Ringside Report: Kennedy Puts Becerra through Ten Rounds of Hell

© Robert Brizel / Saddo Boxing

NABA Super Bantamweight champion Teon ‘The Technician’ Kennedy of Philadelphia has remained unbeaten through seventeen professional bouts, and continues to acquire experience. Last Saturday he put game but outmatched Alex ‘El Diablo’ Becerra through the grinder at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in a card by Russell Peltz Boxing Promotions.

Becerra refused to stand down, subjecting himself to a torturous beating. Kennedy put Becerra through ten sadistic and brutal rounds of living hell. Strangely, Becerra it seemed kept asking for it.

The Mexican Becerra, 20-9 (9), El Paso, Texas, and Kennedy, now 16-0-1 (6), both fought a feeling out jab cautious first round of fast tempo but of little consequence. Kennedy realized shortly thereafter he could use his height and reach advantage to keen effectiveness, and his limited opponent could be hit with leads and power shots whenever he tried to come inside to scrap and make a fight of it. As such, the bout was unpleasant to watch, and the Bally’s crowd was mostly quiet.

Kennedy won rounds two and three with aggressiveness, throwing the left jab frequently and accurately. Becerra, getting hit too much, tried to clinch, but Kennedy stayed out of range, forcing Becerra to remain on the move. Becerra came inside and tried throwing combinations, realizing Kennedy was not going to ‘get him out of there’.

In the fourth, Becerra won his only round by throwing body-body and body-head shots with great effectiveness. Becerra also tried wrestling with Kennedy in the center of the ring. Kennedy, who enjoyed height and reach advantage, appeared to be the better of the two standing wrestlers in the ‘mixed martial arts’ portion of the round.

Kennedy won the next six rounds, which didn’t even appear to be close. Becerra slowly but surely slowed down and faded. In the fifth, a frustrated Becerra leaned on the inside and paid a price. His attempt to wade in and fight wildly from a low stance failed. Kennedy nailed Becerra with a lot of ugly looking head shots for half a round, forcing Becerra to return to the outside for the second half of the round.

In the sixth, Becerra returned on the outside, but continued to pay a heavy price when he tried to go inside. Kennedy continued landing well placed left jab, and left and right hand power shots. Kennedy landed two thunderous rights to the side of Becerra’s head near the end of the round.

In the seventh and eighth, Kennedy landed left-right combinations all over Becerra, who began to tire along the ropes. Becerra tried throwing some jabs here and there, but they had to power, forcing Becerra to hang on to Kennedy just to survive.

In the ninth round, Kennedy landed big right hand leads and power shots at will. Becerra was not bleeding or injured, but he was taking a bad beating, not throwing punches and just barely hanging on to survive. Nonetheless, referee Steve Smoger and the ringside physician gave Becerra ‘one more round’.

The tenth offered more of the same, forcing referee Smoger to wave a merciful halt to the contest between rounds. No quarrel from Becerra’s corner. However limited, Becerra tried hard. Becerra, who nickname is ‘the devil’, certainly met his namesake with his performance.

Nice refereeing job by Steve Smoger, who made sure ‘El Diablo’ got away with nothing.

Results: Teon Kennedy TKO 10 Alex Becerra, super bantamweights, NABA title bout

Celebrities at ringside introduced during the main event kept the main event alive. They included: Vinnie Pazienza, Harold Lederman, Mike Jones, Chuck Zito, Ron Cruz (whose welterweight bout with Dillet Frederick was scratched from the card), and Pennsylvania

Promoter Joe Hand Sr. (who helped Joe Frazier reach the heavyweight championship in 1967 as a member of Cloverlay Corporation, before forming his own promotional group).

Lederman had some choice words about the Foxwoods fight card coming up featuring light heavyweight contender Joe Spina (25-1) versus the ‘incredible’ comeback of 41 year old Ray Oliveira (47-11-2). According to Lederman, it is most unfortunate that “Oliveira is returning after five years out of the ring. He took too many (horrible) beatings in his time. It shouldn’t be allowed. They’re allowing him to fight again.”

UNDERCARDS

Chris Green Win 4 Deroy Beaton, lightweights

Scoring: 39-37 from all three judges

Beaton came forward, switching back and forth from the orthodox to the southpaw stance, throwing a lot of rights with dangerous intent. Neither fighter cut off the ring. Green moving side to side did not offer a consistent target.

Both fighters got tangled up near end of round three, Beaton went down, ruled no knockdown by referee David Franciosi. Beaton punching wildly and swinging wide, missed a lot. Green was more accurate with jabs.

Close bout going into the fourth, Green more aggressive overall in this bout, and landed a few more power shots to eke out round four, and win the decision outright. Beaton is top condition, but Green had better training.

In an exclusive post fight interview Green explained “In the amateurs I always fought taller guys. I just have to jab a bit more (with taller opponents like Beaton).” According to Green’s manager, Rich Stoltenborg, “We came up in weight to 136 pounds because we thought this was a fight we could win. The guy (Beaton) was wild, and wasn’t really landing punches.” Green will now return to fight at 130 pounds.

Dennis ‘D-Has’ Hasson Win 8 Tommie Speller, best bout of the evening, a bloody banger.

Scoring: 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 Hasson

In an all-Philadelphia war, Hasson spent most of the bout moving side to side as the jab aggressor, supplemented with effective power shot counterpunching. Speller, also known as ‘Big Poppa’, came forward bobbing and weaving in the Philadelphia tradition and style of Joe Frazier, and though he did not have Frazier’s talent, he remained dangerous the whole contest, taking great shots without being bothered by them until the last two rounds.

Speller appeared to win the first round, with Hasson soon bleeding from a cut off the corner of his left eye which did not affect his vision. Good job by the Hasson corner working the cut, as Hasson won every round from that point and the cut was not a factor.

Both fighters went to work in center ring, fighting a classic Roy Jones Jr. style war, both big men throwing a punch or two, then trying to clinch and tie the other man up. Both fighters fought cautiously throwing single shots, a pattern fight-with no combinations.

Hasson held a low left in the first four rounds. Speller, immediately landed counter rights to Hasson’s head when he saw the opening. Not enough to win, but enough to for Hasson’s corner to stay on top of the situation and eventually get the fighter to make the correction and bring the left up.

In the sixth, seventh, and eighth, Hasson began landing overhand lefts and rights with more consistency, while continuing to move side to side out of range. Hasson’s best rounds were the seventh and eighth. Speller took a number of head shots, was in trouble, hung tough and fought mostly to survive the last two rounds.

After the bout, Speller explained “I just wanted to take my time. I saw I had him (in the first round), I let some things slip away from me. We all thought the bout was a lot closer than the scoring. Entering the last round, at most we thought it could have been a draw.”

Saddoboxing scored the bout 79-75 for Hasson, with Hasson 5-0-2 by rounds in the last seven.

Rashad Brown Win 4 Greg Hackett, super middleweights

Scoring: 40-36 from all three judges

Treysean Williams TKO 1 Jason Sosa, junior welterweights, time 2:03 of round one.

Williams had smaller 3-0-1 Sosa down twice, and then staggered him forward across the ring. Referee Ricardo Vera stopped the bout with Sosa stumbling around the ring, out of it.

Linwood Hurd Majority Draw 4 Julio DeJesus, lightweights, in a nonstop action thriller

Scoring: 38-38 twice and 40-36 DeJesus. Toe-to-toe center ring war, difficult to score.

Referee David Franciosi played an important role in this close bout where both fighters put it all on the table to win. In the third, DeJesus stumbled and gloves touched floor, ruled a slip by Franciosi.