Brick City Boxing

By: Leszek Dowgier

Last Sunday, July 13th, was the birthday of a massive, yet largely forgotten, figure in the sport of boxing. Edward Patrick Walker was born on that date in 1903 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Better known as Mickey “The Toy Bulldog” Walker, he first stepped into the ring as a professional at the age of 16 with no amateur background to speak off. Though his debut ended in a no contest (due to official boxing decisions being outlawed in New Jersey at the time) it wouldn’t be long for the Toy Bulldog to get his first victory (and knockout), which would come a mere two weeks later.

After 16 fights in Elizabeth, Mickey ventured outside of his native city. However, his first fight outside of Elizabeth would also result in his second loss. Fighting in Philadelphia, Mickey faced Johnny Smith, a last minute replacement who was making his professional debut, but, he also outweighed Walker by 20 pounds. This would be something of a foreshadowing of Walker’s future career, as he would often be the smaller man by a considerable margin. However, unlike his fight with Smith, it would be Walker who would more often than not have his arm raised at the end of the contest.

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Philly Fight-Night Recap

By: Jeff Miller, Ringside

It was hot and humid down in South Philly last night as Legendary Promoter Russell Peltz along with Joe Hand Promotions delivered another action-packed card, at the New Alhambra Arena.

In a battle of unbeaten featherweights North Philly’s Teon Kennedy 9-0 (5 KOs), knocked out Thomas Snow 10-1 (8 KOs) in the second round. Teon controlled the ring from the opening bell showing his blazing speed. Then in round 2 he let off a beautiful four-punch combo that put Snow down for the 10 count. Official time was 1:21.

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By: Christopher Roche

Perhaps Tony "The Tiger" Thompson mustered up a little sugar from his frosted flakes, but he did not have enough to wrest the title away from "Dr. Steelhammer" Wladimir Klitschko.

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Holt Dusts himself off twice to crush Torres

By: Christopher Roche

Kendall "Rated R" Holt tested the canvas at Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood, but he rose to the occasion and pasted WBO Jr. Welterweight Champ Ricardo Torres.

In a torrid first round, Holt got dropped by Torres with a hard right hand, but the tough New Jersey native bounced right back up. Holt was briefly caught again, and he dropped to his knees, but he again bounced up, despite being hit again after the knockdown.

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By: Christopher Roche

Boxing Questions (and answers)

1) Is a title shot in the immediate future for “Ireland’s” John Duddy?

The Castle in Boston, MA is a long way from the glitz of the MGM Grand, and despite facing a middleweight from Ohio, John Duddy’s opponent Charles Howe could not be mistaken for Kelly Pavlik. However, Duddy’s fans relished a last chance at seeing their fighter up close, in a club setting. For Duddy, this bout was a showcase, as well as a coming out party with his new trainer Pat Burns, and he tossed a shutout against the tough, yet overmatched Howe.

(Since the bout was not televised, I included Duddy vs. Howe fight coverage at the end of this column).

The Castle is a former armory, and it has been retrofitted into an arena, complete with a Smith and Wollensky steakhouse attached to it. As the smell of searing USDA Prime wafted through the corridors, a predominantly Irish crowd packed the venerable venue. Duddy has major fan appeal, and his supporters made several attempts at starting a “John Duddy” song set to the same words as “There is only one Ricky Hatton”. The song never quite caught on, but there was plenty of other singing and chanting when Duddy entered the ring.

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John Martinez
Brickityboxing.com and Ironboxing.com

(02Jul08) In a Houston gym that felt as hot and humid as the daily temperature outside was, there was a workman like volley of punches in rapid succession finding their way onto at first a speed bag and then a heavy bag.

The man responsible for the quick, rhythmic snare drum sounds on the speed bag and thudding shots to the heavy was none other than the former ruler of the lightweight division, Juan Diaz (33,1,17 KO’s).

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By: Danny Serratelli
Popular New Jersey heavyweight, Leo Loiacono, 16-4, 13 KO's, is eyeing a big comeback this summer. Leo has informed Brickcityboxing that he has never been out of shape in his life, however it wasn't until early this year that he began to seriously train to fight again.

Several events as well as the state of the heavyweight division have inspired him to give it a go and the word in the Brick City is that he has been a much quicker more intelligent fighter in the ring this time around. Experience is a very under rated quality in boxing and Loiacono is returning with his three best qualities intact (his punch, his toughness and always being in awesome shape). However, he is returning as a smarter and more experienced fighter. The Brickcitytraining team will be joining Leo in the gym this week and accessing the progress he has made.

Brickcityboxing will be talking to Leo this week about his highly anticipated return to the ring, the release of the new boxing film he stars in alongside Tony Danza "The Nail", what Leo has in store for the heavyweight division in the near future, and new sponsorship announcements (INTERESTED IN SPONSORING LEO'S RETURN TO THE RING EMAIL Thefightlawyer@gmail.com )...Stay tuned for much more to come!

"Ireland's" John Duddy steps into the ring Saturday night in Boston.

By: Christopher Roche

“Ireland’s” John Duddy is one of the most maligned, undefeated fighters in boxing today. The critics state that he does not move his head, his defense is porous, and his aggression seems to have waned.

Duddy, for his part, acknowledges his faults in the ring, and it seems like he is working to correct them. Clan Duddy recently replaced Don Turner with Pat Burns, as head trainer, and Saturday night, the public will get its first glimpse of the revamped Irish middleweight.

Duddy is in the precarious position, of being undefeated, in his prime, yet on the comeback trail. Sometimes in Boxing, winning is not enough, one must win with style points, but Duddy’s last bout against Walid Smichet, on the undercard of Klitschko vs. Ibragimov, was nearly a disaster. Duddy had a title shot and a seven-figure payday against Kelly Pavlik seemingly in the bag, but Smichet did not follow the script.

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The site was recently created by Brick City Sports & Entertainment webmaster Joe Kulysehie of www.JKBedrin.com. Serratelli and his colleagues have been very successfull to date. Stay tuned for many updates including a Sports & Entertainment Law section which will specialize in boxing.

Abraham, Marquez, Arreloa, Berto, Kessler and Kahn all Victorious!

By: Christopher Roche

It is difficult when Showtime and HBO decide to go head to head, but all four fights ended well before midnight, here on the East Coast.

In the Showtime main event, Edison Miranda got drilled by Arthur Abraham. Miranda was dropped three times in round four, and the referee stopped the bout. The official time was 1:13.

In the co-feature, Giovanni Lorenzo suffered his first defeat, as a bloodied Raul Marquez squeaked by with a 114-113 (3x) decision. Lorenzo was penalized a point in the bout for unnecessary use of the Cranium. The fight was very spirited, and I look for both men to be factors in the middleweight division.

Over on HBO, untested and undefeated heavyweight Chazz Witherspoon could not ace his exam against Cris Arreloa. Arreloa dropped Witherspoon twice in the third round. Witherspoon actually did a face plant at the bell, and in one of those "only in boxing" moments, he was disqualified after rising to his feet. Although the bell sounded, the referee did not like the fact that Witherspoon's corner entered the ring.

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By: John Martinez

Brickcityboxing.com and Ironboxing

A poll was distributed earlier this week asking various members of the boxing media along with other boxing insiders to predict who would win tonight’s IBF Middleweight title eliminator featuring the former champion Raul “El Diamante” Marquez (40,3,1, 29 KO’s) against the highly fourth ranked IBF undefeated contender Giovanni Lorenzo (26-0, 18 KO’s).

I chose Marquez. I, along with only three other peers, represented the twelve percent surveyed, that saw Marquez exploiting the youth, inexperience, and over hyped record of the young stud Lorenzo.

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Interview By: Rob Tierney

Two undefeated Heavyweights are in the spotlight this Saturday Night and to the surprise of many, neither one of them are from the former Soviet Union. Two American contenders, Chazz “The Gentleman” Witherspoon and Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola, are pure bred American muscle. In Memphis this weekend against one another, they each look to claim their stake as the next great American contender in a division dominated by colossal Russian giants.

There is plenty of interest surrounding the fighters heading into this weekend’s fight. Both men are undefeated and virtually untested in 23 fights. Furthermore, both Witherspoon and Arreola have a chance to stand atop an upcoming group of American contenders that includes Tye Fields, Kevin Johnson and David Rodriguez amongst many others. I had a chance to catch up with Chazz Witherspoon at Larry Holmes’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony two weeks ago before interviewing him this past Sunday, June 15th late Father’s Day afternoon. Here is what he had to say:

RT: Good afternoon Chazz, I hope all is well. Everyone seems to be looking forward to next Saturday Night. How does it feel to be fighting on HBO for the first time?

CW: It feels good. It’s international exposure. However, I’m not really thinking about that. I’m just thinking about sticking to my game plan and coming up with a win.

RT: Speaking of game plans…….obviously I wouldn’t ask you to reveal any pre-fight strategies, but in general, what do you think you need to do to defeat Chris Arreola?

CW: I need to be busy! I’ll look at what he’s giving me and make adjustments as I go. When I see what he’s giving me, I’ll talk to the corner and tell them what I’m seeing. They’ll tell me what they’re seeing and we’ll make adjustments as we go.

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By: Danny Serratelli

Expect a fight of the year candidate this Friday on Showtime when undefeated 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre “S.O.G.” Ward, 15-0, 10 KO’s takes on The Brick City’s best, 200 Olympian, Jerson “SuperJerz” Ravelo 18-2, 12 KO’s. Promoter Dan Goossen recently said, "Ravelo is a fighter who's still on the upswing in his own career, so it's another good matchup at this point for Andre." It is hard to believe that Goosen really believes that Jerson is still on the upswing of his career and a major threat to his fighter, but he may be in for a rude awakening.

Word has been out time and time again that Jerson was damaged goods, but he has always possessed the total package as a fighter, and his heart, perseverance, confidence, skills and an undying determination are included in that package. Unfortunately for Goosen and Ward, Ravelo prides himself on always staying in shape, is injury free for this fight and has had one of the best camps of his 8 year professional career.

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By: Christopher Roche

He has fought in the club shows, and he battled on the “Contender”. He stepped up, and he has stepped out, but Friday night is his big shot.

Jerson Ravelo represented the 2000 Olympic Team for the Dominican Republic, but now he represents Newark, NJ, aka the Brick City. Like warriors before him, such as Marvin Hagler and William “Bo” James, Ravelo’s craft is steeped in pride.

I first saw Ravelo fight back at Scheuntzen Park in North Bergen, NJ, home of “Cinderella Man” James J. Braddock, and Ravelo blew out Ricardo Kellman in the first round. The crowd was old school raucous that night, and Ravelo looked to be on the fast track.

In his next bout, he stepped up to Allan Green on ESPN, but he was stopped in the eighth and final round. Ravelo has hand problems, and the problem reared its ugly head that night. However, the Olympian, who refused to turn journeyman, soundly defeated unbeaten Paul Buchanan over in England on the “Contender” series. Ravelo suffered another broken hand, but he beat the Brit with only a good left wing.

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Editors note: It took almost a year from this interview, but Ravelo is fighting for the NABO Super middleweight title on Showtime against Andre Ward on Friday, June 20th!

By: Danny Serratelli (Aug 1, 2007)

Newark New Jersey's Jerson Ravelo is always in shape and ready to fight any of the top names in the super-middleweight or middleweight division. The natural 168 pounder said he has no problem making 160 and would even go as high as 175 for a title shot. The San Cristobal, Dominican Republic native wants to bring the title back to the Brick City, Newark, New Jersey as well as his native country the Dominican Republic. Jerson truly believes it is his destiny to become world champion and is determined not to let anything stop him until he achieves his destiny.

He is coming off of a victory over England's Paul Buchanan in a fight in which he handed Buchanan his first loss as a professional, but unfortunately he also broke his hand early in the bout. Despite the break, he easily out boxed his opponent with one hand to earn a unanimous decision and help team USA earn the Sugar Ray Leonard cup in the USA vs. UK Contender Challenge. Jerson has been a professional for almost 8 years and has encountered many ups and downs and bumps in the road. Most problems were beyond his control, however he still possesses the ability and the confident swagger to become world champion as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Danny Serratelli: What's up Jerz? How is the hand doing?

Jerson Ravelo: My hand is much better, I'm punching and been punching for about a month and half now, I'm looking to get back in the ring as soon as possible.

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By: John Martinez

Brickcityboxing.com
Ironboxing.com

(09Jun08) Since the announcement of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s retirement this past Friday, there have been several columns and postings from fans, writers, and promoters expressing their personal slant on why Floyd has called it quits and what this does and means for boxing.

I, for one believe that the departure of Mayweather Jr. will and can only help boxing. The step aside by Floyd allows the fans and the sport to finally clarify the true champion of the welterweight division.

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Hey HBO...How about a walkout Bout?

By: Christopher Roche

Most Boxing fans saw the Kelly Pavlik vs. Gary Lockett bout as a walk through, and they were not disappointed.

In a match that had as much drama as a Giants vs. Jets preseason game, Pavlik systematically broke down Lockett and forced him to take three knees. Finally, in the third round, Lockett's trainer, Enzo Calzaghe threw in the towel.

The first bout of the evening saw Daniel Ponce De Leon relinquish his WBO Belt to Juan Manuel Lopez via a vicious first round knockout.

On a night like this, HBO could have used a walkout bout.

By: Christopher Roche

On the Eve of the New York City Puerto Rican Day Parade, Carlos "El Indio" Quintana surely looked to kick off the celebration at nearby Mohegan Sun.

However, Paul "The Punisher" Williams stepped into the ring with razor sharp focus, and he proved that his first and only loss was likely a fluke. After losing a decision, and his WBO title, to Quintana back in February, Williams demolished the champion within the first round.

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@ 3 Saints Cultural Center, Garfield

THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2008
6:00 pm at the 23rd
Registration is $60 per person

Featured Guests will Include:

Brick City fighter Jerson Ravelo is being honored at the 23rd Annual New Jersey Sport Celebrity Beefsteak Dinner on Thursday June 5.

Jerson is currently in camp for his biggest fight as a professional and his first title fight against Olympic gold medalist, undefeated, Andre Ward.

Past boxing inductees have included guys like Lou Duva, Bobby Czyz, former heavyweight and current referee, Randy Neuman.

Danny Serratelli: Jerson, my man, your time has finally come. When you fight that fight down in the Caymen Islands, I will be there with you in that ring in spirit as I’m sure some of the old school guys who have been there through it all will be. How does it feel to be honored at this event before the big fight?

Jerson Ravelo: It feels great to be honored at the dinner. Other than being the amateur fighter of the year in 1998 and in 1999, I never really have been honored for any of my accomplishments, so this feels great.

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By: Christopher Roche

Commentary

The worst type of crime is the one you do not see coming. New York City used to be known for that.

Whether it was Lennox Lewis getting robbed against Evander Holyfield in The Garden, or an unsuspecting tourist falling prey to a pre-Giuliani pickpocket in Times Square, the Big Apple has a way of breaking people down.

Tonight, in the big borough of Brooklyn, James Moore raised his hand in victory, but the referee raised his opponent’s. It appears we may have seen another robbery in the sport of boxing; however, I have yet to review the frame-by-frame tape to be sure.

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By: Danny Serratelli

Brickcityboxing has received word that Brick City area fighter, Francisco Lorenzo, 32-4, 14 KO’s, the #3 ranked fighter by the WBC will be fighting for the interim WBC super featherweight title against # 2 ranked Humberto Soto, 44-6-2, 28 KO’s. The bout will take place on the undercard of Top Rank’s Manny Pacquaio, 46-3-2, 35 KO’s vs. David Diaz, 34-1-1. 17 KO’s on Saturday June 28th at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Laws Vegas.

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Spring Amateur Boxing Events (NJ)

By: Bobby Breen

The Golden Gloves are over, so now what? Amateur boxing continues to entertain and provide an outlet for inner-city youth, and older boxers as well. For example, on May 17th an amateur card was held in Jersey City, NJ between the Jersey City Police and Firemen going up against the NYPD and FDNY. Billed as the “Battle of the Badges” this event, in its third year was a nice night of boxing. Hey, where else can you go to see Cops get punched? And you can even cheer on the action without consequence. But the event itself is a testament to the rivalry and equally camaraderie of the Police and Firemen, not only from these great two cities, but in general. Plus it keeps them in shape.

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Simon Scores an Easy KO in Co-Feature
By: Danny Serratelli

Rising Star Promotions once again teamed up with the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey to present their 2nd show featuring world class professional boxing. In the main event of the evening, Bruce “The Atlantic City Express" Seldon was impressive in a knockout victory over a very game opponent in Livin Castillo, 14-5, 9 KO’s. Seldon stalked the smaller Castillo for much of the fight, may have under used his big jab and threw his right hand bombs a little wide, but in the end he did a great job of putting together the knockout punches.

Seldon was hit more than he should have been by the awkward southpaw, however he showed good patience, chin, power and hand speed when he needed it. Castillo caught Seldon clean at times and Bruce shook his head which made you wonder if they were not as hard as they looked (Castillo is more of a cruiserweight) or if they were as hard as they looked and were getting Seldon’s attention. Seldon, to his credit was undeterred as he continued to walk Castillo down and the men often traded very hard clean punches in as exciting fight.

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By: Leszek Dowgier

On May 17th, the new “Raging Bull”, Mount Arlington, New Jersey’s own Pawel Wolak improved his undefeated record to 21-0(14), gaining the interim WBC USNBC light middleweight title in the process, by defeating Troy Browning 20-2-1(8) by a lopsided unanimous decision. Despite Wolak shutting out Browning on all three judges’ cards, it was a rather close fight with Browning landing some very crisp and accurate counterpunches.
However, a close fight was not a surprise, as before this fight, Browing, a southpaw from Wilingsboro, New Jersey, had only lost one other time, a ten round unanimous decision against young (and recently slightly tarnished) prospect Delvin Rodriguez.

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When the time comes...put Vinny Paz in the Hall!!
By: Danny Serratelli
Originally published on: 3-26-2004 by www.braggingrightscorner.com & www.vinnypaz.com

VINNY PAZ: BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS

"I hope it's a bloodbath. To go out that way, I have no problem...I will fight balls to the walls Saturday night and I will win."

On Saturday night, March 27, 2004, former five-time world champion Vinny Paz (A.K.A. Vinny Pazienza) caps off a professional career that started 21 years ago. Paz is matched in a 10-round super middleweight bout against two-time world title challenger Tocker "TNT" Pudwill (39-5, 14 KOs), headlining "History in the Making" airing live on CN8, The Comcast Network from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

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By: Rob Tierney

The wait is finally over for Larry Holmes. Next weekend the ex champ joins fellow pugilist Eddie Perkins as an inductee at the International Boxing Hall of Fame Festivities in Canastota, NY. It will be a well received honor for the “Easton Assassin” who enters the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

It seems only fitting that June 8th marks the day of induction for Larry Holmes. Interestingly enough, the ex champ’s enshrinement arrives just one day shy of the 30th anniversary of his championship victory over Ken Norton. For it was on June 9th, 1978 that Larry Holmes advanced both his career and his life with a stunning performance in Las Vegas. It was on that day that he began a journey that comes full circle in Canastota next Sunday.

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Commentary

By: Christopher Roche

This past weekend, IBF light-welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi entered Manchester City Stadium with a hairstyle reminiscent of 1980’s lip synch artists Milli Vanilli. Once inside the ring, Malignaggi looked nothing like the fleet-footed jab artist who dominated Edner Cherry and Lovemore N’Dou (in their first meeting). Despite the stadium being outdoors, Malignaggi could not “blame it on the rain”, as the Manchester evening looked crisp and clear, and N’Dou almost walked away with the title in an ugly rematch.

So what almost led to Malignaggi’s undoing?

First, Malignaggi is a timing fighter, and while many will make light of his choice to wear hair extensions into the ring, it was obvious that when the bird’s nest unraveled, it affected Malignaggi’s game plan. In a tight fight, losing one or two rounds because of “wig-gate” almost proved disastrous. The hair was no joke.

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Commentary

By: Christopher Roche

Several years ago, Versus Network announcer Wallace Matthews was fired (he says he resigned) from the New York Post, over an incident regarding the paper’s publishing of a rumor regarding the sexual orientation of New York Mets’ catcher Mike Piazza. Around the same time he parted ways with the paper, Matthews wrote the following:

"Aside from criminality, the only time a player's personal life becomes an issue is when it can be shown to be affecting his performance on the field."

"Even then, it is best to tread lightly, lest someone come peering into your windows next.”

"Doesn't anyone understand the meaning of privacy or modesty or discretion anymore?”

Perhaps Mr. Matthews should have shared that advice regarding his network’s commentary about Ricky Hatton’s lifestyle. Thirty seconds into the ring entrance, Nick Charles, Matthews’ broadcast partner, was lecturing us that Hatton’s lifestyle is “dangerous”.

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City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, Lancashire, United Kingdom
By: Danny Serratelli

Despite the best efforts of the ring announcers on Versus to convince American fans that Paulie Malignaggi was damaged goods and Ricky Hatton spent too much time at the pub and was finished at 29, the stage has been set for a potential blockbuster fight between Malignaggi vs. Hatton. The fights from Manchester were both entertaining as Paulie again showed that in the face of adversity (both a VERY bad hair day, and a bad hand), in front of 50,000 British fans, that he would be resourceful enough to salvage a victory. Paulie’s fight would involve a very necessary haircut, an injured hand and the fact that he had to deal with the largest crowd he will probably ever see, and he gladly accepted the bad guy role.

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Huge upset sends the Cruiserweight contender back to the drawing board.

By: Christopher Roche

Everything started out great last night for "Awesome" Aaron Williams. He was fighting on National Television, against a late replacement opponent, who had to gain 25 pounds to qualify for this match.

The cards were stacked in Williams' favor, as he looked to cash in, on his way to a title shot in the Cruiserweight division.

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