CES - Up For Grabs Results from Twin River: Biosee defeats Spina

Mr Providence doesn't ask for credit, he takes it!

LINCOLN, RI - In front of a good crowd at the Twin River Convention Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island, Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment and Sports put on a ten fight professional boxing card last night entitled "Up For Grabs." Featuring several local fighters on the undercard and a Main Event that pitted Providence against Providence, the night featured a few surprises and it settled the issue of which fighter truly rules the Providence boxing scene as "Mr. Providence" Vladine Biosse defeated the "KO Kid" Joey Spina to defend his New England Super Middleweight title with an eight round unanimous decision.

Vladine Biosse W8 Joey Spina (super middleweights) - In a battle for the heart and soul of Providence boxing, "Mr. Providence" Vladine Biosse (13-1-1 w/ 6KOs) made easy work of fellow Providence fighter Joey "KO Kid" Spina (26-3-2 w/ 18KOs) over eight rounds to successfully defend his New England super middleweight title and his claim of being the premier fighter from Providence, RI. With these titles "Up For Grabs" - Spina enjoyed a good opening round and he rattled Biosse with a left hook that caused "Mr. Providence" to grab him immediately to avoid any follow up. It looked like a competitive fight might be on tap but Biosse began to make his adjustments in the second, finding a home for his straight left hand while Spina did more posturing than fighting. The third featured more posing from Spina and the advertisement that was barely affixed to the back of his trunks began to fall off, a good metaphor for his loss of control in the fight.

In the fourth, Spina offered little more than a lazy jab which Biosse was now easily maneuvering around to land his straight left hand. A good right hand from Spina closed out the round but didn't win it for him. By the fifth, Biosse was outjabbing Spina and landing his straight lefts at will. This is the pattern that defined the remainder of the fight as Spina grew frustrated in the sixth and resorted to some holding and complaining to the referee in clinches that he himself initiated. Going into the final round, the "KO Kid" needed a KO to win but he never came close to landing anything of any significance and not surprisingly the unanimous decision went to "Mr. Providence" Vladine Biosse by scores of 79-73, 78-74, and 78-74. KO Digest scored the fight 79-73, giving Spina only the first round.   

Said Biosse afterwards, "I don't ask for credit, I just take it!"

End of the night for a bloody Rich Gingras

Terrance Smith TKO3 Rich Gingras (cruiserweights) - In the scheduled six round co-main event, Attleboro, MA native and former Contender contestant Rich Gingras (11-3 w/ 7KOs) engaged in an all-out phone booth war with Terrance Smith (8-13-2 w/ 5KOs) for two rounds before a nasty gash over his left eye ended his night in the corner, on the stool after the second round was complete.

Smith appeared to be getting the better of Gingras in entertaining close quarter combat before the fight was stopped in the Gingras corner due to the cut.  


 
Paul Gonsalves W4 Richard Starnino (super middleweights) - Known as "Bobo the Bull", the very popular Providence RI journeyman Starnino was looking to end his six fight winless streak but he once again came up short, this time against Paul Gonsalves (4-2 w/ 3KOs from Harwich, MA). Fighting much like his namesake, Bobo did his best impression of a bull while Gonsalves played the role of matador, deftly avoiding Starnino's rushes in the first round before beginning to pick him off in the second. The third was a good action round and both fighters were credited with knockdowns. First it was Gonsalves who went down to a knee, the result of chopping right hands from Starnino. Later in the round, a left hook from Gonsalves dropped Starnino although it appeared to be from a slip as much as from a punch. In the fourth, Gonsalves once again assumed the role of matador and he opened the round with a nice left right combination to take whatever fight was left in Bobo the Bull. Scores were unanimous in favor of Gonsalves: 40-37, 39-37, and 39-37.    

Alex Amparo W4 Luis Felix (light heavyweights) - Unbeaten Providence, RI prospect Alex Amparo stayed unbeaten with a four round decision over Luis Felix (0-3 from Cranston, RI) in a fight that probably should have been easier for Amparo than it actually was. Maybe Amparo was having an off night but he looked sluggish and tired at times, getting hit more than he should have by a winless opponent that he looked notably bigger than in the ring. In any case, Amparo won by unanimous scores of 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37. It just wasn't a very impressive performance and given the quality of opposition, it could have been and should have been.

Falowo was emotional after his first loss

Samuel Clarkson W6 Thomas Falowo (middleweights) - In a battle of unbeaten prospects, Pawtucket RI native Thomas Falowo appeared to do enough over six rounds to earn his seventh straight win, but the judges felt otherwise and Falowo dropped a controversial split decision to Samuel Clarkson (5-0 w/ 4KOs from Cedar Hills, TX) in front of a stunned hometown crowd. Clarkson was knocked down in the first round but was not seriously hurt. Falowo boxed and punched nicely in the second, cutting Clarkson on the left cheek and drilling him with a flush right hand straight down the middle. In the third, Clarkson was reduced to more slapping than hard punching, and Falowo was just walking him down and hitting him. More of the same in the fourth from Falowo and he appeared to be cruising to the win.

In the fifth, Clarkson came alive and he stunned Falowo with a nice combination towards the end of the round. The sixth was close and could have gone either way. In the end, the judges did what they are paid to do and they returned split decision scores in favor of Clarkson: 57-56, 57-56, 55-58. Falowo (now 6-1 w/4KOs) was visibly devastated by the loss and his display of emotion in the ring told the whole story. KO Digest scored the fight 58-56 in favor of Falowo. Not quite a robbery, just a bad decision.     

Mike Wilson W4 Joesph Rabotte (heavyweights) - Looking very much like George Foreman, but not fighting like him, veteran heavyweight Joe Rabotte (11-21-1 w/ 3KOs from Atlanta, GA) was beaten by the undefeated Mike Wilson (6-0 w/ 3KOs) over four rounds. Rabotte brought a bit of a belly into the ring, while Wilson looked ripped and ready. Majority decision scores in favor of Wilson were 40-36, 39-37, and a curious 38-38. It was reported that an unhappy Rabotte trashed his locker room after the fight in disgust over the decision. That sounds a little more like something George  Foreman would do!   

Shelito Vincent W4 Carmen Cruz (female bantamweights) - Bringing a good vibe and an infectious smile, the wildly popular Shelito Vincent (3-0 from Providence RI) pounded out her third win as a professional, defeating the debuting Carmen Cruz (0-1 from Fort Meyers, FL) over four easy rounds. Vincent came on strong in the final round, rocking her opponent with a nifty combination to close the show and leave no doubts. Unanimous shutout scores of 40-36 in favor of Vincent serve to illustrate just how dominant she was.

Gardner down in the 2nd

Julio "The Butcher" Garcia W4 Joe Gardner (middleweights) - In a mild upset, Rhode Island native Joe Gardner (8-5 w/ 1KO) was defeated by lopsided decision in a foul filled four round fight against Julio Garcia (5-3 w/ 3KOs from Rincon, Puerto Rico). Representing Team Ruiz, Garcia bulled Gardner back early in the first and set the tone for the fight early in the second with a very low blow that sent Gardner down in obvious pain. Still recovering from the low blow, Gardner was knocked down later in the same round from a more well placed body punch and two follow up rights to the head. Gardner landed a nice right hand of his own in the third to almost get back into the fight but by the middle of the round, he was being bulled back again.


In the fourth round, a now bleeding Garcia butchered Gardner even further to the head and body and scored another knockdown. Scores in favor of Butcher Garcia were unanimous, 40-34, 40-34, and 39-35.       

Kevin Cobbs W4 Kentrell Claiborne (super middleweights) - The undefeated Kevin Cobbs (4-0 w/ 1KO) used a persistent jab and a nice follow up right hand to easily outbox opponent Kentrell Claiborne (2-6 w/ 1KO from Cleburne, TX) over four relatively one-sided rounds. In the third, Claiborne appeared hurt by a left right combination to the head but he held on to hear the final bell and scores of 39-37 across the board in favor of Cobbs.    

Zack Ramsey TKO3 Alan Beeman (super lightweights) - In the evening opener, highly touted prospect Zack Ramsey (Springfield, MA) made a successful pro debut, dazzling his opponent Alan Beeman with an overwhelming display of combination punching to the head and body. Ramsey did a bit of showboating in the first and carried his hands around his waist at times, but when he did punch, he threw crisp combinations that his overmatched opponent could not stand up to. Beeman (0-2 from Providence, RI) was knocked down in the second round and again in the third, this time from a wicked body punch. The referee didn't even bother to count and ruled it a TKO on the spot at 0:37 of the third.

Images & Words by Jeffrey Freeman