War the the District 02-11-06

Philly Fighter’s Win “War” in a Rout
February 12, 2006 – By Keith McMenamin & Jeff Imbrogno

Shuler Boxing was back at the First District Plaza in Philadelphia for a night dubbed the “War at the District” featuring local fighters against out of state competition. The war turned into a massacre for the Percy Custas stable as Simon “One Punch” Carr, Jamaal “Tyson” Davis and USBA Super Middleweight and UBA Light Heavyweight Champion Yusef Mack all won with impressive knockouts. Some of the Philly heavyweights outside of the ring also checked in for a night at he fights. Sly Stallone stopped by after completing the final scenes for the upcoming Rocky VI, former heavyweight champion Smokin’ Joe Frazier who was on hand for a book signing. Between fights, fans were also treated to two performances by rapper and Philly native Freeway, comedian Buckwild.

The Main Event

Yusef Mack vs. Tim Shocks
Philadelphia, PA Seattle, WA
21 – 0 – 2 (13) 26 – 20 – 4 (15)


Yusef Mack entered the ring with Freeway ahead of him, free-styling to the beat of “Flipside.” At that moment, I knew Tim Shocks had no chance to win this fight. Mack dominated from the moment the bell sounded. He threw combinations to the head and body and scored with just about everything he threw. Shocks was knocked down in the first round after a series of body shots against the ropes, and was bleeding from the nose midway through the first round. Mack continued to dominate in the second round showing great ring generalship and a relentless approach. He landed with ease to the body and knocked down Shocks for a second time with a big right hook to the head. The crowd began urging the referee to stop the fight by the beginning of the third round. Shocks attempted to fight back, but Mack was too strong, too fast, and too skilled. The referee stopped the fight after the third round, because he did not feel Shocks was able to defend himself.

Winner: Yusef Mack 3rd round TKO

Yusef Mack improves to 22 – 0- 2 (14)
Tim Shocks falls to 26 – 21 – 4




Najee Shaheed vs. Maurice Wheeler
Brockton, MA Philadelphia, PA
21 – 11 – 2 (11) 9 – 4 – 1 (1)

Najee Shaheed came back to Philly to avenge his razor thin margin loss to Wheeler back in November of last year and these two heavyweights provided some moments of excitement though neither fighter landed that one punch that brings his opponent to his knees and makes the crowd cringe the moment it lands. Wheeler established his jab early and used it often through out the fight. The punch seemed to inflict very little damage to Shaheed because he continued to move forward. While it may not have inflicted much pain, it was enough to win Wheeler won the first round. The second round featured more action. Wheeler worked his jab and landed two nice left hooks to Shaheed’s head. Shaheed rallied in the middle of the round landing a nice one-two combination and a strong left hook to Wheeler’s head. The third round featured a few nice exchanges. Wheeler’s jab was less effective, but he still scored well with it. The fourth round had some good early action with Wheeler and Shaheed exchanging jabs and a couple hooks. The fifth and sixth rounds were much of the same. Wheeler kept dominating with his jab and Shaheed swung wildly attempting to land a knock-out punch. The scoring went to the judges who all saw Wheeler as the better man once again, this time in a convincing manner of 60 – 54 on all 3 scorecards.

Winner: Maurice Wheeler
Unanimous Decision

Maurice Wheeler improves to 10 – 4 – 1 (1)
Najee Shaheed falls to 21- 12 – 2 (11)



Jamaal Davis vs. Joshua Smith
Philadelphia, PA Nashville, TN
5 – 1- (4) 17 – 22 – 1 (15)

Jamaal “Tyson” got his first taste of a fighter with real ring experienced and passed with flying colors. Davis dominated the fight with his speed, and Smith had no answer for him. Davis landed hooks at will against Smith, who couldn’t match Davis’ energy level and work rate. Davis knocked down Smith twice in the first round after landing several hooks to Smith’s body. Davis was like a shark that smelled blood and kept Smith on the ropes or in the corners for the majority of the fight unloading on the ribs and head. Davis knocked down Smith again in the second round with a left hook to the body. The fight was stopped one minute and five seconds into the third round after Davis landed several hooks to Smith’s head with no response or attempt to block from Smith.

Winner: Jamaal “Tyson” Davis
3rd round TKO

Jamaal Davis improves to 5 – 1 (4)
Joshua Smith falls to 17 – 23 - 1



Glenn Turner vs. William Bailey
Philadelphia, PA Chesapeake, VA
7 – 2 – 1 (2) 4 – 8 – 1 (2)

Glenn Turner was rep on the Philly circuit for putting on high energy fights but tonight was not one of those nights. The match looked like a slow dance with the partners occasionally punching each other in the side. The first round like every other round of this fight featured the two fighters throwing few punches and landing fewer. Bailey connected with a right hook to Turner’s head and landed shot to Turner’s body when the two fighters leaned against each other. The second round contained much of the same. Both fighters leaned, grabbed, and threw body shots. Turner was able to land a few decent power shots, with a straight right, two left hooks, and a right hook scoring to Bailey’s head. The third round was more of the same. The only major event of the third round was Bailey being deducted two points for low blows. The fourth round like the three before it was boring and uneventful. In the fifth, Turner was able to land four monster hooks cleanly to Bailey’s jaw, and exposed Bailey’s weakness, an inability to block left hooks to the head. Turner didn’t capitalize, however, and the sixth and final round looked a lot like the first four but Turner made the grave mistake of punching below the belt twice resulting in 2 point deductions which cost him the win. The fight was scored a unanimous 56-56 draw, an unfulfilling conclusion to an unfulfilling fight





Simon Carr vs. Christopher Edmonds
Philadelphia, PA Cinncinatti, OH
1- 0 (1) 0 – 0

Simon Carr has thrown a grand total of 6 punches as a professional boxer, 4 of these shots have resulted in knockdowns. Coincidence? I think not. Before the fight, two men entered the ring holding a banner proclaiming that Simon “One Punch” Carr is the next great champion to come from Philadelphia. Carr may fulfill that prophecy one day but he needs to step in against someone who isn’t shaking in the ring. The first punch he threw was a right hook to Edmonds head. The punch landed and Edmonds hit the canvas. Edmonds got back on his feet, but Carr knocked him down with his second punch of the night, a left jab. Edmonds, once again rose to his feet, but a left-right-left combination from Carr ended the match a minute and two seconds into the fight.

Winner: Simon Carr
1st round KO

Simon Carr improves to 2 – 0 (2)
Christopher Edmonds falls to 0 -1



Farah Ennis vs. Sylvester Golden
Philadelphia, PA Parts Unknown
0 – 0 0 – 0


The second bout was the professional debut for both fighters. Farah Ennis came to rumble and was very aggressive inside the squared circle. In the first round, Ennis scored early with two straight right hands that landed uncontested to Goldings’ body. Ennis scored again with a right hook to Goldings’ head. Goldings responded with a straight right hand to Ennis’ head. Ennis landed a straight right of his own to Goldings’ head towards the end of the round. In the second round, Ennis exposed Goldings’ weakness, an inability to block body shots. Ennis landed a right uppercut to the body at the beginning of the round and then landed two straight rights to the body, the second of which knocked down Goldings. Goldings beat the count only to receive more of a whopping, Ennis kept Goldings against the ropes landing several shots cleanly. The referee Hurley McCall stopped the fight after a right hook to Goldings head caused him to stagger and nearly collapse.

Winner: Farah Ennis
2rd round TKO

Farah Ennis rises to 1 – 0
Sylvester Golden falls to 0 – 1


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Gabe Rosado vs. Mike Raynor
Philadelphia, PA Lumberton, NC
1 – 0 (1) 0 – 4

The first bout of the evening started slow with both fighters trying to find their range. Rosado snapped a few jabs early in the round, but was unable to connect. Raynor landed the first power shot of the match with a left hook to Rosado’s jaw. Rosado responded by landing two right hooks to Raynor’s jaw in the last minute of the first round. The second round produced as little action as the first. Rosado landed a right hook that was partially blocked. He landed another hook cleanly to Raynor’s jaw. The action picked up towards the end of the round with Rosado scoring a two punch combination and trading hooks with Raynor as the round ended. In the third round, Rosado took the initiative and pinned Raynor against the ropes, landing a series of power shots to Raynor’s head. Raynor managed to slide out, but found himself right back on the ropes. Rosado continued his attack landing more power shot and stopping Raynor with a hook to the body midway through the third.

Winner: Gabe Rosado
3rd round KO

Gabe Rosade improves to 2 – 0 (2)
Mike Raynor falls to 0 – 5


If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can email Philly Keith at keithfmt3@hotmail.com

Return to www.phillykeith.com for more great sports coverage

Blue Horizon 02-10-06

Photos by Mike McGuigan

Promoter Veronca Michaels and matchmaker Don Elbaum opened the gates to Blue Horizon for the first time in the 2006 season and Philly Keith was firmly planted at ringside at Philly’s top boxing venue. There were bigger names on the card, but it was up and coming prospect Max Alexander and tougher than spit Moses Matovu who stole the show in their 6 round clash of styles. Minnesota Heavyweight Joey Abell came to seek refuge from Jesse Ventura’s oppression of pro boxing in his home state, and the 6’4” former defensive end exercised his God given right to put the bull rush on the jaw of his undefeated opponent Dan Jambon. The Junior Welterweight match up of Steve Upshur Chambers and Damon Antoine had all the makings of a classic and many fight fans took the hour drive from Trenton to watch 1996 Olympic Bronze metal winner Terrance Cauthan box the socks off of former title contender Vincent Thompson. In the Main Event, top 50 Heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers stopped by for a tune up in preparation for bigger and better things against hand picked Louisiana peach Andrew Greeley. There was plenty of action and the Philly crowd was rockin’ as usual. To read the blow by blow report click here for more.


Max Alexander vs. Moses Matovu
Philadelphia, PA .....Las Vegas, NV
7 – 0 – 1 ..................2- 10 – 3

On the surface it looked like top New Jersey light heavyweight prospect Max Alexander was matched up against a cupcake to inflate his impressive record. But if you dig a little deeper you will see that the 2- 10 record of Moses Matovu does him no justice. The combined record of his competition is 42 – 3 – 5 and has lost the majority of these contests by a slim margin. Both fighters brought their A game and this turned out to be the fight of the night. There was no time wasted showing what they were about. While there were no clean exchanges in the 1st, Max played the role of boxer and Matovu showing that he prefers to brawl. Action really picks up in the second. Max is in control early, throwing a hard right jab. Matovu forces the action and ignites a mini brawl along the corner and ropes. This trend continues and Max seals the round with a big right uppercut. Matovu starts off strong in the 3rd with hard body work. Max is landing his shots upstairs but Matovu keeps plugging away. Non stop action all round. Max is showing serious pop not seen before in prior fights but it doesn’t stop Matovu from working the ribs. The round ends with Matovu unloading on the ropes. In the 4th, Max avoids the brawl and mixes jabs and strong right uppercuts. Matovu keeps coming but eats a steady diet of jabs. As the end nears, Matovu gets back inside but Max returns the fire. The action dies down in the 5th, Matovu is winded and resorts to clowning around and throwing wild knockout punches. Max uses the jab effectively and avoids any major contact. In the final frame, Matovu gains a second wind and goes for broke. Max blocks most of this surge but a few punches do manage to land. Max takes control late as he becomes the aggressor working inside which sets up 2 big rights that land clean to his opponents head. Max puts on another surge that continues until the final bell sounds.

Winner: Max Alexander
Unanimous decision
All 3 judges score the fight 60 – 54
Saddo Boxing scores it 59 – 55 Alexander

Max Alexander improves to 8 – 0 – 1
Moses Matovu falls to 2 – 11 – 3

Max Alexander vs. Moses Matovu fight photos




Joey Abell ............vs. Dan Jambor
Minneapolis, MN ......Cleveland, OH
3 – 0 – 1 (2) ..............5 – 0 – 1 (5)

This was an intriguing match up of two young heavyweights that combined for 7 knockouts in 10 professional fights. The bout was scheduled for 4 rounds but Joey Abell needed only 1:15 to win over the notoriously tough Philly crowd and put the first blemish on Jambors’ record. You knew from the outset that Abell meant business. The former South Dakota State Defensive End is built like a monster and inside the ring, hits like an 18 wheeler. Jambor wasn’t intimidated coming out of the corner and made the grave mistake of standing in front of Abell. Abells’ first punch of the match was a straight right which would have given Jambor a front row seat if it weren’t for the ropes. Jambor whipped off the ropes and got his first taste of professional canvas. To his credit, he somehow beat the 10 count but was visibly shaken. Abell immediately went in for the kill, ducking a lame lab and put every ounce of his 250 lbs behind a left uppercut square into Jambors’ jaw. No ten count was needed for this one as referee Gary Rosato waved off the fight and called in the medical personnel.

Winner: Joey Abell via 1st round Knockout

Joey Abell improves to 4 – 0 – 1 (4)
Dan Jambor falls to 5 – 1 -1 (5)

Joey Abell vs. Dan Jambor fight photos




Terrance Cauthan vs. Vincent Thompson
Trenton, NJ .................Washington, DC
28 – 3 (7) .....................22 – 7 (9)


In the co- Main Event, former Olympian Terrance Cauthan used his surgical approach to pick apart former IBC Light Middleweight Title contender Vincent Thompson. The 1st round starts off slow as both fighters feel each other out. Both boxers trade light jabs and Cauthan shows the ability to slip away from punches. Action picks up in the 2nd as Cauthan begins to flash serious speed. He doubles the right jab and follows with a straight left. Cauthan then turns up the heat and fires off 6 consecutive shots to the head and body which all find the mark. Cauthan finishes the round circling Thompson and throwing single jabs. Thompson tries to fire back but he is Cauthan is too quick. In the 4th Cauthan concentrates more on the body, going in for the attack behind a left jab. The round ends with Cauthan once again circling his opponent landing the single shot at will. Cauthan is proving he is way too much for Thompson. The 5th is highlighted by a Cauthan right hook to the body followed by double left hooks up top. Same thing in the 6th. In the 7th, Thompson changes up and rushes and finally lands a few punches but pays the price. Cauthan is firing away all round and hurts his opponent courtesy of a big flurry at the end of the round. Thompson comes out of the corner obviously feeling the effects of the beating he took in the prior frame. Cauthan wastes no time a lands about 20 straight punches before referee Shawn Clark steps in and stops the butchery. Cauthan scores the TKO and leaves the ring to the crowd chanting “Heat, Heat”

Winner: Terrance Cauthan via 8th round TKO

Terrance Cauthan improves to 29 – 3 (8)
Vincent Thompson falls to 22 – 8 (9)

Terrance Cauthan vs. Vincent Thompson fight photos



Eddie Chambers vs. Andrew Greeley
Philadelphia, PA ......Monroe, LA
24 – 0 (13) ...............10 – 10 – 2 (6)


The Main Event of the evening featured Heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers going up against Andrew Greeley. From the looks of things Greeley hasn’t missed many meals in preparation for his chance to beat a rising contender. To his credit, Greeley showed loads on punching power although not many of his shots connected. The fight started off with the boxers trading jabs and both showing the willingness to go inside. Not much landed in the 1st. Greeley does get Chambers attention with a haymaker that might have decapitated him if it connected. Chambers is much more active in the 2nd, working the jab and avoiding the threats posed by Greeley. In the 3rd Chambers becomes the hunter and cuts off the ring while working in with left – right combo’s. The action comes to a stretching halt in the 4th with the highlight being the few left jabs landed by Chambers. In the 5th, Chambers steps it up and scores all round throwing the jabs and landing his combinations. In the 6th it looks like one of the tires in Greenley’s stomach goes flat as he throws about 2 punches all round. Chambers does a lot of work in the corner, landing at a high percentage. Chambers goes back to work in the 7th and scores a knockdown with a body shot. Greeley beats the count but takes more punishment. Greeley manages to answer the bell for the 8th, it might have been a better idea for him just to call it a night because Chambers was all over him from beginning to end.


Winner: Eddie Chambers
Unanimous decision
All 3 judges score the fight 80 – 71

Eddie Chambers improves to 25 – 0 – (13)
Andrew Greeley falls to 10 – 11 – 2

Eddie Chambers vs. Andrew Greeley fight photos




Steve Upshur Chamber vs. Damon Antoine
Philadelphia, PA ....................Akron, OH
11 – 1 – 1 (3) .........................3 – 8 – 1 (2)


It looked like top Philly prospect Steve Upshur Chamber and Akron’s Damon Antoine were going to put on a real thriller. Upshur is known for his boxing ability and in Antoine was certified tough by PA Athletic Commissioner Greg Serb as he walked to the ring. The action started right away with both fighters trading jabs at a fast pace, Antoine has some serious pop in his gloves. This went on for the first 1:30 of the fight until Upshur caught an accidental head butt which caused a deep cut over his right eye which brought the fight to a pre mature end.

Fight declared a No Contest

Steve Upshur Chmabers vs. Damon Anotione fight photos




William Brown vs. Joey DeMalavez
Akron, OH .............Philadelphia, PA
3- 1 (2) ...................5 – 1 (3)


Bill Brown was pegged with the monikor “The School Teacher” and he came the Blue with intentions of giving Manayunk tough guy Joey DeMalavez a boxing lesson. His elementary approach of avoiding the brawl and sticking the jab was enough to demonstrate that when the street corner technique brought into a professional ring, it typically results in a loss. Things started off shaky early. DeMalavez, who is built like a baby bull, was eyeing the quick knockout. He tried to initiate a slugfest but all that came out of it was holding, wrestling and lots of missed punches. This approach did win DeMalavez the first round as he scored on two overhand rights as time ran out. From the second round on, Brown, who I later learned broke his hand in the fight, made the most of limited opportunities and showed the ability to throw a solid left jab and followed it with short hooks to the body as DeMalavez fought like he was trying to escape a rowdy bar.

Winner: Bill Brown
Majority Decision
Judge Richard Hopkins 38 – 38, Dewey LaRosa 39 – 37 Brown,
Judge Robert Grasso 39 – 37 Saddo Boxing 39 – 37 Brown


Bill Brown improves to 4 – 1 (2)
Joey DeMalavez falls to 5 – 2 (3)

Bill Brown vs. Joey DeMalavez fight photos




William Boggs vs. Larry Brothers
Philadelphia, PA ..Baltimore. MD
1- 0 ........................6-17-3 (4)

In the opener, the fans that waited outside in the freezing weather were quickly warmed up by the glove heat of William Boggs who used his left jab to perfection for 4 rounds against journeyman fighter Larry Brothers. It was only Boggs second professional contest but he showed heart and the ability to learn on the fly brought about by a broke right hand sustained in the first. Boggs started the round working the left jab upstairs and added the occasional three punch combo. Just when Brothers thought he figured the new comer out, Boggs would throw the jab to the body. In the second, Boggs starts off throwing 10 straight left jabs and Brothers can do nothing to stop it. Round 3 starts just as the 2nd ended with Boggs being the aggressor and scoring with the left jab. Boggs begins to effectively mix in left and right hooks to the body. Brothers’ looks to be running out of steam and Boggs fires away with power shots but can not score the knockdown. In the final frame, Boggs again works the left jab. He follows one of those jabs with a straight right which lands a flush on the jaw. This seems to wake Brothers up and he responds with big overhand right which buckled the rookies knees. Boggs quickly regroups and used the left jab to complete the shutout.

Winner: William Boggs
Unanimous decision
All 3 judges score the bout 40- 36

William Boggs improves to 2 – 0
Larry Brother plummets to 6 – 18 – 4




If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can email Philly Keith at keithfmt3@hotmail.com

Return to www.phillykeith.com for more great sports coverage