Posts by DeLisa:
Florentino Fernandez: An appreciation
January 31st, 2013Florentino remained untouchable by the grim reaper of the ring. He remained hale and hearty. He had survived some of the grimmest boxing matches seen on this planet. One punch was all it took to knock out a quality opponent. Among the brutal bell to bell savagery I have picked a Floro fight as the most brutal of all time. Mind you, I worked in every Floro fight and every Ali fight so I have witnessed ring savagery at its worst.
“You were a champion inside the ring and out. You go to your grave knowing you set an example for all our Cuban community you were a wonder to behold inside the ring, and a cheerful happy companion outside the ring. Every time I saw you lifted my spirits and I was so happy to see how well you were doing. I loved you.
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From Ringside at the Paramount by Mike DeLisa
January 28th, 2013Huntington, NY
SOLD OUT CROWD AT THE PARAMOUNT SEES WINS FOR ANDRADE AND SELDIN
Joe DiGuardia’s Star Boxing presented a tasty smorgesbord Friday night at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, NY: on display were ladies fingers, cottage cheese, muffin tops, and pig knuckles — and that was just the ring card girls.
A hellishly fridgid (how’s that for an oxymoron?), snowy night did not deter the fans as the Paramount was packed a full half hour prior to the fist bout, in anticpation of the top-notch main event featuring Demetrius Andrade.
In the main event, Demetrius Andrade whipped Freddy Hernandez over ten rounds. Hernandez tried his best but was constantly outpunched by the nimble Andrade. Andrade saw every punch even vaguely tossed his way and had an answer for each one. In the sixth, he landed a crunching right over Hernandez’s jab and Freddie dropped to all fours, seemingly out. He was able to get up and continue, but by the tenth was again on edge of being stopped. The cards were unanimous for Andrade, who continues to improve.
Andrade moved to 19-0 with thirteen knockouts. Hernandez dropped to 30-4 with 20 kayos.
In the co-main event, Baltimore’s Emmanuel “The Tranzforma” Taylor upset Puerto Rican junior welterweight Ray “Tito” Serrano of Philly. After a fairly even and uptempo first two rounds, Serrano began to wilt. Taylor used excellent defense and snappy power punches to take over the next three rounds. In the sixth, Taylor stiffened Serrano with a combo on the ropes, forcing ref Steve Willis to halt things at the 1:42 mark. Taylor looks like a good prospect. He improved to 16-1-0 (11 KO’s), while Serrano fell to 18-2-0 (8 KO’s).
OFF-AIR UNDERCARD
Heavyweight Constantine Bejenary had a brisk 90-seconds with Rocky Mullooly, then dropped him hard. Referee Ricky Gonzalez promptly rescued Mullooly from futher damage. In an outstanding four-rounder, Glen Cove’s Raul Nuncio 2-1-2 (1 KO) faced debuting Marcus Beckford of Hempstead, New York at middleweight. The tough bout saw the fighters battle to a well-deserved draw.
Alan Gotay stopped an overmatched and over-tatooed Shane Reynolds in just 45 seconds, then showed his immaturity by posing and posturing for the crowd. Reynolds was completely overmatched.
In the fourth bout, promising Cletis Seldin stepped in against the lanky Puerto Rican with the venerable name of Luis Rodriques. Seldin was all action, but also was using his jab consistently. He threw over 300 punhces in less than 3 full rounds, landed 130, and overwhelmed his opponent, finally dropping him with a body shot for the stoppage.
Said Joe DeGuardia, President of Star Boxing, “This was our fifth straight sell out at The Paramount and I’m thrilled at the constant support our events continue to receive from the fans and media on Long Island.”
Complete results:
Demetrius Andrade W UD 10 Freddy Hernandez
Emmanuel Taylor TKO 6 Raymond Serrano
Cletus Seldin TKO 3 Luis Rodriguez
Alan Gotay TKO 1 Shane Reynolds
Raul Nuncio D 4 Marcus Beckford
Constantin Bejenaru TKO 1 Rocky Mullooly
The Andrade bout will re-air Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and will be available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND beginning today/Saturday, Jan. 26.
Star Boxing returns to The Paramount on Saturday, February 23rd with The Fighting Pride of Huntington, New York, Chris Algieri, battling Jersey City’s Jose Peralta in a junior welterweight battle that will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
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JOEY DAWEJKO RETURNS JAN 19TH AT THE MOHEGAN SUN CASINO
January 14th, 2013JOEY DAWEJKO
RETURNS JAN 19TH AT THE MOHEGAN SUN CASINO
January 10, 2013 – Heavyweight prospect Joey DaWejko from Philadelphia will step back in the ring against Jarrell Miller on Saturday January 19th. The fight will take place at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. For DaWejko, this will be his second consecutive fight against an undefeated fighter.
DaWejko (7-1-1, 3 KOs) embodies the very essence of a Philadelphia fighter and isn’t afraid to take on the tough opposition. He had a stellar amateur career, especially as a junior. Labeled a small heavyweight, DaWejko stands 5’10″ and uses his smaller frame to his advantage with a crafty style that complements his ability to be more agile than his usually bigger opponents. DaWejko has fought bigger men his entire career and he thrives off of the challenge of overcoming the size disadvantage with a combination of speed and power.
Miller (4-0, 4 KOs) has won all of his professional bouts by TKO and DaWejko will look to utilize the power he possesses in both hands in order to neutralize his opponent’s strength. DaWejko knows how important it is to rebound from his last outing and suggests that placing too much emphasis on a single loss isn’t a productive response to a slight setback.
“Some people take a loss but that isn’t what defines a fighter, what defines a fighter is how he responds from the adversity he’s faced with,” DaWejko said. “I’m just anxious to prove what kind of fighter I am and to show my ability as a heavyweight. I feel like I can bring something to the division that’s my very own and no one else’s. I make it a point to try and get the most out of my in-ring experiences and I plan on giving a good performance on January 19th.”
DaWejko’s promoter Mario Yagobi of Boxing 360 Promotions believes DaWejko has a bright future in the heavyweight division.
“DaWejko brings a lot of heart, skill and determination to the ring,” Yagobi said. “Believe me when I say that he possesses all the qualities of a big man in regards to his will and determination, but he also packs a heavyweight punch. The fact that he can out maneuver the bigger men with crafty and agile footwork makes Joey a unique fighter. Boxing 360 is excited to have him in our stable of fighters and it won’t be long until he is one of Philly’s most treasured fighters.”
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Cocoa Kid Research
March 24th, 2011by Mike DeLisa and Johnny Bos
Bos and I are finally working up our presentation about the origins of the Cocoa Kid. Current interent postings dispute our contention that Hardwick fought in Ohio in the Freddie Miller Stable.
We believe that careful research needs specific documentation. Therefore please look at the following clipping from October 7, 1931:
While you chew on that, take a look at the following picture of Cuban boxer Juan Cepero.
Nice one, don’t you think? While we finish our project, Bos would like to correct one error he posted somewhere: Danny Davis not Jimmy Dunn was manager of both Freddie miller and hardwick.
More to come soon!
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Valero Solidifies His Title Claim at Lightweight
February 7th, 2010By Roberto Valenzuela at ringside
Valero retains World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight title
MONTERREY, Mexico (Feb. 7, 2010) – Edwin Valero took the iniciative from the first round of the fight, throwing straight rights and lefts, which had Demarco in trouble on a few occasions. In the second round, Demarco bloodied Valero’s nose with a hard left, even though Valero took the pucnh well.
In this same round, Valero recieved a blow from Demarco’s elbow and forearm, which caused a huge cut over his right eye. But the cut didn’t matter to Valero, and he pushed the action, beating his opponent savagely round after round. In the eighth round, it seemed as if DeMarco did not want to continue the bout, but held on until after the ninth round, when he finally abandoned the match due to the severe punishment he had been reciving.
Valero looked full of energy and his reflexes were sharp. I think tht if the fight had lasted the entire 12 rounds, the Venezuelan would have taken the victory by unanimous decision.
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