Brick City Boxing

Wins Easily in “Home Town Turf War” Against Rosas

By: Declan Hughes

North Bergen NJ – I’ve been covering Danny “Little Mac” McDermott, 7-1-1 (2kos), for a few of years now and last Thursday at Schuetzen Park Ballroom was by far his best boxing performance since he has been a pro.
McDermott, a lifelong Hudson County native, originally from North Bergen, now out of Jersey City, was in there with another North Bergen slugger, Ricardo Rosas. Rosas, 29, born and breed in Mexico moved to New Jersey as a teen and learned how to box out of the same North Bergen gym McDermott started.

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Rosas was coming off a 2 year layoff but McDermott stated he wasn’t taking him lightly. “This guy is really tough. His record doesn’t do him justice. He comes to fight and that’s what I am expecting, a tough fight.” Looking at the record of Rosas, which his ledger stood at 2-4-1 coming into the fight, didn’t seem special. After doing some digging I came to find out his losses were very close split decisions and pre mature stoppages in his opponent’s home town. One thing that stood out was that he owned a win over another tough smoker, Edward Valdez, who fought to a draw with McDermott in 2005.

The way McDermott fought in his last three performances made this fight seem like it was destined to be a toe to toe slugfest. There was no title on the line but it was for the bragging rights for home turf. Who was going to be the king of North Bergen?

McDermott came out and did the unthinkable. He boxed. He boxed for the entire 6 rounds. He showed amazing ring generalship, great poise in keeping his composure and a perfect jab that he kept in Rosas face all night. It was unusual to see McDermott not get fired up and go for broke, especially after being taunted by Rosas. Instead he listened to his corners instructions and didn’t stray from the game plan. He stayed calm and peppered the tough Mexican with fast combinations and turned him into his punches all night. Rosas never got close.

In the 5th and 6th rounds McDermott started to sit on his punches a little more. He staggered Rosas on quite a few occasions that had the crowd smelling blood. Referee Steve Smogger was looking to jump in and stop the fight in the 6th but there was no giving up in Rosas. He kept swinging away after he was getting walloped by sharp combinations from “Little Mac”. In the end I had McDermott winning 5 rounds to 1 as did two of the three judges. The other judge scored it 4 rounds to 2. Rosas, whose eyes were almost swollen shut due to the result of the McDermott jab, falls to 2-5-1.

With the win, McDermott raises his record to 7-1-1(2kos) and earns a spot on next month’s “Erin Go Brawls II” card at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City.