UIC Pavilion, Chicago , IL
Friday, July 24, 2009
The leather was flying once again for Dominic Pesoli’s 8Count Promotions event Windy City Fight Night 4, playing to a packed house tonight in the Chicago hotbed of boxing talent.
First up was heavyweight TYREE ORTIZ ( Merrillville , IN ), who used his strength and impressive size to pound ERIC CRITTENDON ( Clinton , MO ) into submission. Ortiz needed only half a round to land a killer straight right hand and a series of left hooks that put Crittendon down for good, improving Ortiz’s record to 3-0.
Lightweights GADIEL ANDALUZ ( Chicago ) and OSCAR DE LA CRUZ ( Chicago ) staged a real barnburner in a fast-paced, well-executed fight. Andaluz started strong by taking the first two rounds with his perfect jab and accurate overhand right, which wobbled de la Cruz early in the fight. De la Cruz fought back, though, to rally and take the last three rounds (on the Bolo Punch scorecard) with his left hooks to the body and overall outhustling of Andaluz, who inexplicably stopped jabbing for the last two rounds. Knowing the official scorecards would be close, the crowd waited with baited breath after the final bell was given, but boos filled the air as the scores of 48-47 (Andaluz, twice) and 48-47 (De la Cruz) were read off. In a controversial split decision, Andaluz improves his pro record to 4-1), while de la Cruz moves down to 5-7.
Making his professional debut was NATE MOHR (Crystal Lake, IL) against TOMMY MOORE (Pinebluff, AR) in the third bout of the night, Mohr needed only two rounds to put Moore down three times, prompting the referee to stop the contest at 2:23 of the second round. Mohr brings some mixed martial-arts to the table, and his athleticism is as noticeable as his odd haircut (reminding me of a young Vinny Pazienza), but his boxing ability needs some time to blossom a bit. With opposition like Moore , though, he’ll be just fine for his next few fights, at least. Nate Mohr wins his debut, making his pro record 1-0.
In a super-middleweight bout, MIKE KURZEJA (Chicago) pounded on NICHOLAS WHITTING (Bermidji, MN) for three rounds, but in doing so, proved that he still needs quite a bit of work. Kurzeja is rather strong, but telegraphs all of his shots that, so far, it would take a fighter of the caliber of Whitting (now 1-11) to stand in front of them. Kerzeja bends at the waist well, and has power in both hands, landing big, looping overhand rights and lefts to the face of Whitting, who was stopped at 1:44 of the third round (TKO), improving Kurzeja’s pro record to 2-0.
Next up, DIAMOND JAMES BAIER (Chicago) took on NOE PEREZ (also from Chicago ) in a junior lightweight contest, pitting two high-energy fighters with very little professional experience in a truly stirring war. It should be noted that despite his lack of pro fights, Baier stepped up to be former WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz’s chief sparring partner for Diaz’s 2008 battle with current pound-for-pound king, Manny Pacquiao. Both fighters were on top of the action at various points in the bout, with Baier’s fast, flashy style matching up beautifully with the accurate, plodding power of Perez. Perez was dropped in the second round, from a short straight left hand from Baier, but Perez stayed right with his opponent to take the third and fourth rounds with his intensity, giving one of the judges every reason to award him a 38-37 victory, but the other two judges saw the knockdown as the deciding factor to award Baier the victory, and in this game, majority rules. 38-37 (Baier, twice) and 38-37 (Perez) were the official scores to this bout, improving Baier’s pro record to 1-0-1.
Heavyweight debuts are always a bit of a charge for me. . . .and this one was no exception. DAVID “Diesel” LATORIA seemingly brought everyone from his hometown of Chicago to come cheer him on, as Diesel signs and t-shirts were running rampant throughout the UIC Pavilion on this night. Latoria, a late-blooming (27) powerhouse with an extensive football history needed only 1:50 of the first round to knock CHRIS BOYKINS (Holiday, FL) unconscious with a right-left-fight combo against the ropes, sending Boykins nearly onto the media table outside the ring, rendering him asleep for at least three minutes after the fight was waved off. Fortunately, Boykins got up on his own power, and headed back to the dressing room to gather his thoughts, and wonder why he ever took this fight in the first place. Latoria, truly a fan favorite, as well as a fighter worth paying attention to, starts his pro career the right way; 1-0 with 1 KO.The headline fight of the evening waged “Fast” FRES OQUENDO ( Chicago by way of Puerto Rico) against former WBA Heavyweight Titlist, BRUCE SELDON ( Camden , NJ ) in a NABA heavyweight title fight. Seldon, probably best known for
basically handing Mike Tyson his title after a 40 second “fight” in 1996 has always been a physically gifted specimen. Even during his ring walk, he amazed the fans, myself included, by standing ten feet from the ring steps, then without notice LEAPING up to the top step like a gazelle of some kind. Let me just say, it was damn impressive. I only wish Seldon fought with the same intensity. Oquendo, a utility heavyweight who has been impressive in nearly every fight he’s ever been in, had a field day with the post-40 year old Seldon, using his straight jab and overhand right hand to keep Seldon away from him, setting him up for his power shots, which quickly swelled up Seldon’s face and eyes. Seldon occasionally loaded up a telegraphed (albeit quick) left hook or overhand left hand, but they rarely ever found their mark. After seven rounds of taking a beating from Oquendo, Seldon took a knee to straighten himself out, only to be sent to the canvas again in the ninth, this time complaining of a hurt right arm, prompting the referee to stop the fight at 2:35 of the ninth, official stoppage being a TKO.
After the fight, during the in-ring interviews, Seldon said of Oquendo, “I won the title of the world in my first title shot. . . .you lost your first and second chances, but after tonight, THREE TIMES A CHARM!” Seldon hugged the taller Oquendo in the middle of the ring, basically saying he’d never be in Chicago again as a fighter, but as a trainer. Hopefully for the former champion, this was an announcement of retirement. Oquendo took the microphone and said to Seldon, “I appreciate the opportunity to fight the former world champion, and I thank my fans for their unending support.”***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 event.
***Written report and ringside photography by Emil Kegebein’s is exclusively the property of Bolo Punch Boxing, and is available for sale at smugmug.com.
