Rodriguez hammers Escalera
MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (September 29, 2012) – Undefeated Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) made a major statement tonight in the main event, punishing a tough, previously unbeaten Jason “Monstruo” Escalera (13-1-1, 12 KOs) until referee Steve Smoger called off the fight at the start of the eighth round, on tonight’s special HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader in MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.“Road To Glory” was promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Gary Shaw Productions.Rodriguez came out after the first bell throwing bombs and nearly dropped a game Escalera on several occasions, winning 10-8 on all three judges’ scorecards, and the dynamic Dominican living in Worcester (MA) never let up in his first United States Boxing Association (USBA) title defense. He won every round convincingly, showcasing his entire arsenal in the process. Rodriguez is closing in on a major fight, if not a world title shot, and is rated No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), No. 4 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), No. 8 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), and No. 9 by The Ring Magazine.“I was surprised he got out of the first round,” Rodriguez admitted. “He’s definitely a strong kid; tough with raw power but easy to predict. We want any of the top 10 guys, definitely (Kelly) Pavlik. I wanted to send a message and I think my performance speaks for itself.”“That was the offensive machine Edwin can be that you didn’t see against Donovan George,” Rodriguez’ ecstatic promoter Lou DiBella noted. “He fought a tough kid with an iron chin. He’s ready for Pavlik at 168, or (Lucian) Bute or (Jean) Pascal at 175. I hope HBO brings us the biggest fight because Edwin is ready to step up and be a star.”
Darchinyan catches Del ValleThree-time, two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan (38-5-1, 27 KOs), fighting out of Australia, won a dominating decision over previously undefeated Luis “Orlandito” Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs) for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) super bantamweight title. Darchinyan outworked the 25-year-old Del Valle, who is rated No. 4 by t
Vic Darchinyan (L) vs. Luis Del Valle he WBA, effectively pressuring his opponent and repeatedly finding Del Valle’s chin with powerful left uppercuts.“I’m back,” Darchinyan exclaimed. “I feel good at this weight; I feel strong. I worked very hard. He’s a tough kid. I just felt I was in a different class than him.”
“I’m disappointed,” Del Valle remarked. “He’s extremely awkward. I let him impose his style and he got his confidence early. Every time I went inside, he held me. My hat’s off to him. He was the better man tonight.”
Decarie unloads on PerezIn the HBO opening fight, French-Canadian welterweight Antonin Decarie (27-1, 8 KOs), rated No. 7 by the WBC, introduced himself to American fans with a bang, knocking out previously unbeaten Alex Perez (16-1, 9 KOs), of Newark, New Jersey, in the sixth round. Decarie won the first five rounds on two judges’ cards and led 4-1 on the other. Near the end of the sixth round, Decarie caught Perez with a left hook and then a right cross as Perez was rocked. Decarie pinned Perez on the ropes and unloaded a series of solid punches until referee Danny Schiavone stopped the fight with six seconds remaining in the round. Decarie won the vacant North American Boxing Association (NABF) title to go with his WBC International that was not on the line.“I feel awesome,” Decarie said after the fight. “We had a great training camp. The right hand was something we worked on. I knew I could land the right and once I started landing it I knew I could hurt him. I give a lot of credit to Alex for taking the fight. This was the outcome we expected. I’m ready for any welterweight in the world and I can’t wait to be back on HBO.”
Chilemba rocks SaundersWorld-rated cruiserweight Issac “Golden Boy” Chilemba (20-1-1, 9 KOs), fighting out of South Africa, turned in a workmanlike effort against veteran Rayco “War” Saunders (22-17-2, 9 KOs), pitching a shutout en route to a eight-round win by unanimous decision (80-72 X 3). Chilemba originally was supposed to fight on the HBO broadcast against undefeated, two-time world champion Zsolt Erdei, who was forced to withdraw with a rib injury. Chilemba is rated in the top 15 by all four major world boxing organizations, as high as No. 5 by the IBF, as well as No. 9 by The Ring Magazine.Popular Massachusetts super lightweight Ryan “Polish Prince” Kielczewski (14-0. 2 KOs) remained undefeated, outclassing Jeremy McLaurin (9-4, 5 KOs) in an impressive victory by six-round decision.Local favorite Luis “KO King” Rosa, Jr., fighting out of New Haven (CT), ran his perfect record to 11-0 (6 KOs) with a sixth-round technical knockout of New Jersey super bantamweight Victor “The Viper” Valenzuela (8-4, 1 KO).Crowd-pleasing Greek heavyweight Sonya Lamonikis (7-0-2, 1 KO) kept her unbeaten record intact, taking a six-round majority decision over heavyweight Tanzee Daniels (4-2-1, 1 KO).FULL RESULTS(winners listed first each fight)FEMALE HEAVYWEIGHTS:
Sonja Lamonakis (7-0-2, 1 KO), Turner Falls, MA
WDEC6 (59-55, 59-55, 57-57)
Tanzee Daniels (4-2-1, 1 KO), Queens, NYLIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS:
Issac Chilemba (20-1-1, 9 KOs), Johannesburg, South Africa
WDEC8 (80-72, 80-72, 80-72)
Rayco Saunders (22-17-2, 9 KOs), Pittsburgh, PASUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS:
Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs), Worcester, MA
WTKO8 (0:12)
Jason Escalera(13-1-1, 12 KOs, Union City, NJ
(Rodriguez retained the USBA super middleweight title)WELTERWEIGHTS:
Antonin Decarie (27-1, 8 KOs), Laval, Quebec, Canada
WTKO6 (2:54)
Alex Perez(16-1, 9 KOs), Newark, NJ
(Decarie won the vacant NABF welterweight title)SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS:
Danny O’Connor(19-1, 7 KOs), Framingham, MA
WTKO3 (0:33)
Josh Sosa (10-4, 5 KOs), Kansas City, KSSUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS
Ryan Kielczewski (14-0, 2 KOs), Quincy, MA
WDEC6 (60-54, 59-55, 59-55)
Jeremy McLaurin (9-4, 5 KOs), Coon Rapids, MNSUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS:
Vic Darchinyan(38-5-1, 27 KOs), Sydney, Australia
WDEC10 (99-91, 99-91, 96-94)
Luis Orlando Del Valle(16-1, 11 KOs), Newburgh, NY
(Darchinyan won the NABF super bantamweight title)Luis Rosa, Jr. (11-0, 6 KOs), New Haven, CT
WTKO6 (1:26)
Victor Valenzuela (8-4, 1 KO), Passaic, NJ
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
