Tevin Farmer, Katie Taylor Win and Entertain in Showcase Bouts in Philadelphia

Published

5 years ago

March 16, 2019

PHILADELPHIA – Once upon a time, a major manufacturer of athletic shoes and apparel orchestrated a national television advertising campaign with the message that “Chicks dig the long ball,” a reference to baseball that holds that home runs are sexier than mere singles.

That still is so in baseball, and is even more the case in boxing, where fighters with the ability to turn out the lights on an opponent with a single shot – Mike Tyson being a prime example – almost always command a higher level of public interest than tacticians with lesser voltage in their punches. But there are some boxing maestros who seldom go deep, in baseball vernacular, but nonetheless have demonstrated an ability to entertain with a wide array of ring skills.

Cases in point: Pernell Whitaker and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who bewitched, bothered and bewildered opponents through the use of superior footwork, hand speed, defense and precision punching. They became rich and famous despite relatively low KO percentages, presenting the counter argument that chicks – guys, too – can appreciate pugilistic artistry as well as annihilation.

It remains to be seen whether IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer (29-4-1, 6 KOs) can ever match “Sweetpea” or “Money” in terms of accomplishment or crowd appeal, but the 28-year-old southpaw from North Philadelphia strengthened the case for himself as a headliner with an entertaining unanimous decision over gritty Irish challenger Jono Carroll (16-1-1, 3 KOs) in the DAZN-streamed main event here Friday night at the Liacouras Center on the Temple University campus.

“Tevin has worked himself into a position where he’s a valuable commodity in the American fight game,” said Matchroom Sports’ Eddie Hearn, who, along with Lou DiBella, co-promote the prolific singles hitter who extended his winning streak to 22 bouts, albeit with a hotly disputed points loss to Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa that was changed to a no-contest when Ogawa failed a post-fight drug test. Only five of Farmer’s victories have come inside the distance during his six-year ascent from a nondescript 7-4-1 start to his pro career.

An enthusiastic, international turnout of approximately 4,600 spectators – exact attendance figures were not announced – voiced its approval not only of Farmer-Carroll, but of the two other fights streamed by DAZN, in which Ireland’s Katie Taylor (13-0, 6 KOs), arguably the world’s finest female fighter, retained her WBA and IBF lightweight championships while adding the WBO title held by Brazil’s Rose Volante on a ninth-round stoppage, and Poland’s Maciej Sulecki (28-1, 11 KOs) survived a late-round assault from Philadelphia veteran Gabe Rosado (24-12-1, 14 KOs) to capture the vacant WBO Intercontinental middleweight belt on a unanimous decision.

It was an overall good night for boxing, with several non-televised bouts on the nine-fight card – which featured participants from eight countries – also engaging in scraps that stirred the passions of the in-house audience.

“I want to thank Philadelphia because that was a f—— hell of a show,” Hearn said. “The Philly guys came out, the Irish came out, the Polish came out. It was just a great feeling all night, from top to bottom.”

Not too shabby, considering that the very good DAZN card will be overshadowed by Saturday night’s megafight in which IBF welterweight champ Errol Spence Jr. will defend against future Hall of Famer Mikey Garcia in Arlington, Texas, and maybe even by Sunday afternoon’s St. Patrick’s Day card in Madison Square Garden topped by popular Irish featherweight Michael Conlan against Ruben Garcia Hernandez.

If there was anything to be disappointed about in Philly, it was the lack of coverage by the city’s two major newspapers and web site, which did not send any reporters from its offices located just a few miles away from the Liacouras Center. Maybe the fight card got lost on an extremely busy local sports day that included the Eagles’ latest moves in free agency, the Phillies in spring training with newly signed superstar Bryce Harper, the 76ers winning at home against the Sacramento Kings, the Flyers losing a high-scoring contest on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and defending NCAA basketball champion Villanova and Temple playing in their respective conference tournaments. Still, for a town that has long prided itself as being America’s hottest of boxing hotbeds, the snub might not portend well for more such shows finding their way back here.

Carroll, who had at the insistence of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission trimmed a jet-black beard that would have done Rip Van Winkle proud, promised to give a spirited effort, and he did just that. Punch statistics revealed that he landed 294 of 1,227, the latter number third highest all-time for super featherweights since such statistics have been tallied. He elected to make the fight at close range from the opening bell, with a furious body assault designed to wear Farmer down.

But Carroll – who landed exactly 10 more punches than Farmer, despite throwing an astounding 404 more – wound up wearing himself down more than the champion, who had enough gas left in the tank to clearly hurt and nearly finish off the Irishman in the 11^th round. After another big round for Farmer in the 12^th, the scores were read: 117-111 (twice) and 117-110, a just decision but by wider margins than some veteran observers at ringside had it.

Asked if he thought he might have taken Carroll out with his 11^th-round barrage, which included more doubles than singles, Farmer said, “When I seen him hurt, I thought I could. But I messed my hand up in, like, the fourth round. It’s swollen.

“But I had to push through it. I knew a guy at this level was not going to be easy. You got to keep pushing, and you got to be in shape to go 12. I’m a tough guy. It’s going to take a lot to stop me.”

Carroll, whose puffy face was indicative of his hard night on the job, confirmed that he had to dig deep to make it through the 11^th round in which Farmer landed 36 of 67 power shots. “Obviously, I was hurt,” he said. “Me balance was off. Mentally, I was all right. Mentally I was with it. But I had never experienced that before, so me legs were all over the place, you know what I mean?

“But it’s good to overcome those things so you can come back stronger. Next time when it happens I’ll know how to deal with it. Boxing is all about pushing yourself to the limit every single time. If you’re not pushing yourself in the boxing world, what’s the point of being in this sport? I don’t want to fight average people. I want to fight the best in the world.”

DiBella credited Carroll with providing Farmer, who had said beforehand that he was winning fights too easily, with a much-needed trial by combat. “I know what kind of fighter I have in Tevin Farmer, but this guy gave a blueprint of what you do when you get a chance to fight for a world title,” DiBella said, nodding toward Carroll. “You give 110 percent of what you have.”

Next up for Farmer, if he has anything to say about it, will be a unification showdown with WBA super featherweight titlist Gervonta Davis (21-0, 20 KOs). But if that fight can’t be made quickly, Hearn and DiBella won’t hesitate to put Farmer in with whoever’s available and willing.

“That’s the fight that will secure Tevin’s legacy in this sport, not just his financial legacy,” Hearn said of the prospect of the most attractive 130-pound title bout that can be made at this time. “Tevin’s had three world championships defenses in four months. Tank’s (Davis) had three world championship fights in five years.”

Women’s boxing in the United States is still attempting to break that figurative glass ceiling, but it is much more popular in Europe and Taylor, a 2012 London Olympics gold medalist, is a really big deal in her home country, and apt to be even bigger after the way she systematically dismantled the previously unbeaten Volante. Taylor’s Irish fans, many draped in Ireland’s green, white and orange flags, cheered her rapid-fire combinations as if they were at a U2 concert.

“I think she brought the best out of me tonight,” Taylor said of the valiant but outclassed Volante. “It was definitely a great showcase for women’s boxing.”

Taylor has big plans for the remainder of 2019. She hopes to add the fourth and final slice of the women’s 135-pound title pie by enticing WBC champion Delfine Persoon (43-1, 18 KOs) of Belgium into a June 1 bout, on the undercard of IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s defense against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller in Madison Square Garden. Further down the road might be high-visibility, catchweight clashes with undisputed welterweight champ Cecilia Braekhus (35-0, 9 KOs) and Amanda Serrano (36-1-1, 27 KOs).

The first of the three DAZN-streamed fights also was action-packed. Sulecki floored the 33-year-old Rosado in the first and eighth rounds to build a sizable points lead, but Rosado, a two-time challenger for world titles, roared back to register two knockdowns himself in the ninth round and was still firing desperation bombs in the 10^th and final round, narrowing the gap on the scorecards.

In other bouts:

*Welterweight Daniyar Yeleussinov (6-0, 3 KOs), a gold medalist for Kazakhstan at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, fought for the first time with new trainer Cory Spinks in his corner and won his first scheduled eight-rounder on a unanimous decision over Mexico’s Silverio Ortiz (37-24, 18 KOs).

*”Cool Hand” Luke Campbell (20-2, 16 KOs), a lean southpaw from Hull, England, and the WBC’s No. 1-rated lightweight, had the hot hand in stopping Adrian Young (26-6-2, 20 KOs) of Mexico in five rounds.

*In an all-Philly lightweight matchup, Avery Sparrow (10-1, 3 KOs) scored an entertaining 10-round draw over “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy (29-8-1, 14 KOs), who came out in a green-and-white ensemble decorated with his hometown Eagles’ logo.

*Super middleweight D’Mitrius Ballard (20-0, 13 KOs), of Temple Hills, Md., looked sharp in stopping Mexico’s Victor Fonseca (17-10-1, 14 KOs) in five rounds.

*Raymond Ford, a 2018 National Golden Gloves titlist from Camden, N.J., just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, turned pro with a four-round unanimous decision over Weusi Johnson (3-11), of Wilmington, Del.

*Irish-born John Joe Nevin (12-0, 4 KOs), a lightweight now based in Philly, took a six-round unanimous decision over Andres Figueroa (9-4, 5 KOs) of Colombia in a walk-out bout after the main event.

Bernard Fernandez is the retired boxing writer for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is a five-term former president of the Boxing Writers Association of America, an inductee into the Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame and the recipient of the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism and the Barney Nagler Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing.

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Bernard Fernandez

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Ramon Cardenas Channels Micky Ward and KOs Eduardo Ramirez on ProBox

Published

14 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Ramon-Cardenas-Channels-Micky-Ward-and-KOs-Eduardo-Ramirez-on-ProBox

The Wednesday night bi-monthly series of fights on the ProBox TV platform is the best deal in boxing; the livestream is free with no strings attached! Tonight’s episode was headlined by a super bantamweight match between San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas and Eduardo Ramirez who brought a caravan of rooters from his hometown in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

Cardenas, coached by Joel Diaz, entered the contest ranked #4 by the WBA. He was expected to handle Ramirez with little difficulty, but this was a close, tactical fight through eight frames when lightning struck in the form of a left hook to the liver from Cardenas. Ramirez went down on one knee and wasn’t able to beat the count. It was as if Cardenas summoned the ghost of Micky Ward who had a penchant for terminating fights with the same punch that arrived out of the blue.

The official time was 1:37 of round nine. Cardenas improved to 25-1 with his14th win inside the distance. Ramirez, who was stopped in the opening round by Nick “Wrecking” Ball in London in his lone previous fight outside Mexico, falls to 23-3-3.

Co-Feature

In an upset, Tijuana super welterweight Damian Sosa won a split decision over previously undefeated Marques Valle, a local area fighter who was stepping up in class in his first 10-round go. Sosa was the aggressor, repeatedly backing his taller opponent into the ropes where Valle was unable to get good leverage behind his punches.

The 25-year-old Valle, managed by the influential David McWater, was the house fighter. This was his 10^th appearance in this building. He brought a 10-0 (7) record and was hoping to emulate the success of his younger brother Dominic Valle who scored a second-round stoppage of his opponent in this ring two weeks ago, improving to 9-0. But Sosa, who brought a 24-2 record, proved to be a bridge too high.

The judges had it 97-93 and 96-94 for the Tijuana invader and a disgraceful 98-92 for the house fighter.

Also

In a fight whose abrupt ending would be echoed by the main event, 34-year-old SoCal featherweight Ronny Rios, now training in Las Vegas, returned to the ring after a 22-month hiatus and scored a fifth-round stoppage over Nicolas Polanco of the Dominican Republic.

A three-punch combo climaxed by a left hook to the liver took the breath out of Polanco who slumped to his knees and was counted out. A two-time world title challenger, Rios advanced to 34-4 (17 KOs). Polanco, 34, declined to 21-6-1. The official time was 0:54 of round five.

—

The next ProBox show (Wednesday, May 8) will have an international cast with fighters from Kazakhstan, Japan, Mongolia, and the United Kingdom. In the main event, Liverpool’s Robbie Davies Jr will make his U.S. debut against the California-based Kazakh Sergey Lipinets.

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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

4 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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