The CBZ Newswire

By Pavel Yakovlev at ringside

Photos By Peter Mark Heintzelman, Esquire

(BOSTON – 1/22/10) - “Hammerin” Hank Lundy (17-0-1; ten kayos) won a controversial ten round split decision over Richard “El Tigre” Abril (12-2-1; six kayos) tonight at The Roxy nightclub. Two judges favored Lundy by scores of 98-91 and 96-94. The third judge favored Abril by a margin of 95-94. Lundy, clearly the stronger fighter, was the aggressor for the entire fight. Abril however exhibited superior boxing ability, and ringside observers were deeply divided as to which boxer deserved the verdict.

Abril, a Cuban native who now resides in Miami, received credit for scoring a knockdown in round six, when Lundy’s glove glanced the canvas. At that moment, Lundy was off balance while recoiling from a slapping right hand when his glove made contact with the floor. Lundy, who weighed 136.1 lbs., was clearly unhurt and the ruling was more of a case of protocol when a boxer’s glove touches the canvas.

The CBZ viewed the fight differently than the judges, scoring the bout 98-93 for Abril (The CBZ did not award Abril an extra point for the flash knockdown). Most of the rounds were closely contested, and neither fighter landed many punches. It seemed that the 134.1 lbs. Abril, however, connected with the majority of those few punches that did in fact score.

To be fair to Lundy, this journalist must acknowledge partiality toward that fighter who controls the action through ring generalship and higher volume of punches cleanly landed. And in this bout, it was Abril who consistently manipulated the action by controlling the distance between himself and his opponent, by exhibiting flawless footwork, by neutralizing his opponent’s offensive, and creating opportunities to connect with clean punches.

Lundy, who is five inches shorter than the 5’11” Abril, rarely took a backward step during the fight. Arguably, Lundy deserved credit on the scorecards because he was the aggressor. It must be questioned, however, if Lundy’s aggression was effective.

FIGHT SYNOPSIS
Lundy, of Philadelphia, began the fight in aggressive form. In the first round, he constantly moved forward, throwing many left hooks. Abril’s excellent footwork, though, enabled him to dodge most of Lundy’s punches. At the middle of the round, Abril scored with a sneaky right to the head. Later, he landed a nice left hook to the head.

The second round was very close, but again Abril seemed to get the better of the action. Lundy connected with a couple of left hooks at close quarters early in the round, but otherwise, all of his punches missed or were blocked by Abril. Abril connected several times with stiff left jabs, and he landed a clean right to the head late in the round. Lundy never stopped moving forward, though, and he sometimes attempted wild overhand rights that missed by a wide margin.

In the third round, Lundy’s attacks became more focused and effective; he frequently stepped forward while throwing left hooks, and sometimes he connected. Later in the round Lundy scored with a solid right to the head. Abril, for his part, showed expert defense as he retreated, and he scored with several left jabs and rights to Lundy’s head. The action in this round was closely contested, but Lundy won it based on his effective aggression.

Abril regained control of the fight in rounds four and five. Although the heavily muscled Lundy was the aggressor – he looked almost like a battle tank storming forward– he was almost never able to hit Abril. Abril’s defensive maneuvering was superb in these rounds, as he easily slipped Lundy’s blows and landed numerous punches of his own. Abril took the fourth with his left jabs and he scored at least one solid right to the head. The only punches landed in the sixth were several jabs and a right from Abril, even though Lundy persisted with his menacing attack.

Lundy continued his offensive in the sixth, and he scored a left hook to Abril’s chest that landed with a heavy, thudding sound. Almost all of Lundy’s punches missed, though, and Abril landed his long, whiplash rights to the head with increasing frequency. After taking one slapping right to the head, Lundy lost his balance while pulling away, and his glove glanced the matt. The referee counted this incident as a knockdown against Lundy, even though it could easily have been ruled a slip. The CBZ did not feel that the knockdown or Abril’s margin of superiority in this round warranted giving him an extra point, even though Abril won the round.

Abril’s superb footwork and ring generalship in the seventh round totally neutralized Lundy’s frenzied attacks. Lundy constantly stepped forward with powerful left hooks, but Abril blocked or slipped almost all of the punches. Patiently and steadily, Abril landed left jabs, and at one point he even connect with a strong right to Lundy’s chin. By the end of this round, it seemed to The CBZ that there was no way Lundy could win the fight unless he were lucky enough to knock Abril out.

Lundy, however, was able to reassert himself in the eight round, as Abril seemed to slow down. Although Abril’s footwork and defensive maneuvering were masterful in this round, he threw very punches. Lundy continued to miss with most of his punches, but he did connect with a few glancing left hooks, which was enough to win him the round.

In the ninth, Lundy seemed to increase the intensity of his offensive: perhaps he sensed he was behind on points, and that he needed a knockout to win. Or, Lundy may have felt that Abril was finally tiring. Whatever the case, Lundy did connect with a good right to the head in this round, and he also scored with a few glancing left hooks. Abril’s defensive reactions were still superb, however, and he was generally able to frustrate Lundy. Later in the round, Abril connected with several stiff left jabs and a sharp right cross to the head. The CBZ called this round even.

The final round featured much clinching, as both fighters seemed somewhat tired. Lundy’s frenetic attacks continued, but he was generally tied-up by Abril. In this round Lundy landed several glancing left hooks, and Abril returned fire with several lefts and rights to the head, most of which landed with partial impact. Overall, Abril seemed to land more blows this round than did Lundy, although neither fighter connected with any meaningful punches.

REACTION TO THE DECISION
The reaction to the judges’ decision was mixed. At the press table, numerous representatives felt that Abril’s boxing was sufficient to have won him the decision. Other media representatives, however, argued that because neither fighter connected with many meaningful punches, Lundy was rightfully the default winner of the fight. Those particular journalists gave Lundy credit for his aggression, which they felt was the controlling factor in the bout.

Again, scoring boxing matches is a subjective process, so those journalists favoring Lundy must be paid their respect. One journalist summarized the verdict thusly: “If it were an amateur bout, then Abril would be the clear winner. But this is the pros, and scoring is different. That’s why I picked Lundy.”

However, on one point all fans and media concurred: the scorecard reading 98-91 in favor of Lundy was wildly inaccurate. Abril’s representatives reported to The CBZ that Massachusetts’s boxing commissioner Dan Fitzgerald advised them to file a complaint with the state, after which authorities would review films of the fight.

In Abril’s dressing room, the mood was one of disgust and anger. Everyone in Abril’s retinue – in addition to several media representatives present – were convinced that Abril had won the vast majority of the rounds in the bout.

Willie Delgado, who is Abril’s promoter, explained, “Abril didn’t want to come here. He thought he would get robbed in Boston. But I talked him into it, saying that Boston has a rich boxing history, and that he could show Boston fans how good he is. Because of that, Abril changed his mind.” Delgado concluded by saying, “Now I’ll never come here again.” Delgado also expressed concern that the decision could discourage Cuban amateurs from aspiring to fight professionally in the United States. As a Miami area promoter, Delgado is hoping to recruit talented Cuban amateurs in the future.

The sullen Abril remarked, through an interpreter, “I came here to put on a great show for Boston. To show them how good Cuban fighters are.” The interpreter added, “He’s disgusted…he can’t believe how flagrant the judging was.”

As would be expected, Lundy himself saw things differently. “He didn’t frustrate me but he kept moving around,” Lundy said after the fight. “Once he felt my power he ran. I clearly beat him. He didn’t do nothing but hold. That was a slip, not a knockdown. He can’t punch.”

EDDIE CAMINERO TKO2 CHRIS TRAIETTI
In a super middleweight bout, Eddie “Thunder” Caminero (6-3; six kayos) scored a sensational second round TKO over Chris Traietti (8-2; five kayos). The referee waived the fight off at 1:15 of the round as Traietti was reeling on unsteady legs, badly stunned by Caminero’s heavy right hands.

Caminero took control of the bout in explosive fashion in the first round, aggressively attacking Traietti with powerful rights. Traietti reacted by boxing and moving, but Caminero’s advantage in upper-body strength proved insurmountable. Caminero hurt Traietti with several rights to the head, and then knocked him down with a left hook late in the round. Traietti was saved by the bell, but coming out for the second round, he still seemed vulnerable.

Caminero, of Lawrence, weighed 166 lbs. Traietti, from Quincy, weighed 168 lbs. The fight’s outcome was a minor upset, as many Boston boxing insiders and media representatives expected Traietti to be too skilled for Caminero. Caminero’s spectacular win now establishes him as one of the most exciting fighters on the Boston area club circuit.

SIMEON DUNWELL W6 JOSH BEEMAN
At light welterweight, Peabody’s Simeon “Dynamite” Dunwell (11-1; three kayos) won a unanimous six round decision over Josh “Bam Bam” Beeman (4-6-3; two kayos). The scores were 58-56, 58-56, and 60-54. The CBZ favored Dunwell by a margin of 59-56.

Dunwell, 143 lbs., won the fight by forcing the more experienced, slicker boxing Beeman, 142.2 lbs., to fight on the inside. Beeman, a former amateur star from Providence, RI who is a dangerous counter puncher, was never able to find the distance necessary to get his shots off. Dunwell swept the first four rounds with his relentless, swarming attack, frequently forcing Beeman to the ropes and scoring heavily with body punches. Dunwell complimented his attack by using bobbing-and-weaving tactics, constantly moving his head as he forced his way inside.

In the final two rounds, Dunwell seemed to fatigue and for the first time in the fight he absorbed some punishment. Nonetheless, Dunwell’s aggressive infighting continued to limit Beeman’s effectiveness even at this late stage of the fight.

RYAN KIELCZEWSKI W6 FRANCISCO PALACIOS
Ryan “The Polish Prince” Kielczewski (7-0; two kayos) continued his winning ways by scoring a six round unanimous decision over Francisco Palacios (4-10-5; one kayo). The scores were 58-52, 58-55, and 57-55. The CBZ scored the bout 60-55 for Kielczewski. Kielczewski, of Quincy, weighed 133.1 lbs. Palacios, of Stamford, CT, weighed 137 lbs.

The fight was action packed from the beginning. Kielczewski dominated the first two rounds by moving and jabbing, easily outscoring his slower but stronger opponent from the outside. Palacios continued to press his bull-like attack, however, and he fought on even terms with Kielczewski in the third round.

The fourth round was the most dramatic of the fight. While aggressively forcing Kielczewski to the ropes, Palacios walked into a right hand and was knocked down. Palacios arose, and continued to relentlessly pressure his faster moving foe. Later in the round, Kielczewski himself was knocked down by a right hand, but he rose after a short count. For the remainder of the round, Kielczewski dominated the action by counterpunching effectively and moving well on his feet.

The pair engaged in intense exchanges during rounds five and six, but Kielczewski maintained the upper hand by landing hurtful, frequent counterpunches to the head and body of his rugged opponent. Palacios never stopped attacking, however, regardless of the punishment he absorbed.

MACEO CROWDER W4 GREG MCCOY
The opening fight of the evening featured Boston’s Maceo Crowder (2-0; one kayo) winning a unanimous decision over New Haven, CT’s Greg McCoy (0-1) in a super middleweight bout. Crowder, 168.5 lbs., took the decision by scores of 39-35, 39-35, and 39-36. The CBZ scored the bout for Crowder, 39-36.

The fight was an action packed affair, as both fighters seemed to be seeking a knockout from the opening bell. Both Crowder and the 163.4 lbs. McCoy are heavily muscled fighters who pack power into their blows. Between the two, however, Crowder is the better-schooled and more fluid boxer. Thus, over the first three rounds, Crowder had the upper hand against his stiffer, but more aggressive opponent.

McCoy was knocked down by a hard combination in the first round, but he arose and continued his attack for the rest of the round, despite taking heavy punishment. Crowder continued to dominate in the second round, and in the third round, he knocked down McCoy again. McCoy regained his feet, and then dramatically turned the tide by hurting Crowder to close the round. In the fourth and final round, the boxers exchanged punches tenaciously, but McCoy appeared to get the better of the action because of his aggression. Crowder seemed exhausted at the final bell, and it is interesting to ponder what the result might have been if the bout had been scheduled for six rounds.

Tonight’s event was promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports. This promotion must be given stellar reviews for the quality of boxing it produced. From the perspective of careful matchmaking, and the entertainment value the fights provided for fans, the event is one of the very best produced in Boston in many years.