KO Digest: HBO Road To Glory RESULTS — Edwin Rodriguez & Vic Darchinyan shine

September 30, 2012

HBO Road To Glory RESULTS — Edwin Rodriguez & Vic Darchinyan shine

MGM GRAND FOXWOODS, CT — Rising star Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez scored a dominating eighth round TKO of Jason Escalera last night in his second consecutive fight telecast on HBO. The undefeated super middleweight contender Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs) hurt Escalera (13-1, 1 KOs) badly in the first and third rounds but couldn't finish him early.

More of the same unfolded in the fifth and the fight was almost stopped. Rodriguez continued to punish a game but overmatched Escalera who just wouldn't quit. Referee Steve Smoger finally stepped in at the :12 mark of round eight.

"I hit him with a good left uppercut in the first round and his mouthpiece came out so I went right after him but he's very strong willed and has a great chin. Escalera never hurt me and I think the stoppage could have come in the first round but Steve Smoger is a great referee and he gives fighters a chance to come back."

With another win on HBO in the bank, what does the immediate future hold for "La Bomba" Rodriguez? "We want any of the top 10 guys, definitely Kelly Pavlik. Super middleweight is my division and I feel comfortable at this weight but if any opportunity comes at light heavyweight, I'm a big kid, I'm 6'1, so I'm ready."

In the co-main event Vic Darchinyan, (121 lbs) UD10 Luis Orlando Del Valle, (122 lbs) Darchinyan (38-5, 27 KOs) and Valle (16-1, 11 KOs) had no feeling out round as they both swung and landed at will from the first bell. Darchinyan giving the better of it early on but fading late and getting hurt in the final two. Judges had it 96-94 and 99-91 twice.

"I'm back," said Darchinyan afterwards. "I feel good at this weight. I feel strong. I worked very hard. He's a tough kid. I just felt I was in a different class than him."

Antonin Decarie, (147 lbs) TKO6 Alex Perez, (146 lbs) Decarie (27-1, 8 KOs) scores an impressive stoppage of the previously unbeaten Perez (16-1, 9 KOs), the light hitter scored a knockdown before pouring it on. Time was 2:54.

Untelevised undercard results:

Danny O’Connor, (142 lbs) TKO3 Josh Sosa, (140 lbs) The wildly popular Framingham, MA native O’Connor (19-1, 8 KOs) makes it an early night for Sosa (10-4, 5 KOs) ending it at :33 of the third with a vicious barrage of unanswered body shots. Ryan Kielczewski, (130 lbs) UD6 Jeremy Mclaurin, (130 lbs) Kielczewski (14-0, 2 KOs) in a one-sided albeit exciting fight against Mclaurin (9-4, 5 KOs). The final tally was 59-55 and 60-54 twice. Luis Rosa, Jr., (122 lbs) TKO6 Victor Valenzuela, (122 lbs) Rosa (11-0, 6 KOs) pounds into submission the game Valenzuela (8-4, 1 KO) at 1:21 of the sixth. Sonya Lamonakis, (237 lbs) MD 6 Tanzee Daniels, (225 lbs) Lamonakis (7-0-2, 1 KO) in a tough one earns it over Daniels (4-2-1, 1 KO). 57-57 and 59-55 twice were the scores. Issac Chilemba, (177 lbs) UD 8 Rayco Saunders, (175 lbs) Chilemba (20-1-1, 9 KOs) gets the nod in what was more of sparring session than a fight against Saunders (20-17-2, 9 KOs). All cards were 80-72.

KO Digest Ringside Report by Edwin "Ace" Ayala
Images: Ed Diller - DiBella/Star Boxing
Edited by Jeffrey Freeman - KO Digest, EIC

Lee Groves reads KO Digest at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Cantastota.

The Ring Magazine's Travelin' Man Lee Groves also writes: "Along the way, we ran into the unmistakable 6-foot-9 frame of Jeffrey Freeman, also known as “KO Digest”. He and I always good-naturedly tease one another about our differences regarding Arturo Gatti’s Hall of Fame enshrinement – his advocacy of Gatti mirrors Paul Heyman’s of Brock Lesnar, while I believed he fell far short of the mark – but there always is a deep respect for the other’s acumen. That’s the way it should be; disagree if you must but don’t do so in a disagreeable manner."

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Editor's Note: Ray is in fact, correct. Though not a member of the more prestigious International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), Ramirez is a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame as well as one of the best fighters that Mancini ever beat. Thanks for the feedback Champ!

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KO's #TrumpClinton Pick

KO's #TrumpClinton Prediction — When George Foreman announced his comeback in 1987, they (we) laughed at him and said it was impossible what he claimed he'd do: regain the world heavyweight championship as a fat old man. As the wins mounted and the pounds melted, the media told you not to believe your lying eyes, that Foreman could NEVER beat Mike Tyson and that his comeback was all a big fat joke. Well, the joke was on us then and it's still on some of us today. Just as Foreman needed the perfect foil (Michael Moorer) to achieve his "impossible" dream, so too does boxing's own Donald Trump need Hillary Clinton for his. He was born to beat her like Big George was born to beat Moorer. On November 8, Donald Trump will prove all his naysayers wrong (again) when he wins the popular vote, receives 270+ electoral college votes, and KO's Clinton to become POTUS.

It Happened (As Predicted)

The Donald Trumps Clinton & Big George — As predicted, Donald J. Trump was elected 45th President of these United States last night. It was the greatest upset in American Presidential politics and a stunning repudiation of the rogue Obama-Clinton regime that had run roughshod over the world for the past 8 years creating terror and chaos in their wake. With 270+ Electoral Votes and many more popular votes, Trump is (and the new) President-Elect. We The People's President. Help is on the way in the dawn of a new day. As a near landslide, it was the greatest comeback since George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer 22 years ago last week in 1994 to regain the World Heavyweight Championship in a shocking reversal of fortune. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Foreman, like Trump, was laughed at, ridiculed, and his supporters turned into the butt of jokes. The best part about boxing and politics is that both give ample opportunity to get the last laugh. Congratulations America. You have saved our Nation and again shown why we are still the land of the FREE and the home of the BRAVE. Congratulations President Trump.

~Today in Boxing History~

JUNE 10, 2016: Exactly 70 years ago today in 1946, Jack Johnson (who some call the original Muhammad Ali) dies in a car accident in North Carolina. America's first black heavyweight champion of the boxing world, Johnson faced overt racism and daily discrimination throughout his troubled life and times, ultimately resulting in exile from his own country. You see, unlike Ali, Johnson went with white women and this infuriated white men. An international boxing hall of famer and an American original, Johnson still stands convicted of race crimes. His family still awaits a Presidential pardon. President Barack Obama gave an excellent speech commemorating the life of Muhammad Ali this week. Pardoning Jack Johnson would be an ideal way to honor both revolutionary black lives before leaving the White House. Rest in Peace great champions. Ali is being buried today in Louisville, Kentucky on the 70th annversary of Johnson's death, a heavyweight championship coincidence.