Lange Defeats Galvan For WBU, NABU Belts

Jimmy Lange successfully defended his WBU Jr. Middleweight title, and picked up the NABU belt as well in a hard fought, yet decisive victory. The popular hometown favorite defeated veteran Ruben Galvan of Hammond, IN, sweeping all twelve rounds before a partisan Patriot Center crowd.

Lange began by taking advantage of his longer reach and a powerful jab, giving Galvan precious few opportunities to come inside. But having faced such boxing luminaries such as Zab Judah and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Galvan was neither intimidated by Lange’s stature nor the pro-Lange Patriot Center crowd.

Things took a strange turn in the third round when Galvan began showboating, dropping his hands, shimmying his knees, sitting on the ropes, and inviting Lange to take his best shot, which Lange obliged. However, Galvan’s antics didn’t affect Lange who continued stalking his opponent, peppering him with an effective jab while controlling the action.

“He was a clown, but you have to be careful, a lot of people try to draw you in like that,” said Lange. “I was expecting a knockout and it just didn’t come.”

Galvan responded, “I was trying to frustrate people, I’m Mexican, that’s what I do. I do that to all my opponents, especially when they are bigger than me.”

This was the 14th Patriot Center boxing card headlined by Lange.

The co-main event had the WBU welterweight belt at stake, featuring Mike Stewart of New Castle, DE, vs. Joe Wyatt of Pittsburgh, PA. Stewart was on Season Two of “The Contender” and Wyatt was a former Jimmy Lange opponent.

After a slow start, Stewart drew blood from Wyatt’s nose and continued to work the jab. Then at 2:09 in the ninth round the ring doctor stopped the fight following an accidental head butt to Wyatt. Since the head butt was accidental and occurred after the fifth round, the fight went to the cards, where Stewart won by majority decision.

The first world title fight of the evening featured Tori Nelson of Ashburn, VA, vs. Vashon Living, of Houston, TX, competing for the vacant WIBA middleweight championship.

Nelson, who holds the WBC middleweight title, got off to a quick start by scoring a first-round knockdown, followed by another in the third round. A third knockdown in the fifth round sealed her victory, winning decisively on all three cards.

Undefeated Todd Wilson of Fairfax, VA, made his traditional ring entrance led by a bagpiper, to face Fernando Basora, originally from Puerto Rico and now fighting out of the Bronx, NY.

In the third round Wilson had Basora against the ropes, when he was rocked by a Basora counter-punch, and he barely stayed on his feet in the fifth round behind a flurry of Basora punches. But Wilson came back to score a knockdown in the sixth round, winning by unanimous decision.

In a last-minute change, Lawrence Jones from Washington, DC, replaced Zain Shah, late last week, as the opponent of Harry Joe Yorgey from Bridgeport, PA. Known as a “fighter’s fighter” Jones went the distance, but spent too much time on the ropes absorbing Yorgey’s blows and lost on all three judges’ cards.

The only heavyweight bout of the night pitted Duane Mobley of Upper Marlboro, MD, making his professional debut against Dennis Benson from Norfolk, VA. Mobley prevailed handily on all three judges’ cards, winning all four rounds unanimously.

The first bout of the evening featured another Maryland vs. Virginia matchup with Kevin Womack of Baltimore, MD, taking on Richie Andrews of Stuarts Draft, VA, in a welterweight bout between two undefeated fighters. After a spirited four rounds, Womack came on particularly strong in the fourth round to win by majority decision.