By Brad Young
iamus21@hotmail.com
KO Kings presented a great show this past week presenting Battle Ground 2010 with ten pro boxing bouts and of course the special guest of honor, 12-Time World Champion Roy Jones Jr.
The night began with the legendary Roy Jones Jr. giving a very heart felt opening speech and stating that “this is where it starts” and that the next great boxer and champion could be one you see fighting tonight. Roy was a class act taking pictures and signing autographs and then going on to bring his sons to the ring as they discussed their entry into music. Roy expressed his joy of being a father and after speaking returned ringside with his sons as the fighter got set to take center stage.
In an exciting opening bout, Yunier Dorticos scored a 35 second knockout over Maurice Winslow. Dorticos, a native of Cuba, now continues on with a 6-0 record with all wins coming by KO. A solid right hand took the legs away from Winslow and although he was determined to continue, the referee was given no choice as his legs were completely gone.
The second bout presented another Cuban native in Yordenis Ugas as he took on a very tough opponent in Dino Dumonjic. Ugas took early control with his height and reach advantage and while Dumonjic fought bravely he could never get inside or maintain control. Landing some hard shots but taking many, Dumonjic would fall to a shut out loss in an excellent performance by Yordenis Ugas.
The third bout, one of the most interesting of the night, showcased Allen “JR” Williams against Joseph “Spiderman” Benjamin. The entrance was interesting enough as Benjamin came out mask and all displaying his “Spiderman” nickname. But then the bout began, where Benjamin began to display an almost “Matrix” style of slipping as he slipped dozens of punches from Williams and moved in and out with flashy footwork. Showing some frustration, Williams began to rush inside landing some good shots as Benjamin returned some nice counters. The bout would end in anti-climatic fashion as it would be ruled a No Contest after a clash of heads in the second round. Williams determination to stay inside and Benjamin’s rapid head movement lead to the accidental head butt that left “JR” Williams unable to continue.
The fourth bout, one of the night’s best, displayed a bout that was very difficult to score. From bell to bell and round to round Clifford McPherson and Alex Deon found themselves meeting punch for punch, each returning the favor after the other. Both boxed well and immediately looked to answer any clean shot, making the bout very exciting. I was none too surprised that all three judges saw the bout even leading both fighters to a draw. But while neither gained a win on their record, they certainly generated interest. I was very impressed by both fighters as neither showed any quit in them no matter what landed and both of their initial responses being to land a big shot of their own.
The fifth bout between Brian Howard and Marcus Blankeney started slow, as each fighter was waiting for the other to make the first mistake. It took awhile but both began to open up and land combinations. Round three found Blankeney landing a vicious shot that rocked Howard and clearly gave him the round as they headed towards the fourth and final round. Entering Round 4, I had Blankeney up two rounds to one, but Howard dug deep scoring a knockdown and clearly taking the last round out landing his opponent. My estimation proved correct as the knockdown sealed the deal for Brian Howard giving him a unanimous decision win.
