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Rivera in Cruz control; Thurman rings Omar's Bell
By Anthony Ivey
Starfight Productions offered another evening of exciting boxing on Aug. 15 at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa.
In the evening's main event, New Port Richey featherweight Carlos Rivera wore down Puerto Rico's Juan Cruz en route to a seventh-round stoppage.
Cruz took the first two rounds by outhustling Rivera, but Rivera took control from the third round on and never looked back. He systemically broke Cruz down with hard hooks to the head and body. Rivera finally put an end to the affair midway through the seventh, as a right hook downstairs knocked the wind from Cruz. Cruz sank to the canvas from the blow, but got up to receive more punishment until the referee stopped the contest.
"I promised my corner after the second round I wouldn't lose another round," explained Rivera. "I knew from the noise he was making from that body shot I landed that it was going to be over soon."
With the victory Rivera raises his mark to 14-3-2 with five KOs, while Cruz tumbles to 5-4.
2008 Olympic trials silver medalist Keith Thurman continued his first-round knockout streak by stopping fellow undefeated prospect Omar Bell. Bell attempted to use his advantages in height and reach, but it was to no avail as Thurman connected with a brutal leaping left hook that collapsed Bell to a seated position between the bottom two ropes. The referee quickly ended the fight as an unconscious Bell was attended to by a ringside physician for several minutes.
"When I land a shot like that, that's it. When he went down, he was done," stated Thurman, now 7-0 with seven KOs.
In the evening's opening contest, welterweight Ricardo Cepeda made the most of his professional debut by dispatching Brandon Reid in 40 seconds of the first round. The end came after the second of two knockdowns produced by wicked left hooks to the body prompted the referee to halt the contest.
"He is only 18 years old and has a lot more to show," stated Pete Fernandez, Cepeda's trainer.
Junior-middleweight action took center stage next as St. Pete's Laquel Flemming took on Manny Cortessis of Tarpon Springs. Through four rounds of action it was Cortessis landing at a higher rate, while Fleming was able to connect more with power shots. In the end, the judges could not decide on a winner as scores read 39-37 Cortessis and 38-38 (twice).
"He didn't want to fight," stated Flemming, now 1-1-2. "He started grabbing and backpedaling once he felt my power."
Undefeated Tampa heavyweight Nick Ianuzzi kept his streak alive with a one-round blowout of Ohio's Troy Griffin. A hard left uppercut produced the first knockdown for Ianuzzi. Griffin beat the referee's count, but was soon met with a sizzling straight right hand that dropped him face first to the canvas and ended the fight.
"I was trying to use my jab, but he was pretty elusive," explained Ianuzzi, now 8-0 with five KOs. "So I shortened up my power shots and they landed."
Fight-of-the-night honors went to St. Pete middleweights Ahsandi Gibbs and Marvin Blair. In a fight that saw both combatants hit the deck, Gibbs was able to come out with a hard-fought victory via triple scores of 57-55 after six rounds of action.
The first knockdown came at the end of round one, with Blair connecting on a long right hand to the chin of Gibbs. Gibbs got up shaken, but banged his gloves together in frustration as the bell sounded to end the round. Gibbs battled back in a tough second round and took control with overhand rights in the third. Gibbs swarmed all over Blair in the fourth, but Blair did manage to connect with a hard right uppercut near the end of the round. Gibbs pressed the action in the fifth, while a tiring Blair attempted to stick and move. Both fighters pushed hard in the sixth, but it was Gibbs who made the final statement by flooring Blair with a solid left hook to take the victory.
"His perseverance surprised me," said Gibbs, now 9-0 with three KOs. "This was the toughest fight I've had so far, but it was also a career-defining performance."
With the loss, Blair's record now reads 2-1-1.
Any opponent for Rivera
By Anthony Ivey
Opponents change all the time in boxing. The change can happen a month before, or even a couple of days before fight night. Since this is a trend that is likely to stay in place as long as boxing is around, it's up to the fighter to have the right attitude in place when this occurs.
"I was pretty upset at first, but hey this is boxing and fights fall through all the time. You just go with it," explains Carlos Rivera.
Rivera's original opponent on Aug. 15 was supposed to be two-time Freddie Norwood conqueror Johnnie Edwards, but Edwards suffered a broken hand in training and had to pull out two weeks prior to fight night.
"My opponent now is from Colombia; he has about 30 wins on his record," says Rivera, 13-3-2 with 4 KOs.
As far as post-fight plans, Rivera might slow down a little from his hectic fight schedule.
"I have been fighting almost every month since January. I'd like to take a little rest after this, spend some time with my family," he says.
And after the rest?
"This should be my last eight-rounder," he adds. "I should also see offers for regional titles after this fight."
Upcoming fight personal for Gibbs
By Anthony Ivey
Undefeated middleweight Ahsandi Gibbs normally has a laid-back type of demeanor. When he speaks about his upcoming fights, Gibbs doesn't talk trash about his opponent or brag about his own in-ring abilities. Most of the time, whomever Gibbs is fighting is irrelevant to him.
But on Aug. 15 at the A La Carte Pavilion, the man who will be across the ring from him has gotten Gibbs' attention.
"I want to beat on his ass for a while," states a serious Gibbs. "I take him calling me out for this fight as a sign of disrespect."
The fighter in question is fellow local undefeated boxer Marvin Blair. Blair, 2-0-1, and Gibbs, 8-0 with 3 KOs, have sparred with each other on numerous occasions. According to Gibbs, he has gotten the better of the encounters.
"It went extremely well for me," explains Gibbs. "They know what I am capable of doing with him. Do they think I am regressing or something?"
While Blair has campaigned primarily in the heavier super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, Gibbs' trainer, Jim McLoughlin, doesn't foresee that to be a difference maker.
"Marvin has skills, but once the bell rings he'll know he's in the ring with Ahsandi," McLoughlin says. "Everything else won't matter."
Thurman goes against the norm
By Anthony Ivey
When an undefeated fighter is in the early stages of his boxing career, it's almost unheard of for him to risk fighting an undefeated opponent. On Aug. 15 at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Keith Thurman will do just that.
On that Friday evening, Thurman (6-0, 6 KOs) will take on Omar Bell (6-0, 4 KOs) in a scheduled six-round welterweight battle.
"A fighter is a fighter. Just because he hasn't been beat yet, doesn't mean he's gonna beat me," explains Thurman, when asked about taking on his first undefeated professional opponent.
Bell, the younger brother of former cruiserweight champ O'Neil Bell, shares a common opponent with Thurman. Both fighters have done battle with the durable Jessie Davis. Bell was floored on his way to scoring a fourth-round technical knockout over Davis, while Thurman made sure Davis didn't see round two in their encounter.
"I train hard, I punch hard, so I can fight hard," states Thurman, in reference to his ongoing streak of taking out every opponent he has faced in the first round.
While Thurman has been putting in a full effort to prepare for Bell, one piece of the training puzzle is still not quite in place.
"Getting steady sparring for Keith is still a challenge," explains his trainer, Ben Getty. "However, we would like to thank Derrick Samuels out of 4th Street Gym in St. Pete for helping us to get prepared for this upcoming fight by sparring with Keith."
Prospect watch: Keith Thurman
Starfight Productions
Olympic trials silver medalist and welterweight prospect Keith Thurman has been blasting through the welterweight division in dominating fashion. After turning pro on Nov. 9, 2007, Thurman is already 6-0-0 with six knockouts and he's only been in the ring as a professional for less than nine minutes.
Thurman steps up to his biggest challenge on Aug. 15 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa. His opponent is Omar Bell (6-0-0, 4 KOs), who has already made a name for himself by knocking out Irish prospect Henry Coyle in just 45 seconds of the first round. Bell is the brother of O'Neil Bell, former undisputed cruiserweight champion.
When asked what he thought about his next challenge, Thurman responded, "I'm glad that someone like Omar Bell who is undefeated will step up to the challenge. Unfortunately for Omar, that is only half the challenge. The other half is making it out of the first round. This is definitely a step-up fight, and I am ready. Myself and my coach have been asking for Omar because I want to prove that I have what it takes, and if he makes a mistake I will drop him like third-period French."
When asked about the future, Thurman added, "I let Coach [Ben Getty, trainer/manager] and my promoter [Starfight Productions Inc.] work that out. I could really care less who they give me. If I crawled in the ring and the devil himself was on the other end, his ass is getting knocked out."
Doors will open at 7 p.m. on fight night, with action starting at 8.
Lacy toughs it out
By Brian Richesson
A rugged opponent and a rough fight nearly cost Jeff Lacy his lofty standing in the super middleweight division. Nearly.
A 10-round, back-and-forth battle with Epifanio Mendoza ended in a majority decision for Lacy, but it wasn't easy and it wasn't pretty. In the end, the St. Petersburg fighter remains a force, retaining the luxury of another chance and another opponent who could move him closer to another world championship.
Lacy, The Ring magazine's fifth-ranked super middleweight, prevailed by scores of 96-94 and 97-93 at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, Calif., while the third judge scored the ESPN-televised bout 95-95. ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas also scored the bout a draw.
"I feel like I did a marvelous job," Lacy said. "I went out there and fought hard for 10 rounds."
Lacy (24-1, 17 KOs) escaped two big jams in which Mendoza (28-6-1, 24 KOs) nearly finished him. The Colombian sent Lacy reeling in the second round with a hard, looping right to the top of Lacy's head. Then in the eighth, Mendoza landed a powerful right uppercut that hurt Lacy. To avoid any more punishment, the Florida fighter tackled Mendoza hard into the ropes. It wasn't a popular move, but it may have made a difference in the outcome.
"That's experience, that's tactics in the ring," Lacy said to Atlas, who asked whether he tackled Mendoza purposely to force a delay. "Experience wins fights - not just the punches you throw in there."
Lacy looked especially good at times, like in the first round when he landed several powerful right hands and the fourth round when his punches sent Mendoza into the ropes. But in the sixth, a hard right hand by Mendoza knocked Lacy's mouthpiece across the ring. And Lacy appeared to slow in the seventh before the controversial tackle in the eighth.
When the scores were announced, Mendoza was visibly upset. He stood on the ropes, waving his arms and showing his disapproval to the crowd.
Lacy shot back, saying, "He had 10 rounds to finish me, and he couldn't do it."
Samuels challenges Cordova for title
By Anthony Ivey
Derrick Samuels has been on a roll as of late. A winner in nine of his last 10 fights, including devastating back-to-back knockouts in his last two, Samuels is about to reap the rewards of his winning streak.
On Aug. 23 at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Samuels will challenge undefeated Marvin Cordova Jr. (19-0, 11 KOs) for the vacant WBO NABO junior welterweight title - the very same title Antonio Margarito used as a springboard to a world title shot in the welterweight division.
"This is a great opportunity for me," states Samuels. "It's do or die. I'm not dwelling on anything else but this fight."
This will be Samuels' first trip to Las Vegas, ironically the hometown of his opponent that evening. But neither of these bits of information seems to faze the confident Samuels.
"It's his hometown, but I am not worried about that. It's great to get to fight in Vegas, but again it doesn't really matter to me where the fight is," explains Samuels.
With an impressive 15-3-1 record, the Orlando native Samuels has his sights set on the top of the 140-pound division.
"Like I've said before, there are no dominant guys in the division, just a bunch of prospects. As far as I'm concerned, the division is wide open for me to take it."
For ticket information as well as viewing the fight online, go to www.zeboxingtv.com.
Cherry: When do I get my shot?
Starfight Productions
Edner Cherry along with his promoter Starfight Productions Inc. has issued this statement in regard to his opportunities fighting for the world title:
"I don't understand how I can be overlooked. The WBC has me ranked sixth in the world. I have just knocked out Wes Ferguson and Stevie Johnston on HBO and ESPN, and I am the kind of fighter people love to watch fight because I come to fight and not run all over the place. I said I would fight Anthony Peterson, Amir Khan, Nate Campbell, Manny Pacquiao, Joan Guzman and Juan Diaz, and none of these guys will fight me. Boxing is supposed to be the most entertaining fight for the people, not who these fighters' promoters think they can beat. The people are the ones buying the tickets, and putting me in the ring with any of these guys has the potential to be fight of the year. I have done my job and my promoter has done his job. Now it's time for these guys to step up and be men and stop letting their managers and promoters protect them."
Hard hitters back in action
Starfight Productions
Starfight Productions Inc. returns with another installment of "Fight Night at the A La Carte" on Aug. 15 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa. The main event features hard-hitting featherweight Carlos Rivera, who has won three fights in three months.
Also featured on the card is 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials silver medalist Keith Thurman (6-0, 6 KOs), from Clearwater. Thurman is widely considered one of the top welterweight prospects in all of boxing and the most devastating puncher to turn pro from the amateur ranks in years. He is coming off a vicious knockout of Jason Jordan on June 27. Thurman will look to continue his perfect record with a knockout win.
The event's undercard features some of the best boxing prospects in the St. Petersburg and Tampa areas, including junior middleweight Gino McClellan, middleweight Ahsandi Gibbs and young Pete Fernandez prodigy Reynaldo Cepeda.
Tickets are priced as follows: VIP table seating at $80, $75 and $70; reserved at $45 and $35; and general admission at $20. Tickets are available through the Starfight Productions office and all Ticketmaster outlets. For more information, visit www.starfightproductions.com or contact the Starfight Productions' office at 813-876-9269.
