Philly Rumblers Boxing Club

A Day with the Philly Rumblers

“Philly Rumblers Boxing Club is here to stay, we ain’t goin’ no where” head coach Javier Varela says from the gym office which sits on top of the Family Value dollar store near B & Alleghany streets. The gym has only been in existence for six month, but the Philly Rumblers squad is off to a fast start and proudly representing Philadelphia by winning three team trophies which include wins in the Golden Gloves tournament, the Junior Olympics and most recently taking the top prize in Virginia where they put together a 9 -1 team record.

Varela, who has ten years of experience in the sport, opened this gym with the help of his brother and friends to give kids from the neighborhood an alternative from the streets and to do what he does best, teach the art of boxing. He started off as a 20 year old who worked exclusively with his nephew and since then has grown into a multi dimensional trainer / manager who works with fighters of all ages and sizes. He roots for the underdog and fights to win.

The trip to Virgina was full of surprises Javier says and he can’t help but smile when talking about his kid’s performances. As it turns out, his birthday just happened to be the Saturday when they were on the road. “I couldn’t have gotten a better birthday gift” he says, but the highlight of his weekend didn’t come inside the ring. “Seven people were killed in Philly over the weekend, but none of them were my kids, luckily” knowing all too well about the evils that lurk outside of his building.

Then he quickly points out the accomplishment of Eduardo Stith who won the top prize at 140 lbs and another young amateur who with only 1 fight under his belt stepped up for his team and won two fights against much more experienced competition. He also speaks highly of Anthony Flores who has been making some noise and youngsters Angel Pizarro and Carlos Maldonado who are just getting started but have lots of potential. Pedro Diaz is another Philly Rumbler and is scheduled to turn pro against undefeated prospect Jules Blackwell in a long awaited rematch from their amateur days. Javier firmly says that this is only the start and there is much more to come in the near future.

After taking a tour of the gym and meeting key members who help make Philly Rumblers possible, the focus turned to Moises Calderon, a young hopeful who will be making his professional debut on July 24th at The New Alhambra after a successful run as an amateur. Earlier in the week Calderon took part in a training camp in the Fernwood Mountains in a camp led by Hall of Fame trainer Oscar Suarez to help one of Suarez guys prepare for an upcoming fight. Today, he returned home to prepare for his big night so Javier and assistant coach Angel Pizarro prepared for four rounds of sparring with Moises and fellow Philly Rumblers member Khalid, a chiseled southpaw who had a style that resembled a young Zab Judah.

As Calderon entered the ring, the kids in the gym asked him, “What’s your fight name going to be?” Without hesitation Calderon spit back “The Quiet Storm”. The kids immediately gave back a laughing approval. I have to agree, the nickname fits the young man who carries an “I’m cool but rub me the wrong way and you have something fierce to deal” with demeanor. The kids have fun but when it is time to work, they are strictly business and it was no laughing matter once the bell rang to start the session.

After 12 minutes of good work, Calderon showed is ready for the next step in his boxing career and has the potential to be a crowd pleaser. While both men gave and received some good punches, it was all love in the end and the guys in the gym gave a nice round of applause when it was over. “We are like a big family here” says Miguel Cartagena, a 15 year old who already holds an impressive 40 wins in the amateur ranks.

Along with the tight knit group, the gym itself is custom built and an effective use of space. It comes equip with heavy bags, speed bags, a full sized ring and a strength and conditioning area. While there are many amateurs who do sharpen their skills here, it also serves as a workout spot for professionals in out area. “This is what Philly boxing is all about right here” says Khalid. “We have had Mike Jones, Kaseem Wilson come through here, they are some true Philly fighters who can knock people out”.

They have a blue collar approach at The Philly Rumblers. When you walk in, you see fighters pounding away on the heavy bag, you hear trainers yelling out instructions, it’s hot but you still hear the sounds of the mitts popping and speed bag rattling.

While you don’t have to be a top name to join, there is one certain characteristic needed to make it here. “If you want to be a Philly Rumbler you gotta be tough, we can’t teach heart here” Javier tells us. With that being said, The Philly Rumblers Boxing Club is open to adding new members if you are willing to learn and also welcome sponsorship opportunities. In a city that is getting headlines for all the wrong reasons, this is one of its bright spots that is helping build a better community. For more information on how to join or contribute, contact Javier Varela at 215-520-6954


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

Go to http://www.phillykeith.com/ for up to the minute info on the Philly boxing scene

Brunelli breaks the cycle at the Armory 08-03-07

Click here to comment on the fights!

Greg Robinson and the Power Productions team returned to the National Guard Armory this past Friday with highly competitive 8 fight card put together by matchmaker Ty McNeil. Headlining the card was Northeast Philly based Heavyweight Dave Brunelli who was fresh off a televised win at the Blue Horizon, taking on Mike Jones of Michigan and now looking to push forward towards a shot at the PA State Heavyweight title. Headlining at the Armory has not been an easy take lately as the last three main events have all lost but Team Brunelli was confident that they would break the cycle. The co-feature showed the return of middleweight "King" Gabriel Rosado who came into the ring with something to prove after dropping his last fight. He wasn't going in soft, his assignment was Daniel Hicks who has been around here before to give some of Philly's best middleweights a tough night of work. Rising Jr. Middleweight Tyric "Too Sweet" Robinson looked to make it 4 wins in a row against Mike Mendez of Puerto Rico who has been traveling the country to fight the up and comers in the division. Light Heavy Tommie "Big Poppa" Speller is a fighter who likes to dress sharp and knock people out. He was set to take on his most experienced opponent to date in Antonio Baker who has been knocked out by the likes of Jermain Taylor, Peter Manfredo and Chad Dawson. This one got interesting really quick. Farah Ennis returned to the ring after more than a year off but showed zero ring rust in his fight against Derreck Buchannan who has become a regular on the Power Productions cards. Hammerin’ Hank Lundy once again took on an opponent who has lost to a laundry list of big names. Tonight it was Andre Baker whose career L's include Kermit Cintron, Paulie Malinaggi and Demetrius Hopkins to name a few. Cruiserweight Tim Johnson is getting a name as a guy who comes to fight every time out and this one was no different as he and Tommy Washington Jr wasted no time getting into it. The Khalil Farrah vs. Phil Hinklin was a rematch of what was a really bad fight a year ago. But that was then and now Billy Briscoe has taken Khalil under his wing, sharpened him up and helping him become a more fundamentally sound fighter. Would Khalil avenge his first career loss or would Hinklin double up against his only career win? Scroll down to find out exactly how it went down at The National Guard Armory.

Heavyweight Division
Dave Brunelli.....vs.....Mike Jones
Philadelphia.............Michigan
7 - 2 (3ko's)............6 - 10, (2ko's)

The main event of the evening was a heavyweight battle putting Northeast's hottest ticket Dave Brunelli against Mike Jones of Michigan who has been one of the busiest heavyweights in all of boxing this year. Jones was a big load coming in at 285 lbs but was surprisingly nimble and had good hand speed for a guy his size. Brunelli on the other showed that he has consistently been in the gym coming it at 218.

In the early going Brunelli moved carefully, working his jab and would also slip in a straight right as Jones tried to move forward to smother his smaller foe. Most of the fight through three rounds took place in the center of the ring with Brunelli landing up top and also putting some leather to Jones mid section. Despite the obvious size advantage, Brunelli was able to hold his ground when both men got in the trenches. Jones best weapon was a sneaky counter left hook upstairs that found its mark more than once although they didn’t have much of a lasting effect. The action was steady through 3 rounds with Brunelli doing more work and landing better punches to win the rounds. Jones had a slight advantage in the 4th, the action slowed down a bit in this round with Jones finally able to find a way to use his weight to get Brunelli along the ropes and work the mid section and slip in that left hook.

As the fight came down the stretch, the hundreds fans wearing the Team Brunelli tee shirts rallied behind their guy chanting "D.J., D.J". The Armory was rockin' and Brunelli stepped his game up firing off two and three punch combo's to the head from the outside and doing the same to the mid section when Jones would try to bully his way forward. Near the end of the fight a big right hand sent Jones mouthpiece flying out. Luckily for Jones, the ref had to call a time out which gave him some recovery time. The fight went to the score cards and they read 60 - 54, 59- 55 & 58 - 56 all in favor of Dave Brunelli who improves to 8 - 2 with 3ko's

Click here to comment on this fight









Middleweight Division
Gabriel Rosado....vs.....Daniel Hicks
Philadelphia.............Michigan
6 - 2, 4ko's.............4 - 3, 2ko's

After only 7 pro fights, "King" Gabriel Rosado found himself at a bit of a crossroads in his young career. The 21 year old middleweight from North Philly has the tools to make a serious run but has lost 2 of his last 3 fights. A big win was needed to get back on track and on this night he was reunited with his former trainer Billy Briscoe to get the job done. His opponent Daniel Hicks is no slouch and has slugged it out and gone the distance with a couple of the best middleweights in our area.

The first round was a solid one from Rosado who used his jab, circled and put together combinations at a steady rate while avoiding Hicks who looked to return fire. The second round was a leather fest as Rosado stayed in the pocket to trade with Hicks who was more than happy dish out some punishment of his own. After a full minute of give and take action that had the crowd screaming, Rosado landed a big hook to the liver area, sending Hicks to the canvas. Hicks beat the 10 count with about a minute to go and Rosado looked for the kill, going right back to the body with hooks that had some steam behind them. Hicks was visibly hurting but he didn't run or hide and fired back more combinations to Rosado's head and was able to escape the round.

The pace slowed down a bit in the third round as Rosado showed off a couple of his dance moves and then throw some pot shots in Hicks face as the Michigan man came forward, signaling that he wanted to fight. That non-sense stopped when Hicks was able to get Rosado into the corner and land some hard punches. Rosado took them well and went back to firing off a left jab followed by a hard straight right and finishing with a hook to the body.

Rosado's power was evident in the 4th when he landed a right that most likely broke Hicks nose. The sign of blood actually made Hicks work harder and both men continued to exchange punches in the middle of the ring as Hicks wore the Crimson Mask. The crowd was loving it.

While this was a great, two way action fight, Rosado was well ahead on the cards going into the 5th. Rosado targeted the face early in the 5th, first landing the jab and then early in the round followed it up with a right hook to the nose that put Hicks on his hands and knees. The ref ran in and counted to 10. The fight was over and King Gabriel Rosado is officially back on the map as one of the most entertaining fighters in our area as he improves to 7 - 2 with 5ko's

Click here to comment on this fight











Jr. Welterweight Division
Tyric Robinson.....vs.....Mike Mendez
Philadelphia..............Puerto Rico
6 - 1, 2ko's..............4 - 6, 2ko's

When Tyric "Too Sweet" Robinson is on, he is on if you know what I mean. On this night he was definitely on top of his game as he systematically broke down Mike Mendez in route to a 4th round knockout victory.

Mendez did come to win and in the early going he looked like to wanted to bait Robinson into a fight but Too Sweet was having none of that. Instead of standing toe to toe, Robinson put his boxing skills to use. He moved around the ring, threw an accurate jab, put punches together well when he had the opening. Mendez was able to land to the body in the first two but always took some leather in return.

In the 3rd, Robinson stepped it up using more footwork to create openings and by the 4th Mendez has nothing left although he did continue to throw punches. Robinson landed a combination early in the 4th that put Mendez on the floor. Mendez got up but his corner had seen enough and called for the action to be stopped.

With the win, Tyric Robinson improves to 7 - 1, 3ko's

Click here to comment on this fight






Light Heavyweight Division
Tommie Speller.....vs......Antonio Baker
Philadelphia..............North Carolina
4 - 0 ,3ko's..............4 - 7, 2ko's

As I have come to learn in my young career covering the fights, you can expect the unexpected on a Power Productions card. Sometimes it is one of those usually boring helmet and pillow glove exhibition fights that turns into an all out war. Sometimes a fighter calls out a top name after a win. Lately it has been the upsets that catch us by surprise.

On this night, crowd favorite Tommie "Big Poppa" Speller got a taste of his own medicine as he found himself on the wrong end of a surprising knockout loss. Big Poppa has been handing out some good, old fashioned ass kickings since he turned pro early this year. When the bell rang to start this one, he came right out on the attack looking to put Baker on his victim list. As he was coming forward throwing hooks, Baker caught him with a straight right that knocked him down for the first time in his career. Speller got up and Baker wasted no time, throwing punches with everything he had behind them. Speller tied to escape but got pinned on the ropes and Baker fired away as Speller covered up. Big Poppa didn't go down a second time but the ref stepped in and put an end to the fight.

With the win, Antonio Baker improves to 5 - 7, 3ko's and set a record for most consecutive back flips to celebrate a victory.
Click here to comment on this fight



Lightweight Division
Hank Lundy......vs......Andre Baker
Philadelphia............North Carolina
7 - 0, 5ko's............7 - 26, 2ko's

While Andre Baker's brother scored a big upset, Andre wasn't as lucky because he took a lot of punishment from Hammerin Hank over 4 rounds. I have to give Andre credit, he can really take a punch. Lundy was his usual self, throwing hard rights and lefts with blazing speed. He didn't land his patented behind the back hook in this one though. Other than that, it was a perfect performance. The fight went to the cards and they all read 40 - 36 in favor of Hank Lundy who ups his record to 8 - 0 with 5ko's

Click here to comment on this fight







Cruiserweight Division
Tim Johnson.....vs.....Tommy Washington Jr.
Philadelphia...........Michigan
2 - 1, 1ko.............2 - 3, 2ko's

Tim Johnson seems to be improving with every fight. Without a whole lot of amateur experience he is learning on the job but still managing to keep the crowd entertained with his all out effort.

The first round of this fight went at a steady pace with both men exchanging hard punches in the middle of the ring. It picked up fast in the second, both were still exchanging but at a much faster rate. Johnson would take one and give it right back, Washington did the same. Somewhere in the mix Johnson knocked Washington’s shoulder out of its socket and Washington was obviously in pain. Johnson followed up with four punches to stop his opponent who was in no shape to continue. Washington took the stretcher back to the dressing room; fortunately, the ringside doc informed us that he should be able to return to action soon. With the win, Tim Johnson improves to 3 - 1 with 2ko's

Click here to comment on this fight





Light Heavyweight Division
Farah Ennis.......vs........Derrick Buchanan
Philadelphia................North Carolina
2 - 0, 1ko's................0 - 5 - 2

Farah Ennis has been out of action for over a year but quickly showed the skills that have some people saying he has the potential to be better than his highly regarded brother Derek.

The opening bell rang and Ennis came out smokin' throwing hard combinations on his out gunned opponent. Buchanan was able to wiggle his way out of trouble in the early going but near the end of the 1st he found himself pinned up on the ropes and took a big left hook that knocked him out cold. No 10 count was needed but the medical personnel was.

With the win, Farah Ennis improves to 3 - 0 with 2ko's

Click here to comment on this fight





Super Middleweight Divison
Khalil Farrah........vs.......Phil Hinklin
Philadelphia..................Delaware
0 - 2 ........................1 - 5

This fight was a rematch of Khalil’s pro debut where he took a loss to Hinklin, which ironically still stands as Hinklins only career win. Hinklin looked to be in tip top shape for this one. Khalil on the other hand has recruited the services of trainer Billy Briscoe who is aiming to get Khalil's career headed in the right direction.

The first round was a solid one with both men moving forward and throwing punches at each other. The second was different; neither man had a clear advantage until Khalil connected with a looping left to the throat that put Hinklin down for the count.

After the win, Khalil grabbed the mic and gave a shout to his fans and credited his new trainer for the help on his first win as a pro. With the win, Khalil improves to 1 - 2, 1ko

Click here to comment on this fight






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

Go to http://www.phillykeith.com/ for up to the minute info on the Philly boxing scene