NEW YORK–Nonito Donaire always dreamed of fighting at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Tonight, his dream came true when he faced Omar Navarez. Donaire sported a record of 26-1, 18 KO’s and weighed in at 116 1/4lbs, while Omar Navarez had a record of 35-0-2, 19 KO’s amd weighed in at an even 117lbs.
The fight started slow, with each fighter establishing their range. Donaire was definitely the stronger fighter in the ring, but was giving Navarez a lot of respect. Navarez did well in using his southpaw stance to his advantage. Despite Donaire being in control, neither fighter made a lasting mark in the first quarter of the fight.
Things heated up a bit in the fourth, as a combination from Donaire briefly stunned Navarez. Both fighters exchanged quick combinations after that, but it was Donaire in control. Navarez, fighting out of a defensive shell, was able to control the pace of the fifth round, seemingly frustrating Donaire. The sixth round of the fight saw the pace swing right back in Donaire’s favor with his flashy combination fighting.
Unfortunately for the fans, Navarez stopped throwing punches I’m the seventh round, making the fight very dull. Entering the tenth round, Navarez’ offense was still a no-show. In the eleventh, Navarez finally decided to throw, but it was too little too late.
In the twelfth and final round, the crowd chanted, “This is bullshit.” They were not entirely wrong, but at least Donaire tried to fight. The final scores read 120-108 on all three scorecards, giving Donaire a shutout victory.
The co-feature of the evening saw Miguel Angel Garcia (26-0, 22 KO’s, 125lbs) look to continue his unbeaten record against journeyman Juan Carlos Martinez, (18-12-1, 6 KO’s, 125lbs). Despite his less than stellar record, Martinez started the fight throwing nice combinations, but they did not seem to phase Garcia. Garcia, on the other hand, just seemwd overly patient. Occasionally, he would land a powerful right hand just as a reminder of what he is capable of. Finally, towards the end if the third, Garcia landed a picture perfect counter left hook that dropped Martinez hard. Martinez beat the count and managed to survive the round, but not before eating another left hook right before the bell. Instead of starting the fourth round strong, Garcia went back to his rigid game plan and waited for the opening. This time it was a right hand. Martinez was down again, but not out. With so much time left in the round, the end was inevitable, and another hard combination forced the referee to call the fight at 2:46 of the fourth round giving Garcia a TKO victory. Garcia is unbelievably economical with his punches.
The popular Tommy Rainone (14-4, 3 KO, 150) faced off in a tougher than expected bout against Brad Jackson (13-6-1, 7 KO’s). Rainone is a fighter that likes to fight from a distance amd work his way inside with combinations. Jackson, on the other hand, is a tangy fighter himself, but also happens to be much taller than Rainone. This combination amounted to an extremely boring fight that saw fans booing the fighters and cheerig the final bell. The scores of the bout read 60-54, 59-55, 58-56 all for Tommy Rainone, giving him a unanimous decision victory.
In a match-up scheduled for four rounds, Jonathan Gonzalez (4-0, 4 KO’s, 113 1/4 lbs) squared off against Jose Rivera (3-3-2, 113 lbs). Gonzalez’ speed was too much for Rivera. After scoring a second round knockdown, Gonzalez continued to coast through the fight despite Rivera constantly being in his chest. In the end, the scores read 60-53, 60-53, and 59-54.
The popular Sean Monaghan (9-0, 5 KO’s, 174 1/4lbs) took to the ring against Anthony Pietrantonio (7-7, 6 KO’s, 174 1/4 lbs) in a fight scheduled for six rounds. Both fighters showed early that they wanted to make a statement with their power punches. Pietrantonio learned quickly that you so not trade punches with Monaghan, a he was met with lots of leather over the course of the fight. By the fifth round, Monaghan had his opponent winded, and sensed a stoppage. A garage of power punches followed, and the referee had no choice but to stop the fight at the 2:51 mark if the fifth round, giving Monaghan a TKO win.
Michael Zewski (10-0, 6 KO’s, 148lbs) looked to keep his unbeaten record intact against Keuntray Henson (4-3, 1 KO, 147lbs). It wasn’t hard work, and Zewski looked impressive showcasing his range and smarts at such an early point in his career. Henson came out aggressive in his southpaw stance, and Zewski remained pissed behind his jab and sneaky left hook. Soon afterwards, Zewski unleashed his right hand, and Henson went down. He barely beat the count, making it up at the count of nine. Zewski went right back to work and smashed Henson with a left hook, knocking him out. The referee called the fight at 1:27 of the first round, and Zewski is credited with a spectacular TKO.
The opening bout of the night featured Long Island native, Cletus Seldon (3-0, 1 KO, 146 1/2 lbs) against Jose Segura (2-2-2, 1 KO, 146 1/4 lbs) of Miami. Seldin showcased his power early, scoring a knockdown off a right hand. Segura was able to regain his senses quickly, but Seldin’s overwhelming style dominated the rest of the fight. Segura started the second round landing some combinations, but that only caused Seldin to shift gears and turn up the pressure. A fierce combination had Segura reeling and finally down. He beat the count, but was immediately met with a powerful left that sent him right back down. The referee waved off the fight at 2:52 of the second round, giving Seldin a TKO victory.
