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06/21/2008 Archived Entry: "Griffin Tops Cummings, 'Kid Diamond' Stops Martinez at the Aragon Ballroom!"
Griffin Tops Cummings, 'Kid Diamond' Stops Martinez at the Aragon Ballroom!
By Juan C. Ayllon at ringside
Photos by Jorge Bravo
Montell Griffin (left) thows the left hook at Cory Cummings as referee John O'Brien looks on
CHICAGO, June 20, 2008—Windy City's Montell "Ice" Griffin (176.5 lbs, 48-7, 30 KO’s) thrilled the crowd as he got a well-needed tune-up in dominating Baltimore, Maryland's Cory Cummings (177 lbs., 16-2, 12 KO’s) over 10 rounds at the Aragon Ballroom.
A masterful technician, Griffin had beaten James Toney twice and handed Roy Jones, Jr. his first professional loss, with the latter victory garnering him the WBC Light Heavyweight Title in March 1997. He lost that title when Jones knocked him out in August of that same year. Since then, although he’s remained in the hunt, he’s found another crown elusive.
Griffin was stopped in a bid for Dariuz Michalczewski’s WBO Light Heavyweight crown in August 1999, lost by unanimous decision to Antonio Tarver for the vacant WBC and IBF Light Heavyweight crowns, and lost IBF Title eliminators to both Julio Caesar Gonzales (by technical decision in May 2005) and Glen Johnson (by technical knockout in May 2007).
Fast forward to tonight. It’s been a little over a year since his last fight, the one against Johnson. Like a fine-tuned sports car having sat idle too long, Griffin would have to go through the paces before stepping up to a more significant test.
Across the ring, the muscular Cummings appeared relaxed—even slightly bored—as his second massaged his hulking trapezius muscles. “You ain’t getting past me,” he seemed to say.
And, for a few moments, one had to wonder if Cummings was right.
It’s the first round. Cummings is coming forward, jabbing. Throws some combinations. Griffin is retreating, right hand held by his chin, left low. He missed with a hard left hook. He slowly retreats and pops the left jab occasionally. A stiff jab of his draws roars from the crowd. Someone shouts, “Do it again!” He bounces a hard left hook high off Cumming’s head.
In round two, Cummings bangs in three hard jabs and is tied up. Griffin bounces a glancing left hook off Cumming’s head. A right hook appears to bother Griffin. He resets and circles to his right. A stiff jab moves Griffin back and, later, a clubbing overhand right bounces off the top of his head. Ooh. Not so good! Griffin draws a roar from the crowd when he connects with a stiff left hook to the head. Cummings is still pressuring behind jabs and rights at the close of the round.
The crowd reacts as referee John O'Brien separates Griffin from Cummings, who's knocked halfway through the ropes
Suddenly, in the third, a Griffin left hook bounces off the side of Cummings’ head and he staggers into the ropes. The crowd explodes in cheers. Following up with both fists, Griffin knocks Cummings halfway through the middle ropes. Referee John O’Brien intervenes as Cummings is allowed to extricate himself from the ropes. A hard right smashes off Cummings face after they resume. Griffin stalks. A smashing left bounces off the side of Cumming’s head. Stepping off the gas, Griffin is taking his time. Griffin batters the head and body as Cummings ties up. Clearly trying to bank some rounds in, Griffin poses, tosses a couple punches and ducks under a wild right before the bell rings.
Stepping up the pace now in the fourth, Griffin pops sharp jabs off Cumming’s face. A left hook knocks Cummings into the ropes as Cummings glances with a right off the top of the head. A crisp right turns Cummings head. A right uppercut jars Cummings and a left hook sends spray flying from Cummings’ head. Griffin is working the jab. He misses with a fierce left-right-left combination that Cummings ducks under at the bell.
This pattern of measured dominance continues. In the seventh, Griffin is practicing his moves, turning this way and dipping that with one glove raised. He smashes a right and then a left to Cumming’s head. He jars with a right over the top and rings home a solid left-right combo to the head. Cummings digs to the body. Griffin is getting in a good workout.
Cummings (right) attacks as Griffin covers
Clearly upset at his sparring partner status, Cummings initiates round eight throwing hard jabs. He glances Griffin’s head with an overhand right. Pressing, he bounces a left hook off Griffin’s skull. Flicking the jab, Griffin catches a hard clubbing right off the top of his head, and then a left hook. In turn, Griffin bounces a jab-right combo off Cummings’ head. A sharp right to the chin slows down Cummings, who continues to advance. Cummings digs a hard right to Griffin’s chest near rounds end.
Griffin bounces a stiff right off Cumming’s head. Cummings staggers backwards to the rope. He’s playing possum, but Griffin doesn’t bite. Giving up the acting, Cummings moves forward and Griffin pumps the jab in a slow retreat.
People are starting to boo. Cummings lands a right over Griffin’s jab, but eats a handful of follow-up jabs. He ducks under a big Griffin right at the bell.
It’s now the tenth and final round. To the delight of the crowd, they’re both throwing hard. Griffin lets out a whoop, as if to say, “Now, it’s time to have fun. Who’s your daddy?” He batters Cummings with precise lefts and rights, then pausing to examine his work.
Griffin (left) lands a left hook to Cumming's face
The crowd is roaring loudly. A wicked right digs into Cummings’ stomach and a sweeping left hook caroms him off the ropes. He snaps his head back with a left and tears into Cummings with both fists blazing at the bell. Enthused, he slams his fist into Cummings’ right glove at the bell.
Judges score the bout 100-89 thrice all in favor of Griffin for a unanimous decision win.
Above, referee Celestino Ruiz looks on as Martinez fights off the ropes against "Kid Diamond" Raiymkulov and, below, Martinez ducks under a vicious right
Las Vegas, Nevada's Almazbek “Kid Diamond” Raiymkulov (138 lbs., 25-1-1, 14 KO’s) and Chicago's Leobardo Martinez (135 lbs., 13-11, 5 KO’s) made a compelling, but short-lived match-up while it lasted. Just as things were heating up, unfortunately, Martinez suffered a bout-ending injury to his shoulder, resulting in a technical knockout victory for Raiymkulov.
Going into the bout, Raiymkulov looks flat-out more powerful, with Martinez being served up as the sacrificial lamb. Indeed, Raiymkulov jabs hard and misses with a wide straight right to open the first as a skittish Martinez circles. Raiymkulov pops with the left jab to the head and once to the body. Circling, Martinez misses with a quick overhand right. Martinez jabbing and retreating, misses with a right uppercut and darts back. Tied in close, Martinez digs a couple close uppercuts.
Raiymkulov (left) and Martinez in the early going
Raiymkulov looks annoyed. bounces jarring left to face and is tied up. Martinez digs a left uppercut in close and lands a long right as Raiymkulov steps back.
Martinez pops him with a jab and retreats to kick off the second. He’s busier, swarming one second, then retreating. Raiymkulov lands two rights to the head. He digs with a right uppercut to the body. Raimkulov is swinging wth both fists. Raiymkulov lands a clean right to the jaw and Martinez pops him back with a lesser-powered right. Raiymkulov still stalking. He digs a right to the body. Martinez mauling inside, then darts away.
Martinez (right) lunges at Raiymkulov
Three, Raiymkulov staggers Martinez with a lead left hook to the jaw. Angered, Martinez unleashes a small flurry. As the two tie-up, Martinez wrestles roughly. Raiymkulov jars him with a right uppercut moments after absorbing an overhand right to the top of the head. Martinez remains the busier fighter, while Raiymkulov is the heavier handed. The two trade rights at the bell.
While Martinez is seated in between rounds, the doctor examines him for an injured shoulder that Martinez apparently is complaining about. It’s over!
After being informed by Martinez’s corner that he can no longer continue, referee Celestino Ruiz rules it a technical knockout at one second into the fourth round.
Afterwards, Martinez said, “He hit my shoulder—“
”Clavicle,” his cornerman interjected.
Alejandro Valdez (left) takes it to Anytei Laryea in an exciting dust-up
Obregon, Mexico's Alejandro Valdez (122.5 lbs., 20-2-1, 15 KO’s) and Doraville, Georgia's Anytei Laryea (122 lbs., 17-3, 8 KO’s) produced some fireworks in a brisk ten-rounder that had the audience on the edge of their seats, with Valdez ultimately prevailing via unanimous decision.
Circling and carefully studying his opponent in the first, Valdez is rocked in the second by looping lefts and rights to the head. Valdez holds. An uppercut jars Valdez yet again! The two trade furiously. Now it’s Valdez who lands an effective right to the chin! Following extended trading, Valdez backs Laryea to the ropes and short jolting lefts and rights to Laryea’s head at the end of the round.
Valdez (left) presses the action
Coming on in the third, Valdez hurts Laryea with jarring hooks to the jaw. Regrouping, Laryea storms back with both fists blazing. Trading at close quarters for the remainder of the round, Valdez edges with better-placed shots. He continues to press in the fourth, digging a hard straight left into Laryea’s midsection and snapping his head back with a right uppercut and left-right combination.
After some skirmishes in the fifth, Laryea is hurt and rocked by a series of straight lefts to the head. The crowd roars as Laryea is on cusp of being stopped. Trapped on the ropes, lefts and rights rain down on him. But the moment passes. Laryea holds Valdez’s head down, the two gain a moments rest, and the two resume trading at half speed at the end of the round.
Laryea (right) is rocked!
Valdez is pumping the right jab and—mindful of Laryeas stiff looping blows—maintains a high guard in the sixth round. A hard straight left snapps Laryeas’ heads back. Valdez rallies. The two swap blows in close. Laryeas’ still dangerous and backs Valdez off with swarming lefts and rights.
A left snaps Laryeas’ head back and a right hook stuns in the seventh. However, a counter right hook by Laryea gets Valdez’s attention. The two trade intermittent bursts in close.
Valdez keeps his left high and whacks with the right as they skirmish in closely. Suddenly, a straight left knocks Laryea back several steps and Valdez jumps in two fists milling. The two trade in close at the bell.
In the eighth, Valdez pops the stiff right jab and circles, picking away at Laryea. He misses with a hard straight left. A straight left again knocks Laryea back two steps. Laryea fires back with both fists. Valdez steps back and, reengaging, re-establishes the jab. Their heads collide.
Laryea lands a jarring right hook to the head after Valdez jarred with the left. The bell rings and the two touch gloves.
Now in the ninth, Laryea is pressuring as he was in the first, swarming with lefts and rights. Howeve,r unlike the first, Valdez is dropping in sharp jabs and straight lefts. Slowing down, the two spar.
Laryea (right) connects with a right to Valdez's head as referee Genaro Rodriguez looks on
As the two trade, a right hook to the temple stuns Valdez momentarily. A couple hard rights to the chest have Valdez backpedaling. Trapped on the ropes, another right and another bounces off Valdez’s head. This is Laryea’s best round in a while.
Up on his toes circling and jabbing to begin the tenth round, Valdez almost stumbles and is warned moments later for a low blow. A sharp right jab, straight left combination stop Laryea in his tracks. A straight left to the abdomen, a right to the head and a left-right combo to thehead have Valdez rallying. Trading furiously, Valdez backs Laryea to the ropes. Laryea drives off the ropes with winging lefts and rights. Valdez just misses with his Sunday punch and the bell rings.
Judges call the bout 97-93 twice and 98-92 for Valdez.
Geraci (left) looks on as referee John O'Brien raises Popoca's hand in victory
Entering the boxing ring with a cornerman carrying an XFC Extreme Fighting Champion belt, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Khristian Geraci (145 lbs., 3-2-1, 2 KO’s) fired fast and hard combinations into the air prior to his bout against Chicago's ever-popular Ivan Popoca (143 lbs., 6-0-1, 5 KO’s).
However, this isn’t an Octagon or mixed martial arts cage.
Geraci kicks off the first round in high gear, landing a couple rights in close. Popoca is backing up.
Separated from a clinch, Popoca begins systematically battering Geraci with lefts and rights over and under. As they’re tied up in a corner, suddenly, Geraci collapses to the canvas. The accumulating punishment is already becoming too much!
Resuming the action, Popoca swarms. Desperate, Geraci slugs with both fists, but to no avail. Popoca jars with a hard left off his jaw and—with that—Geraci turns his back. Retreating to a corner, he shakes his head. Quickly intervening, referee John O’Brien waves off the bout at 1:40 into the first round, making this a technical knockout victory for Popoca.
Bailon (left) batters Alacorn as referee Genaro Rodriguez keeps a close eye
Popular Chicagoan Juan Bailon (127 lbs., 2-0) out-boxed and out-landed Dallas, Texas' raw-boned Gerardo Alacorn (128.5 lbs., 0-1) in his firsts bout in just over ten years! The bout was fought over four rounds.
As if literally shaking off rust from his long layoff, Bailon shakes out his arms and resets after missing several shots in the first stanza. Then he takes it to his taller, but greener opponent, jarring with a right and right uppercut. However, Green isn’t incompetent and as he slugs back, Bailon’s trainer, Mike "Fly" Garcia said, “Juan, keep your hands up!”
Trading at rounds end, Bailon buckles Alacorn’s legs with a right to the chin at the bell.
Referee Genearo Rodriguez stops the bout momentarily in the second round to examine a cut over Alacorn’s head caused by an accidental head butt. Blood streams his left eye. Bailon rallies. It’s target practice, Bailon batters and rocked his bigger foe. However, Alacorn isn’t yet and poses some challenges as he continues slugging back hard with both fists.
Circling and stepping around well, Bailon picks his spots with crisp rights, jarring uppercuts and lefts, retreating and covering well when Alacorn comes on.
Alacorn (left) rips a left hook to Bailon's head
The third round sees Alacorn come alive, as he bounces a solid right off Bailon’s jaw and has him covering. Another potent left crashes into Bailon’s jaw. As the two trade, a hard downward right grazes Bailon’s face as the round ends. This is no gimme for Bailon.
Bailon (left) bounces a hard jab off the forehead of Alacorn
Up on his toes, Bailon circles in and out with crisp lefts and rights, then maneuvers out of harms way in a dominating fourth round.
Judges scored the bout 40-36 unanimously for Juan Bailon.
Fighting off the ropes, Perez (right) slams a right hook into the head of Perez
Mexico City, Mexico's Adolfo Landeros (122.5 lbs., 18-10-1, 19 KO’s) and Salinas, California's Alejandro Perez (122.5 lbs., 12-0-1, 7 KO’s) fought a spirited give and take bout on relatively even terms, with Perez possessing the better defense and Landeros the freer swinging bullish style. In the end, Landeros' aggressive, face-first style earns him the nod.
Indeed, Perez looks as if he could pass for Yory Boy Campas’ younger brother—and with good reason. The former junior middleweight champion, Yory Boy, was renowned for his aggressive, free-swinging and face-first style of slugging. Although not as effective as Campas, Perez incorporates a similar style.
Landeros, on the other hand, maintains higher gloves and boxes with more precision.
Thus said, Perez gives a good account of himself in the early going as the two trade back and forth. In the third, just as Landeros appears to be taking over, Perez digs deep and slugs back with good effect.
Landeros (left) attacks Perez on the ropes
In the fourth, Landeros turned it up several notches, landing several jarring rights ot the head. Digging back, Perez presses him up against the ropes with a two-fisted volley. Spinning out, Landeros batters Perez with jarring rights and lefts. Perez escapes and fights back on even terms, as the two jars each other occasionally.
The two continue trading back and forth in the fifth, with Landeros jarring with three or four smashing shots to the head and Perez landing a couple of his own.
A right to the head along the ropes jars Perez, yet not a minute later, Perez is rallying back with a two fisted surge of his own in the sixth.
Perez appears to be taking over in the first minute or two of the seventh, only to see Landeros circle out, regroup and spear his upstart opponent with precision counters.
Landeros (left) sends spray flying from the head of Perez with a vicious right uppercut
Perez rocks Landeros and, moments later, receives the same back in the eighth. Just as he’s hurt with a bodyshot, Perez batters Landeros to the ropes, rocking him momentarily. Waving him in, Perez swings hard with looping lefts and rights to good effect. Perez obliges repeatedly, although his blows are of the more scientific persuasion. The two trade, with Perez coming on at rounds end.
Judges score it 77-75 for Landeros, 77-75 for Perez, and 77-75 for Landeros, garnering Landeros a split decision win.
Referee: John O’Brien.
Palacios (right) swings and misses at Flores as referee Ruiz presides
Hart, Michigan's Federico Flores (147.5 lbs., 3-3, 2 KO’s) and Chicago's Gustavio Palacios (2-3-1, 1 KO’s) put on an entertaining four round scrap calling to mind George Bellow’s painting, Stag at Sharkey’s, in which two boxers collide at ring’s center and flail away at one another. The more effective of the two, Flores walks away with a unanimous decision victory with scores of 40-36 all.
Above, Flores (left) crashes a left jab into Palacios' face and, below, attacks as he has him trapped on the ropes
Entitled, “Fearless,” Dominic Pesoli’s 8 Count Productions and Bob Arum’s Top Rank promoted this show.
