Rochester Show Postponed?

Word out of Rochester is that the show planned for April 4th may be postponed.  However this isn’t the final word, and more details will be reported as they become available.

Matt Vanda -vs- John Duddy: Round by Round

Matt Vanda enters the ring in a skeleton mask and T shirt, John Duddy enters to the screeching of bagpipes.  Sometimes I wish I weren’t of Irish extraction.  I feel guilty for not liking the sound of bagpipe “music.”

Round 1

Duddy comes out with aggression, throwing power shots from the start.  The two are bouncing in the ring, both throwing and both getting hit.  Vanda takes his first backward steps at about 2:30, no advantage to 2:00, though Duddy is beginning to jab.  Vanda looks irritated at 1:50.  Less aggression at 1:25, the pace picks up bout ten or fifteen seconds later.  First clinch of the fight at 1:07.  Duddy lands a good left to the body, then a right to the body of Duddy a few seconds later at :52.  Duddy isn’t showing Vanda much respect.  Duddy throwing combinations, Vanda single shots to the end of the round.  This round goes narrowly to Duddy.

Round 2

The round starts with lot sof pawing and lots of missing.  Duddy lands a right to the head, then a slightly low left to Vanda.  Vanda lands a right at 2:25, Duddy hits him back harder at 2:20.  Lullin the action about 2:00.  Vanda is throwing jabs with good effect, but not much frequency.  Duddy hits Vanda with a good left to the body at 1:33.  Vanda shows some aggression at 1:16, but Duddy is disciplined.  Keeping Vanda on the outside with the jab, hitting him with occasional power shots.   Duddy looks like the bigger, stronger man.  Vanda is in the fight, but getting the worse of exchanges.  Duddy lands a power combo at :23 or so, Vanda misses with the counter.  This round goes more decisively to Duddy.

Round 3

 Both men throw ineffectual jabs through 2:40.  NO 3RR3D5IF3 ORR3NW3 5H4OUTH 2:25, then Duddy lands a good right to the body of Vanda may have hurt him about 2:10.  Vanda continues to compile single punches while Duddy throws punches in twos and threes.  Vanda is on his toes.  Vanda gets knocked backwards a step or two at about 1:06.  Vanda’s left elbow lands with effect at :35, but duddy is still in charge.  Vanda lands a nice left hook to the body about :05, then misses with a couple of head shots.  Round to Duddy.

Round 4

 Duddy lands two punches to Vanda’s every one.  Something’s got to give or Vanda will soon be too far behind to win by decision.  Vanda gets inside but fails to land crisply at 2:07 or so, then duddy connects with a good left.  Vanda’s left hand is down at his waiste.  A lull in the action is finally interrupted by more pwoer shots from Duddy at 1:26 and then 1:21.  Duddy is just bigger and sronger, what can I say?  Vanda’s punches are getting tentative.  Duddy throws left-left-right and moves Vanda backward about :35.  Duddy closes out the round with a couple more power shots, but the last twoo punches to land in this round are Vanda’s.  Round to Duddy.

Round 5

 There seems to be some urgency in Vanda’s corner between rounds.  Nevertheless, Vanda’s aggression is relatively ineffective as Duddy lands bigger every time Vanda lunges in to land a punch or two.  duddy lands a left, Vanda spins around and Duddy lands another left.  Vanda is circling and jabbing at 1:40, but to no avail.  Now Duddy takes a few steps backward, but comes forward again and lands good power shots at 1:14, Vanda bounces way back against the top rope, but comes off okay and lands a couple of single punches just before 1;00.  duddy is dead serious, and all business.  Vanda misses a jab and eats two shots about ;30.  Vanda is in the unaccustomed position of frequent retreat, and it isn’t working for him.  A clash of bodies ends the fifth, another round for Duddy.

Round 6

 I like the way Ron Lyke runs a corner: calm advice and encouragement between rounds.  Duddy’s jabs are working better than Vanda’s through 2:40.  I’ve said it before, it’s the truth: duddy is hitting Vanda harder and more frequently than Vanda is hitting back.  This could be a long night.  Vanda misses with a right, connects with a glancing left, and gets hit with a power combo at 1:55 or so.  Vanda is inching forward but you couldn’t really call it aggression.  More crisp jabs from duddy set up a couple of body shots at 1:06.  Every once in a while Vanda sneaks in a shot, but this isn’t offense.  Vanda is tough, give him that.  And I love the grin that says “I love my job.”  Vanda misses badly with a left then gets popped.  Vanda connects a good right to the face of duddy at about :11, but this round is in the books and it’s still a shutout so far for Duddy.  Round to Duddy.

Round 7

Duddy comes out on the attack, but Vanda connects with a couple of good power shots through 2:40.  A good right by Vanda hit slightly low at 2:28.  Duddy is firing combinations and Vanda is hitting back with single shots.  Vanda’s first committed combination of the fight lands.  Nice left by Vanda lands at 1:44, but Duddy whacks him back.   Vanda nailed Duddy with another left about 1:24.  Good right by Duddy, Three lefts by Vanda land at 1:06.  More single shots land for Duddy, but vanda connects well a couple of times at :40.  Vanda’s punches are moving slower now, but he’s having a good round.  duddy snaps Vanda’s head back about :10, but this has been Vanda’s best round.  Am I reaching?  I don’t think so: round narrowly to Vanda.

Round 8

Duddy connects the first real punch of the round at 2:51.  Vanda si committing to his punches more, and it’s nice to see.  right-left lands for Vanda at 2:10.  Duddy backs into a corner and Vanda catches him at 1:59, but Duddy comes back with sinister motives and scores.  Vanda is taking a shot to throw a shot, but I wish he were landing better.  Duddy’s jabs are still crisp at 1:12.  Right-left to the body lands for Vanda at 1:02.  Both men move forwrad at the same time and both men land.  Duddy continues to jab, then catches Vanda with a couple of good body shots at :30.  Vanda’s face shows that he’s determined, but his body language shows that he’s a little discouraged.  Nothing effective lands to the end of this round, which I score for Duddy.

Round 9

 Duddy’s corner is congratulting him on his good “anger management” getween rounds.  Vanda is trying to get inside, but Duddy punches moving backwards pretty well.  Vanda bounces a little at 2:05, but duddy flattens his feet a little bit at 1:57.  The two trade in the middle of the ring at 1:40.   Vanda needs more of that.  duddy is moving back strategically but comes forward with a good power combo at :39.  Duddy’s movement is good.  Duddy paws with the left jab at :16, keeping Vanda outside.  This round ends with Duddy in control: round to Duddy.

Round 10

Vanda looks determined, Duddy alert as this round begins.  Vanda comes out throwing more punches with more intent than at any other point in the fight.  Vanda is landing better than Duddy so far at 2:20. A big left from Vanda at 2:12.  Vanda is being the predator.  Duddy is still jabbing, but Vanda is connecting power shots.  HUGE combo at 1:37 by Vanda!..  Vanda is beating Duddy around the ring at 1:26, and still at 1:21.    Now Duddy holds, and Vanda’s momentum is waning.  Vanda lands well to :100, and duddy is running.  Vanda is using his forehead as a third fist, now he corner Duddy and lands a big left at :39.  Duddy’s offense is returning, and he seems out of trouble at :20.  Ten seconds to go, and Vanda raises his hands in celebration at :05 while Duddy is still throwing punches.  The round comes to a close, and the fight with it, with both men grinning like fools.  This was Vanda’s best in the fight by a wide margin: BIG round to Vanda.

Conclusion:

It’s no surprise that this one goes to Duddy by unanimous decision.  But Matt Vanda proved he is a gritty and tough pro by taking the fight to Duddy in the final round.  I score this one 98-92 for Duddy.  I’m tempted to make the final round 10-8 for Vanda, but I just can’t do it.  Thank you for reading, and good night.

Zach Walters Loses Fight, Wins Respect

Zach Walters lost to Byron Mitchell in Buffalo last night, but he won the admiration of the crowd and the praise of his opponent.  For more news follow these links:

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=18848&more=1

http://www.mnboxingleague.com/?p=1030

Minnesota Boxing Roundup: Upcoming Boxing Events for Winter-Spring 2009

Minnesota may not have instantly become the center of the boxing universe, but it’s heartening to see the scene suddenly so much busier than usual.

With two shows by Seconds Out in January we got off to a nice start in 2009.  Another show in February inaugurated what is expected to be a series of fight cards at Epic Nightclub in Minneapolis.  Tony Grygelko says that he has invested in a cage for MMA bouts and a return to Epic for an MMA-only event is planned for March.

Now several more shows are coming up – two of them promoted by Justin Seurer of MSC – as well as a couple of big road trips for Minnesota fighters.  Here’s a brief overview:

Road Trippers and Local Events:

• Zach Walters (23-3) of Horton’s Gym in Duluth faces former two-time super middleweight world champion Byron Mitchell in Buffalo NY of all places, a fight which should give the winner a big career boost, whomever that may be.  Walters stays in his usual weight class (light heavyweight) while Mitchell moves up for only the third time.  Here’s hoping the Jungle Boy can take advantage of his length and athleticism to gain a huge win.
• Eastsider Matt Vanda (39-8) travels to the real center of the boxing universe on Saturday February 21 to face John Duddy (25-0) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Duddy rose to prominence as the hottest of hot prospects for a couple of very good years before hitting a serious speed bump when Walid Smichet (Wally Who?) took him the distance in what turned out to be a non-unanimous ten-round decision win for Duddy.  Since then Duddy’s reputation has suffered and his momentum has waned.  The choice of Vanda, however much we might like him in Minnesota, bespeaks not a ton of confidence from Duddy’s handlers.  It should be remembered by even the most casual of local fight fans that Duddy defeated Anthony Bonsante back in 2007, just two months after Bonsante had handily defeated Vanda.
• March 21 is the targeted date for a Seconds Out show at the St Paul Armory.  This one is expected to include Willshaun Boxley and possibly Joey Abell, as well as Harley Kilfian, Jon Schmidt, and Dion Savage.  Abell has elsewhere disclosed that he will fight in March, but it isn’t certain whether it will be in Sweden, Philadelphia, or St Paul.
• One week later, on March 28, Minnesota sees its biggest in-state matchup in a couple of years when Anthony Bonsante and Andy Kolle mix it up for the state middleweight title.  This card, promoted by Justin Seurer, has been skilfully filled out by matchmaker Cory Rapacz with a ton of attractive young talent who probably aren’t demanding big money for their participation.  Foremost among the remaining matchups is a battle between Antwan Robertson and Brad Patraw, and all the remaining bouts should be interesting in their own ways.
• Caleb Truax hopes to appear in St Louis on the same night, on the undercard of Cory Spinks-Deandre Latimore.  According to Truax, if Grygelko is unable to get him on that Don King-Lou DeBella promoted show, he would expect to be inserted into the March 21 event mentioned above.
• A mixed boxing/MMA event featuring Raphael Butler is tentatively scheduled for April 4 in Rochester, but no details are yet available.  More information should become available soon, and the Fistic Mystic will try to keep you abreast of developments.
• Target Center hosts an event scheduled for April 18, the card for which has not been filled out yet.  But we know that Jason Litzau is expected to headline, with big brother Allen Litzau facing undefeated prospect Wilton Hilario in what has been described as the co-main event.  Matt Vanda has been tentatively scheduled to appear in this show, depending on the outcome of his February 21 fight with John Duddy (mentioned above).  The name of Shelby Pudwill has been dropped as a potential opponent, but obviously nothing is yet finalized.

Caleb Truax Reacts to February 13 Win (Steve Walker)

Caleb Truax

 

Last night Caleb Truax ran his professional record to 11-0 (8 knockouts) by scoring a 2nd-round KO against Steve Walker of Hannibal, MO.  I caught up with Truax and asked him a few questions about that fight and his immediate plans.  Highlights are below:

Please give me the lowdown on your fight last night with Steve Walker:

The first round I kind of wanted to feel him out.  He landed a couple of shots on me, not that he hurt me, but he knew what he was doing.  He landed a couple of jabs.  The second round I landed a couple of power shots to the body and after that it was over pretty quick.  He was a veteran, he landed a few shots, pulled a few veteran tricks on me, but I was too big and too good for him.

Leading up to the fight some people didn’t think that Walker (now 22-20 with 16 kayos) was a credible opponent for you at this point in your career.  Having fought him, what do you think about him?

I had wanted a tougher opponent and a tougher fight, but I really can’t complain.  I would like to get in a few more rounds, but when you look at the guy’s record, he had a winning record and he had been in with a lot of good guys.  All those good guys had beaten him, but…[laughs]

What’s next?  Will you fight on Tony Grygelko’s March card at the St Paul Armory?

I think they’re going to try to find something out of state for me.  It could be the Cory Spinks undercard down in St Louis at the end of March, but if that doesn’t work out then I’ll probably be fighting at the Armory in March.

Boxing Results: Friday February 13 at Epic Nightclub in Minneapolis

Sadly, the Fistic Mystic was unable to attend tonight’s festivities in Minneapolis.  The following results are courtesy of www.minnesotaboxing.com.  Brett Mauren’s ringside report can be found at http://www.minnesotaboxing.com/PastResults/epic_mnpls_feb13_2009/results.html

Phil Williams (now 10-1 with 9 kayos) defeated Isaiah Henderson (now 11-11 with 7 kayos) by unanimous decision after 6 rounds.

Caleb Truax (now 11-0 with 8 kayos) defeated Steve Walker (now 22-20 with 16 kayos) by knockout in the second round of a fight scheduled for six.

Joey Abell (now 22-4 with 21 kayos) defeated Marcus Rhode (now 34-37 with 29 kayos) by knockout in the first round of a fight scheduled for six.

Marcus Levesseur defeated John Marriot

Carey Vanier defeated Derek Abrams

Willshaun Boxley (now 5-0 with 3 kayos) defeated Felix Martinez (now 0-2) by knockout in the third round of a fight scheduled for six.

Marvin Rodriguez (now 1-1 with no kayos) lost to Dion Savage (now 5-0 with 3 kayos) by unanimous decision after 4 rounds.

Jeremy McLauren (now 3-0 with 2 kayos) defeated Sook Siyajuck (now 1-3-1 with 1 kayo) by unanimous decision after 4 rounds.

Jon Schmidt and Charles Meir boxed an exhibition after their opponents (William Deets and Fred Thomas) were no-shows.

Margarito’s Punishment Is Too Lenient.

According to ESPN,

The California State Athletic Commission revoked the licenses of former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito and trainer Javier Capetillo on Tuesday, banning them for at least one year for tampering with Margarito’s hand wraps before he was to face Shane Mosley on Jan. 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Voting 7-0 on both motions for revocation, the panel found that they put a plaster-like substance on illegal pads inside Margarito’s hand wraps.

Prior to the fight, in which Margarito was knocked out in the ninth round, Mosley’s trainer, Naazim Richardson, had objected to the way Margarito’s left hand was wrapped. When the wrap was cut off, officials found a suspect bandage wrap inside the knuckle pad that would be placed over Margarito’s hands.

Richardson then insisted that the wrap on Margarito’s right hand be checked and another identical illegal pad was discovered. Margarito eventually had his hands rewrapped and went on to lose the fight.

The panel rejected Margarito’s plea of ignorance — he told the panel that he just held up his hands to be wrapped — and Capetillo’s insistence that he had simply made a mistake during a hearing that lasted more than five hours in Van Nuys.

Dan Raphael, writing for ESPN.com

What a shame.

What a shame that Margarito’s license was only revoked for one year.

Think of the damage that Margarito has done to other fighters. Not just the injuries and pain he may have inflicted with his artificially fortified punches (depending on how long and how frequently he was using these illegal wraps), but the damage he caused to their careers by defeating them. This is no small thing when you consider that Miguel Cotto was considered one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world before Margarito turned him into such an incapacitated mess that his corner threw in the towel in the eleventh round of their July 26 championship bout.  Cotto didn’t just lose his undefeated status and his WBA world welterweight title, he lost fans and earning power and quite a bit of blood as well.

Who knows how long this has been going on?  Naturally Margarito claims to have had no knowledge of it ever happening before, and his trainer Javier Capetillo claims that this instance was only an unfortunate accident.  But the the cynic (in boxing that would be the realist) says that this has probably been a long-term strategy for Margarito and Capetillo.  Capetillo is a professional, working the corner for a world-famous world champion boxer, so it seems implausible that he would be so inattentive as not even to notice that he had slipped an hardened pad into his fighter’s handwraps.  And that Margarito would be so disinterested as not to notice that his wraps were being prepared illegally is almost as difficult to believe.

Unless one of those two decides to tell the truth, and in doing so to snitch on his fellow conspirator, we’ll probably never know how many people have been hurt and how many careers have been compromised by their selfish and unethical actions.

One morsel of good news is that due to reciprocity, US states that have boxing commissions can be expected to honor the license revocation handed down in California.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that measure will be honored just across the California border in Tijuana, where the mayor has offered Margarito a hometown hero’s welcome and has offered his moral (if not practical) support to local shows featuring Margarito.  Therein lies a possible explanation for the relative leniency being shown by the California State Athletic Commission – no matter what they do, they can’t keep Margarito from fighting in Mexico or Europe.

Upcoming Boxing Event: February 13 at Epic Nightclub in Minneapolis

What to watch for:  Phil Williams returns to the prizefighting ring after an injury-forced absence of four months, facing tough Isaiah Henderson, a former IBC Americas cruiserweight titleist.  Joey Abell tests his chin against the strong but very beatable Marcus Rhode.  Caleb Truax faces Josh Rodriguez, who gave a good account of himself in a close loss to Jon Schmidt last month.  Jon Schmidt takes on an interesting opponent in William Deets, whose 2-8 record may be deceptive – check the quality of his competition and you’ll find that Deets has never fought an opponent with less than a winning record.  Note also that Deets is coming off a decision win against Tim Taggart down in Florida.  Willshaun Boxley hopes to capitalize on last month’s big win versus Torrence Daniels by fighting tough puncher Felix Martinez.  Jeremy McLaurin faces a guy with a funny name who turned pro at the age of 36.  Charles Meir and Fred Thomas meet in a battle of the winless.  And Dion Savage, fresh off a spectactular knockout of Jeffrey Osborne Jr on January 24, reportedly is returning to Minnesota for a fight with Marvin Rodriguez.

Phil “The Drill” Williams (9-1 with 9 kayos) -vs- Isaiah Henderson (11-10 with 7 kayos)

Joey Abell (21-4 with 20 kayos) -vs- Marcus Rhode (34-36-2 with 29 kayos)

Golden” Caleb Truax (10-0 with 7 kayos) -vs- Josh Rodriguez(4-6 with 3 kayos)

Carey Vanier -vs- Derek Abram (MMA)

Marcus LeVessuer -vs- John Marriott (MMA)

Jon Schmidt (7-1 with 5 kayos) -vs- William Deets (2-8 with 1 kayo)

Wilshaun Boxley (4-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- Felix Martinez (0-1)

Jeremy McLaurin (2-0 with 2 kayos) -vs- Sook Siyajuck(1-2-1 with 1 kayo)

Charles Meir (0-1) -vs- Fred Thomas (0-8-2)

Dion Savage (4-0 with 3 kayos) -vs- Marvin Rodriguez (1-0 with no kayos)

First Look at April 18 (Target Center) Boxing Card

Here’s a preview of the April 18 fight card for the Target Center in Minneapolis:

Jason Litzau (23-2 with 19 kayos) -vs- TBA – Matchmaker Cory Rapacz says “Nothing yet for Jason; he’s f’n impossible to match.”

Allen Litzau (13-3 with 7 kayos) -vs- Wilton Hilario (10-0 with 8 kayos), junior lightweights, scheduled for eight rounds

Matt Vanda (39-8 with 22 kayos) -vs- Shelby Pudwill (tentative), middleweights, scheduled for 8 rounds – Rapacz: “A lot depends on how Matt comes out of the [February 21] Duddy fight.”

Ceresso Fort (4-0 with 4 kayos) -vs- TBA, middleweights, scheduled for 6 rounds – Rapacz: “We will have to see how [Fort] comes out of Hinckley before making any commitments to an opponent.”

Tyler Gould (5-3 with 5 kayos) -vs- Danny Schleinz (7-15 with 4 kayos), welterweights, scheduled for 4 rounds – Rapacz: “Hoping to get Danny Schleinz or else we’ll try Magdaleno.”

Donny Tierney (pro debut) -vs- David Duncan (0-1), junior middleweights, scheduled for 4 rounds – Rapacz: “[This] was agreed to today.”

I asked Cory whether he is the matchmaker who Corey Rodriguez had mentioned talking to about an April return and he confirmed:  “Yep, I’m talking with C-Rod about April 18th.”

Final remarks: “We’re planning on…about eight fights total so we’ll see what we end up with!”

Corey Rodriguez Looking at an April Return

Corey Rodriguez of New Hope (4-0) has disclosed that he may return to the prizefighting ring as soon as April.

Rodriguez says that his legal battle for custody of  his daughter may be over soon.  He also notes that his employer will be closing for business in November, and hints that he might be ready to give full-time boxing a try.

Says Rodriguez, “I’ve been back in the gym and getting back into shape…I’m looking to make a comeback and have been talking with a matchmaker for a possible fight in April!”