ONE IN A MILLION, INC. PRESENTS

ANGEL HERNANDEZ VS. GUSTAVO PALACIOS
Hernandez (Gary, IN) fights with a ferocity that, when controlled, makes him a very dangerous fighter. He sems to actually get angry at his opponents, which oftentimes, works to his advantage. On this night, Palacios (Chicago, IL) was sent to the canvas with a straight right hand from young Hernandez early in the first round, only to get up at the count of “four”, and wobble towards referee Blake Allen, prompting the wave to stop the contest at 2:34 of round one. Angel Hernandez improves his professional record to 12-3 with this win, and on his present course, could soon be a real threat in the welterweight division.

JOSH CROUCH VS. JEREMIE PARKS
Crouch (Schererville, IN) punches almost exclusively in combinations, making opponents think long and hard about engaging with him. Jeremie Parks (St. Joseph, MO) came into this fight without a professional victory in ten fights. Crouch was able to manipulate Parks around the ring pretty much to his own liking. Parks got hit with everything in Crouch’s arsenal, and his chin allowed him to “fight” as long as he did. Crouch used this fight as a puncher’s clinic, bloodying Parks’ nose in the second round as he teed off with piles and piles of unanswered shots. Before the bell to start round three, referee Blake Allen waved off the fight at the request of Parks’ corner. TKO victory for Crouch (4-0), officially at 0:01 of round three.

TYREE ORTIZ VS. JUSTIN SULE
An interesting story can be written about any fight or fighter on any given night. This fight is special, however, by anyone’s standards. Tyree Ortiz makes his professional debut, giving him quite a change from being Octavius James’ right-hand man with the inner workings with One in a Million, Inc. Ortiz is a rather large man, weighing in at 252 lbs, and his boxing basics appear solid, as he utilized the left jab to set up his power shots, which were considerably devastating to Sule (Michigan City, IN). Nearing the end of the first round, Ortiz opened up a series of twenty unanswered bombs that sent the Hammond Civic Center into hysterics, capped off by a trip to the canvas from an Ortiz left hook, prompting referee Kurt Spivey to immediately wave off the fight. Upon getting his hand raised in victory, “Big” Ty was handed the microphone, where he continued to explain that this fight, and therefore this victory, was dedicated to the memory of Marine 1st Lt. Jared M. Landaker, who was killed in the Iraq war, igniting even more applause. TKO victory for Ortiz (1-0) at 2:55 of round one.

***On a totally unrelated note. . . It occurs to me that audience members want free items thrown out to them, regardless of WHAT the item is. As long as a beautiful bikini-clad woman is throwing it out to the crowd, they would clamor to catch dead, rotting fish. Luckily for us, tonight they threw out promotional hats, t-shirts, and key chains.

ORPHIUS WAITE VS. CEDRIC JOHNSON
Orphius Waite (Chicago, IL) is truly a spectacle to see. His physique is unlike any fighter I’ve ever seen, with a tiny waist and exceptionally wide shoulders. He fights like someone with years of professional experience, even though he just turned pro in 2007. This is clearly his biggest challenge to date, with Cedric Johnson’s (Indianapolis, IN) 13-fight career giving him the experience edge. Waite seems to pay none of that any mind, as he systematically establishes his jab, rocketing power shots to both sides of Johnson’s ribcage. Johnson presented some problems for the young Waite, however, as he too possesses a quick jab. In the middle of round two, Waite ate a stiff right hand that sent him into the ropes, staggered for the first time in his short professional career. Technically, referee Blake Allen could (should) have counted this as a knockdown, since the ropes were all that kept Waite from going down. In the third round, Johnson tried to crowd Waite on the ropes, in an attempt to utilize his “inside game” of close-quarters punching. The fourth round opened with a flash knockdown by Waite, with a grinning Johnson getting up quickly. Waite’s hooks are real weapons, and he uses them with reckless abandon. His speed keeps them safe for him, though, as his defense is overall, rather tight. Hooks, hooks, hooks. . . with both hands, from Waite. He does, however, need to stop moving straight back when he’s being attacked. Against a heavier hitter, it could spell trouble. On this night, though, his constant pressure and hooks made him reign supreme. Scorecards: 58-55 (three times) giving Orphius Waite (5-0) a unanimous decision.

ED OCHOA VS. CHRISTOPHER HILL
Ed Ochoa (Hobart, IN) used his height advantage to set up his killer overhand right, and scored a quick first-round knockout over a game but overmatched Christopher Hill (Kansas City, MO). Ochoa improves to 8-0, with all eight wins coming by way of knockout.

MARY MCGEE VS. KRISTY FOLLMAR

This fight is clearly the reason that the Hammond Civic Center was so full of hungry-eyed fans. “Merciless” Mary McGee (Gary, IN) took on Kristy “Rose” Follmar (Indianapolis, IN) for the vacant WBC International Female Light Welterweight Championship. The thunderous applause in the Hammond Civic Center let me know that these fans had waited long enough for this fight to take place. In a very close back-and-forth opening round, both fighters showed their tenacity and hunger for a victory, as McGee’s speed matched well with Follmar’s effective aggression. I was about to write that Follmar had clearly out hustled her opponent in the second round. . . .when McGee opened up an all-out assault in the closing seconds of the round that sent Follmar reeling a bit. I tell you one thing. I would NOT enjoy being a judge responsible for a clear decision on some of these rounds. Both fighters are imposing their wills on the other, both fighters are finding openings, and both fighters have piles of loud fans cheering

them on. In short, this is a GREAT match. Mary starts rounds off strong with her accurate jab, but Kristy sends the hooks to the body and head to make it difficult, again, to declare a clear winner of the round. McGee took the fifth round with her powerful straight punching. McGee pulls away with the sixth and seventh rounds, while Follmar shows, perhaps, a bit of ring rust. Follmar’s combination punching gives her the eighth round, but overall, she’s fading in her output numbers. Follmar takes the ninth with her combos, actually staggering McGee momentarily, setting up for the climax tenth and final round. WHAT A ROUND!!! Unadulterated female aggression from pillar to post, of which if I had to pick a winner, I’d say McGee pulled ahead by the slimmest of margins with her uppercuts and crosses. 97-93 McGee, 95-95, 97-93 McGee, who improves her record to 17-0. . . . “Merciless” Mary McGee wins a majority decision in a highly completive fight; possibly the best fight of ANY gender we’ll see this year in the state of Indiana.

***Special thanks to Octavius James of One in a Million, Inc. for issuing Bolo Punch the credentials to cover this event. This is an exclusive ringside report from Hammond Civic Center, Hammond, Indiana, written in its entirety by Chris Guzman, who has hosted The Bolo Punch Boxing Hour since 2002. All ringside photography provided solely by Emil Kegebein, easily viewed at http://www.legupphotos.com/.