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Undercard Results From
Boardwalk Hall
In Atlantic City For July 9
By Tim Donaldson
Promoter Russell Peltz put together a full fight card, eight
fights, for the pre-televised portion his July 9 show. There
were a few surprises and a few tense moments, and the crowd
appeared thoroughly entertained.
It was a good night for Doc Nowicki, manager of Mike Jones.
Even before Mike had entered the ring, Doc had chalked up
wins for two of his newest fighters, Miguel Corsino and
Jason Sosa. Both Corsino and Sosa fight out of Camden, NJ, a
tough town that has produced two tough fighters.
Welterweight Corsino knocked out his opponent, Epi Cosme
Rodriguez, in the first round. Corsino put Rodriquez down
early in the first round. Rodriguez got up, but Corsino knew
that he could get him out of there early. It was obvious
that he was looking to finish the fight in the first round.
He knocked him down again, and the fight was over, lasting
only 58 seconds.
Jason Sosa, a junior lightweight, won by unanimous decision
over his opponent, Clinton Douglas. Although Sosa was 5
inches shorter than Douglas, Sosa proved to be the more
skilled boxer. From the beginning he was the more aggressive
fighter, counter punching and cutting off the ring. In the
second round, Sosa was chasing Douglas around the ring, then
caught him on the ropes. Douglas near the end of the round
started throwing more, but he was still landing less than
Sosa. Sosa turned up the pressure in the third. And even
though Douglas tried to turn the tide in the fourth, he was
quickly out of juice. Sosa was once again doing the chasing.
The night started with Super Middleweight Rafael Jastrzebski,
whose 2-6-1 record might have suggested that he would be an
easy match for the debuting Joe Dunn, winning by unanimous
decision. From the beginning, Jastrzebski was outworking
Dunn. Dunn, spending too much time looking for openings,
repeatedly found himself on the ropes. Every time Dunn tried
to hit, he was getting hit. By the third round, he was
closed up. Jastrzebski was pummeling Dunn’s head. It looked
as though Dunn was going down in the fourth, but he fell on
Jastrzebski, saving him from that fate.
Welterweight Josh Mercado of Cape May, NJ won by unanimous
decision over Kywame Hill. Mercado from the beginning proved
to be the technically better boxer, bobbing, weaving, and
avoiding Hill’s punches. Although Hill did land some hard
shots, it was not enough to slow Mercado down. Mercado out
boxed Hill in the first and second rounds. The two were
slugging it out in the third, but Mercado was able to regain
control by the fourth.
Anthony “The Bull” Caputo had little trouble against Walter
Edwards, fighting the in the light heavyweight division.
From the beginning, Caputo was the aggressor. He was landing
more and avoiding the majority of Edwards’ punches. Edwards
had little defense and would stand square in front of
Caputo. Early in the second, Caputo had Edwards in trouble
up against the ropes. Edwards was now keeping his distance
and looked wobbly. After Caputo caught Edwards on the ropes
again, referee Steve Smoger stepped in and stopped the fight
at 2:44 of the second round.
Junior Middleweight Steven Martinez also won by TKO over
Jason Thompson. Thompson looked to be the more aggressive
fighter in the beginning of the first, but then Martinez
took control, battering Thompson. Just when it looked as
though Martinez might get him out of the ring, Martinez
slips. The fight was to go one more round. Martinez in the
second round seemed to be capitalizing on his height. He
knocked Thompson down. He got up but looked dazed. He could
be seen looking to his corner as the fight resumed. Referee
Ricardo Vera stopped the fight at 2:37 in the second.
Junior Welterweight Ryan Belasco defeated Kevin Carmody in
six rounds of boxing. Belasco was more aggressive from the
bell in the first round. Carmody, at times, looked timid,
not exactly a good trait in boxing. Belasco controlled the
fight for the first four rounds. By the fifth, Carmody tried
to take control of the fight but was having trouble. Belasco
was faster and would hit Carmody every time he would open up
to throw a punch. It was taking a toll on Belasco, however.
By the sixth round, he was looking tired and his punches
were sloppy. Fortunately for Belasco, the sixth round was
the final round. Belasco won the decision, winning five
rounds on two of the judge’s scorecards and all six on one’s
scorecards.
The final fight before the televised portion provided some
of the tensest moments of the night. The fight featured
welterweights Manuel Guzman and Ardrick Butler. In the first
round, Butler knocked Guzman down. After getting up, Guzman
was being battered around the ring by Butler. But then in
what seemed a strange turn of events, Guzman threw his right
and Butler went down. That single punch changed the entire
fight. When Guzman came out in the second, he was now the
aggressor, chasing Butler around the ring. Butler went down
and looked unconscious for what seemed to be several
minutes. However, he did get up and exit the ring under his
own power. Guzman had won by knockout 2:33 seconds in the
second.
The undercards had done their job. The crowd seemed
thoroughly into the fights and ready for the two main
events. What more can you ask for?
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