KO Digest Ringside Report - Jeter upsets Lange in Virginia

Jeter swings for the fences against Lange

FAIRFAX - By John Scheinman

From star of the old series “The Contender” to an aging fighter along the ropes, unable to move and taking a beating. This was matinee idol-handsome Jimmy Lange at a self-promoted show Oct. 27 at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University.

Over ten rounds, with only occasional flashes of the old charisma and punching power, Lange, 158, Great Falls, Va. (38-5-2, 25 KOs) got plain beat up by Tony “Mo Better” Jeter, Stevensville, Md., (15-3-1, 10 KOs).

It was a runaway – albeit full of action – in the ring, but extremely close on the scorecards, however, as Jeter pulled out a split-decision. Why? Because referee Steve Smoger took away four points – two in the second, one in the third and another in the eighth – for low blows. While some of the deductions were legitimate, the one in the eighth was for a beltline shot.

Jeter also was dropped to one knee by an overhand right, the first punch Lange threw in the second round, so he had a five-point hole to climb out of. He did it, by using his superb physical conditioning to stand right in front of the immobile Lange and punch to the end of every bell.

The judges scored 94-91 (Lange), 94-91 (Jeter) and 93-92 (Jeter). KO Digest scored 93-92 for Jeter, as well.

Lange failed to come out for the post-fight press conference, represented by his father Johnny, instead, who was bitter and incredulous about the scoring. Although his son has created an unprecedented fan base at the Patriot Center, where he has been able to successfully charge up to $500 per ticket, Johnny Lange vowed no more fights in Virginia until he receives an explanation of how the judges scored for Jeter with all those points taken away.

Lange, 37, however, probably should be thinking about retirement. He was on a seven-fight win streak dating back to a 12-round loss to Chase Shields in March 2010, but he clearly didn’t have much to keep the relentless Jeter off him. “Both of us put on one of the toughest fights you’ll ever see, and you couldn’t have done it without me or without him,” said Jeter, who said he has a good relationship with the WBC and expects to climb into the rankings.

The second round was by far the most controversial and almost cost Jeter the fight. After Lange knocked him down for an eight-count, Jeter returned to action with a hard head butt. He then began holding and hitting and received a second warning from Smoger.

After Lange doubled up hard right hand shots, Jeter landed a low blow and Smoger took a point away. The brisk fighting resumed, and soon Smoger was taking another point for a low blow. Undeterred, Jeter was out fast in the third, ripping head shots and backing Lange into the ropes. Lange, always a slow starter, battled back. By the end of the round, both fighters were teeing off with knockout-strength blows. Then, Smoger took a point from Jeter again for low blows – that were not low.

Steve Smoger took 4 points from Jeter!

Still, Jeter was destroying Lange.

In the fourth round, the crowd was pleading with Lange to get off, and finally he did, having probably his only quality round of the fight.

In the fifth, however, Jeter went back to work, ripping left hooks to the body, punches that served him well throughout the fight. Without showing any mobility, something it was said he worked on with former world champion William Joppy in preparation for the fight, Lange was vulnerable to Jeter’s hardest blows.

By the seventh round, Jeter was just chopping wood. Lange had his moments, but he was paying an enormous physical price, pinned on the ropes, crushed by an uppercut at round’s end. Lange opened the eight round punching very well, looking to time Jeter between shots, but his back was back to the ropes. Smoger took another point for a low blow. Jeter could barely believe it. He walked right over to Lange, who was in a neutral corner and yelled “Fuck!”

By the ninth, Lange was bleeding from the head and a cut around the right eye. Smoger stopped the action to allow a ringside physician to examine the wounds and the fight continued with Jeter firing heavy punches toward the end of the round.

Jeter hits while Lange catches!

In the 10th, Jeter’s conditioning carried him. Strangely, Lange began to move and jab. It should have been there earlier if he had it in him at all. Jeter sought a knockout and the crowd, always Lange country, began chanting “Tony! Tony!” Jeter, who has a promotional license in Maryland and puts on regular small shows, was effusive in his praise for the Langes and thankful for getting the fight.

Asked what Smoger said to him during the fight, Jeter said, “He told me I was a dirty fighter, but, you know, Jimmy fights rough. But I don’t think it was as much of a dirty fight as a rough fight. Jimmy hit me low, I hit him low. He had his shorts up high. He head-butted me, I head-butted him. I’ve got knots on my head. It’s just boxing. But it was just a phenomenal fight. These are the type of fights this area needs. Everybody says Jimmy doesn’t want to step up, that I don’t want to step up."

"Well, there you go, that was a step up. That was a step up!”

Ringside Report by John Scheinman  - exclusively for KO Digest
Photos by Mike Greehnhill

NYC Ringside Report - Monaghan and Bracero dominate at Roseland

Monaghan pounds Saunders to stay undefeated

NEW YORK, N.Y. - In the fifth installment of Broadway Boxing this year, promoter Lou DiBella treated fight fans yesterday night to nonstop action on a fight card that featured seven bouts. The card did not disappoint and it had a little bit of something for everybody - boxing, brawling, plenty of blood, and of course everyone's favorite - the one round knockout!

The evening featured undefeated light heavyweight prospect "Irish" Seanie Monaghan from Long Beach N.Y. and experienced Rayco Saunders in a fight that had plenty of action, and a ninth round that saw both fighters throw more than a hundred punches. 

Here are the results:

Seanie Monaghan W10 Rayco Saunders (light heavyweights) - In the main event for the WBC Continentals America light heavyweight championship, Monaghan was matched against Rayco Saunders, an experienced fighter with over forty fights, and a dependable chin. At the bell. Saunders came out jabbing to the head and body, while Monaghan dipped, and ripped right hands to the body, as well as the head. Saunders 22-17-2(9KO's) landed a decent right to the head in the second, and Seanie responded with hooks to the body and head. He nodded in approval to his opponent at the bell. The fight followed a pattern that suited Seanie, who likes to fight inside, before dropping the right hand to the head. He backed his opponent up for most of the bout, which didn't go unnoticed by the judges. He didn't allow the taller Saunders to use his reach, and forced him to trade. He did find some success in the fifth with the jab, and a left hook, but it didn't seem to faze Monaghan.

The veteran Saunders did just enough to survive, but not enough to win.

In the eighth, Saunders landed some solid straight right hands, but Seanie 16-0(10KO's) may have stolen the round as he blasted his opponent against the ropes. In the ninth, Seanie kept his opponent on the ropes for almost the entire round, ripping uppercuts, and hooks to the body, before firing the sneaky right hand to the head. Both fighters easily threw over a hundred punches that round. In the final round, both men traded bombs, although Saunders may have won it because of the jab. Monaghan retained his title with scores of 98-92 and 99-91 twice. After the bout, announcer Steve Farhood asked the winner to describe what it felt like to fight the wily veteran, and who he would like to fight next. He gave the tough Saunders his much deserved respect, and indicated he would fight whoever they put in front of him.

Ivan Redkach KO1 Tebor Brosch (junior welterweights) - Anyone who attempted to go to the rest rooms before the main event missed this bout. Redkach 11-0(10KO's) made it look easy, as he went right to the body in the opening seconds of the bout. A straight right hand, followed by a left to the body, backed his opponent up. Once he got his opponent to the ropes, he doubled the left to the body, before firing the left hook to the head. Brosch 7-3-5(2KO's) tried to fight back, and fired a right hand, but a left hook, followed by a left hand, bounced him into the ropes, and the referee had seen enough. Redkach by TKO 2:02 in the first.

"Tito" Bracero wins in NYC

Gabriel Bracero W8 Eric Cruz (junior middleweights) - This match up featured two skilled fighters who relied on technique. Both men relied on the jab to set up their punches. Bracero landed a solid left hook, and Cruz responded with a straight right hand. Chants of "Tito" rang out from the crowd for Bracero whenever he landed. Bracero 19-1(3KO's) made some adjustments, and chose to counter his opponent, whenever he lunged in. Bracero had his opponents timing down, and repeatedly landed the right hand. "Tito" landed a good left hook at the bell. The experienced Cruz 16-10-3 (16KO's) tried to lure his opponent in on the ropes, and tries to land the uppercut. Bracero returned an uppercut of his own, near the end of the round. Bracero opened up the lead with the double jab right hand, along with some sneaky right hand leads. In the seventh, it's all Bracero as he lands the left hook repeatedly behind the right hand. In the eighth and final round, Cruz fired the jab, and threw one punch at a time, while "Tito" landed in combination. The fans chanted "Tito" right to the bell. Bracero, who is trained by Tommy Gallagher, won by the scores of 79-73 and 80-72 twice. This was a solid win for Bracero, who had to make adjustments during the course of the fight.

Travis Peterkin W4 Hamid Abdul Mateen (light heavyweights) - Mateen 3-3-2, no knockouts, tried to jab to the body, but paid for it, when a big Peterkin left hand put him against the ropes. The pattern continued into the second, and a fight broke out in the stands during the action. In the third, Peterkin 5-0(3KO's) added a straight left to the body. In the final round, Peterkin added the double jab, and added the right hook behind the straight left right before the bell. All three judges vote in favor of Peterkin with the identical scores of 40-36. Although the scores don't reflect it, this was a very competitive bout,with the winner shading each round.

The southpaw Peterkn was all business, and his blazing hand speed and straight left hand, made all the difference.

Floriano Pagliara W8 Jeremy McLaurin (junior lightweights) - The tall McLaurin came forward without much of a jab, right hand cocked, while Pagliara fought out of a crouch, firing hooks to the body, and right hands to the head. In the second, McLaurin 9-5(5KO) fired the double jab and straight right hand, while Pagliara 14-4-2(6KO's) stayed close to his opponent and made the fight ugly. Both men traded, but the heavier hands belonged to Floriano. In the seventh, he switched gears, and kept the fight outside using angles. The last round was bombs away, as McLaurin landed the right uppercut and left hook, while Pagliara answered back with looping right hands and hooks to the body. Pagliara landed a nice right hand at the bell. Showing good sportsmanship, the fighters hugged after the bell. The three judges favor Pagliara by the scores of 76-74 and 80-72 twice.

Heather Hardy W4 Unique Harris (female featherweights) - Heather Hardy went to 2-0, both wins by decision last night, against a tough, and polished Unique Harris, who was making her pro debut. Unique got off to a pretty good start, using a double jab and a straight right hand, along with some good head movement in the first round, doing fairly well against Heather who tried to out box her. Once it became clear that long range was going to work for her, Heather went to work on her opponent with body shots, uppercuts, and hooks. Once Harris had no room to punch, Hardy took over. She suffered a gash on her right eye, but Hardy just wiped the blood away, and kept coming. In the final round, chants of "Heather" could be heard throughout the arena. She fired a double left hook to the head and a hook to the body, while Harris returned fire with the uppercuts. A big left hook, followed by a right hand, bounced Harris into the ropes at the bell. Hardy won by scores of  40-36 and 39-37 twice. Overcoming a knockdown in her debut, and a cut last night, Hardy now has two exciting wins under her belt.

Delen Parsley W6 Ibaheim King (middleweights) - The opening bout of the evening featured the taller Parsley electing to trade rather than use his reach on his southpaw opponent. King 10-8(4KO's) focused on lead left hands to the head, and body shots, while Parsley 9-0(2KO's) hooked off the jab. In the second round, Parsley went to the jab, but was caught by a lead left to the head, followed by body shots, and a sneaky right hook to the head. Parsley made adjustments in the fourth, and landed a nice check hook, on his onrushing opponent. King came forward behind a high guard, and forced Delen to trade, and his back hit the ropes on a few occasions. There was an accidental head butt near the end of the round, and the fighters traded heavily at the bell. All three judges vote in favor of Parsley by the scores of 58-56 and 59-55 twice.

Also in attendance at the Roseland Ballroom this evening were Brooklyn's own Paulie Malignaggi and former bantamweight king, Junior "Poison" Jones. The crowd was definitely feeling it this evening.

Another great night at Broadway Boxing.

Ringside Report by David McLeod, exclusively for KO Digest
Monaghan & Bracero photos by DiBella Entertainment/Ed Diller
Redkach photo by David McLeod

CES Closing Statement Results: Perez edges McDowell - locals win

The Souljah wins again!

LINCOLN, RI - In front of an enthusiast crowd at the Twin River Convention Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island - Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES) put on a nine bout professional fight card last night entitled "Closing Statement."

In the Main Event, East Hartford, CT native Joseph "Chip" Perez edged out Chazz "Magnificent" McDowell by majority decision to claim the vacant New England junior lightweight title while on the undercard, all the local house fighters got much needed wins but not without some stiff resistance from their out of town opponents.

Results are as follows:   

Joseph "Chip" Perez W8 Chazz "Magnificent" McDowell (junior lightweights) - In a battle for the vacant New England junior lightweight title, Yonkers, NY's Chazz McDowell jumped out to an early lead over Josesph Perez in a tactical battle of the jab. Things heated up a bit in the middle rounds and Perez rallied with aggression down the stretch to win a majority decision.  Overall, a very tactical fight but as noted, Perez came on late and won the last two rounds on the KO Digest card to pull out the win.

Official majority decision scores in favor of Perez: 78-74,77-75,76-76.

KO Digest scored the fight 77-76 in favor of Perez. 

The fans love Shelito!

Shelly Shelito Vincent W4 Ivana Coleman (female bantamweights) - With a disregard to defense, these two females put it on the line as their rematch went the distance. Entertaining brawl from start to finish, the wildly popular Shelito wins her fifth straight and goes to 5-0 by unanimous scores on all three cards 40-36. The smiling and swollen Coleman falls to 0-2, with both losses coming at the hands of Vincent.  

Thomas Falowo TKO5 Michael Walchuck (middleweights) - Known as the "Souljah" - Thomas Falowo worked the body well in the 1st and did more of the same in the 2nd and 3rd while starting to mix in nice right uppercuts to the chin. In the 4th, Pawtucket RI's Falowo began to really walk his opponent down with well timed shots up and downstairs. In the 5th, Falowo ended matters, pounding Walchuk along the ropes to bring on the referee stoppage, perhaps a little premature. Walchuk was game and firing back throughout the fight but he was unable to deal with the volume punching of the rapidly improving Falowo who goes to to 8-1 w/ 6KO's with the win while the Canadian Walchuk falls to 9-7. Time was :43 of the 5th round.

KO Digest caught up with the winner after the fight, "I felt great tonight, I did a lot of things I was working on, sitting down on my punches, setting things up with the double jab. I thought the stoppage was reasonable. I rocked him and he just covered up and leaned. He didn't throw back."

Amparo finishes Lavin

Alex Amparo TKO4 Nick Lavin (super middleweights) - In a rematch of the KO Digest 2011 Best 4-Round Fight of the Year, Nick Lavin was knocked down from a left hook early in the 1st round and this proved to be a sign of things to come. Amparo, fighting for the memory of his recently deceased cousin, fought with a purpose and he controlled an apparently still-dazed Lavin in the 2nd. Amparo had Lavin going at the end of the 2nd before the ball rang to end the round. Amparo got the better of Lavin along the ropes in the 3rd and the ref looked ready to stop the fight but the rugged Lavin survived, unbroken. With Lavin taking a beating along the ropes in the 4th, the ref stepped in and Amparo had the win he dedicated to his late cousin Germaine. Amparo goes to 5-0 w/ 3KOs while Lavin falls to 2-4

Said Aparo, "This fight is for G."

Gardner takes a count in the 2nd round

Joey Gardner W6 Philip Burnette (middleweights) - After an even opening round, things got coooking in the 2nd and Gardner was dropped from a lunging left hand. In the 3rd, Woonsocket, RI's Gardner began to time a wild Burnette coming in and he buzzed him with left hooks and right hands. Grueling 4th and 5th rounds with both fighters starting to tire and miss as much as hit. Gardner boxes in the final round and lands the jab, right hand, left hook to take it

Split decision scores in favor of Gardner: 58-55,57-56,56-59.

KO Digest had the South Carolinian Burnette the winner by a point with the knockdown being the difference. Said the dejected Burnette afterwards, "The decision was bullshit, I know I won that fight!"

Rich Gingras TKO2 Dennis Ogboo (light heavyweights) - Not much of a fight here as both fighters fought on even terms in the first round with Gingras trying to work inside and land his left hook. In the 2nd, the left hook landed on the chin of Ogboo and he went down, apparently not that hurt but his corner inexplicably threw the towel in anyway. Time 2:30. Attleboro, MA's Gingras goes to 12-3 w/ 8KOs while Kentucky native Ogboo goes to 7-6 w/ 6 KOs.

The Vermont Bully gets come from behind KO win!

Kevin Cobbs KO4 Alexander Mancera (light heavyweights) -  Aggressive opening two rounds for Queens, NY native Mancera as he bullies the "Vermont Bully" Cobbs with good work inside. Cobbs responded well in the 3rd by finding a home for the right hand. With encouragement from CES boss Jimmy Burchfield Sr in the corner between rounds, Cobbs exploded a right hand off the head of Mancera and knocked him out at 1:02 of the 4th and final round!

Cobbs goes to 6-0 w/ 2KOs. Mancera falls to 8-5-1

Said Cobbs after the fight, "I couldn't figure him out early, he was a little awkward. Even when he was off-set, he was able to throw punches. I started pivoting after my punches and that's when things started to open up for me. Come the fourth round, I started pawing the jab to blind him to land the right hand. Once I landed the right hand, I didn't turn back away from it. Jimmy pumped me up in the corner, which is what I needed. They expect a lot out of me so I have to use that as energy."

Toka Kahn-Clary ND Jamell Tyson (super featherweights) -  Showing why he's one of the hotter prospects in boxing, 2010 National Golden Glove Champion Kahn (2-0) was having his way with (3-8-2) Tyson until an accidental clash of heads in the 2nd round caused a nasty gash around the right eye of Tyson, the fight was called off immediately and announced as a no decision. The crowd was not happy and they wanted to see more Toka.

Successful pro debut for Smith

Jon Smith W4 Dinis "Sweetbread" Paiva Jr (welterweights) - Pro debuts for both fighters. Slow opening round gives way to much better action in the 2nd and 3rd with Cranston, RI's Smith getting the better of it. Golden Glove champion Smith turned boxer in the 4th and coasted to his first professional win over East Providence, RI MMA fighter Paiva.

Entertaining opening bout. Scores: 40-36,40-36,39-37. 


KO Digest Ringside Report by Jeffrey Freeman and Edwin "Ace" Ayala
Photos & Quotes: Jeffrey Freeman - KO Digest Editor-in-Chief

Nonito Donaire Ready For Toshiaki Nishioka

Nonito vs Nish

By Gopal Rao - With the clock winding down on the highly anticipated double-header at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, featuring Nonito Donaire defending his unified super-bantamweight titles against Japan’s Toshiaki Nishioka, Team Donaire held a final pre-fight media conference call to discuss the fight.

"Look, this guy is very experienced. He’s one of those guys who’s been in there for so many years and had so much experience that he’s been in there with every type of opponent. But inside the ring he hasn’t been in against a Nonito," said Donaire’s trainer, Robert Garcia, about Nishioka.

"He hasn’t seen someone with that power he has, that thinks the way he thinks. Nonito has tremendous power and speed, and that’s really going to make the difference. I really admire those fighters that really see their opponent and know what punches are coming, and Nonito is one of those guys. This guy hasn’t been in there with nobody like Nonito, and that’s going to make the difference."

Donaire himself was cautious about assessing Nishioka’s chances, giving the longtime Japanese title-holder his due for being crafty. "He does pose a threat in terms of his speed, and knowing how to set up his power. He’s been boxing for a long time and knows a lot of tricks that can frustrate a fighter, and that’s what we don’t want to fall into."

Donaire acknowledged that the pressure is building up to duplicate the knockouts he scored against Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel. In the wake of consecutive decision victories in the super-bantamweight division, people have been questioning whether or not his power has carried up with him. He pointed to the quality of opposition he has faced recently, and how it has forced him to fight more intelligently than he had in the past.'

"These guys are world champions, and they’re on top of their game and sometimes you don’t get the things that people expect. They expect a lot from me. We’re changing up our style to get more for this fight. Against Nishioka we can’t let our guard down. We have been going back to the old style of being smart."

Donaire didn’t want to predict a stoppage in this fight either, but he hasn’t lost faith in his punching power. "If it comes it comes. With the proper game plan, my power will be more dominant. That’s what I was known for."

Garcia echoed Donaire’s comments about Nonito’s lack of stoppage wins since moving up weight.

"The fighters are bigger and stronger and they’ve all been world class fighters. It all has been more difficult. These guys have been doing it for years. It won’t be easy, but this training camp he told me that he’s going to come back and fight the way he used to do it. The way he did it against Montiel, against Tyson Marquez, against Sydorenko."

"All those guys that he was just picking them apart little by little and knocking them out. He has been doing it in training against lightweights, junior lightweights and super lightweights. He’s been landing beautiful shots and combinations. I have no doubt that he will do it against Nishioka. I’m not asking or pushing for the knockout, I want him to perform well, look good and do what he did in training."

Donaire’s manager, Cameron Dunkin, was similarly enthused about the fight at hand. "This is s a fight that Nonito has wanted for a long time. It’s a great fight. Nishioka is a great champion, and these are the fights that really leave Nonito as not only one of the greatest of today, but also in history. These are the kinds of fights you really get excited about because this is really a historical fight."

Promoter Bob Arum promised that the fight would be a very special event, with Brandon Rios fighting Mike Alavarado in the co-featured bout. "The one hundred and twenty two pound championship title being defended by Nonito is going to be a classic. I had the opportunity to watch Toshiaki Nishioka when he fought Rafael Marquez in Las Vegas, and he is a terrific fighter. We know that Nonito is one of the great fighters in boxing, but he’s going to have his hands full with a tough competitor like Nishioka. I really believe that this fight will be as exciting and interesting as the co-feature, with Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado. Hell of a night of boxing at the Home Depot, we’ve sold over five thousand tickets. Were looking for a crowd of around seven thousand, which will be a virtual sellout, so we’re very excited."