Ringside Boxing Report: South Philadelphia

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Click for larger image © Sean McMenamin SaddoBoxing.com

Peltz Boxing Promotions and Joe Hand Promotions collaborated to put on a competitive card at the New Alahambra on the corner of Swanson and Ritner in South Philadelphia this past Friday for a taped recording to be played on Cable TV Giant Comcast’s network CN 8. Tom Moran and Kassim Ouma were spotted in the crowd that watched Ireland’s

Middleweight Champion Matthew Macklin beat his opponent into submission, Willie Gibbs climb another rung up the middleweight division ladder and local light middle sensation Harry Yorgey earn a hard fought decision against Douglas Esbenshade.

The headlining bout of the evening was a middleweight contest between Willie Gibbs of Philadelphia and Marcos Primera, a Venezuelan based out of Durham, North Carolina. Gibbs, nicknamed “The Gladiator”, came to the New Alahambra with the intent of recapturing the contender status he held until his disappointing loss to Daniel Edouard back in August of last year. That road led him to tonight’s match up against well traveled veteran Marcos Primera, who has stepped into the ring with the likes of Jermain Taylor and Kingsley Ikeke in the past.

Round One: Not much action in the first as both fighters felt each other out throwing sporadic jabs. At times Gibbs tried to initiate the action but Primera either wiggled his way out or would tie up the local man.

Round: Gibbs 10-9

Round Two: The second starts with both men once again trading light jabs and moving around the ring. Gibbs becomes more active to the body but isn’t throwing very hard. Primera tried to fend Gibbs off with the left jab but Gibbs’ head movement allows him to go unscathed. Gibbs applies pressure in the last minute, firing off a three punch combo which finds the mark.

Round: Gibbs 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 20-18

Round Three: Gibbs starts off tapping and moving, continuing this trend for the better part of the round. Primera lands his best punch so far, a stiff overhand right to the head. Gibbs is unfazed and goes back to his approach of throwing the one-two combination then backing out.

Round: Gibbs 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 30-27

Round Four: Primera works the left and lands a few clean punches upstairs. Gibbs wrestles Primera to the ropes and lands three hard left hooks to the head. The action is back to the middle of the ring where Gibbs stays close and lands a few series of rights to the body, followed by a left to the head. The action heads back to the ropes where Primera gets the best of a rugged exchange.

Round: Gibbs 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 40-36

Round Five: The pace is slow for the first minute until Gibbs traps Primera in the corner and lands a few light lefts to the body. Primera can’t worm his way out of the corner and Gibbs stays with the left, occasionally followed by an overhand right up top. Gibbs is warned twice about low blows but no point is deducted.

Round: Gibbs 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 50-45

Round Six: Gibbs sticks with the love tap left and seems to put it in cruise control. Primera gives Gibbs a taste of his own medicine by throwing the tapping left then backing out. Gibbs wants to do more body work but Primera’s left is keeping him out of trouble.

Round: Primera 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 59-55

Round Seven: The round starts with both fighters trying to pick their spots, which leads to inactivity in the ring. Primera turns up the heat and wrestles Gibbs into the ropes where he fires off lefts and rights in two separate corners of the ring. After a minute of trading jabs, Primera finishes the round with a crisp right to the jaw of Gibbs.

Round: Primera 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 68-65

Round Eight : Primera is mounting a comeback after tearing a page out of Gibbs’ book. The left jab keeps Gibbs at bay for the first half of the round until Willie finds an opening and is able to land shots to the body with hard uppercuts mixed in. The action dies down as both men once again trade jabs and try to find a spot. As the round comes to a close both men step it up and throw down until the bell sounds.

Round: Gibbs 10-9
Fight: Gibbs: 78-74

Round Nine: Primera starts off with a solid right but goes back to the tapping left. Gibbs is also working his left with some success. The action goes to the corner where Primera fires off a plethora of leather, which leaves Gibbs in a funk. Gibbs shakes it off and responds with rights and lefts, packed with an abundance of power.

Round: Primera 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 87-84

Round Ten: Both fighters think the match is closer than the judges would have it and come out trying to impress. A fierce exchange goes down in the center of the ring with both fighters giving and receiving a good amount of punishment. More action happens along the ropes and the momentum swings towards Gibbs after he lands two more hard lefts to the head of Primera. Both fighters grind it out and Gibbs lands another set of lefts to the head of Primera, which seals the round and fight.

Round: Gibbs 10-9
Fight: Gibbs 97-93

The official scorecards are read and Willie Gibbs wins a unanimous decision 98-92, 97-93, 99-91. SaddoBoxing scored the fight in favor of Gibbs 97-93

Willie Gibbs moves up to 19-1 (15) while Primera falls to 19-11-2 (12)

The main co-feature of the evening was between Irish Middleweight Champion Matthew Macklin and Akron, Ohio’s Anthony Little.

It was obvious at the start that Anthony Little forgot to bring his ring shoes (he was sporting one of the ugliest pairs of Nike’s ever seen in a boxing ring). It wouldn’t take him long to show us he forgot to bring his heart as well. For one and a half rounds, Irish Middleweight Champion Matthew Macklin brought the pain and eventually made Little quit after a steady diet of power punches and a busted right eye.

Round One: It doesn’t take Macklin long to go on the offensive. He starts with the jab, then lands a right uppercut flush to the chin of Little. Macklin then dishes out hard work to the body. Little manages to escape and lands a few shots of his own but Macklin works through it and finishes the round with a series of body punches.

Round: Macklin 10-9

Round Two: Little tries to break it down to a wrestling match but Macklin doesn’t budge, which is a credit to his strength and conditioning. Macklin backs his man into the corner where he shows a sharp left and hard overhand right, one of which causes Little’s right eye to leak like a busted faucet. Little tries to get out of the corner but Macklin has him trapped on the ropes and administers a beating that makes Little drop to a knee and pray for an answer to stop the bludgeoning. Little takes the low road and waves him arms in the air signaling he wants no more and leaves the ring showered by a round of Philadelphia boo’s so loud you would have thought that former Philadelphia Phillies baseball player Scott Rolen had made a guest appearance.

Matthew Macklin of Tipperary, Ireland wins the bout via a second round stoppage and improves to 15-1 (11). Anthony Little falls to 5-3 (1).

The most interesting of the evening’s support bouts came when local Bridegport man Harry Yorgey faced off against Lancaster, PA’s Doug Ebenshade at light middleweight. Yorgey came into the contest with the rep of a young Arturo Gatti, a large hometown following and a 10 – 0 record but Esbenshade was out to prove that he was no slouch either. Yorgey was mounting a comeback of sorts in his second fight since suffering a variety of injuries in the ring. Esbenshade, though a bit inactive, hasn’t lost since a fight since January of 2002.

Round One: Yorgey is active but not landing many of the punches that he throws. While Yorgey is persistent with his jabs, Esbenshade is able to make a move and begins working Yorgey’s ribs. Yorgey fires back with hard combos to the head but Esbenshade is hanging tough countering with his foe. The fight breaks down to a bit of a slugfest in the last thirty seconds as both men set the tone for what will turn out to be the most exciting fight of the night.

Round: Yorgey 10-9

Round Two: Yorgey is looking in very good shape, showing off a balanced attack of speed and power. Esbenshade is a tough customer himself and is willing to trade. Esbenshade lands a stiff right jab that busts open Yorgey’s right eye. Esbenshade smells the blood and puts a thumping on Yorgey’s ribs as Yorgey opts to protect the leaky eye. Yorgey is wearing the crimson mask but pays it no mind as he lands consecutive power shots that send Esbenshade crashing into the ropes. Both fighters exchange hard shots until the bell sounds.

Round: Esbenshade 10-9
Fight: Even 19-19

Round Three: Yorgey’s cut man does an excellent job stopping the blood flow as he comes out sealed up and ready to bang. Yorgey establishes the left jab but can’t land the overhand right which is following the lead. Esbenshade turns the tide again by charging the body and working Yorgey’s ribs. Yorgey is throwing the counter punch and lands two nice lefts while Esbenshade is working downstairs. The pace slows a bit and Yorgey goes back to the jab. His first two connect but the crafty Esbenshade flashes his head movement which leaves Yorgey open for the straight right. Esbenshade follows, landing a clean combo and another stiff right to end the round.

Round: Esbenshade 10-9
Fight: Ebenshade 29-28

Round Four: Both fighters come out with ideas of working the body and do so with success. Yorgey backs out and tries to establish the jab again but this time Esbenshade walks through it and goes back downstairs. Yorgey responds with a right to the ear which sparks off another brawl on the inside. Esbenshade changes up and is now active with the uppercuts which are finding the spot. Yorgey steers the action to the ropes where both fighters land more hard shots to the head and body until the round ends.

Round: Esbenshade 10-9
Fight: Ebenshade 39-37

Round Five: Esbenshade is throwing a sharp right jab and Yorgey is also connecting with his left. Yorgey switches up stances and now lands the right jab which set Esbenshade up for flurry to the body. The action goes to the ropes where Yorgey is putting on the pressure. Esbenshade looks winded. Yorgey is on top of his opponent and firing off lefts and rights. Esbenshade gets his second wind and unleashes a flurry to end the round.

Round: Yorgey 10-9
Fight: Ebenshade 48-47

Round Six: The final frame starts off with stiff action on the ropes. Yorgey lands a good right to the head which stuns Esbenshade and then connects with another hard right. Esbenshade digs deep and lands a three punch combo of his own. Yorgey, not to be out done, responds with a combo of his own. Yorgey lands more power punches and gains control of the round. Esbenshade tries to steal the round with another flurry in the last ten seconds.

Round: Yorgey 10-9
Fight: Even 57-57

The official scorecards are read and Harry Yorgey is awarded a majority decision 59-55 Yorgey, 58-56 Yorgey, 57-57 Even. SaddoBoxing scored the bout 57-57 Even.

In an interesting four rounder light flyweight Isreal Crespo of Lancaster, PA made his professional debut against Edwin Carmona of New Haven, Connecticut, who won his pro debut in July.

Round One: The match starts off with a solid exchange, both men showing good hand speed. Crespo stays active and lands to the head and body. Crespo is relentless and goes in for the kill but Carmona counters and is able to gain some breathing room. Crespo flashes a solid right jab which would be his weapon of choice as the fight wore on.

Round: Crespo 10-9

Round Two: Both fighters are letting it fly and the crowd is on its feet. Crespo leads but Carmona hangs in there and is countering. The pace slows and Carmona taps with the jab and backs out, trying to avoid another brawl. Crespo shakes off a jab and lands a fast right which ignites another battle. Carmona lands a hard right but Crespo finishes the round with a nice combo to the body.

Round: Crespo 10-9
Fight: Crespo 20-18

Round Three: Crespo comes out blazing with two rights connecting to Carmona’s eye, causing a gash. With Carmona blinded, Crespo sticks to the right jabs which lands every time. Crespo goes to the stick and move with success. Carmona is not very active and is obviously trying to protect his sliced eye.

Round: Crespo 10-9
Fight: Crespo 30-27

Round Four: Carmona realizes Crespo is in control so he comes out with his best. It is just not good enough as Crespo dodges the on coming attack and lands hard shots to the body. Crespo also scores up top with a left. Carmona catches Crespo with a hard right but is unable to follow up. Crespo closes the shows with precision punches to Carmona’s head.

Round: Crespo 10-9
Fight: Crespo 40-36

The official scorecards are read and Israel Crespo gets a unanimous decision 40-36 on all three judge’s cards. SaddoBoxing also had it 40 – 36 in favor of Crespo, who wins his debut and sees the start of his pro resume at 1-0 (0) while Edwin Carmona drops to 1-1 (0).

In a featherweight contest, novice Johnnie Edwards of North Carolina faced off against the more experienced local man Ramaz Gazashvili.

Round One: Fast paced action all round that sees both fighters throwing at an alarming rate! There seems to be no quit in either of these fighters.

Round: Edwards 10-9

Round Two: More fast action but this time it is Edwards definitely getting the best results. He lands a lightening fast right which sends Gazashvili to the canvas. Ramaz gets up and is rocked again by another Edwards right, sending him back to the canvas. Gazashvili gets up and finishes the round like a true warrior, with the fisticuffs flying.

Round: Edwards 10-7
Fight; Edwards 20-16

Round Three: Edwards is in control early, throwing flurries of punches and landing. Gazashivil steps it up and unleashes a beating to Edwards along the ropes. He seems to show no ill effects of the two knockdowns he suffered in the previous round.

Round: Gazashvili 10-9
Fight: Edwards 29-26

Round Four More fast action and Ramaz is getting the better of it. He is walking straight ahead with his punches, but eventually gets caught as Edwards lands two stiff rights to finish the round.

Round: Gazashvili 10-9
Fight: Edwards 38-36

Round Five: Both fighters are still very fast and throwing at a high rate but once again, not much lands. Edwards gets the round with a left hook that does land flush on the cheek of Gazashvili.

Round: Edwards 10-9
Fight: Edwards 48-45

Round Six: Gazashvili looks determined to end the fight early in the round but Edwards is too fast. Edwards does his part by landing body shots. This leads into a toe to toe brawl but at the end Gazashvili is out of gas.

Round: Edwards 10-9
Fight: Edwards 58-54

The official scorecards are read and Johnnie Edwards wins a unanimous decision 58-55 on all three cards. SaddoBoxing scored it 58-54 for Edwards.

The last bout of the evening was between Coatsville, PA light heavyweight novice Shannon Anderson against Southwest Philadelphia journeyman Jason Burrell.

Round One: Anderson dominates the entire round and looks fierce while doing so. Burrell is trying but Anderson power is too much. Burrell escape the round on his feet but his nose is pointing in a different direction than it was three minutes ago.

Round: Anderson 10-9

Round Two: Anderson comes out firing and connects with a big right that sends Burrell halfway through the ropes and then down to a knee. Burrell beats the count but Anderson seals the deal with another big right that put the last minute replacement down for the count.

Shannon Anderson moves to 2-0 (1) by stopping Jason Burrell, 2-5-3 (2), in the second round.

Click for larger image © Sean McMenamin / SaddoBoxing.com