When Dominic Pesoli's
8Count Productions puts on a boxing event, it's generally a given that the evening will be highly multicultural in nature. Tonight, the casual fan might have believed they were actually at an Olympics event, since flags and banners representing Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Poland, and the United States were on full display. The highly-charged UIC Pavilion is the new home for Chicago's premiere boxing promotion, and the crowd of well over 3,000 ravenous boxing fans demanded satisfaction, and they received it in heaping helpings.
The first fight of the night pitted undefeated junior ddleweights Foster Nkodo (Chicago) against Lamar Harris (St. Louis, MO). Harris usually is able to rely on his big left hook to dispatch of his opponents, but loading up to throw them didn't work too well against Nkodo, who saw the "telegraph" a mile away. Nkodo landed the straight left over the low right hand of Harris continuously, and even after a questionable point deduction for excessive holding, Nkodo was awarded a unanimous decision (58-55 twice, 57-56) after six rounds.
Next up were the ladies, and they received some of the loudest cheers of the night. Rita "la Guera" Figueroa (Chicago) put her 10-0 record on the line against Tamara "Tazmanian Devil" Johnson (Seattle, WA). 
Figueroa's best-known fight to this point was a spirited, albeit short war with Gary's Mary McGee in 2008. That night ended in a technical draw (NC), due to a cut over the eye of Figueroa. This would be Figueroa's "comeback" fight, after more than a year of inactivity due to injury. Johnson spent no time, however, to exploit Figueroa's "ring rust", and push her against the ropes, unloading with both hands with relative ease. This lasted for the first three rounds, when Figueroa decided to take matters into her own hands and change the tide of activity towards her favor. She dominated the last three rounds with incredible accuracy and tenacity, landing several well-placed right hands, even staggering Johnson at one point in the fourth. The fight ended with Figueroa outlanding Johnson 2-1 in the sixth, prompting the judges to score the fight 58-56 (Johnson), 59-55 (Figueroa), and 57-57 (draw).
Outstanding action awaited the 3,000+ fans in this next 
fight, when Sergio Montes de Oca (Mexico City, MX) battled David Orosco (Atlanta, GA). The opening round was pure boxing bliss, as both men spent no time feeling their opponent out, but simply squared up their shoulders and began throwing bad-intenioned bombs. No defense was shown whatsoever, which in this case, made for some serious enjoyment on the part of the audience. Orosco caught a 15-punch combination against the ropes that ended in him being staggered with both hands at his sides. Blood trickled from Orosco's left eye as well, due mostly to Montes de Oca's accurate overhand right hand. More blood followed Orosco into the third from the heavy attack, and he was staggered again in the fourth, giving Montes de Oca a unanimous decision, moving his professional record to 2-0. This is a young talent we should ALL keep our eye on.
Juan Bailon
(Chicago) fought
Marsay Buggs (Atlanta, GA) to a 4-round majority decision, raising his record to 4-1 in a low-impact, low-excitement level affair. Bailon appeared content merely getting by, and Buggs simply appeared to be "glad for the opportunity". The crowd was hungry for action, but on this night, these two fighters just weren't up to the task.
Andrzej Fonfara (Chicago, by way of Poland) scored a unanimous decision over Milwaukee's
Kendall Gould. Gould, for all his talents, recently has been the second-best fighter in the ring, and tonight would be no exception. The key to this fight for Fonfara was the left jab, which pretty much stayed glued to Gould's face the entire fight. Fonfara's dominance showed throughout all six rounds, and at the end of the fight, the only positive that can be reported about Gould is that he honestly did not appear to be hurt at any point in the fight. He offered very little offense, playing right into Fonfara's offensive traps. Bottom line: Fonfara's height and reach advantage, paired with his killer left jab, won this fight handily for him, with scores of 60-54 (twice) and 60-53.
Michael Kurzeja (Chicago) made his professional debut
against overmatched
Anthony Dewey (Lafayette, IN) in a scheduled 4 round fight. It would take Kurzeja only 2:09 to dispatch of Dewey, scoring three knockdowns, prompting the referee to stop the contest, and keep Dewey from receiving any more punishment. Kurzeja has more work to do, but with Gary, IN legend John Taylor in his corner training him, he's got a better than average chance to become a contender within the next couple of years.
Dannie Williams (St. Louis, MO) made short work of
Jose Guzman (Guanajuanto, MX) as he dropped Guzman at the :30 mark, then continued his two-handed attack, not letting Guzman gain his bearings at all. At 2:58, the referee was forced to stop the action, as Guzman was severely dazed. Williams, trained by the world-famous Mr. Jack Loew (who also trains the World's middleweight champion, Kelly Pavlik) moved his record up to 8-0 on this night, and will demand more and more attention as he progresses through the ranks.
The Irish bagpipes were out and blaring for this next bout, where
Henry Coyle (Chicago, by way
of County Mayo, Ireland) used his thudding body attack to send
David Saunders (Cincinnatti, OH) back into the "L" column. Coyle's right hand to the ribs simply is an awesome thing to witness, as it apparently displaced Saunders' ribs each and every time it landed. I kept wondering if Saunders was going to find a way to stop it, but after only :41 into the second round, my answer came, as the referee waved the fight off after a rocket of a right hand sent Saunders reeling into the ropes. Coyle moves to 9-1 with this victory, and told me after the fight that he was looking to "step up the level of competition in his next fight", which could be as soon as May or June. Make no mistake about it, this man is cordial and humorous outside the ring, but inside it, he's insanely dominant.
The final fight of the night pitted
Miguel Hernandez (Chicago) against
Luciano Perez (Michoacan, MX) in a battle of 8Count stablemates. Hernandez's fans waved Puerto Rican flags rampantly, as Perez's followers clutched their Mexican flags with every bit as much pride. This fight was just as much about "machismo" as it was about records, and was for the WBF Americas middleweight title. Perez would prove to have the upper hand fight-wise, as his overhand right simply couldn't miss, making Hernandez's left eye swell and redden. Hernandez appeared staggered a bit in the second round, and a 4-punch combo from Perez sent Hernandez to the canvas for a 5-count. The
fourth round saw an all-out attack from Perez, who was now landing to the body as well as to the head. Hernandez was knocked down again from a three-punch combination, as the packed crowd burst into gratitude and excitement while the referee waves off the fight with a single second remaining in the fifth round. THIS was an outstanding fight, where both fighters had their moments, but Perez winning in dominant fashion.
Special thanks goes out to
Mr. Dominic Pesoli and
Mr. Bernie Bahrmasel of 8Count
Promotions for issuing Bolo Punch the necessary credentials to cover this outstanding night of fights at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.
**This ringside report was prepared by Chris Guzman, who has hosted The Bolo Punch Boxing Hour since 2002. **All ringside photography by Emil Kegebein, whose photos are on display at LegUpPhotos.com(Last Event).
