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Photo via Top Rank
by Seamus McNally
Blue-chip junior welterweight prospect Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed (19-0, 11 KOs) of Waldorf, Maryland remained undefeated as he scored a sixth-round technical knockout over Abraham Cordero (13-3-1, 7 KOs) of Guadalajara, Mexico in a match-up of two southpaws on the undercard of an HBO doubleheader at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Cordero used his five-and-a-half-inch reach advantage well in the opening round as he hit Reed with combinations while Reed tried to close the distance. But Reed found his way inside with about 30 seconds left in the round and connected with a short left hand that landed right on the button.
Cordero wobbled backwards and Reed followed up with two thunderous straight lefts that sent Cordero crashing into the ropes. Referee Johnny Callas ruled it a knockdown, since the ropes were the only thing keeping Cordero up.
Reed was the quicker and heavier-handed fighter throughout the bout and continued to find a home for the left hand all night long. He did a textbook job of peppering Cordero with blinding jabs and throwing thudding left hands behind it that landed flush on Cordero’s face.
In the second round, Reed landed a flush right hook that stunned Cordero, who was not fully recovered from the knockdown. Cordero was very game and had pockets of success in the middle rounds, but it was not enough to win rounds or keep Reed from continuing the onslaught of left hands.
In the sixth round Reed landed a left to the body that visibly hurt Cordero, who took a few steps back and then inhaled deeply. Reed sensed the end was near, pounced on Cordero and landed vicious combinations until the ringside doctor sprang to the ring apron and waved the fight off two minutes and 29 seconds into the round.
Reed,the 2013 Stiff Jab Prospect of the Year, has developed nicely under the Top Rank banner and seems poised to take the next step in his career. He could be featured in his first televised bout in the near future, which would presumably also be his first scheduled ten-rounder.
Reed wants that bout to be against fellow Top Rank fighter Jose Ramirez (17-0, 12 KOs) and called Ramirez out after his fight.
“I want to fight Jose Ramirez. That’s the fight I want,” Reed said. “I can beat Ramirez!”
by Seamus McNally
Washington, D.C. welterweight David “Day-Day” Grayton (14-1, 10 KOs) suffered the first defeat of his career Saturday as he was stopped in the second round by Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella (14-0, 13 KOs) of Fort Myers, Florida in the opening bout of a Premier Boxing Champions card televised on ESPN.
Grayton, who was taking a huge step up in competition, started the first round strong and did a good job closing the distance on the much taller Perrella. Perrella quickly adjusted and caught Grayton coming in with some thudding shots that visibly hurt Grayton. Grayton came in throwing wide shots and left himself open as Perrella beat him to the punch with straight, compact shots.
The second round went much the same way, as Perrella caught Grayton lunging in with a glancing blow that sent him down about halfway through the round. Grayton did not appear hurt but Perrella, looking to capitalize on the knockdown, pounced on him anyway.
Perrella staggered Grayton with some powerful punches that had Grayton on shaky legs, then trapped Day Day in a neutral corner and unloaded a barrage of heavy leather until referee Michael Griffin had seen enough. Griffin stepped in at 2:19 of the second round, just as a badly hurt and wobbly Grayton was headed to the canvas for the second time.
A former national Golden Gloves champion, this was a tough loss for Grayton, but hopefully the lesson will serve him well as he continues his career.
by Dr. Octagon, J.D.
Fantastic night of fights tonight and some really unexpected results at UFC 199. In the main event, Michael Bisping knocked Luke Rockhold out in the first round.
That’s right, Michael Bisping, for whom the received wisdom has always been that he has great cardio but not a lot of punching power, finished Rockhold easily as a late replacement. Rockhold has never had great defense and Bisping caught him with a left hand as he was coming in, then followed up with another perfect punch to leave Rockhold unconscious against the cage at 3:36 in Round 1.
It was great to see Bisping finally get the belt after so many years. I’m now wondering if Rockhold was left slightly chinny by the cyclone kick that he took from TRT-era Vitor Belfort.
While there were lots of unexpected results tonight, the Uriah Faber-Dominick Cruz rubber match went pretty much as expected, with Cruz generally dancing around Uriah while doling out punishment to win a clear decision. Cruz rocked Uriah few times, but Uriah is still super tough and was able to avoid being finished on a few occasions.
Max Holloway looked super sharp against Ricardo Lamas. The biggest surprise of the fight was how effective Max’s takedown defense was. The fight ended with both fighters agreeing to stand in the middle of the Octagon and swing wildly. Great fight.
In the most heart-warming moment of the night, 45-year-old Dan Henderson KO’d Hector Lombard in the second round. Henderson landed a head kick, and then after Lombard caught his leg, Dan landed a quick elbow that put Lombard out. Dan then dropped another two elbows on the unconscious Cuban.
This was following a first round where Dan was almost knocked out himself. Dan even sort of considered retiring in his post fight speech. I wonder if he’ll change his mind now that Bisping, who he once beat decisively, is now the middleweight champion of the world.
Dustin Poirier continued his hot streak with a knockout of Bobby Green in the first round via a straight left.
In other news, Brock Lesnar is back for UFC 200 with an opponent to be determined. That should guarantee absolutely monstrous Pay Per View numbers no matter who the opponent is, and absurd numbers if they can talk Fedor Emelianenko into the fight.
Fedor is fighting June 17 on FightPass against Fabio Maldonado though, so I doubt they’d announce his next fight before that fight even happens. Other possibilities include Josh Barnett and Todd Duffee,whoAriel Helwani reported are both lobbying for the fight, as well as Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve, who are both available.
Big surprise (sarcasm), Conor McGregor will not be fighting Floyd Mayweather, the currently best boxer on Earth, after McGregor was outboxed by Nathan Diaz in his last fight. We remain amazed that so-called legitimate reporters were hyping that farce.
Conor’s fighting Nate in a rematch at UFC 202 in Las Vegas and posted a video slapping UFC boss Dana White on Instagram to celebrate getting paid.
Undercard results courtesy of Wikipedia since I’ve been drinking since noon and am going to pass out.
FeatherweightBrian Ortega def.Clay Guida by KO (knee) at 34:40
LightweightBeneil Dariush def.James Vick by KO (punch) at 14:16
Women’s Strawweight Jéssica Andradedef.Jessica Penne by TKO (punches) at 22:56
FeatherweightAlex Caceresdef.Cole Miller by decision (unanimous) 30-27, 29-28 (twice)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
WelterweightSean Strickland def.Tom Breese by split decision 29-28 (twice), 28-29
Light Heavyweight Luis Henrique da Silvadef. Jonathan Wilson by TKO (punches) at 24:11
MiddleweightKevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic (split draw) 29-28, 28-29, 28-28
LightweightMarco Polo Reyes def. Dong Hyun Kim by KO (punches) at 31:52
by Gautham Nagesh
Muhammad Ali, the iconic boxer widely hailed as the greatest athlete of the 20th century, died Friday night at a hospital in Phoenix, Ariz. He was 74 years old.
Known simply as The Greatest, Ali went from controversial to universally beloved over the course of a career in which he personified the upheaval of the Civil Rights Movement. Ali’s audacity, charisma and blinding speed captivated the public, but it was his propensity for sacrifice both inside and outside the ring that elevated him beyond the sport.
The three-time heavyweight champion famously refused induction into the military in 1967, citing his Muslim religion.
“I ain’t got no quarrel with no Vietcong,” he declared.
Ali was subsequently convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to five years in prison, stripped of his title and banned from boxing for three years.
Widely vilified at the time, Ali eventually returned to the ring in 1970, and ultimately triumphed when the Supreme Court overturned his conviction and upheld his claim of being a conscientious objector.
The principled stand cost Ali a large chunk of his prime and earned him many enemies, but was eventually recognized as one of most significant political acts by an athlete. Likewise, Ali’s refusal to forswear his ties to the Nation of Islam cost him dearly during his fighting days, but today he is adored across the globe.
BornCassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., in Louisville, Kentucky, on January 14, 1942, Ali learned to box at age 12 after having his bike stolen. From a young age he demonstrated two qualities essential to a career in prizefighting: discipline, and the preternatural ability to avoid a punch. Ali showed quickness and dedication in training that he lacked in school, and by graduation it was clear that boxing was where his future lay.
Ali won the gold medal as a light heavyweight in the 1960 Rome Olympics, then turned professional with the backing of a syndicate of wealthy Louisville businessmen. An unconventional fighter, especially for a heavyweight, Ali preferred to dance on his toes and peck at his opponent from a distance like his idol Sugar Ray Robinson, rather than charge forward seeking a knockout like most heavyweights.
Ali soon linked up with trainer Angelo Dundee and began climbing the professional ranks, defeating his former trainer and Hall of Famer Archie Moore in 1962. After three more wins, Ali signed to fight heavyweight champion Sonny Liston in Miami Beach on February 25, 1964. The build-up to the fight and its aftermath would catapult Ali into the spotlight for the rest of his life.
An ex-convict with ties to the Mafia, Liston was a heavy favorite and widely considered all but unbeatable, especially against a relative unknown like Ali. But the challenger was brash and boastful, repeatedly ridiculing his opponent in rhyme and promising an easy victory despite the long odds against him. Most writers considered Ali unhinged, and made Liston a heavy favorite. But Ali had succeeded in getting under the champion’s skin.
The fight itself was a coronation. Ali danced and jabbed and taunted Liston, punishing him until the champion quit on his stool after the sixth round. Afterwards Ali pointed at the writers on press row and ordered them to eat their words.
“I must be the greatest,” he shouted. “I’m the king of the world!”
Unknown to most, Ali had joined the Nation of Islam before the Liston fight, and was mentored by Nation Minister Malcolm X, who was ringside when Ali won the title. After winning the title Ali changed his name to Muhammad Ali, though many media figures at the time insisted on calling him by his birth name. TV broadcaster Howard Cosell was a notable exception.
Ali’s good looks and natural ease with people made him perfectly suited for celebrity, and he soon drew huge crowds wherever he went. He relished interacting with fans, especially children, and would regularly spend large portions of his days signing autographs, reciting poems and performing magic tricks, even while training for a fight.
Ali’s rematch against Liston was notorious for the “phantom punch” that ended the fight within two minutes of the opening round. Many speculated that Liston had taken a dive. Ali defended the title eight more times, including against former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, before legal troubles from his draft status forced him to retire from the sport in 1967.
Ali lectured at colleges to earn money while in temporary retirement, and later said he consciously avoided the binary stereotypes sportswriters applied to black fighters.
“I had to prove you could be a new kind of black man,” Ali told author David Remnick.
Ali returned to the ring in 1970 against Jerry Quarry and finally signed to fight 1964 Olympic gold medalist Joe Frazier on March 8, 1971. Frazier had won the heavyweight title in Ali’s absence, but much of the public refused to recognize him as champion until the two met. True to form, Ali mocked Frazier using harsh racial caricatures in the build-up to the fight, breeding animosity that lingered until Frazier’s death in 2011.
Ali-Frazier was perhaps the most anticipated prize fight ever, featuring two undefeated champions. It remains one of the most significant rivalries in sports history and the two names are inextricably linked. The fight itself turned in the 14th round when Frazier caught Ali with his vaunted left hook and put him on the canvas; Ali rose but lost a unanimous decision.
Ali strung together a series of wins after the loss, before losing a split decision to Ken Norton. Ali suffered a broken jaw in the fight but still fought till the final bell. Frazier defended his title twice before losing it to the 1968 Olympic gold medalist George Foreman, who knocked Frazier down six times in two rounds before the fight was stopped. Ali then won a close rematch with Frazier, setting up a championship fight with Foreman.
After multiple delays the fight took place in Kinhasa, Zaire in October 1974 and was dubbed The Rumble in The Jungle by promoter Don King. A huge underdog once again against the younger and stronger Foreman, Ali won the fight using his will and strategic brilliance instead of the speed he had relied upon early in his career.
Ali debuted the “rope-a-dope” strategy in the fight, leaning back against the ropes and covering up while letting Foreman punch his arms and body. But Ali also took a great deal of damage, and simply refused to go down. He eventually came off the ropes and attacked Foreman in the 8th round, knocking him down and forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Along with the Foreman fight, Ali cemented his place in the pantheon of greats one year later by defeating Frazier in their rubber match in the Philippines, a fight known as the Thrilla in Manilla. One of the most vicious encounters in boxing history, Ali said during the fight that it was the closest he had been to death.
Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch stopped the fight after the 14th round when his fighter could no longer see due to swelling around his eye. Ali later told his biographer Thomas Hauser that he was on the verge of quitting himself at the time.
Ali continued fighting through the late 1970s, winning a third fight against Norton then losing and regaining his title against the younger Leon Spinks. But he was a shell of the gleaming young fighter that had danced beneath the lights, and he retired after winning the title for the third time against Spinks.
Sadly, the draw of a large payday lured Ali back in 1980 to fight his former sparring partner Larry Holmes for the heavyweight title. Ali took a savage beating for 10 rounds before the fight was stopped. Ali fought once more, losing a decision to Trevor Berbick, but he also began having trouble speaking and showed other signs of the trauma his body had endured over his career.
In 1984 he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, bringing worldwide attention to both the disease and the longterm impact of repeated head trauma. He has spent the past three decades as a global ambassador for various causes, and lit the torch at the opening games of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Aside from his tremendous impact on the sport of boxing and his status as a Civil Rights icon, Ali also influenced American culture in numerous other ways, especially his unapologetic embrace of his African-American identity. His 1976 exhibition against Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki is considered by many to be the first mixed martial arts fight, and his use of rhyming to amuse and ridicule is considered by some an antecedent to rapping.
Images of Ali today remain among the most iconic photographs ever taken, and he is the source of countless phrases and inspirational quotes that are repeated to this day.
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ’‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”
Photo by Jessica Chen for StiffJab.com
by Seamus McNally
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Unbeaten welterweight Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (29–0–1, 16 KOs) took on his toughest opponent to date in Mike Dallas Jr. (21–3–2, 10 KOs) Friday night and it showed, as he was lucky to escape with a split draw on BETat the D.C. Armory.
Despite fighting in front of a hometown crowd of 2,633 for the first time in 18 months, the 2012 Stiff Jab Prospect of the Year Hernandez-Harrison did not receive a warm homecoming from Dallas. Dallas was the aggressor throughout the contest as he repeatedly got off first and dictated the pace of the fight before a late rally by Hernandez-Harrison.
Dallas, who hails from Bakersfield, California, set the tone in the first round by working much harder than Hernandez-Harrison, who walked straight forward with earmuffs on and hardly threw any punches. That theme continued the next two rounds, as Dallas would throw three or four punches for every punch that Hernandez-Harrison threw. Hernandez-Harrison’s face quickly showed signs of the punishment he was absorbing.
Hernandez-Harrison recently spent five weeks of training camp in San Diego as a sparring partner for middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and was working with trainer Barry Hunter for the first time after a split with his father Buddy Harrison. The Southeast D.C. native had a successful fourth round as he let his hands go more and landed a few heavy blows.
His success was short-lived. During one of the many exciting exchanges in the fifth round, Dallas caught Hernandez-Harrison with a left hook that sent him down with about 30 seconds left in the round. The hometown crowd that had started the fight chanting “Dusty! Dusty!” now sat in stunned silence.
Hernandez-Harrison did his best to make a rally in the second half of the fight and impose his size advantage by walking Dallas down and looking to land powerful shots. In the eighth round, Hernandez-Harrison returned the favor of the earlier knockdown, albeit controversially, as he landed two left hands that appeared right on the belt line. It was tough to tell if they were low blows or not.
Dallas insisted the shots were low, but referee Malik Waleed ruled it a knockdown, which gave Hernandez-Harrison a much needed 10-8 round.
The knockdown gave Hernandez-Harrison a sudden and much-needed sense of urgency, while Dallas clearly felt like he needed to close strong in his opponent’s hometown. The combination resulted in an action-packed finish. Both fighters emptied the rest of their gas tanks with punishing give-and-take exchanges that had the crowd on its feet.
It appeared Hernandez-Harrison’s rally was too little, too late, but the judges saw it a different way, allowing the hometown fighter to remain unbeaten via a split draw by scores of 95-94 for Hernandez-Harrison, 96-92 for Dallas, and 94-94.
Both fighters felt they deserved the victory.
“I thought I finished it great,” Hernandez-Harrison said. “I finished it way too strong with that knockdown [not to get the decision]. I feel I pulled it out with that late knockdown.“
“In my opinion, we won in his hometown convincingly,” Dallas said.
As for a rematch, Hernandez-Harrison offered to return the favor and fight Dallas in his hometown.
"I’ll fight him in Bakersfield, California. I’ll fight him right now,” Dusty said.
A potential rematch would be highly anticipated, as it was a very exciting and controversial main event.
In the co-feature, Roc Nation Sports newest signee Darmani Rock (1–0, 1 KO) impressed in his pro debut as he made quick work of Carlos Black (1–4) of Rockville, Maryland with a brutal first-round knockout.
Rock, a Philadelphia native, showed patience in the early moments of fight, easily picking apart Black. The 2015 National Golden Gloves and U.S. National Amateur Heavyweight Champion unloaded a thunderous right hand that sent Black staggering towards the ropes, then ended it with a left hand just seconds later. Referee Michelle Myers reached the count of ten at 1:54 of the opening frame as a wobbly and dazed Black couldn’t get to his feet in time.
“I feel great. Hard work pays off,“ Rock said after. "This is just the beginning. I was a little nervous. I had to warm up a little bit. … I seen him bobble a little bit when I landed the right hand and then I got him with the left and that was it. But next time, I’ll start a little faster.”
In the first televised bout, junior featherweight Orlando Del Valle (22–2, 16 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico scored two knockdowns against the local fighter Thomas “K.O.” Snow (18–3, 12 KOs) of Capitol Heights, Maryland that were ultimately the difference in the fight as all three judges scored the fight 76-74 in favor of Del Valle.
Del Valle pressured and stalked Snow before sending him down with a right hand with a minute left in the second round. Halfway through the third round, Del Valle caught Snow with a left hook that put him on the canvas for a second time. Del Valle, sensing Snow was hurt, followed it up with a heavy barrage of punches that staggered Snow but Snow made it out of the round.
The rest of the bout was fought on even terms as Snow made a nice little rally the last couple rounds but it was not enough to score a victory.
“I had the edge from every judge because my boxing was superior,"Del Valle said."I applied pressure and I was the busier fighter. I dropped him twice, and it was a really dirty fight and hard to get through”
In the chief non-televised bout, Greenbelt, Maryland cruiserweight Sam “The Vanilla Gorilla” Crossed (3–0, 1 KO), who had a large contingency of fan support, was pushed by the tall, rangy southpaw Damion Reed (2–14–1, 1 KO) of Danville, Virginia before ultimately scoring a majority decision victory by scores of 40-36, 39-37, and 38-38.
Junior welterweight Abner Cotto (20–3, 9 KOs) of Caugas, Puerto Rico won a relatively easy six-round unanimous decision by scores of 60-54, 60-54, and 58-56 over the durable journeyman Samuel Amoako (21–11, 15 KOs), originally out of Ghana but now living in Baltimore, Maryland.
Cotto is the second cousin of Puerto Rican superstar Miguel Cotto. In other undercard bouts, Zhang Zhilei (9–0, 6 KOs), Mike Balogun (6–0, 5 KOs), and Junior Younan (9–0, 7 KOs) all won their bouts by first round technical knockouts over their overmatched opposition.
Correction: Abner Cotto is the second cousing of former middleweight champion Miguel Cotto. This story originally said he was Miguel’s first cousin. –GN
Saul Alvarez photo by Reuters
Ouresteemed editor has forsaken us of late to cover the fights forThe Wall Street Journal. Something about them paying his salary.
From his recap of Saturday night’s middleweight championship boutbetweenSaul “Canelo” Alvarez and Amir Khan:
In the end, middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 knockouts) needed just one punch to stop challenger Amir Khan (31-4, 19 knockouts) on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
After surrendering most of the first five rounds, Alvarez smashed Khan with a counter-right hand in the sixth round that rendered Khan senseless before his body collapsed into a heap. It was a sensational conclusion to an otherwise lackluster performance by the 25-year-old champion.
You can also watch him discuss the fight with 120 Sports this morning.
Photo by John Locher for Associated Press
