By Anthony Ivey
Starfight Production's Inc. put together another solid night of boxing at Tampa's Al La Carte Pavilion as some of the Bay area's finest young prospects came to fight.
In the evening's opening bout, a middleweight contest, Tampa's Inka Laleye (3-0, 1 KO) scored a four-round unanimous decision over a game Eric Clinton. Clinton came out fast, but Laleye stood his ground and controlled the action for the majority of the fight. Scores read 40-36 all around.
"I felt strong tonight," stated Laleye. "I just wanted to outbox him, and I did."
The night's second fight saw Orlando junior middleweight Jean Baptiste square off against Massachusetts native Carlos Pena. The bout was an awkward affair with neither fighter really able to get anything going offensively. The contest went the full four rounds, and the decision was announced as a draw.
Baptiste's record now reads 7-2-4 with no knockouts.
In an entertaining super middleweight contest, St. Pete's Marvin Blair (1-0-1) earned a four-round nod over Samir Mohammed of Lexington, Ky. After an uneventful opening round, the two fighters let their shots go for the remainder of the contest. While competitive, Blair's heavier punches were the difference in his victory. Scores read 40-36 and 39-37(twice).
Welterweight Keith "I don't get paid by the hour" Thurman (2-0, 2 KOs) made ridiculously quick work of his opponent, North Carolina's Tramiane Boone. Thurman was able to score a knockout with only his second punch of the fight, an extended hook that caught Boone flush and caused him to sink to the canvas as Thurman made a slash mark across his throat, ala Bernard Hopkins.
Boone tried in vain to rise while clutching the side of his face where the blow had crashed but could not beat the count. The time of the knockout was 22 seconds of round one.
"I'm a power puncher," said Clearwater's Thurman. "I saw the fear in his eyes and went for it."
Undefeated middleweight Ahsandi Gibbs won a lopsided decision victory over late sub Angel Roman. Roman showed heart in going the full six rounds, but the outcome was never in doubt.
With the victory, St. Petersburg's Gibbs raises his mark to 6-0 with 2 KOs. Ahsandi came out bombing in the first and put Roman on the ropes several times during the fight to pound out a workmanlike decision.
New Port Richey's Brian Chairy scored a fourth-round TKO over fellow super middleweight Charles Wade. Chairy brought many of his fans, as he had the crowd rocking from the time he approached the ring. The fight's highlight was an attempted tackle by Wade once the referee waved him off, unable to continue. With the win, Chairy raises his mark to 9-6-2 with 2 KOs.
In the main event, Tampa junior welterweight Derrick Samuels (14-3-1, 3 KOs) won via third-round TKO over Cory Peterson. After two competitive opening rounds, Samuels showed a rare display of power, nailing Peterson with a brutal hook to the jaw followed by a barrage of power shots that forced the referee to call a halt to the contest as the round was coming to a close.
"I'm glad the ref stopped the fight when he did," Samuels joked. "Four more punches, and I would have stopped throwing."
In an all-Florida heavyweight battle, St. Pete's Mike Middleton and Orange Park's Leroy Hollis treated the crowd to a slugfest in the evening's final contest, which was ultimately taken by Middleton. Scores read 40-36 (twice) and 39-37.
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By Anthony Ivey
You can tell a lot about a fighter from whom he admires in the ring.
If someone says Hector Camacho he may have a flair for the showmanship side of the sport. If he were to say Mike Tyson then that fighter might never have heard of a feeling-out round.
But now if a fighter says he looks up to Winky Wright, then you know you're dealing with boxing's version of the chess player, a classically skilled fighter.
Inka Laleye is just that fighter.
"I try to use my head in the ring," says Laleye. "Just like old-school fighters do. You make the guy miss, and you make him pay."
Laleye, 2-0 with one knockout, is looking to make it three-for-three this Friday at the Al La Carte Pavilion in Tampa. The Nigerian native has called the Tampa Bay area his home for the last few years.
His interest in boxing was first sparked by watching his brother, cruiserweight Akinyemi Laleye.
"I felt like boxing was just waiting for me after watching him," says Laleye.
Laleye also sharpens his skills by being a fight fan.
"I watch as much boxing as I can. I'll watch the fights on the Spanish stations. I don't know what they are saying, but I know what they're doing," laughs Laleye.
Inka certainly knew what he was doing his last time out, which resulted in a first-round knockout on Nov. 9.
While still early in his pro career, Laleye already understands what it will take to be a player in the middleweight division.
"The top 10 is always stacked, but anybody can beat anybody on any given day," explains Laleye. "The difference between a good fighter and a great fighter is how you adapt. Like Floyd Mayweather, he has an answer for everything."
Laleye already has plans to keep himself busy in 2008.
"I want as many fights as we can get, whatever the number."
Whatever the number, Laleye will continue to do what it takes to prevent the number in his loss column from reading more than zero.
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By Anthony Ivey
In front of a packed house in New York City's Madison Square Garden, Roy Jones Jr. scored a unanimous 12-round decision over Felix "Tito" Trinidad.
Scores read 116-110 (twice) and 117-109.
Pensacola's Jones entered the ring sporting a silver crown that Trinidad was hoping to knock off his head with his trademark left hook. On this night, however, it didn't happen.
Trinidad swept the first three rounds by basically outworking Jones. Trinidad didn't land anything particularly effective, but Jones did little more than block Trinidad's power shots during those frames. Jones' trademark showmanship, however, did make an appearance in the third as he lay back against the ropes pounding his beltline, daring Trinidad to step in.
Jones finally opened up in the fourth, showing some of the slashing speed and power that made him a multi-time world champion. He continued his success in the fifth and sixth, mainly relying on a snappy right-hand lead that continually split Trinidad's guard.
Trinidad also continued to throw, but once again little was getting through.
The seventh round was the turning point of the fight. Early in the round a chopping right hand to the temple by Jones hurt Trinidad, who sank to the canvas after a two-second delay. When Trinidad rose he was met by a two-fisted assault by Jones. The attack, however, wasn't sustained, and Trinidad was able to survive the remainder of the round.
The snap and volume of Trinidad's punches dropped once the eight round began, and Jones used flashy pick-your-spot flurries to take the remaining rounds.
A knockdown by Jones in the 10th courtesy of a left jab and glancing right cemented the decision in his favor.
Jones was anxious to start calling out his next foe once the decision was announced.
“I'll fight anybody, anywhere, anytime. If Hopkins-Calzaghe finishes like I think it will, I'll even go to Wales and fight. I don't care."
Despite the loss, Trinidad remained positive in his comments.
“I take nothing away from Roy, but if I could have avoided the knockdowns, I think I could have won the fight."
With the victory Jones moves to 52-4 (38 KOs), while Trinidad drops to 42-3 (35 KOs).
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By Brian Richesson
Miami's Randall Bailey remains a force in the junior welterweight division.
The former world champion could have looked past Anthony Mora – and at times he was close to doing so – but Bailey went into attack mode and ended their Jan. 18 bout in Key West, Fla., with a fifth-round technical knockout.
The win allowed Bailey (36-6, 33 KOs) to push his latest loss, by split decision to Herman Ngoudjo in an IBF title eliminator, into the past and instead look ahead to a future that could include junior welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi.
Bailey, 33, pursued Mora (15-2, 10 KOs) throughout the fight, mainly foregoing his jab and seeking one big shot that would produce a dramatic ending. A right-left-right combination to the head in the fourth round floored Mora.
That set up the ending in the fifth when Bailey threw a quick left jab and then a monstrous right that sent Mora back to the canvas.
Stunned, Mora quickly rose to his feet, but the referee and Mora's corner stopped the bout at 2:30 of the round.
Bailey's last six wins have come by knockout.
The ESPN-televised outdoor card included a main event between cruiserweights Kelvin Davis, a former world champion, and up-and-comer Eric Fields – a bout that lasted 55 seconds.
Fields rocked Davis to the canvas with a right hand as the fight began, and only seconds later produced an aggressive flurry of punches that forced an abrupt technical knockout.
Davis, who threw only six punches before the knockout, never had a chance to stabilize himself as the 6-foot-2 Fields pounced from the outset.
The knockout was the eighth in the first round for the 25-year-old Fields (11-0, 9 KOs), a two-time national Golden Gloves champion from Ardmore, Okla.
Davis (24-8-2, 16 KOs) was fighting for the first time since a horrific accident in which he fell 25 feet from a bridge while training. He broke his back and neck in the June fall.
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By Brian Richesson
Edison Miranda and Jean Pascal have set themselves up for a super middleweight showdown later this year. They almost didn't wait that long.
Only minutes after Miranda recorded a vicious knockout of David Banks on Jan. 11 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino of Hollywood, Fla., Pascal began shouting at a celebrating Miranda. As Pascal was finishing a ringside interview with ESPN, saying "I'm not scared" of Miranda, the fighters' eyes met. Pascal then ran his thumb across his neck in a slashing motion toward Miranda, took off the ESPN headset and stood up.
"Let's do this right now," Pascal shouted to Miranda.
Miranda seemed to contemplate a pursuit of Pascal but instead chose to bask in his latest victory, which certainly will be a candidate for 2008 knockout of the year.
In only his second bout at the 168-pound weight class after advancing from middleweight, Miranda (30-2, 26 KOs) landed a crushing right hand in the third round that dropped Banks (15-4-1, 2 KOs) onto the bottom ropes. Banks' body extended over the ropes as the referee counted. The boxer managed to untangle himself and return to his unsettled feet, but it was clear the punch had done enough damage for the referee to end the fight at 1:15 of the round.
Nearly one year after he suffered a brutal defeat to middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, Miranda's dramatic performance against Banks reinforced the belief that he's a fighter to be feared again.
Pascal (21-0, 14 KOs), ranked 10th in the world by The Ring magazine, remained unbeaten in a bout that preceded Miranda's. The Canadian won a unanimous decision over Omar Pittman (15-4, 8 KOs), scoring a 98-91, 98-91, 97-92 victory that had the crowd booing and roaring.
Pascal controlled most of the fight, knocking Pittman down in the second round with a left hook. In the sixth round, as Pittman began to slow and the crowd began to grow impatient, Pascal extended his arms and urged his opponent to fight.
Pittman obliged. A left hook rocked Pascal backward in the seventh round, inciting shouts of "Omar! Omar!" a round later. Pittman also landed a big right hand as the eighth round ended, drawing even more cheers and thoughts that an upset was in the making.
But Pascal held off his surging opponent and, having built such a big lead earlier with his quickness and athleticism, moved closer to a date with Miranda and a confrontation that can only be settled inside the ring.
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By Anthony Ivey
When you meet Keith Thurman, there is something about him that stands out. Something that makes him stand out more than the average 19 year old. It could be all of his amateur accomplishments, which include winning a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials as well as capturing the PAL National Championship in 2006. Or it could be that his pro debut at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa back on Nov. 9 ended in a sensational first-round knockout courtesy of a wicked shot to the body.
Whatever the reason for Thurman's air of confidence, one thing is for sure Â- he's got the attitude necessary to be a force on the boxing scene for years to come. "I want to fight the best. I don't want to be someone who ducks and dodges opponents," says Clearwater native Thurman. Â
Thurman's opponents will be residing in the welterweight division. He is a fighter described by advisor Dan Birmingham as "full of potential." Thurman is promoted under the banner of Starfight Productions Inc. and is trained and managed by Ben Getty. His team will likely be very busy in '08 as Thurman says he'll be "fighting six times this year and possibly two others."
Despite his young age, Thurman admires the fighters who performed from decades past like Tyson, Leonard and Ali. "I also have respect for fighters with heart, like Arturo Gatti," says Thurman.
Thurman also has opinions on the current crop of today's fighters including fellow welterweight and pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. "He's great. Cocky, but great. But hey, he has a right to be."
Great would be a word to describe Thurman's pro debut. "My pro debut was fun, but it ended too quickly. I was anxious to experience my first pro fight, and I'm looking forward to many more," says Thurman.
Even prior to the opening bell of his pro debut, Thurman's confident demeanor didn't waver. "I don't get nervous before a fight, just anxious. If I don't feel some butterflies, something is wrong. If nothing's wrong, something's wrong," says Thurman.
Keith Thurman's opponent on Friday, Jan. 18 at the A La Carte Pavilion may be hoping for nothing to go wrong that night, but if Thurman brings the same attitude in the ring that he had for his pro debut last year, expect the result to be the same.
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By Anthony Ivey
Lenroy "TNT" Thomas is a man on a mission. That mission is to be the savior of the heavyweight division. The 6-4, 230-pound Thomas is determined to prove he'll be at the top of the heavyweight food chain within the next few years.
"I'm a diamond in the rough right now," Thomas said. "But the division is wide open, and the only guy out there I can see on top is me."
Thoma has plenty of reasons to be confident. At 22, he has the athleticism to go along with the physical strength that accompanies such a large frame. A former high school football star from St. Petersburg, Fla., who turned down scholarships from such respected universities as Texas A&M, Thomas believes that skill will prevail over brawn when squaring off against the other heavies.
"Most guys, like (Hasim) Rahman last week, are just looking for the big shot. The skills are not there," Thomas said.
Thomas also has the determination that developed from a hard upbringing to go along with the physical gifts. The Jamaican transplant was born into poverty, and at the age of 13 packed his belongings to be reunited with his father in the United States. The reunion, however, was short-lived as Thomas was forced to live on the streets until a woman named Ms. Daffney took him in. She was able to give him the love and support he needed to excel in athletics and scholastics.
After watching Mike Tyson, one of his favorite fighters, on television, Thomas knew boxing and not football would be his passion. Since his career began, he has trained at the St.Petersburg Boxing Club under the knowledgeable guidance of trainer Dan Birmingham.
Thomas describes his style as "boxer-puncher" with his uppercut as his most devastating punch. But what may be the real weapon in this promising heavyweight's arsenal is his ability to fight both conventional and southpaw, something that is a rarity in the heavyweight division.
At 7-1 with five knockouts, Thomas has gotten his pro career off on the right foot. The only blemish on his record came in his pro debut in April 2006. On that night, Thomas lost by one point in a fight he and Birmingham described as "a robbery." Thomas had his doubts after his first loss, but turned it around after hearing advice from friends.
"I felt down after the fight. But then Jeff (Lacy) spoke to me, and it lifted my spirits," Thomas said. "You win some, you lose some. Even Bernard Hopkins lost his first fight."
Thomas listened and scored a first-round knockout in his next start, just three weeks later. "Winky (Wright) told me to get in the best shape you can, do your best and have fun," Thomas said.
Thomas may be having fun, but his next opponent, on Nov. 30 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tampa, Fla., could be in for anything but fun – especially if Thomas snaps his punches at his foe the same way he hits the handpads in training.
Whoever he faces next, Thomas said he's prepared. "We've had three different opponents for this fight, but it doesn't matter. I'm ready for whoever," he said.
Lenroy Thomas is ready for any opponent, but is the heavyweight division ready for Lenroy Thomas?
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