Boxing Irishman John Duddy Belts Out A Win Against Anthony Bonsante

Click for larger image © Ed Mulholland / Irish Ropes

At the Theater of Madison Square Garden last night in New York, budding star John Duddy proved to be the better man last night after going to war with ex-Contender contestant Anthony Bonsante and coming off with a ninth round stoppage on cuts.

For Bonsante, it was an uphill battle from the start as the man from Minnesota entered the ring under the spiteful glare of the heavily pro-Duddy crowd, some 5,000 strong, that packed the venue and things just got worse when “The Bullet” was cut in the second round by an accidental clash of heads.

Battling it out against a younger, taller man, the rounds began to wear on Bonsante but the big hearted northerner gave his Irish rival all he could handle for many of the exchanges.

Ultimately, Duddy’s strength and youth provided the edge that the popular Queens resident needed to carry the scorecards 90-81, 89-82 and 88-83 when Bonsante, due to the cut, was kept in his corner before the tenth round started.

With the win, John Duddy moves to 19-0 (15) while Anthony Bonsante drops to 29-9-3 (17).

At 36, Bonsante may be coming to the end of the road after a long career that’s seen him face the likes of Kingsley Ikeke, Tony Ayala, Jr., Rhoshii Wells, Prince Badi Adjamu, Alan Green, Peter Manfredo, Matt Vanda and many others.

Duddy is still a man on the way up and having proven adept at defeating older, yet still dangerous middleweights, will soon face tougher challenges on his way towards a world title shot.

All Results…

John Duddy (19-0, 15 KOs), 159 ¾ lbs., Queens, NY via Derry, N. Ireland WTDEC9 (90-81, 89-82, 88-83)
Anthony Bonsante (29-9-3, 17 KOs), 159 ¼ lbs., Shakopee, MN
(IBA World & WBC Continental Americas Middleweight Championships)

Giovanni Lorenzo (23-0, 15 KOs), 160 lbs., New York, NY via Dominican Republic WTKO3 (1:38)
Robert Kamya (15-7, 4 KOs), 160 lbs., Palm Beach, FL via Uganda

Andy Lee (8-0, 5 KOs), 164 lbs., Detroit, MI via Limerick, Ireland WKO3 (2:36)
Carl Daniels (49-11-1, 31 KOs), 168 lbs., St. Louis, MO

Maureen Shea (10-0, 5 KOs), 134 lbs., Bronx, NY WTKO3 (1:06)
Eva Lidia Silva (4-7, 0 KOs), 140 lbs., Ciudad Acuna, Mexico

Rodney Ray (4-4-1, 4 KOs), 204 lbs., Brooklyn, NY WKO2 (1:30)
James Clancy (9-1, 1 KOs), 234 lbs., Boston, MA via Clare, Ireland

Henry Coyle (1-0, 1 KO), 152 lbs., Chicago, IL via County Mayo, Ireland WKO1 (1:34)
Jason Collazo (0-1, 0 KOs), 156 lbs., Paterson, NJ

Mark Clancy (7-0-1, 1 KO), 196 lbs., Boston, MA via County Clare, Ireland WDEC4 (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)
Andrew Hutchinson (2-9-2, 0 KOs), 194 lbs., New York, NY

POST FIGHT QUOTES

John Duddy: “Anthony came to fight; unfortunately we clashed heads in the second. He tried to keep moving. I was a little rusty. He’s gutsy and it (cut) was unfortunate. I think I won every round. I promise to put on a better performance the next time around. He caught me with one or two shots but never hurt me. He’s experienced but I thought I was well in control of the fight.”

Anthony Bonsante: “It wasn’t the cut. It was the blood in my eyes. I was trying to take him into the 10th. I sucked it up for a few rounds. Duddy’s a warrior. I’d like to do it again.”

Giovanni Lorenzo: “I felt good but that’s not what I wanted. On a scale of 1 to 10, I was a 7. I leave (future fights) up to my manager, but we’ve talked about (John) Duddy. I wanted to show respect (large green washable shamrock on his back) to Irish Ropes Promotions for putting me on this card and to all of the Irish. Tonight I was half Dominican and half Irish.”

Andy Lee: “I knew he was trying to pick my jab. He has a lot of experience and skills. For two rounds he did pick my jabs, trying to set me up, but I threw a short jab and cracked him. My composure was a lot better tonight. I used my skills and waited for the right shot.”

Event: “Erin Go Brawl”

Date & Venue: March 16 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

Promoter: Irish Ropes Promotions

Matchmaker: Bob Duffy