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02/10/2007 Archived Entry: "White defeats Galvan for Vacant IN.B.A. Welterweight Title"
White defeats Galvan for Vacant IN.B.A. Welterweight Title
Photos and story by Juan C. Ayllon at ringside
Jermaine White (left) nails Ruben Galvan with an uppercut
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. –The crowd roared. Onstage, exhausted friends and boxers Jermaine “Too Sweet” White (143 lbs., 14-2, 7 KO’s) and Ruben “Modern Day Warrior” Galvan (140.4 lbs., 27-10-2, 10 KO’s) summoned reserves and battered each other in pitched battle. Pride and the vacant IN.B.A. Light Welterweight Title were on the line.
Pride won out.
To the delight of the crowd at the Star Plaza Theatre, in the first, Galvan played bull to White’s matador, pressuring behind ponderous swings, while White sidestepped and peppered with straighter lefts and rights.
Galvan (right) lands a right cross
White’s fists were faster and landed three or four to one in the second. Maintaining the busier fists, he probably won the round, but Galvan was gaining momentum, forced exchanges and stepped up his bruising attack to head and body in close.
Galvan stepped up his surge in the third, where he hemmed White against the ropes for the better portion of the round, ripping looping blows to body and head. Still superior in speed, White battered back as the two traded at an impossible rate. An exhausted Galvan stumbled toward his corner at the bell.
Fresher, in the fourth, White administered a scary head beating, with caroming lefts and rights bruising and swelling the reddened features of Galvan’s face. Still, Galvan pressed on, head in close, turning left and right behind blows to body and head. In the fifth, Galvan stormed back in close exchanges. He jarred White’s head with several left hooks over White’s lowered right hand. Flurrying furiously, White again edged with volume and effectiveness.
In the sixth and seventh, White’s pulled ahead, his four punches to Galvan’s one landing with more zip and pop.
White staggered Galvan with a succession of lefts and rights to the head in the eighth and final round. A true warrior, Galvan refused to fold. Summoning experience, he mauled, grabbed and slugged at close quarters, smothering White’s punching room. Exhausted, they tied up more. Finishing strong, they slugged along the ropes in a manner characteristic of this fight. White fought with his back to the ropes, Ruben’s head was close to White’s chest and both sets of fists were pumping hard. .
Afterwards, referee Kurt Spivey said, “Great fight!”
Almost an afterthought, judges scored the fight 79-73, 80-72 and 80-72 for a unanimous decision victory for Jermaine White. He was now the IN.B.A. Light Welterweight Titleholder.
White said afterwards, “It was a great evening. Almost nobody knew I could fight out of my southpaw stance as well as I can with my right hand stance.
“I always can brawl. I’m going to hit him four or five times to his one.
"I did everything to prepare except spar. My gym is now closed—Windy City Gym, and Kronk. I sparred with Tracy, Brandon Lee and Jeremy Richardson—all amateurs. They’re some of the toughest amateurs. I’d like to thank them for getting me prepared."
Asked if—due to their friendship—he pulled back when he rocked Galvan, White said, “In a way. Not only just that. It was he recovers quick (sic) and…it’s been a while since I fought. I can’t continue the onslaught like that…I had the condition, but Ruben’s my buddy. (Between the amateurs and pros), he helped me to win 60 fights out of my 70."
He added, “I was rated no. 19 by the NABA and (Galvan) was rated no. 20, my rating has shot up, I may get a shot at the NABA, which will make me a contender and go after Solomon and get the real title. I know in my mind I’m one of the fastest junior welterweights in the world."
Galvan said, “I said it was going to be like that in the beginning. He’s going to come out, he’s going to be fast, he’s going to be slapping. I thought I was in the fight the whole way. He was landing a lot, but I though t I was landing the harder shots.
Regarding verbal exchanges in there, he said, “At times, I kept hitting him with my head. I tried telling him I’m not doing that intentionally. I wanted him to know I wasn’t trying to fight dirty at all."
Asked what his plans are, he said, “Whatever comes my way. In most of my losses, I’m in pretty much all the fights. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I’m never hurt in a fight. As long as I don’t start slurring, I’m okay.
“I’ll fight anybody. I don’t care. I love to fight. I used to street fight when I was little, when somebody ran their mouth. I never started any trouble. Once I got into the ring, everything I did…was a bonus. I never expected it to go this way: I’ve got 27 wins and 11 losses. It is what it is. I know the crowd liked that last fight. The only way I’ll stop is that if (my promoter) Octavius tells me to stop.
"I’m not done. My kids still need a lot more stuff and so do I. And I still love it. No one encouraged me to start fighting, so no one should tell me to stop. I’m taking it as it comes. My mentality’s here. I just like the atmosphere. Fighting is my drug. That feeling I get when walk into the ring and I hear the music playing and the crowd, that adrenalin, that feeling. And it hasn’t gone away."
Promoter Octavius James added, “You can’t take anything away from his performance. We say congratulations to Jermaine.”
Colbert drives McGee partially through the ropes early in the first round
In a close, crowd-pleasing scrap, “Merciless” Mary McGee (134 lbs., 7-0, 4 KO’s) edged rugged and free-swinging Kim Colbert (137.5 lbs., 2-11, 2 KO’s) by unanimous decision.
In the first, Colbert nearly floored McGee. Knocking her off balance on the ropes, she unloaded with both fists. Covering up and pinned down on the lower ropes, McGee drew an eight count. Resuming, she knocked Colbert across the ring with a counter. Springing, she unloaded. The two battered each other back and forth until the bell.
Colbert’s rushing tactics threw McGee off balance in the first half of the second round. Clearly uncomfortable, McGee slipped into a pattern of covering on the ropes while Colbert unloaded with winging, looping blows from odd angles.
Mary McGee (right) knocks Kimberly Colbert across the ring
Coming off the ropes, she said, “F—you,” to Colbert’s corner when they said McGee was scared. That did it. She bulled forward and pounded Colbert against the ropes. The two slugged hard until the bell.
Changing gears in the third, McGee began moving more, spearing with two or three punch bursts, then circling out instead of waiting for the counter. Boxing better, she asserted herself.
Her puzzle was solved.
McGee (left) and Colbert trade at rings center
This tactic carried into the fourth and final round. McGee jabbed, crossed and circled out when Colbert pressured her to the ropes. The two slugged toe to toe for the last 30 seconds of the round.
Judges scored the bout 38-37, 38-37 and 39-37 for Mary McGee.
McGee said afterwards, “I went out there and did what I had to do. She was wild. That round when I was stuck in between the ropes, I didn’t’ want to stand up because that would have meant dropping my hands (to gain her balance). I could have got hurt. (As it was), I didn’t get hurt. It took me a while to get used to her style. I’m used to working with more orthodox styles.
Derrick Findley corners Johnson and unloads with both fists as Johnson covers up
“(Now) I’m going to try to get that fight with Rita (Figueroa) and get that belt.
Regarding Figueroa, she said, “I expect to stick to the game plan. (In our first fight), the judges had me wining two to three, but in my heart, it was me. She didn’t hurt me, but she was pretty strong, but she kept strong. I can take a pretty good punch. I’m going to do the same thing (again). I’m going to outbox her.
She added about their relationship, “Actually, Rita and me are really good friends. There’s no bad blood. But only one person can be on top.”
Findley (right) unloads some more on Johnson
Muscular Chicagoan super middleweight slugger Derrick “Superman” Findley (164.4 lbs., 6-2, 5 KO’s) dropped, dominated and battered durable William Johnson (164.4 lbs., 7-11-1, 3 KO’s) en route to a unanimous decision win.
Findley dropped Johnson off the ropes with a left hook early in the first round. Heating up, Johnson speared him with a lead straight left, circled and exchanged in brief spurts.
Johnson appeared to jar Findley along the ropes in an exchange, but was rocked with a looping right towards rounds end in a heated second.
The third was more tactical, as Findley’s booming blows lost a touch of steam. Swinging hard, he seemed to tire. Meanwhile, Johnson shimmied, circled and pecked away with sharp jabs and rights.
Findley (left) slams Johnson back hard against the ropes with a big left to the chin
However, in the fourth, Findley returned to form, as he rocked, then dropped Johnson hard with a four-punch combination. Johnson laid flat on his back for a long time, but managed to rise, fight back and survive the round.
In the fifth and sixth, the complexion of the bout again became more competitive. Johnson was rocked several times in the fifth, but came back sharply with sneaky lead rights. Findley tagged him hard with a right at the bell. Winging his muscular body behind every blow, Findley tried desperately to finish him. Johnson slugged back sharply in spots and survived Findley’s onslaught.
Judges scored the bout 59-53 twice and 60-52 for Derrick “Superman” Findley.
Afterwards, Findley said, “I’m not one to make excuses, but I hurt my hand in training. I couldn’t load up. It’s dong pretty well. They were saying in my 10th or 11th fight, maybe I can go for a regional title. This is my ninth fight. (My career is) moving pretty well. I’m hoping to build my record up and maybe get a rematch with (former Olympian) Andre Ward. I’d like to do it again with Andre.”
Findley lost to Ward by unanimous decision in six rounds last November.
Guzman (left) drops Navarro hard early on...
Guzman (left) nails Navarro on the ropes moments before referee Spivey halts the bout
Jose Guzman (129 lbs., 2-0, 1 KO) wasted little time, dropping Chicago’s Luis Navarro (130.4 lbs., 1-2, 1 KO) twice and pummeling him against the ropes with both fists before referee Kurt Spivey waved off the bout at 1:28 into the first round. Spivey said, “Three knockdowns, technically,” with “the standing eight counting as three.”
Mobley (right) works Rumbolz over in a corner
In a match pitting youth and athleticism versus age and experience, “Marvelous” Shay Mobley (168 lbs., 15-8-1, 7 KO’s) pitched a virtual shutout against Bruce “The Rage” Rumbolz (168 lbs., 21-11-2, 15 KO’s). Dominant throughout, Mobley punched in bunches, but appeared wary of making a mistake and getting caught by his more experienced foe.
Mobley (left) pounds Rumbolz's body while Rumbolz covers up
In the sixth, Rumbolz caught Mobley with a hard left, forcing him to hold. Moments later, Mobley pounced. Trapping him on the ropes, he unleashed a two-fisted fusillade. Fans screamed for the knockout. It didn’t’ come. Rubolz reversed roles and unloaded with both fists as Mobley covered. Mobley finished strongly, winging lefts and rights as Rumbolz covered and countered occasionally.
Judges scored the fight 59-55, 60-54 twice for a unanimous decision win by Mobley.
In disappointing bout, Michael “Quiet Assassin” Parker (5-0) suffered an ignoble and premature ending to his bout versus Carl Gathright (201 lbs., 6-9-1, 2 KO’s) as he twisted with the torque of a punch, then went down in a heap and grabbed his knee. The bout ended at 48 seconds into round one and was ruled a “technical draw.”
The bout started out frenetically, with Parker swinging wildly in close with both fists, while Gathright stayed in close and fired back.
Afterwards, Gathright said, “Our knees didn’t hit. He (just) hurt his knee. (However) I think he was going to wear himself out. He was going too hard.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, rest assured, Parker will give it his best. After all, it’s a matter of pride.
Jimmy “The Fighting School Teacher” Holmes (right) checks the program to see when he’s fighting next, while Chris Guzman (left) and Emil Kegebein (center) of www.bolopunchboxinghour.com look on.
