to grab bobo and hold him still so as to hit him, but it’s Bobo who’s taking advanatage, punching out fof clinches with furious, extended flurries. Hilario finally catches Bobo clean and propels him into the ropes with a tremendous hook. Bobo survives and escapes, but is more intent on running now. Hilario chases Bobo down witha shuffling run but is unable to make hay. Another clinch ensues, and the round ends without any further scoring.
Round 3
The round bdegins with determined aggression from Hilario, which is ineffective at first – but Hilario finally catches Bobo with another shot that momentarioly freezes him. Hilario lands two lefts and a right before Bobo turtles up, and all Hilario’s shots thereafter failto score. Hilario is havingbetter success getting inside now, and occaionally clips Bobo with a hurtful shot. If Hilario can keep it up this should wear his opponent down. Hilario throws inside shots in a clinch, which causes Bobo to grimace at the ref, pleading silently for an intervention. Bobo is determined to throw a hundred soft punches per round and run from Hilario’s aggression, so this fight is probably bound to get ugly. A clash of bodies near the end of the round results in a Bobo fall, but it’s clearly no knockdown.
Round 4
Hilario is having more success jabbing to the center of Bobo’s body. Bobo tries to negate Hilario’s powerr by grbbing and clinching, but Hilario is equally determined to keep Bobo off him with a high volume of hooks and uppercuts. Hilario traps Bobo oagainst the ropes and stands on the toes of his right foot – Hilario scores, but not like he could have. Hilario continues to pursue, bobo is wild-eyed. bobo tries to shoot the jab and get away, but Hilario is wising up and grabs him. The round ends with wrestling.
Round 5
[More connection problems...] Hilario is determined to wear his opponent down, and it appears to be working. Bobo is slowing down and resorting to trading shots with Hilario. Hilario traps Bobo in a corner, and when Bobo successfully ducks a couple of hooks, Hilario hurts him with an uppercut. bobo escapes, but Hilario is working hard to land the home run shot. This round ends with Hilario looking in charge.
Round 6
Bobo’s lateral movement is much reduced – he’s mostly moving backwards when he moves. Hilario cracks him on the ear with a left hook, and though Bobo gets away, Hilario chases him down and lands the same punch again, followed by a right. bobo’s hands are moving like he’s punching, but he’s really just pedaling an invisible bicycle with his hands. Hilario continues to pursue, and finally catch es Bobo in a corner. After landing one or two shots Hilario relents, then walks away pawing at his own face. Did he get butted? bobo grabs Hilario and lays on him, pushing him backwards into a corner, but generating no offense. Hilario grinds away with inside shots for a time, then finally and thankfully, the round ends.
Round 7
Bobo’s offense has been negligible the last couple of rounds, but here he lands a left, then throws a flurry that momentarily gets Hilario off of him. Hilario is still trying to knock his opponent out though, and touches him with a one-two, then a right hook that hurts him. Hilario is moving his head and bobbing to avoid Bobo’s slow and soft punches. Hilario corners bobo and lands a cracking right to the head, drawing an “Ooh” from the crowd. Bobo leans hard on Hilario, and the two fall into a clinch. After the break Hilario chases gamely, but no further action results.
Round 8
Hilario is taking some risks to land his shots this round, and it results in Bobo landing a clean left-right. Hilario quickly regains the intitiative, however, and Bobo returns to his pattern of bouncing backwards and throwing only occasional punches, mostly ineffective hooks. Hilario could protest his opponent’s negative tactics but doesn’t, continuing to chase Bobo around the ring to little avail. At the sound of the ten-second warning Hilario goes on offense, but Bobo grabs Hilario’s upper body and holds on. This round and this fight finally end, and that’s a good thing.
Ceresso Fort (now 8-0 with 7 kayos) defeats Lamar Harris (now 6-5-2 with 4 kayos) by unanimous decision after 6 rounds
Round 1
Two confident young men come out scowlingg and throwing bombs, and it only takes about fifteen seconds for Fort to corner Harris and hurt him. Fort throws a good plenty of bombs at the covered-up Harris, but a hook to the body brings Harris back to life. Harris is hurt, but he responds valorously, fighting back as best he can. Fort is going for broke in this first round, and again corners Harris, where he again lands a couple of flush power shots. But Harris is regaining his legs and his clarity, and seems to be back in this fight. fort is landing hard single shots, but few of them cleanly now, the two trade on even terms, and Harris slips down. Now knockdown, and the action resumes immediately. Fort is scoring effectively and Harris is either an inferior fighter or a hurt fighter – time will tell. For now, the bell brings remission.
Round 2
After an all-action first round the second begins slowly. Fort needs to shorten up those punches – he’s throwing wild shots in hopes of scoring a knockout, and he’s leaving himself far too open. Fort’s mouth is hangin g open and he looks a little winded, but his jabvs and memories of his power are keeping Harris at bay for now. Harris throws a left-right-left that lands in glancing fashion. Fort lands a lefft hook, and encouraged by his success, thorws another. Fort thorws a slow, ponderous ljab-jab-hook. He definitely needs to speed up and shorten up. Harris finally lands a good shot that backs Fort up, but it’s too late for him to capitalize, so he just stares at Fort as if to intimidate him. Fort makes a throat-slashing motion and walks back to his corner.
Round 3
These two fine young men are here to put on a great show, if nothing else. The two land simultaneous jabs, then simultaneous hooks. The pace has slowed, but the two are still trading serious shots. Harris clips Fort’s chin with a hook that demonstrates Fort’s toughness. Fort, moments later, lands two shots that do the same for Harris. fort attacks with a looping right hook but Harris ducks down, resulting in an awkward clash of bodies. More infighting ensues, no effect. Fort is working Hharris’ body with infrequent but solid shots. Harris lands a clean shot that makes Fort stumble, but chalk that up to clumsy footwork rather than a hurt fighter. More punches are thrown but few land before the round ends.
Round 4
Harris is walking Fort down with a neverending scowl. Both men jump in with power shots at the same time, and a clash of heads results. No cuts are evident. Harris is charging after Fort and landingl by and large, the better shots this round. Fort is flinching and closing his eyes when Harris hits him clean. Fort is backing up, changing directions, moving laterally. It’s easy to see fort’s punches developing – he is n ot a polished fighter, but he is tough and stsrong as an ox. Harris ducks under a Fort hook, comes up throwing, and catches Fort with a painful powerr shot to the midsection. Fort works through it and fires back, and this round ends.
Round 5
Harris is an unblinking attack dog, charging forward and throwing power shots at every opening. He’s getting in on Fort and he hurts h im! Fort is stumbling along the ropes, Harris pursuing and throwing tremendous shots. fort gets free and Harris chases him across the ring to the opposite corner. The Harris is landing furious volleys offf power shots and hurting Fort! Suddenly, sensing that a clinch is imminent, Harris grabs Fort and flings im into the ropes. fort hangs on and drags Harris down, both men tumbling to the canvas. Referee Mark Nelson pauses the action. Did he deduct a point from Harris? I can’t tell, but I hope so. the action resumes and Harris is again on offense, pursuing Fort doggedly and landing power shot after power shot. As the round comes to a close Fort lands a single shot that freezes Harris. Fort tries to follow up,k but only gets on shot off – a good one, but not enough.
Round 6
Both men are exhausted and bleeding from the mouth. Harris resumes his pursuit of his quarry, with Fort occasionally countering with solid but unspectacular shots. harris lands several hard shots and now Fort lands a huge shot that puts Harris badly off-balance. The Harris tries to clinch, and both men crash to the canvas, Fort on top of the sprawling Harris! As the action resumes fthe tide may be turning for Fort. He lands a big shot, follows up, and then after a brief lull, lands more telling shots. Harris’s hateful glare has morphed into a blank stare as the two duke it out in the closing seconds.
Javontae Starks (now 1-0 with 1 kayo) defeats Dan Copp (now 1-2) by TKO in round 2 of 4 scheduled
Always slim, Starks looks positively gaunt as he enters the ring. I’m told that he weighed in at 153# last night.
Round 1
[more computer trouble] The first round is a tentative one for both fighter, with Starks following the always-moving Copp around the ring and snapping off single jabs and an occasional shot to the body. Copp is very game, but not a snappy puncher. Kudos to Copp for not shrinking from contact, but seeking to battle. Copp returns to his corner after the first red-faced from that harsh jab of Starks.
Round 2
Starks is putting his punches together this round, continuing to pursue Copp. Starks catches Copp and hurts him - you can see the pain in the grimace on Copp’s face. Starks hits Copop again to the body, and Copp is clearly in distress. Starks throws all caution to the wind and jumps in on Copp, but the fight is already over – Copp is down on his knees in agony from another body shot, and the fight has been called. Early TKO on a body shot, as predicted by the Fistic Mystic!
