Ringside Report: Klitschko – Peter Undercard Boxing Action
Full Round by Round Recap of All the Undercard Action Plus Massive Photo Gallery
 © Curtis McCormick |
The evening began with unbeaten middleweight Alexander Sipos of Munich, Germany looking to get American experience by taking on journeyman Steve Walker of Hannibal, Missouri. Sipos, 158, studies Walker, who also weighed in at 158lbs, throughout most of the first round with the more experienced American looking to get his shots off. The German is too quick on his feet for Walker to have much success but isn’t doing much at this point to discourage his |
opponent. Near the end of the round, Sipos closes distance on Walker and uncorks a tight left hook that puts the Missouri man down. Walker barely beats the count and after taking a long look at him. The referee lets it go on, probably because the round is only seconds away from ending.
Sipos 10-8
The second began with Sipos maintaining a distance and Walker trying to close it. Both men are trying to work off the jab but Sipos is much sharper. Walker does have a good left jab, left hook combination in his arsenal but the German’s guard is too tight and his foot movement too fast for the American to enjoy any measurable success. Again, at the end of the round Sipos canvasses Walker, this time on the strength of a lead right uppercut. The journeyman doesn’t seem too terribly hurt and beats the count as the round ends.
Sipos 10-8
By now the German import is through getting rounds under his belt and starts to go to work. Sipos nails Walker with a left hook and down goes the American. Walker gets up but is immediately set upon by Sipos who spears his adversary with a crisp right and produces another knockdown. This time Walker has a great deal of difficulty gaining his feet and the bout is called off, at 53 seconds of the third round.
Alexander Sipos wins with a stoppage in the third and moves to 16-0-2 (8) while Steve Walker falls to 16-13 (11).
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Next up, former WBO Heavyweight Champion Henry Akinwande, 243lbs of Lagos, Nigeria meets former cruiserweight Tipton Walker of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Akinwande is massive, standing 6 foot 7and towering over his foe. Walker, who only scales 218lbs, spends most of the first round shelling up at the end of Akinwande’s terrific reach. The 39 year old African can still throw crisp shots with the right hand being particularly lethal. Walker is absorbing combinations that rattle him greatly and soon he’s cut badly over the left eye, a result of many searing Akinwande rights. The former champ is also going to the body well and controls Walker with the jab.
Akinwande 10-9
The second round is still young when Walker is badly staggered but Akinwande can’t finish off the veteran campaigner. The American fighter shows alot of heart by going after the much bigger man, despite being still hurt, but mostly stays right where Akinwande wants him, at the end of that piercing jab. Suddenly Walker is down but seemed to have been caught with a shot while off balance more than anything else. Akinwande is stalking Walker now but the smaller man lands his best shot of the fight so far with a counter left to the ribs. Before the Walker can follow up he’s down from a booming right cross. He gets up but stumbles badly while trying to steady himself on the ropes. The referee has seen enough and calls the bout at 2:48 of the second.
Akinwande is the winner by way of second round stoppage and improves to 47-2-1 (3) while Tipton Walker sees his record drop to 13-12-1 (6).
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The next bout is also in the heavyweight division and features undefeated JD Chapman, 252lbs and from Mansfield, Arkansas going up against Joshua, Texas native Robert Kooser who tipped the scales at 254lbs. Like Akinwande towered over his opponent, the height disparity of this bout seems even greater. The Michael Moorer trained Chapman looks like a giant compared to the bald, goateed and sturdy Kooser but the big hearted Texan didn’t seem to mind. The first round is inconclusive with both combatants proceeding with caution. Kooser moves his head surprisingly well, presenting the taller man with a hard target and has a pretty good jab as well.
Round even 10-10.
There’s a bit more going on in the second with Chapman slowly advancing behind a good jab. When the big Arkansas man gets close he wings wide punches that Kooser has so far been able to either duck or block. The Texan is getting shots in now and again until he finds success with a sweeping left hook but Chapman nullifies the follow up attempts by backing off and using his height advantage. Chapman goes back to controlling the shorter man with the jab and takes the round by being busier.
Chapman 10-9
The crowd isn’t receiving this largely tactical contest well and cheer Kooser’s mostly ineffective lunging attempts in the third. Chapman is beginning to find range and is rattling off some decent combination but Kooser remains difficult to hit cleanly from his constant upper body movement. As the round ends the two trade big wide and wild left hooks.
Chapman 10-9
The fourth is a busier round but Kooser is still in it as he lands a nice left hook and Chapman is still mostly unable to get his offense going. Suddenly a full blooded right hand stuns Kooser and Chapman follows up with a two fisted fusillade in which Kooser blocks all the left hands but eats all the rights. The Texan drops to one knee and gets up only after the referee has reached the count of ten at 2:02 of the fourth and waves his arms over the gutsy Kooser who now sports a painful looking red bruise under his left eye.
Robert Chapman raises his record to 16-0 (15) with the fourth round stoppage of Kooser, who descends to 7-4 (6).
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Next up is yet another heavyweight pairing, this time between hot prospect Michael Marrone, 215lbs of Vero Beach, Florida and Adam Smith, 229, of Youngstown, Ohio. Almost immediately the disparity in skill is in evidence as the taller Marrone nails Smith with a big shot that puts the bodybuilder from Ohio on the ropes. Smith shows a good chin after taking a sharp lead right but his return fire betrays unfamiliarity with the mechanics of throwing effective punches. Marrone spears Smith with a penetrating right to the body before Smith initiates the first of many clinches. The shorter armed Smith tries to rough up Marrone as they grapple and succeeds in getting the better of two point blank exchanges before Marrone rocks him with a big right that has Smith holding on.
Marrone 10-9
The second starts with the Florida man finding a home for a meaty left hook and then catches Smith with a healthy right before the red, white and blue trunked opponent lands a good counter shot. The crowd cheers the two way action before Smith clinches and wrestles. Marrone disengages and is on his toes, looking an opening before ramming home a hard right to the body that has Smith clinching again. Most of Smith’s offense takes the form of roughhouse tactics on the inside, which is causing the referee to talk to the bulky Ohio man. Marrone hurts Smith with a shot to the pit of the stomach and as the shorter man tries to grab hold, the rangy undefeated prospect is driving home punishing shots. A flush left hook throws Smith into the ropes but again he shows his granite jaw and big heart by refusing to go down or give in. The skill differential is really wide here and all Smith can do to keep Marrone from teeing off is to grab the younger man. The journeyman crouches and grabs Marrone around the waist before the ref breaks them apart. Immediately Smith gets popped with a big left hook that launches him back onto the ropes but amazingly he can still stand, grabbing Marrone as the round ends.
Marrone 10-8
The third round opens up with the Lou Duva trained Marrone punishing a tired looking Smith across the ring. The prospect is learning how to pummel his opponent before Smith wraps him up. Every time the referee breaks the fighters Marrone rips into Smith with good head and body combinations that the Midwesterner can only stop by clinching and now in frustration, Smith has taken to punching Marrone on the hip as they wrestle. After one such session, the referee stops the action and appears to take a point from Smith for holding. Sparked by the point deduction Smith begins to go on the offensive and lands some shots but there’s no steam in the blows and the crowd is booing lustily as the round ends.
Marrone 10-8
The fourth opens up with Marrone blocking a Smith low blow as the heavily muscled opponent was bulling the Floridian onto the ropes. Smith tries to jab his way in but earns a steaming one – two combination for his efforts. Smith stops Marrone from continuing by grabbing him around the waist from a crouch and rushing the skilled heavyweight into the ropes. Once again referee Tony Perez breaks up the wrestling but suddenly grabs Marrone’s arm and raises it, signaling the disqualification of Smith at 45 seconds of round four.
Marrone climbs to 11-0 (9) on the 4th round disqualification victory while Smith plunges to 4-8-1 (1).
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Contact Curtis McCormick at thomaspointrd@aol.com