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07/15/2006 Archived Entry: "Galvan Overwhelms Newton, Holmes Decisions Garvey in Merrillville!!"
Galvan Overwhelms Newton, Holmes Decisions Garvey in Merrillville!
Photos and Story by Juan C. Ayllon at Ringside
Ruben Galvan (right) trades with Leroy Newton along the ropes
MERRILLVILLE, Ind., July 14 – The blows rained down with varying impact, some slapping, others thudding, but rain they did. To the delight of the packed Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza crowd, hometown light welterweight Ruben Galvan pressed forward in the main event and came on in the later rounds to overwhelm surprisingly competitive Leroy Newton with an unceasing avalanche of blows for a unanimous decision victory.
In round one, Galvan pressed the action working over and under with both fists, while Newton picked his spots, especially digging some digging rights and lefts to Galvan’s sides.
Newton (right) backs Galvan up with a series of hooks
In round two, Newton pumped the jab and circled while Galvan pressured. The two traded blows on fairly even terms, with Newton possibly edging Galvan.
In the third, Newton continued to move and pepper well. Even as Galvan banged to body, Newton answered with hard body hooks of his own, a well as looping rights of his own. Heating up, the two slugged long after the bell ended the round.
In the fourth, Newton maintained a heavy workload and gave as good as he got, only to nearly collapse under a heavy body attack at rounds end.
Newton appeared to be tiring in the fifth. Pinned to the ropes, he fought hard as Galvan worked him over and under with thudding lefts and rights. His mouth agape, Newton jabbed, retreated, and did his darnedest to stave the human surge that was Ruben Galvan in the sixth. Trapped on the ropes repeatedly for sustained periods of time, he absorbed a frightful beating to the body.
Galvan (left) and Newton shake after the fight
Newton opened well in the opening moments of round seven, jabbing and bouncing rights off of Galvan’s head. But Galvan was not to be denied. He swarmed and again trapped Newton on the ropes. It was all Newton could do to maintain his composure, fight back and stave off a stoppage intervention.
In the eighth and final round, Newton fought back courageously in spurts, but was summarily pressed to the ropes where he fought back hard, but came up short as Galvan battered away.
The scores were 78-74, 78-74 and 80-72 for a unanimous decision victory for Ruben Galvan, who now is at 26-9-2 with 9 knockouts, while Newton slips to 5-8-0 and 4 knockouts.
Referee Spivey looks on as Holmes raises his hands in victory, while Garvey grimaces at the decision
At times, Jimmy “The Fighting School Teacher” Holmes versus Vance Garvey resembled George Bellow’s painting, Stags at Sharkey’s (see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/sisterwendy/works/sta.html ). Both pressed forward and their opposing stances—Holmes a right-hander and Garvey a southpaw—led to some violent collisions and, at times, clashing of heads. In the end, however, Holmes’ dogged determination and work output garnered him the decision victory.
In the opening seconds of round one, Garvey surprised all when he stepped to the side, slipped an incoming right and caught Holmes with a jarring right of his own. Again sliding to Holmes right, he banged away with his own right repeatedly as he locked up the other arm. The taller Holmes seemed stymied in getting his own game untracked as the two slugged heartily away. Garvey slipped to the ground in an exchange, which Referee Spivey correctly ruled a slip. The two banged heads repeatedly, staggering Holmes at one point.
Holmes (left) covers as Garvey attacks
In round two, Garvey staggered Holmes with a right hand. For the better part of the round, Holmes maintained a high guard and appeared perplexed by Garvey’s physical style and smothered his shots somewhat. The two continued trading at close quarters, with Garvey the more effective of the two. Holmes finally landed an authoritative right in the closing seconds.
In the third, Holmes landed a hard right after absorbing a series of clubbing rights and began connecting better with hooks and rights. However, Garvey banged in a couple hard right hooks of his own to the head. Towards rounds end, Holmes landed a series of digging shots to the body.
As round four unfolded, Holmes jabbed, but Garvey stunned him with rights and lefts to the head, forcing him to cover. Garvey landed ah hard straight left to the head. A bried respite followed. Then, at what appeared to be a pivotal moment in the fight, Holmes stepped up his attack and wrested control behind hard jabs, hooks and rights at Garvey. Garvey popped his head up with a jarring uppercut. A big left hook snapped Garvey’s head back. Garvey fought back hard, but caught a hard right to the jaw for his efforts.
In the fifth, Garvey pumped the jab and the two landed lefts. The two continued trading fiercely, but Holmes was finding his range increasingly and was coming on strong. He jarred Garvey with a pair of rights.
Indiana Boxing Commissioner Jacob Hall said, “Harvey’s open to the right hand and Holmes is starting to find that.”
Garvey fouled with a low blow drawing momentary reprieve. As Holmes surged back with ripping hooks and lefts, Garvey held. Holmes continued to rip the right in there. However, Garvey slugged back. Holmes unleashed another furious assault to head and body, capped off with a big left hook to the jaw at the bell.
In round six, Garvey slugged with both hands to stem Holmes’ surge, but was squared up and didn’t generate much torque in his punches, whereas Holmes continued to wing punches in with great malevolence. After absorbing a right to the head, Garvey shook his head “no,” stuck his chin out and tried to bait him. Nonplussed, Holmes maintained a steady work rate, although catching a right over the shoulder off balance at the bell.
In the seventh, Garvey let his hands go to body and head. However, his squared off stance and lack of turning behind his blows negated their effect, even as Holmes threw his weight behind his blows. Garvey maintained his composure and mixed blows to head and body, but Holmes maintained the steadier work rate and banked this round.
In the eighth and final round, Holmes again maintained a higher work rate, while Garvey slugged back in two-fisted spurts. Holmes continued to impose his will on a recalcitrant Garvey, slugging away furiously until rounds end.
The judges scored the bout 78-74 all for a unanimous decision victory for Jimmy Holmes, 159.5 lbs., who rose to 14-0-1 with 7 knockouts, while Garvey, 158 lbs., slipped to 6-23-4 and 1 knockout.
Holmes said afterwards, “I didn’t get enough sparring in and I felt it in the middle rounds. He didn’t hurt me, though. I felt all right.”
Novak (left) on the attack
Popular Indiana lightweight Johnny Novak out-boxed and outclassed rugged Daniel Schleinz for a unanimous decision.
In round one, Novak moved and placed his shots well, maintaining a busy jab and crisp rights, while Scheinz stalked and sought to land something of significance.
Round two, Novak continued to circle, jab and fire crisp one, two and three punch salvos, while Schleinz pursued. The two exchanged dares and Novak unloaded a furious assault then circled out of harms way. This continued into the third, when Novak landed a hard left hook and Referee Spivey warned for an illegal blow after he called break.
In the fourth, Novak began battering the midsection with hard lefts, interspersed with stiff left jabs. It appeared to be a walkover when suddenly towards rounds end, Schleinz knocked Novak’s head with a jarring right and backed him to the ropes as the bell rang.
Schleinz (right) looks down dejectedly as Novak raises his hands in victory
Novak continued his dominance in rounds five and six and seven.
In the eighth and final round, Schleinz showed renewed vigor as he sought to stop Novak, while Novak obliged him by trading in close. Novak caught Schleinz with a left hook to the face when he was turned sideways. Schleinz landed a solid left to the jaw of his own later. Novak knocked him back and staggered him with a furious two-fisted assault, nearly knocking him down, drawing a standing eight count in the waning moments from Referee Spivey.
Novak, 140.5 lbs., who won by scores of 80-71 all, moved to 18-1-0 with 6 knockouts, while Scheinz, 140 lbs., dropped to 5-10-0 with 3 knockouts.
In a lighter moment afterwards, Announcer Joe York expressed regret that blood had stained his white tux.
Jermaine White (left) covers as Anthony Cobb attacks
Jermaine “Too Sweet” White overcame fierce adversity from testy Anthony Cobb and, as he battered him in the later rounds, garnered a win by retirement when Cobb inexplicably quit in bizarre fashion in the fifth round.
In the opening round, White sported a tighter defense and picked his spots with power shots, while Cobb sported the busier hands, throwing lefts and rights with impunity.
In the second, the two were warned for roughhousing tactics. White appeared to be solving Cobb’s style, setting up and landing his right hand with greater effectiveness, whereas Cobb seemed to slow down in the latter third of the round.
An aggitated Cobb holds onto the ropes as referee Bill Page tries to separate him from White
In the third round, White continued to surge, battering and moving Cobb about the ring with a furious two-fisted assault, hurting him with a right hand towards rounds end. Cobb made a point to taunt White at rounds end after White had sat down.
Round four, White laughed at Cobb’s efforts and forced him to hold with a right that drove him into the ropes. White showboated, and then tore into him with a furious body assault. Trying desperately to stop him, White battered him for the remainder of the round. However, Cobb—who mostly covered—remained upright at rounds end.
In the fateful fifth, as White continued to batter him about the ring, Cobb hit White behind the head twice, losing one point. Then, in a bizarre point of protest he laid down on the matt and rolled out of the ring.
Jacob Hall, Indiana State Boxing Commissioner said, “He’s not going to get paid and he’s not coming back to Indiana. He was looking for a way to get out of the fight by dirty tactics once he determined he could not win the fight.”
White, 141.5 lbs., won by retirement at 1:36 into round five, bringing his ledger to 14-1-0 and 8 knockouts, while Cobb, 133.5 lbs., slipped to 4-33-3 with 2 knockouts.
Derrick Findley (left) stalks Jesse Davis as Referee Spivey watches closely
“Superman” Derrick Findley continued winning, stopping halting Jesse Davis in the third round.
In round one, the two traded on fairly even terms, with Davis showing some good skills in stepping around and mixing his punches well. Findley appeared to land the more hurtful blows, particularly with a hook to the body.
In the second round, Findley established his power game, hurting Davis to the body with the left hook, jarring him to the head with some rights and rocking him in the closing seconds of the round with a left hook and follow up rights.
Round three, Findley teed off on Davis with a two fisted attack and appeared on the cusp of a knockout. Suddenly, Davis rocked him with a huge right hand to the head. However, Davis’ moment was short-lived, as Findley battered him to head and body with cumbersome blows to head and body. Bleeding on the bridge of his nose by his left eye, Davis was examined by the ring doctor, who called the bout at 2:43 into the third round. Findley was ahead on all cards at the time of his TKO victory.
Afterwards, Findley said, “I felt pretty good. He was pretty tough.”
With this win, Findley, 159 lbs., advances to 5-1-0 and 3 knockouts, while Davis, 154 lbs., slips to 3-3-0 with 2 knockouts.
Michael Walker with Ayllon's friend, Kelli
Undefeated middleweight Michael Walker, who fights for this night’s promoter, Octavius James’ One in a Million, stopped by ringside and said, “It’s a great night of boxing, but I wish I was fighting. Superman looked impressive. Jermaine looked great coming off his loss. I can’t wait to get back in the ring. By the way, I want to fight Donavan George.”
And thus, Michael Walker summed up the fighting spirit in Merrillville, Indiana, where it rained—and will continue to rain--punches to the crowds delight.
Derrick "Superman" Findley has his hand raised in victory by Referee Kent Spivey
IBA Women's Welterweight Title holder Terri Blair poses with Promoter Octavius James
Retired light heavyweight fighter Guy Solis (left) with his cousin, Mike Vasile, who serves his country in Afghanistan proudly
The affable announcer Joe York visits ringside
Juan Ayllon wishes to thank Kelli (above) for her invaluable support and encouragement. You're the best!
Kelli, Juan Ayllon and Octavius James
