The CBZ Newswire

Blood and Sweat Fly as Windy City Warriors Give their All

Andrej Fonfara (R) drives Adan Leal back into the ropes

By Kerstin Broockmann

Photos by Scott Dray

CHICAGO, IL, January 29, 2010 – The cold and snow showers outside the UIC Pavilion could not lower the temperature inside, as fans were treated to a truly exciting evening of fights.  With several luminaries on hand to witness the action, including former Lightweight Champion David Diaz, Alderwoman Dorothy Brown, Chicago Bears Defensive Lineman Alex Brown, and heavyweight David Latoria, whose scheduled bout was cancelled due to a pre-existing medical condition that prevented his opponent from entering the ring.  It was a bloody, brutal night of boxing, with all the fighters showing plenty of heart and skill, from 50-plus fight veterans to 1-fight boxers hoping to kick-start their careers.  There were boxers and brawlers, cerebral and visceral strategists, offensive aggressors and slick counterpunchers. While obviously the range of experience and styles meant that some bouts appealed to some tastes more than others, few could be disappointed by the overall quality of the evening’s battles.

Kenny Galarza vs. Ilido Manuel Julio

Kenny Galarza (L) avoids a hook from Ilido Julio

The evening kicked off with an entertaining bout by two boxers who traveled some distance to make their mark in Chicago, as Kenny Galarza, 142 lbs., 11(11)-0-0, of Juan Diaz, Puerto Rico, set out to keep the ”0″ in his loss column against durable, battle-tested veteran Ilido Manuel Julio, 141 lbs., 39(35)-16(7)-1, of Cartegena, Columbia.

The game 38-year-old Ilido Julio did his best to keep the pressure on his younger, taller opponent, lunging in to land some stinging punches through the center of 24-year-old Kenny Galarza’s guard, but he was a bit flat-footed in the first round, and found himself struggling to stand in the wake of Galarza’s combinations.  Julio found himself down twice in the first round. The first time he appeared to lose his balance after an uppercut, which Galarza exploited by landing a hook as Julio fell to his knees. He was up quickly, but again fell after an uppercut later in the round—again appearing less hurt than off balance on impact.  Galarza picked his shots from the outside, coming over the top of Julio’s somewhat low guard with straight punches, and using effective hooks to the body and uppercuts whenever Julio pushed the action.

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Donovan George vs. Phil Williams Headlines, Ivan Popoca vs. Federico Flores in Co-Main

CHICAGO, IL, January 28, 2010 — Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions will enter its thirteenth year as the ‘HOME OF THE BEST IN CHICAGO BOXING’ this Friday night, January 29th with ‘WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 8′ an outstanding evening of ten world class bouts of professional boxing.

Said Pesoli, “I’m truly honored that each year brings continued success to 8 Count Productions. The Chicago sports fans have continued to show their loyalty to us and we’re thrilled to present a huge night of boxing this Friday night at the UIC Pavilion as we enter our thirteenth year of promoting.” (continue reading…)

‘Da Bomb’ vs. ‘The Drill’ in super middleweight showdown

Ivan Popoca vs. Federico Flores, Jr. & Ryan Smedick vs. Achour Esho in explosive undercard

 CHICAGO, January 5, 2010 – Super middleweight prospect Donovan “DA BOMB” George will face off against Minnesota’s Phil “THE DRILL” Williams on Friday, January 29th in the main event at “WINDY CITY FIGHT NIGHT 8” at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion, it was announced today by Dominic Pesoli, President of 8 Count Productions and Leon Margules, Executive  Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing.

 “With 26 knockouts amongst their 29 victories these two should provide an all action fight from the start. They’re both very hard hitting super middleweights, it will just be a matter of who can take the other guy’s shot better, “DA BOMB or the THE DRILL” said Pesoli. “This truly is a crossroads fight for both guys, for each one it’s the toughest test of their careers.” (continue reading…)