Boxing Recap: Lennox Allen and Darnell Boone Fight an Old-Fashioned War

Â© Robert Brizel / Saddo Boxing

Havoc Promotions hosted a night of boxing at the Aviator Arena on August 7, 2010 in Brooklyn, New York. Super middleweights Lennox Allen of Guyana and Darnell Boone of Atlanta, Georgia, waged a fantastic old-fashioned war for eight hard fought rounds, ending in an eight round majority draw.

The sports facility concession is built on the site of four former airplane hangars at Floyd Bennett Field. The late Wiley Post flew solo around the world from here in 1933, and the late billionaire Howard Hughes flew around the world from here in four days with a four man team in 1938 to collect navigational data. The airstrip is still used as a heliport by the New York City Police Department. The area remains under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

Boone entered the ring in a scary mask of Jigsaw from the movie Saw and attempted to win the bout with psychological warfare before it began, a tactic reminiscent of Frankie Randall’s surgeon mask-only considerably more bizarre. Warming up in the ring in his clown suit, at ringside one could only wonder if Boone was a joke, or if in fact a legitimate fighter existed under the mask.

Once the bout began, a brutal war ensued and stole the show. Boone, a cagey veteran of 35 professional bouts, now 17-16-2, had a deceiving record. His last seven opponents had an incredible a combined record of 81-1.

The first six rounds were close and difficult to score. Southpaw Allen used the right jab effectively in the first round, with Boone landing counter right power shots. Boone tied up Allen wherever possible. Late in the first during an exchange, Boone’s gloves touched the canvas. Referee Etkin ruled no knockdown.

In round two, Allen scored with left and right hand power shots. Boone countered with awkward jab flurries to the head and body thrown off balance, then tried to hold.

During the third round Allen worked the left jab in center ring with Boone along the ropes. Boone attempted to counter but could not land, so he resorted to holding and then hitting off the break repeatedly. No fouls were being called.

In round four the bout turned ugly, with both boxers wrestling each other for position in corners. Allen was landing head and body power shots. Boone, frustrated at getting hit, threw Allen to the canvas. Again no foul was called.

Allen stalked Boone and tried to walk him down in the fifth, landing right jabs and power shots. Boone set a seasoned pro’s classic traps, trying to lure Allen into corners, then spin him around and attack while pinning him on the ropes. Allen maneuvered out of the traps and then countered.

The sixth round was Boone’s best round, and he clearly won it, throwing left hand power shots at Allen from all angles and scoring while staying on the move, not offering Allen a target. Allen appeared to give away the round which cost him the unanimous decision win. Allen threw some counters, but did not land as often as Boone.

The seventh round was dead even, with both fighters throwing jabs and trying to counter each other, also trying body shots, all the while boxing cautiously in center ring. Allen was boxing very patiently. Boone, a strange opponent, hearing screams from his corner that he was ahead and Allen was desperate, was perhaps waiting for Allen to open up and try something foolish.

Allen appeared to win the eighth and final round with many overhand lefts and rights, and left and right hooks to the head which scored. Boone tried some counters but was getting out punched. Boone was moving, but Allen was chasing him down and throwing.

Both fighters were in excellent physical condition. Neither fighter appeared injured or tired. Nice applause from the Aviator Arena crowd after this bout for an outstanding effort by both fighters.

After the bout, Allen stated “Boone was more than I expected, and in boxing you got to come in expecting these things. Boone ducked a lot of punches.”

Boone stated “I felt I won. It’s a hometown decision. Everyone clearly saw I won.” Boone offered a rematch. Two judges scored the bout 76-76, a majority draw. Boxing 360 CEO Dr. Mario Yagubi stated, “We’ll move on from here.”

Result: Lennox Allen Draw 8 Darnell Boone, super middleweights. 78-74, 76-76, 76-76

Meanwhile, the promoter of this fight card, Havoc Promotions, got sidelined four times. The main event featuring New York State light heavyweight champion Ronson Frank got dropped, as did the under card bout with welterweight Sadam Ali, as neither of their scheduled opponents cleared the New York State Boxing Commission’s rigorous prefight requirements.

A light welterweight bout between Christian Martinez of the Bronx and Jorge Luis Perez Perdomo of Caguas , Puerto Rico was also scratched from the card.

Frank, who was in the rear of the crowd, also stated “I didn’t want the 8-15 opponent they tried to put me in the ring with. I’d rather fight Otis Griffin or another top ten contender and get it on. My training is very serious. My next bout will be against a top fighter, I’m beyond the other stage.”

Sadam Ali echoed similar views. “They couldn’t find another opponent for me in time, but I’m fighting again at The Prudential Center on the undercard of Adamek versus Grant in Newark , so I’m dealing with that bout. See you there.”

The scheduled ‘main event’ turned in a frightening bomb, with Mauricio Martinez, former world bantamweight champion out of Panama ten years forgotten, now of Brooklyn, New York, whose skills were only memories. Martinez had nothing left. Lopez came to fight and did so.

When the opening bell rang, Lopez immediately threw right-left combinations and flurries nonstop, along with hooks, dropping the ex-champion twice. Martinez somehow beat the ten count but had no offensive skills and his legs were gone. Martinez did not get up after the third knockdown. Tragedy was averted, but the bout seemed to be a bad mismatch.

Result: Reynaldo Lopez TKO 1 Mauricio Martinez, New York Super bantamweight title. 3 knockdown rule automatically ends the contest for the vacant title at 1:21 of the first.

Ring announcer David Diamante invited boxers past and present into the ring to pose for photographs and receive recognition. Those in center ring included Ronson Frank, Sadam Ali, former five time world champion Junior Jones, Sechew ‘Iron Man’ Powell, Monte ‘Two Gunz’ Barrett, USBA heavyweight champion Maurice Harris, NABF female featherweight champion Maureen Shea, Will Rosinsky, Curtis Stevens, and ISKA and WKA kickboxing champion Chris Algieri, who is 10-0 as a professional boxer as well.

Joselito Collado, a Dominican featherweight fighting out of Queens, New York, went to 11-0 (3), with a six round decision over Andres Ledesma, a Columbian fighter out of Miami, Florida, now 15-18-1 (10).

Collado slugged it out with Ledesma in round one, throwing power shots, to try to get Ledesma out of there. Ledesma took a good punch, however, and would not go, landing a few counters, hoping Collado would punch himself out.

Round two resulted in a different fight, both fighters fighting cautiously in center ring, with Collado fighting patiently and smartly landing accurate left jabs. Ledesma countered successfully with his right over a lazy Collado who was hanging his left hand low after throwing it. After getting tags several times, Collado adapted to the situation and pulled his left hand up.

In rounds three and four, Ledesma began to fade, so he tied Collado up whenever possible. Collado patently landed power shots in center ring or on the ropes after inning Ledesma, but not punching himself out.

In the fifth, both fighters traded bombs with no offense, Ledesma finding a second wind and making the bout interesting. Ledesma, whose legs were good, got a break when Collado got warned for low blows, forcing a rest period. Later in the round, Collado’s hand tape came loose, causing a second rest period while the hand was retaped.

Collado opted not to chase Ledesma in the sixth, who got on his bicycle. One judge gave Collado one round. Collado stated afterwards “Ledesma is a good, well-experienced smart fighter. He was running from me and it was hard to catch him.”

Result: Joselito Collado Win 6 Andres Ledesma, lightweights. 60-54 and 59-55 twice

Former New York State super bantamweight champion Gary Stark Jr. of Staten Island attempted a comeback after getting stopped by Antonio Escalante over a year ago, winning his bout against Leopoldo Arrocha of Panama .

Unfortunately, Stark’s skills seemed to have faded, and he wound up going back and forth in a seesaw war with a trial horse opponent he probably would have gotten out in a few rounds a couple years earlier.

The bout was an all-offensive war and it was not pretty to watch. Stark, now 23-3 (8), fought with everything he had left in the tank, and traded power combinations in center ring with virtually no defense all night with his journeyman opponent, who was game.

Arrocha, seeing Stark cold not get him out of there, quickly made the bout a nightmare of fouls.

Stark wound up with a cut off the corner of his right eyebrow from a Arrocha head butt early in the bout. Stark’s corner did a good job working the cut for all six rounds. The cut did not affect Stark’s vision, but Arrocha was not penalized.

Continuing his tactics, Arrocha endeavored to see how long he could get away with repeated fouling, smiling and taunting Stark, the crowd, and the referee at every opportunity.

The exchanges were fast and furious for all six rounds, bringing the cheering crowd to its feet with nonstop action at a furious pace, sensing blood. In round four, Arrocha added hitting while holding to his repertoire. Pushing Stark to the canvas, Arrocha had a point taken away by referee Murdaugh for repeated fouls.

Stark’s problem was he allowed Arrocha to fight on the inside, and was too limited a fighter to change tactics. The result was a difficult fight on the table featuring two fighters with similar styles.

Arrocha could have been disqualified. The bout reached its conclusion, though, and Stark escaped with a close ugly six round majority decision. Without the point deduction, this bout would have been a draw.

Despite his fouling tactics, Arrocha, now 8-12 (6), is a far better fighter than his losing record would indicate, and showed himself to be a most seasoned veteran worth booing, the sort of opponent a crowd loves to hate, who gave the crowd at Aviator Arena its money’s worth, and took Stark on an eight round trip through true hell.

Result: Gary Stark Jr. Win 6 Leopoldo Arrocha, junior lightweights. 58-56, 58-57, 57-57

Other bouts:

Andy Mejias KO 2 Juan Zapata, super middleweights
Mike Lopez Win 4 Noel Garcia, welterweights. Scoring: 40-36, 40-36, 40-36
Eddie Caminero TKO 5 Joe Smith Jr. Super middleweight. Smith retired with a jaw injury