Galarza and Derevyanchenko Ultra-Impressive in Brooklyn

Published

10 years ago

April 11, 2015

“The Brooklyn Rocky,” they call him, and it isn’t just a tag applied mindlessly.

Frank Galarza comes from humble roots, from a fractured home, and he managed, through kind fate and his own mettle, to not become a stat. He was headed for an early death, or a lifetime in lockup for dealing, or something along those lines.

But boxing tapped him, and he latched on, and he’s now on the cusp of getting to that place where he gets mentioned for title shots and such.

Last night in Brooklyn, Galaraza took a couple rounds to figure out his foe, Sheldon Moore, who by the way was no bum invited to give an easy W on the card promoted by Lou DiBella which unfolded at the Aviator Complex, parts of which ran on Showtime’s “ShoBox.”

Galarza got warmed up, studied Moore, a Belgium native, and then uncorked his now signature left hook to discombobulate him. In round three, that hook sent Moore back, and then Galarza saw and smelled the blood. He hopped on Moore, flurried, and forced the ref to hop in and wave off the contest.

The joint erupted, “Rocky” fans exultant, realizing that they are fans of a possible star in the making. After, DiBella was euphorious. He likened Galarza to an Arturo Gatti type, someone who makes for good TV. The promoter was just as pumped with the work of his buzzsaw beast of a super middleweight, amaaetur ace Sergey Derevyanchenko of the Ukraine, who is an ultra-aggressor who demands of himself that he stalk his foe and stop him. Serge’s foe, the Mexican Alan Campa, did his scouting on the banger, and knew he possessed power. He was cautious and smart but not able to fend off the sawed-off runt of a beast. DiBella told me afterwards he sees something of Gennady Golovkin in Serge, and all in attendance agreed we can see him fighting title fights sooner rather than later. The promoter called him “one of my best signings” after the fourth round TKO (1:17).

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Here is the release sent out post-fight:

BROOKLYN KNOCKOUT:
FRANK GALARZA KOS SHELDON MOORE
FRIDAY ON SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION ON SHOWTIME®

Tripleheader To Replay Monday, April 13 At 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHOWTIME EXTREME

NEW YORK (April 11, 2015) – Undefeated super welterweight Frank Galarza put on a show for his hometown fans, knocking out Sheldon Moore in the third round of the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday at the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Known as “The Brooklyn Rocky,” Galarza (17-0-2, 11 KOs) may have graduated from prospect to contender with yet another early round knockout on the prospect developmental series. Galarza staggered Moore with a big left hook in the third and then attacked with a series of shots to the head and a big right hook to the body that floored the Belgian boxer. Moore (13-3-1, 9 KOs) looked determined to get up but was unable to recover and was counted out at 1:41 as he lay on the canvas for the first time in his career.

“It feels great. It’s amazing to get that knockout in front of my home fans,” Galarza said. “He was tough and he came to fight, but we executed the game plan and got him out of there. I hit him with that left and I saw he was hurt. I went body, head, body, head and finished him.

“We’re ready. Anybody they bring next, we’re ready.”

Moore acknowledged he was hurt but said he would have liked to continue.

“That left hook did it for me, but I think I was bringing the fight to him,” Moore said. “I was dazed but I’m not happy with the stoppage. I wanted to keep fighting and bring the fight back to him. I just got countered. That’s boxing. It happens.”

In the co-feature, undefeated middleweight prospect and former amateur standout Ievgen “The Ukrainian Lion” Khytrov went the distance for the first time in his career, outpointing slick southpaw Aaron Coley via unanimous decision, scored 78-74, 79-73 twice.

Supremely talented yet largely untested as a pro, Khytrov (10-0, 9 KOs) had to work to win the lopsided decision. The Ukrainian, who had over 500 amateur fights, was coming off the longest bout of his career, an eighth round TKO over Jorge Melendez just over a month ago. Fighting a southpaw for the first time as a professional, Khytrov had trouble working the angles and was not able to cut off the ring against the durable Coley, who went past the sixth for the first time in his career.

Khytrov appeared frustrated in the middle rounds with his inability to finish Coley (9-1-1, 6 KOs), but he continued to break down his previously undefeated opponent and pocketed rounds with little question.

“It was a good fight, but I saw some flaws that I need to work on,” Khytrov said. “But it was a short span between my last fight and I think it showed in the ring.

“I knew I had to make an adjustment because he wouldn’t come forward and fight with me. Everything happens for a reason. This was a good experience for me. I got some rounds and I got the win.”

Coley, who was taking a huge step up in opposition, was unimpressed with Khytrov’s much-hyped power.

“He wasn’t as powerful as I expected. I take boxing seriously and he never had me hurt at all,” Coley said. “But he kind of took over the fight. It was kind of hard to time him and I can’t argue with the decision. He was fluid and had decent movement. You can tell he had good amateur experience.”

In the opening bout of the telecast, blue-chip super middleweight prospect Sergiy Derevyanchenko dominated Alan Campa, knocking down the previously once-beaten Mexican en route to a fourth round TKO (1:17).

Known as “The Technician,” Derevyanchenko utilized combos to set up a devastating right hand that seemingly landed at will. The Ukrainian dropped Campa with a huge right with 20 seconds left in the second, just the second time that Campa touched the canvas in his career.

Derevyanchenko (5-0, 4 KOs) broke down Campa in the third and scored his second knockdown in the fourth. Campa got up but was in trouble monents later and the referee halted the contest at 1:17 with Campa (13-2-1, 1 NC, 9 KOs) defenseless against the ropes.

“I’m happy with the win and ready to step up my level of opposition,” Derevyanchenko said. “I used a lot of angles and used the combos to set up rights. I’m looking for more of a test in my next fight.”

The event was promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc. and New Legend Boxing.

Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

Below are results from the non-televised undercard:

In an action-packed six-round junior welterweight contest, Brooklyn’s Mikkel LesPierre, defeated Carl McNickles, of Chicago, via unanimous decision on scores of 60-54 twice, and 59-55. LesPierre, who was the faster fighter and much more accurate with his punches, improved to 7-0-1 (3 KOs), while McNickles fell to 8-8 (6 KOs).Brooklyn’s Travis Peterkin used his piston-like jab to control Donta Woods, of Atlanta, Ga., and keep him from landing anything significant in return.

As the rounds wore on, Peterkin began to unleash more and more of his arsenal. After five completed rounds, Woods did not come out of his corner for the next stanza, awarding Peterkin, now 15-0 (6 KOs), the TKO victory. Woods’ record fell to 8-4 (7 KOs).World-rated junior featherweight contender Rafael Vazquez, of Brooklyn, obliterated Andre Wilson, of St. Joseph, Mo, inside two crackling rounds. Vazquez’ key weapon against Wilson were his uppercuts. Using that punch in combination to the head and body, Vazquez dropped Wilson in the opening frame, while also bloodying his nose.

Uppercuts from both sides floored Wilson in the second as well. While he arose and gamely fought back, a left hook to the body followed by a right uppercut to the chin felled him again leading to the referee’s stoppage at the 2:56 mark. Earning a TKO2, Vazquez brought his record to 14-1 (12 KOs). Wilson’s record dropped to 14-9-1 (12 KOs).

Maintaining a fast pace, Brooklyn’s Shawn Cameron easily outboxed Aaron Drake, of Kansas City, Mo., over six rounds.

The busier fighter throughout, Cameron won a unanimous decision on three scores of 60-54, to improve to 9-0 (4 KOs), while Drake’s record dropped to 14-8 (9 KOs).Looking for openings, Brooklyn’s junior welterweight prospect Wesley Ferrer dominated every second of his bout against Bryan Timmons, of St. Joseph, Mo. Slowly breaking Timmons down, Ferrer was placing his shots well, consistently connecting with stinging straight rights to the body and hooks upstairs.

A combination in the second knocked Timmons down, as he sagged along the ropes. Though clearly in pain, Timmons got to his feet to fight on. One punch later from Ferrer was all it took to convince the referee to halt the contest at the 1:38 mark, upping the Brooklynite’s record to 8-0 (5 KOs).

Timmons is now 2-4 (2 KOs).Both Elisa Collaro, of Brooklyn, and Misato Kamegawa, of Fukuoka, Japan, in their pro debuts, came away without a win, as the four-round contest ended in a draw verdict. While one judge scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Kamegawa, he was overruled by two tallies of 38-38.In his first fight back since losing a majority decision in a ShoBox barnburner against Alantez Fox this past January, Freeport, Long Island’s junior middleweight prospect Patrick Day made a triumphant return with an impressive first-round TKO over Colby Courter. A short straight right dropped Courter, of St. Joseph, Mo., early then a left hook finished him off for the second and final knockdown.

The time of the stoppage was 2:25. Day improved to 10-1-1 (6 KOs), while Courter fell to 6-6 (5 KOs).

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Michael Woods

Nick Ball Wears Down and Stops TJ Doheny Before the Home Folks in Liverpool

Published

1 day ago

March 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Nick-Ball-Wears-Down-and-Stops-TJ-Doheny-Before-the-Home-Folks-in-Liverpool

Fighting in his hometown, Liverpool’s five-foot-two fireplug Nick “The Wrecking” Ball stopped TJ Doheny after 10 progressively more one-sided rounds to retain his WBA belt in the second defense of the featherweight title he won with a hard-earned decision over Raymond Ford in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Referee Michael Alexander, with the assent of Doheny’s corner, waived it off following the bell ending Round 10, much to the chagrin of the brave but mildewed Doheny who burst into tears. But then, Doheny’s right eye was closed shut and he was plainly exhausted. This may be the end of the line for the 38-year-old campaigner from Perth, Australia via Portlaois, Ireland who was 26-5 heading in following his first loss inside the distance which came against pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue.

There were no knockdowns, but Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) was docked a point in round nine for throwing Doheny to the canvas after having previously been warned for this infraction. Earlier, both he and Doheny were warned for an incident that could have ended the bout prematurely. At the end of the first round, Ball extricated himself from a headlock by kicking Doheny in the back of his knee. The challenger’s leg appeared to buckle as he returned to his stool.

Going forward, Ball has many options. The 28-year-old Liverpudlian purportedly relishes a unification fight with WBC belt-holder Stephen Fulton, but the decision ultimately rests with Ball’s promoter Frank Warren.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 12-round bantamweight contest that was close on the scorecards but yet a monotonous affair, Liverpool’s Andrew Cain won a split decision over former WBC flyweight title-holder Charlie Edwards. The scores were 116-112 and 115-114 favoring Cain with judge Steve Gray submitting a disreputable 115-113 tally for Edwards. At stake were a trio of regional titles.

The science of boxing, they say, is about hitting without getting hit. Charlie Edwards is adept at the latter but the hitting part is not in his DNA. He was on his bicycle from the get-go, a style that periodically brought forth a cascade of boos. Cain, who trains in the same gym with Nick Ball, was never able to corner him – Edwards was too elusive – but Cain, to his credit, never lost his composure.

In improving to 14-1 (12), Cain achieved a measure of revenge, in a sense. In his last documented amateur bout, in 2014, Cain was defeated by Charlie’s brother Sunny Edwards, also a former world title-holder at the professional level. Heading in, Charlie Edwards (20-2, 1 NC) was unbeaten in his last 13 which included a comfortable decision over Cristofer Rosales in his flyweight title fight. Charlie relinquished that belt when he could no longer make the weight.

Showboating Cuban lightweight Jadier Herrera, who fought 13 of his first 14 pro fights in his adopted home of Dubai, advanced to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a seventh-round stoppage of spunky but outclassed Mexican import Jose Macias (21-4-2). The official time was 2:31 of round seven.

An all-Liverpool affair between super flyweights Jack Turner (11-0, 10 KOs) and Ryan Farrag (23-6) was over in a jiff. The match, which went next-to-last in the bout order, ended at the 42-second mark of round two. A barrage of punches climaxed by a left hook sent Farrag down hard and the referee waived it off.

The noted spoiler Ionut Baluta, whose former victims include Andrew Cain, forged another upset with a 10-round split decision over local fan favorite Brad Strand. The judges favored Baluta 98-91 and 96-94, out-voting the Italian judge whose 97-93 tally for Strand was deemed the most accurate by the TV pundits.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 317: Callum Walsh, Dana White and More

Published

2 days ago

March 14, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-317-Callum-Walsh-Dana-White-and-More

As Callum Walsh stood on the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building with fists clenched, it harked back to actor Jimmy Cagney, an actor of Irish descent, yelling “Top of the world, ma,” in the 1949 motion picture White Heat.

The Irish-born Walsh brings that kind of attitude.

Once again Walsh (12-0, 10 KOs) returns to New York City and this time faces Scottish warrior Dean Sutherland (19-1, 7 KOs) in a super welterweight match set for 10 rounds on Sunday, March 16, at Madison Garden Theater.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions event.

Flanked by master trainer Freddie Roach and managed by Dana White it brings questions as to the direction that Walsh will be steered. It was just revealed that White will head a new boxing promotion outfit with big plans to make a more UFC type of organization.

Is Walsh part of the plans?

It’s a lot to digest as the hot prospect from Cork, Ireland proceeds toward world championship dreams. Can he cleanse his mind of this major distraction?

Walsh and Sutherland are both southpaws who are meeting at the crossroads in the heart of New York City. At this point of their careers a loss can mean rebooting and taking a few steps backward. The winner moves on to the next crucial step.

Sutherland, 26, hails from Aberdeen and has never fought outside of his native Scotland. It’s a lot to ask of someone whose country’s population of 5 million is dwarfed by New York City’s 8.2 million inhabitants all packed together.

Ireland’s population is also 5 million. So basically, both Walsh and Sutherland are on even terms when they enter the prize ring on Sunday.

Who knows what kind of competition Sutherland faced in Scotland. He beat two undefeated fighters and also conquered two foes who each had more than 100 losses on their resumes.

Meanwhile, Walsh has faced only one undefeated fighter but handled veterans like Benjamin Whitaker, Ismael Villareal and Carlos Ortiz Cervantes. But you never know until they meet face to face. Anything can happen in a prize ring.

Walsh has a three-fight knockout streak. Sutherland has slept two out of his last three foes. They will be joined by several Irish fighters on the card plus Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.

Dana, Turk and TKO

The announcement earlier in the week that Turki Alalshikh together with TKO Group Holdings that include Dana White and Nick Khan formed a new boxing promotion company.

White, who does not own UFC but guides the MMA ship, works for Endeavor, the parent company of UFC and WWE. Their events are all shown on ESPN, the powerful sports network (albeit WWE’s flagship weekly show “Raw” recently moved to Netflix). It seems Endeavor has decided to allow White to guide its boxing program too.

Where does that leave Top Rank?

It seems the partnership plans to rid boxing of the many sanctioning organizations and have only one champion per division. The champion will be given a Ring Magazine belt. Recently, Turki Alalshikh purchased The Ring magazine from Golden Boy Promotions. This seems to have been the plan all along.

Is this good for boxing?

Mark Shapiro, the president of TKO Group Holdings, said:

“This is a strategic opportunity to re-imagine the sport of boxing globally. TKO has the deep expertise, promotional prowess, and longstanding relationships. HE Turki Alalshikh and Sela share our passion and vision for evolving the current model. Together, we can bring the sweet science back to its rightful place in the forefront of the global sports ecosystem.”

DAZN all day

Three boxing cards take place on Saturday beginning with WBA featherweight titlist Nick Ball (21-0-1) the human cannonball, defending against former champion TJ Doheny from Liverpool, England. The first bout begins around 9:30 a.m. (Pacific Coast Time). Ball likes to charge forward and punch. Doheny is no slouch and has experience.

Later, Matchroom Boxing presents a show from Florida that features Edgar Berlanga (22-1) fresh off a solid contest against Canelo Alvarez. He fights undefeated Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) in a super middleweight match. Also, Ammo Williams (17-1) returns to face dangerous Patrice Volny (19-1) in a middleweight clash. The card starts at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time.

Saturday evening MarvNation presents Amado Vargas (11-0) meeting Eduardo Hernandez (8-2) in a super lightweight contest at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. Start time is set for 8 p.m. (Pacific Coast Time). The son of the great Fernando Vargas remains undefeated.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 11:30 a.m. Nick Ball (21-0-1) vs TJ Doheny (26-5).

Sat. DAZN 3:30 p.m. Edgar Berlanga (22-1) vs Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz (20-0-1) ; Ammo Williams (17-1) vs Patrice Volny (19-1).

Sat. DAZN 8 p.m. Amado Vargas (11-0) vs Eduardo Hernandez (8-2).

Sun. UFC Fight Pass 3 p.m. Callum Walsh (12-0) vs Dean Sutherland (19-1).

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A Fresh Face on the Boxing Scene, Bryce Mills Faces His Toughest Test on Friday

Published

3 days ago

March 13, 2025

Luis A. Cortes III

A-Fresh-Face-on-the-Boxing-Scene-Bryce-Mills-Faces-His-Toughest-Test-on-Friday

“He wants to test himself and find out just how good he really is,” said International Boxing Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz regarding super lightweight Bryce Mills. Peltz, who has dealt with a wide range of fighters throughout his lifetime in boxing, recognized the fire that burned inside Mills at a local show in Philadelphia in early 2022. At the time Mills had less than ten professional fights under his belt.

Mills hails from Liverpool in upstate New York and trains in nearby Syracuse. Currently 17-1 (6 KOs), he’s undefeated in his last 11 since losing a split decision to a Puerto Rican fighter from the Bronx who had fought much stiffer competition.

The fight in question that caught Peltz’s eye was arranged by the well-known and respected matchmaker Nick Tiberi who paired Mills in an intriguing fight against Daiyaan Butt, a tough and skilled fighter from the Philadelphia area. They fought at LIVE Casino in South Philadelphia on Feb. 24, 2022.

Although the crowd on hand that night favored Butt, Mills, although then only 20 years old, wasn’t intimidated and was the clear-cut winner at the end of their exciting, back-and-forth battle. This showed Peltz that Mills was serious about seeing just how far his ability could take him.

That’s why Peltz decided to join forces with Mills. Despite being semi-retired, Peltz is still active enough to help guide fighters through the ever-changing wild west landscape that is boxing. Since their union after Mill’s victory over Butt, Mills has been on a nine-fight winning streak heading into what Peltz believes is the toughest test of his career this Friday against Alex Martin 18-6 (6 KOs) of Chicago.

“I didn’t want him to take this fight, it’s a dangerous fight for him. Martin is a southpaw and is tricky, he’s a veteran and is experienced. His father (Mills’s father) called me and said that Bryce wanted the fight, to his credit,” says Peltz. One look at Martin’s resume and it confirms what Peltz stated. All six of Martin’s losses came against fighters with outstanding records including a former world title challenger. Martin also holds some quality wins over undefeated prospects that were at similar points in their careers to where Mills currently is in his development.

Bryce Mills looks like a fighter (he’s always in shape), acts like a fighter (testing his craft against all comers), walks the walk of a fighter, and fights with a fan-friendly pedal-to-the-metal style. That is a winning combination that could be the breath of fresh air the boxing world could surely use and on Friday night at the Wind Creek Events Center in Bethlehem, PA, live on DAZN, Mills is going to have the opportunity to put the boxing world on notice.

***

DAZN will televise the Mills-Martin fight along with a main event that features undefeated middleweight Euri Cedeno (10-0-1, 9 KO’s) against Ulices Rivera (11-1, 7 KO’s). Knockout artist Joseph Adorno (20-4-1, 17 KOs) and undefeated Reading, PA super featherweight Julian Gonzalez (15-0-1, 11 KOs) appear in separate bouts on the undercard. Tickets for the Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotion show are still available through Ticketmaster. Lobby doors open at 5:00 pm. First bell is at 7:00.

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