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‘Golden’ Promoter J Russell Peltz, a Philly Boxing Icon, Isn’t Done Quite Yet
Linda Peltz, J Russell Peltz’s wife of 42 years, said her husband has “been dropping hints for 15 years” about permanently relocating to Florida and doing whatever it is that so many septuagenarian East Coast snowbirds do when taking up residence in the land of sun and sand.
But while the legendary Philadelphia boxing promoter (pictured in his younger days), who celebrated his 50 years in the sport Friday night with a nine-bout card at the 2300 Arena in South Philly, might again be entertaining thoughts of retirement, he apparently is not prepared to fully turn himself over to a less stressful, boxing-free existence of shuffleboard and occasional excursions to the jai alai arena and greyhound track.
Oh, sure, the Peltzes will return to Florida in mid-November, as they routinely have in recent years, but the time Russell spends away from his hometown and the sport which he never quite seems to let go of, or it of him, is primarily for the purpose of recharging batteries that sometimes run down but are never completely sapped dry.
“He has another fight card on the 31st of January at Parx (Casino and Racing, in Bensalem, Pa.),” Linda Peltz noted, a sure sign that Russell will again be returning to familiar turf like a swallow finding its way back to Capistrano.
But what about Russell’s increasingly frequent suggestions that he is finally prepared to whittle down his boxing duties, if not eliminate them altogether?
“It’s up to him,” Linda said. “I just want to see him happy. Whatever makes him happy makes me happy.”
The man himself certainly seemed content enough during an event that had been labeled as “Blood, Sweat & 50 Years,” the culmination of a week’s worth of kudos that included his ceremonial signing of the “Spectrum S,” the oversized letter that hung on the iconic South Philly sports and music venue until it was demolished in 2009. The space where the Spectrum, for which Peltz was director of boxing from 1972 to ’80, once stood is now a parking lot adjacent to Citizens Bank Park, home of baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies. Members of the Philadelphia City Council also presented a resolution honoring Peltz’s contribution to the city over the past half-century.
“I think everybody had a good time,” said Peltz, who did not address the near-capacity-crowd but was conspicuously visible in his front-row ringside seat. “It was a nice evening. I’m very honored and humbled by it.”
For the record, the main event was a six-round unanimous decision for 20-year-old junior welterweight Colombian Victor Padilla (6-0, 5 KOs), now living in Berlin, N.J., over Romain Tomas (8-3, 1 KO), a Frenchman now living in Brooklyn, N.Y. It marked the first time in Peltz’s five-decade career he had been involved in a card headlined by a six-rounder, but then the all the fighters who took their turn in the ring had to understand that their roles were in support of someone who might never have another night quite like this.
“It was a lot of stress putting this show together and keeping it together,” Peltz said. “We had nine competitive fights, and I’m glad about that. Honestly, I just want to manage and advise fighters in the future. Making matches is too hard today. If you knew what we had to go through, bailing one guy out of jail this week and having another guy pull out with some bogus illness …”
Peltz made his reputation by making competitive fights, not by feeding a procession of imported designated victims to house fighters with artificially inflated records, which makes him even more of an anachronism than he would be had he shown up for his golden anniversary in the polyester leisure suits he favored for a time in the 1970s. He said too many managers just want to pad their fighters’ records with setups on the way to undeserved big paydays, a trend which he said is even more insidious and difficult to eliminate now than it has been in the past.
The likelihood is that Peltz will eventually turn over even more of his business operation to Michelle Rosado, of Raging Babe Promotions, a protégé who said boxing in general, and specifically in and around Philadelphia, would suffer if her mentor holds fast to his intention to wash his hands of matchmaking. It was Rosado, better-versed in social media and other 21st century marketing strategies than her old-school role model, who orchestrated most if not all of the golden anniversary festivities
“Matchmaking alone is like a full-time job,” Rosado said. “There’s an art to it. You really have to be crafty at it, and nobody is better at doing it than Russell. I tell him, `You just do the matchmaking, because you’re a genius at it, and I’ll do everything else.’”
Obviously, Peltz and Rosado will have to put their heads together to come up with a distribution of duties that can leave both parties satisfied.
“I can’t let him leave yet,” Rosado said of Peltz’s eyeing of any sort of exit. “I’m not ready for him to retire, I’m not ready for him to go to Florida. He’s still too good and still too sharp to give this up. Philly needs him. I need him. I’m not letting him go anywhere.”
Although there were many faces present that were or should have been familiar to knowledgable boxing people – among those in attendance were Bernard Hopkins, Teddy Atlas, WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (who takes on IBF titlist Artur Beterbiev in a unification showdown at the 2300 Arena on Oct. 18), Lou DiBella and Golden Boy president Eric Gomez – it was curious that the only fighters who had fought on Peltz shows were Hopkins (two bouts at the Blue Horizon early in B-Hop’s career), George Hill (now a ringside judge, but a onetime heavyweight who appeared on Peltz’s debut card on Sept. 30, 1969) and former IBF super welterweight champion Robert “Bam Bam” Hines. It would have been nice if some of Peltz’s most popular regulars, like “Joltin’” Jeff Chandler, Charles Brewer, “Rockin’” Rodney Moore, Stanley “Kitten” Hayward, Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts and Eugene “Cyclone” Hart had dropped by, but that might be a matter for another day.
In other bouts:
*Junior middleweights Isaiah Wise (7-2-2, 4 KOs), of North Philadelphia, and Roque Zapata (6-2-5), of Culpepper, Va., by way of his native Panama, fought to a six-round draw in a do-over of their Dec. 2, 2016, bout, which Zapata won on a four-round majority decision.
*Sydney Maccow (7-8, 3 KOs), a junior welter from Brooklyn, scored a six-round UD over North Philadelphia’s Marcel Rivers (7-2, 4 KOs), a fight in which both participants went down once.
*Lightweight Gerardo Martinez (5-1, 1 KO), of Coatesville, Pa., by way of Mexico, scored a five-round – yes, that’s right – unanimous decision over veteran journeyman Osnel Charles (13-20-1, 2 KOs), of Atlantic City, N.J.
*Welterweight Shinard Bunch (3-1, 3 KOs), of Trenton, N.J., took care of business quickly in scoring a first-round knockout of Baltimore’s Kevin Womack (9-19-3, 7 KOs).
*West Philly lightweight Shamar Fulton Banks (4-0-1, 3 KOs) also made it a short night in scoring a first-round stoppage of Leonardo Kenon (3-8, 1 KO), of Quincy, Fla.
*Sahret Delgado (8-0, 7 KOs), a Puerto Rican heavyweight now fighting out of Berlin, N.J., was obliged to go the four-round distance for the first time in winning a four-round UD over Joel Caudle (8-4-2, 5 KOs), of Raleigh, N.C. Their combined weight was 520.4 pounds.
*Lightweight Christopher Burgos (2-4-1, 1 KO) scored a four-round UD over Tyree Arnold (0-3) in an all- North Philly pairing.
*Seifullah Jihad Wise (4-7, 1 KO), a North Philly lightweight, came away with a four-round UD over Vinnie Denierio (3-7, 1 KO), of Elmira, N.Y.
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LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.
The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.
Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.
Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.
Co-Feature
In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.
The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.
A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.
Other Bouts
In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.
Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.
Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.
Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.
Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.
Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.
Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.
Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.
There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0
No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.
There were no knockdowns in this rematch.
The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.
It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.
Nothing changed in their second meeting.
Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.
The blows came in bunches.
In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.
Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.
Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.
During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.
But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.
“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.
Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.
“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.
Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.
“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.
Female Flyweight Battle
Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.
Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.
Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.
The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.
Neither fighter could take over the fight.
After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.
Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.
Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.
Puerto Rico vs Mexico
Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.
Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.
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Rematches are the bedrock for prizefighting.
Return battles between rival boxers always means their first encounter was riveting and successful at the box office.
Six months after their first brutal battle Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) will slug it out again for the WBO welterweight world title this time on Saturday, March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
ESPN will show the Top Rank card live.
“It’s important for women’s boxing to have these rivalries and this is definitely up there as one of the top ones,” Mayer told the BBC.
If you follow Mayer’s career you know that somehow drama follows. Whether its back-and-forth beefs with fellow American fighters or controversial judging due to nationalism in countries abroad. The Southern California native who now trains in Las Vegas knows how to create the drama.
For female fighters self-promotion is a necessity.
Most boxing promoters refuse to step out of the usual process set for male boxers, not for female boxers. Things remain the same and have been for the last 70 years. Social media has brought changes but that has made promoters do even less.
No longer are there press conferences, instead announcements are made on social media to be drowned among the billions of other posts. It is not killing but diluting interest in the sport.
Women innately present a different advantage that few if any promoters are recognizing. So far in the past 25 years I have only seen two or three promoters actually ignite interest in female fighters. They saw the advantages and properly boosted interest in the women.
The fight breakdown
Mayer has won world titles in the super featherweight and now the welterweight division. Those are two vastly different weight classes and prove her fighting abilities are based on skill not power or size.
Coaching Mayer since amateurs remains Al Mitchell and now Kofi Jantuah who replaced Kay Koroma the current trainer for Sandy Ryan.
That was the reason drama ignited during their first battle. Then came someone tossing paint at Ryan the day of their first fight.
More drama.
During their first fight both battled to control the initiative with Mayer out-punching the British fighter by a slender margin. It was a back-and-forth struggle with each absorbing blows and retaliating immediately.
New York City got its money’s worth.
Ryan had risen to the elite level rapidly since losing to Erica Farias three years ago. Though she was physically bigger and younger, she was out-maneuvered and defeated by the wily veteran from Argentina. In the rematch, however, Ryan made adjustments and won convincingly.
Can she make adjustments from her defeat to Mayer?
“I wanted the rematch straight away,” said Ryan on social media. “I’ve come to America again.”
Both fighters have size and reach. In their first clash it was evident that conditioning was not a concern as blows were fired nonstop in bunches. Mayer had the number of punches landed advantage and it unfolded with the judges giving her a majority decision win.
That was six months ago. Can she repeat the outcome?
Mayer has always had boiler-oven intensity. It’s not fake. Since her amateur days the slender Southern California blonde changes disposition all the way to red when lacing up the gloves. It’s something that can’t be taught.
Can she draw enough of that fire out again?
“I didn’t have to give her this rematch. I could have just sat it out, waited for Lauren Price to unify and fought for undisputed or faced someone else,” said Mayer to BBC. “That’s not the fighter I am though.”
Co-Main in Las Vegas
The co-main event pits Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) facing Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in a contest for the WBO welterweight title.
Norman, 24, was last seen a year ago dissecting a very good welterweight in Giovani Santillan for a knockout win in San Diego. He showed speed, skill and power in defeating Santillan in his hometown.
Cuevas has beaten some solid veteran talent but this will be his big test against Norman and his first attempt at winning a world title.
Also on the Top Rank card will be Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington and Emiliano Vargas, the son of Fernando Vargas, in separate bouts.
Golden Boy in Cancun
A rematch between undefeated William “Camaron” Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) and ex-champ Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) headlines the lightweight match on Saturday March 29, at Cancun, Mexico.
In their first encounter Zepeda was knocked down in the fourth round but rallied to win a split-decision over Farmer. It showed the flaws in Zepeda’s tornado style.
DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also includes a clash between Yokasta Valle the WBC minimumweight world titlist who is moving up to flyweight to face former flyweight champion Marlen Esparza.
Both Valle and Esparza have fast hands.
Valle is excellent darting in and out while Esparza has learned how to fight inside. It’s a toss-up fight.
Fights to Watch
Fri. DAZN 12 p.m. Cameron Vuong (7-0) vs Jordan Flynn (11-0-1); Pat Brown (0-0) vs Federico Grandone (7-4-2).
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. William Zepeda (32-0) vs Tevin Farmer (33-7-1); Yokasta Valle (32-3) vs Marlen Esparza (15-2).
Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Mikaela Mayer (20-2) vs Sandy Ryan (7-2-1); Brian Norman Jr. (26-0) vs Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1).
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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