Boxing returned to The Paradise Theater in the Bronx, New York with a co-promotion between Golden Boy Promotions and Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing that was televised on Telefuture
The main event of the evening was a Lightweight bout scheduled for ten rounds that saw up and coming prospect, Adrien Broner, take on Rafael Lora in a lightweight bout. The fight initially began as a slow one, but it was immediately clear that Broner’s hand speed would make a huge difference. Halfway through the round, a strong and crisp left hook rattled Lora’s knees. He wasn’t badly hurt, but it showed how outmatched Lora was.
As soon as Lora refrained his bearings, Broner landed another left hook that had his opponent reeling into the ropes. Broner took his time and refused to get into a wild firefight. Eventually, another left hook had Lora hurt and backed into the corner, and Broner followed it up with a right hand that sent Lora down. The bell to end the round had rung, and Lora waited to the count of nine to clear the effects of getting his bell rung. Lora (11-3) stood up, but was not all there, and the referee called the bout, giving Broner (15-0, 10 KO’s) a TKO at three minutes into the first round.
The co-feature of the evening was a Lightweight bout scheduled for six rounds that saw Mike Perez, backed by about one hundred of his loyal fans, take on Francisco Reyes. Perez quickly took control behind a quick jab and strong right. Reyes did not seem fazed, but Perez was landing his punches first, and they were much harder. In the second, Perez picked up right where he left off; peppering Reyes with crisp punches, and now using a left hook to seal the deal. It wasn’t long before Reyes found himself on the canvas after a strong punch landed flush. He quickly beat the count and did not seem too shaken, but with blood streaming out of his nose and mouth, he was looking like a beaten fighter. He managed to finish the round on his feet, but took many hard punches in the process.
The third saw more of the same, but a hard right opened up a bad gash over the left eye of Reyes, forcing the doctor to take a look. Behind on the cards and on talent, Reyes began throwing desperate punches in the hopes of landing something big, and he surprisingly began to land; even staggering Perez briefly. The forth saw both fighters in an even back and forth brawl, as Perez began to show fatigue. The action remained that way into the sixth round, as both fighters began swinging for the fences. A short right hook on the inside from Perez sent Reyes (5-1) down. He was able to beat the count, but Perez laid on the pressure throughout. The final scores read 60-52, 59-53, and 59-53 giving Perez (8-0-1) a unanimous decision victory.
Popular female fighter, Maureen Shea, outclassed the game Norma Faris over three rounds in a scheduled six round Super Featherweight bout. Immediately, Shea came out and went blazing for Faris’ body. Faris had no response, and was effectively a heavybag for three rounds. Shea would occasionally shoot her punches upstairs, catching Faris off guard, as the referee closely watched. Occasionally, Faris (3-3) would land a blow, but they had no effect and they were few and far between. Shea continued to tear through her opponent, and the body blows were really beginning to take their toll. Finally, just as the bell to end the third round rang, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Shea (14-2, 8 KO’s) was credited with a third round TKO.
Ahmed Samir stepped into the ring against the very awkward John Douglas in a scheduled six round Cruiserweight bout.. How does someone look good against an opponent who wings his punches and flies wildly off balance each time? Ahmed certainly tried, but it was a very sloppy affair. Douglas flew off balance with every punch he threw, and they were so wild that when they landed, they were often borderline behind the head. One punch that wasn’t borderline landed square on the back of Samir’s head that sent him reeling towards the ropes. No warning from the ref. The disgusting display continued. A headbutt opened up a gash on Samir’s hairline. At the end of the round, in a frustrated manor, Samir shoved Douglas onto the canvas. A small cut opened up over the left eye of Samir (9-0) in the opening of the sixth round. This was mostly due to Douglas occasionally being able to land a looping left hook. The slop-fest continued until the fight finally ended. The scores read 59-55 on all the judges’ scorecards. This writer hopes he will never see Douglas (7-14-3) and his terrible style in the ring again.
The emerging super middleweight, Shqiprim Muriqi, took on Rondu Campbell. At two wins with four losses, Campbell’s record does not look like much, but he brings with him a reputation of being a tough gym fighter and highly touted by successful professionals.
The first round saw lots of action as Muriqi refused to stick his jab and worked behind a strong straight right hand. Campbell was able to respond with some strong right hands of his own, and by the end of the round, the crowd cheered the action. It wasn’t until the second that Muriqi began to throw his left hook, winning him the round. Campbell’s response was to clinch, which made Muriqi uncomfortable. The third continued the action, and Muriqi began landing combinations. The forth saw Campbell (2-5-1) being very aggressive, but that seemed to work in Muriqi’s favor as he was able to land powerful left and right hand counters. The ring announcer read the scores, and they all read 40-35 in favor of Muriqi (4-0).
The first fight of the evening saw two undefeated prospects against each other. Hometown hero, Raul Lopez took on Daniel Aquino in a Super Bantamweight scheduled for four rounds. The fight showcased some thrilling back and forth action with Lopez (3-1-1)winging hard punches, and Aquino utilizing technique to throw shorter and more precise punches. In the end, the scores of 38-38, 39-37, and 39-37 read in favor of Aquino (4-0), much to the dismay of Lopez and his fans.