Gee Culmer interview

Photo & Interview by Mike "Teek" McGuigan

Many "experts" in the boxing game will say that being consistent is one of the primary ingredients to a successful career. Funny thing is, sometimes the guy who stays on his job is usually the one who is overlooked. When you come from a city as deep in talent as ours, it is very easy to have your name lost in the shuffle if you don't sell a ton of tickets or pile up the knockouts. Philly middleweight Gee Culmer is a fighter who brings his hard hat to the ring and gives an honest effort every time out. He isn't a KO artist, and doesn't get sucked into wild brawls. Instead he comes clocks in, executes his plan and piles up the wins. After his most recent victory, Gee now stands at 13 - 1 with 3ko's and quietly has put his name into the mix of the best middleweights boxing in our region. The road hasn't always been easy for Culmer. He has been through the struggle but continues to grind away in hopes of getting that one opportunity that every fighter dreams of. After an early career loss, a stretch on the boxing back burner and the death of the man who molded his boxing style, he could have easily called it a career. Instead, the Shulers Gym mainstay stayed focused and rebounded to win his last 8 outings as he became a regular contributor to the cards at The Legendary Blue Horizon. Though his recent success is noteworthy, Gee knows the mission hasn't yet been accomplished. In this spot, Mike "Teek" McGuigan puts down the high res Nikon and picks up the pen for an exclusive interview with the man we like to call "The Thoroughbred" .


MM: Alright Gee , First off I want to congratulate you on your recent win. Can you tell me a little bit more about the fight ?

Gee: Well the fight was a very good fight. The guy that I fought he had a very deceptive record. I didn’t even understand how he had the record that he had because he’s a very, very good fighter and I had bronchitis about a week before the fight. I was on antibiotics. I had to try to mask how I was really feeling because my trainer wanted to pull me out of the fight and I didn’t want him to because I was originally scheduled to fight Joe Christy. I've been scheduled to fight him maybe two or three other times. When I found out maybe about a week before that I wouldn’t be fighting Joe, I just still went full steam ahead with it because it was too close to pull out and I wanted to fight. I don’t have the luxuries to pull out of fights, you know, because I’m on borrowed time as a fighter. I'm doing what I need to be doing and what I should be doing as a fighter .

MM: That leads up to my next question. I know you and your camp were preparing for a fight with one of Philly's best club fighters Joe Christy. How hard was it to change the plan on a moments notice?

Gee: It wasn’t hard at all simply because I look at it as this stage of fighting as the toughest time. When you’re on a level with Bernard Hopkins or you get to win a championship, you know who you’re fighting most of the time. At this stage, you have to be prepared for all things and I train to be prepared for anybody. I do my best, it really doesn’t matter whether it was Joe Christy or anybody else. These times are hardest simply because they can pull a guy in from anywhere, you don’t know too much about the guy, you’ve never heard anything about the guy and the guy comes out and he’s kicking ass. It mattered in a sense of if I would be fighting but it didn’t matter to me because of how I did my training simply because I train hard and I give a hundred percent for every fight. So as far as my training methods it really didn’t matter.

MM: Alright I just meant that if you prepared for one style of a fight being that Joe Christy isn’t that much of a mobile fighter. I mean he’s a target out there to be hit, but when you hit him, he’s going to hit you back. I figured maybe you guys were training with the fact that maybe you could probably do a little more movement and still get in what you had to get in and Joe wasn’t going to be hard to find when you were throwing punches.

Gee: Man I’m from Philadelphia man, everybody fights like Joe Christy in Philadelphia. From the smallest guy to the biggest guy. We got a guy in there he’s ten years old now he’s obviously one of the little guys and he’ll hit you back. So really coming up in Philly everybody fights that way. Even we have guys that aren't boxers that will beat your ass man. So coming out of this city man there is no light worker. I am convinced of that everyday in the gym. I was pretty much use to it and there wasn’t really too much that I did extra simply because it was Joe. I mean i'll give credit to him, yeah I know he is a tough guy but he comes from a city where a lot of guys fight like he does. So you know It wasn’t really too much of a stretch.

MM: I was just doing a little research and noticed that you fought your last eight fights at the Blue Horizon. Do you see yourself bumping up your competition anytime soon and leaving the comfort zone of The Blue?

Gee: Well let me tell you something man, I don’t want to go too far into it but my original trainer Mikey Carter passed away in December of '03 and our last fight I had a loss down at the Mohegan Sun that August. My trainer tried to get me to fight from that August until he passed away in December. So I sat from august of 03’ to august of 04’. After that I sat from about august of 04’ until almost September of 05’ waiting for a fight again. So I don’t care if I fight every fight at the Blue Horizon as long as I’m fighting because there where I didn’t get anything, I couldn’t get a thing. Not saying that anybody wouldn’t fight me because I don’t like when guys say that. As long as you’re in this game there’s somebody out there that will fight you. I just couldn’t get a fight but thanks to Vernoca Michaels and Rob Murray, I leaped up and now I’m fighting. So whatevers coming to me, will come. Its no stress for me but Rob Murray’s now in my corner. He did very, very well by me and he’s continuing to do very well by me. I just do my best and just train as much as I can and give a hundred percent every time to be ready for whoever he puts me against.

MM: Is there anyone in mind you’d really like to fight in the near future ?

Gee: I read your guy’s interviews all the time and I hear you call out this guy and that guy and I just like to give a person an understanding of what I'm talking about . When Mike Tyson was coming up, he was asking them to call out this guy and call out that guy. I can't call out anybody, simply because the person I call out might be there when I get ready to make that step up. My thing is I got to be ready for anybody. I just gotta be ready for anyone. Calling out one guy won't shape out my career to where it needs to be. I have to be ready for anybody, any guy. I always like to say coming out of Philly. All these guys from Philly I have to fight one.

MM: We’re not really trying to get you to call a fighter out. Its not that you want to call someone out. I'm saying is there a fighter that you see that your people can make a fight happen with that would help boost your career you know to help move you along a lot faster.

Gee: I really can't think man to be honest with you. I really cant think of a fighter at the moment but its my job is to look what's in front of me right now and be ready for whoever they put in front of me. My job is just to do that. I had a lot of visions and dreams before my trainer past away. I went through a deep depression, you see other guys they change their trainers like they change their draws. I had my trainer coming in to boxing . He molded me into everything I am as a fighter and taught me everything that I know. When I lost my trainer it was really like losing a father to me. I haven’t had many father figures in my life so when I lost him it was like losing a father figure. When Mikey Carter died, to me man it was like i'm surprised really that i'm still in boxing being so that he died. I never seen me moving on without him, but like I said man because of guys like Rob Murray, talking to him at midnight gave me the confidence to continue on because that is what my trainer would have wanted. The only fights I known of are the fights i've fought.

MM: For the people who really don’t know anything about you how would you describe yourself as a fighter ?

Gee: I would hope to be adaptable that’s the main thing to me man. To be able to do all things all fascists of the game. To be able to come forward and be a puncher when I need to be puncher. And be able to box when in need to box. A lot of guys get caught up in the tough guy thing. But I’m not into that, I want do whatever possible to win the fight besides doing something dirty. I want to do anything necessary for me to win the fight and have the knowledge to do that. And not just be categorized as a come forward fighter , as a boxer, or as a boxer / puncher, to be able to do anything not just be an orthodox fighter and do everything by the book. Or unorthodox like a Roy Jones, everyone says he does it the wrong way but he makes it right. Or a guy lie Bernard Hopkins who does everything by the book and the jab is right the right hand comes out straighter than ever. Or be able to throw a perfect left hook or to be a counter puncher. To me just being able to be in shape and do anything that it takes to win the fight.

MM: At the age of 32 do you feel any added pressure that your next loss, if any, would really hurt your chances to be able to fight for a world title ?

Gee: Not necessarily, I haven’t thought about that. Me doing my research on boxing, Archie Moore didn’t win he the Light Heavyweight title until he was damn near 38 years old. Bernard didn’t have his first real fight til the age of 36 when he fought Felix Trinidad. Tarver, he's up in age. Age is just something for guys to talk about on the television but its really about how you treat yourself. I've never taken a drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t smoke marijuana. I’m a home body. If i'm not at work or in the gym then i'm in the house. If i'm not thinking about training , i'm training, i'm in the house watching videos. I don’t have any bad habits even with woman. I'm not a player I don’t have more than one woman. That’s not me so most of the time i'm in the house contemplating what i have to do and because i'm on borrowed time that’s more of a reason for me to take very seriously what I do to know how like I said at the beginning of the interview I don’t have the luxuries to pull out of fights. I don’t have the luxuries of taking things for granted such as taking a drink or a puff of a cigarette or partying or things like that. I don’t have those luxuries. A lot of young guys do, they can drink, they can party because of their age they have a lot more time of boxing then I do. I just don’t do those things man, its either the gym or home or running or you know training and that’s it.

MM: Its coming up on five years since your one and only loss. To Dorian Beaupierre. Since that fight Dorian has a record of 3-4-2. And fought the likes of Kelly Pavlik. You have a record of 8-0 and haven’t fought anyone of that status. Do you feel like its time for you to get a notable fight on ESPN or HBO Boxing After Dark or something where you could make some real money.

Gee: I don’t know man I look at it like this. If its meant to be for me, it will be. I never envisioned my trainer not being here. Never in a million years did I think my trainer wouldn’t be here. Even yourself you could probably say a few things that happened in your life. That you could say damn I didn’t expect to be here so what I want is one thing but will happen to me is a whole other thing. Of course I think about making a little money. Of course I think of having that big fight and what will be the outcome of the fight. I think about all those things. I’m a fighter plus I’m a fan of boxing so I think about all those things. What’s meant to happen for me is going to happen and there’s nothing I can do about it no matter how much I want. There is an old saying “your eyes might shine, your teeth might grit" so no matter how bad I want it, I give myself a chance to get it by training hard. But whether I do ever get that chance, shit , only time will tell.

MM: After looking at both of your records since that fight don’t you feel that somebody should be saying maybe we should give Gee Culmer a chance to fight Kelly Pavlik instead of Dorian Beaupierre.

Gee: You see I know his name very well he was my first loss, ill never forget it.

MM: Do you think that you would ever want to avenge the loss that you had to Dorian Beaupierre.

Gee: I would never want to take a fight with a guy simply because he's not the fighter that he once was. I would only take it if he was still the fighter that he was. If its meant and we cross paths again then we’ll do it, if not then so be it. I'm not really worried about Dorian Beaupierre unless he’s standing across the ring from me. Then I would have a reason to worry about him. See there's a lot more to boxing then just throwing left hands and right hooks and running five miles. You got to watch tapes and learn your opponents. Bernard Hopkins made a blue print for boxing. I’m gone to follow the blue print that Bernard laid the best that I can. I may not get the success that he had but I will get some success in following in his footsteps. I believe every fighter in Philadelphia should follow Bernard Hopkins blue print. Bernard Hopkins blue print will work for any of the seven original divisions in boxing. I was what sparing with Bernard in Puerto Rico for the Trinidad fight. Bernard never said to me that I need to do this and that. I was just around him and very observant and just learned everything I could from him. It was like being paid to go to school and Bernard was the teacher.

MM: Is it safe to assume that Bernard is your favorite fighter or someone that you look up to?

Gee: I look up to him but he is not my favorite fighter. I look up to him for his dedication, his tenacity, and the stick-to-it-ness, and how he gives a hundred percent. To me Bernard Hopkins is Marvin Haggler reincarnated. Instead of M.H. its B.H.

MM: What would you say was your most memorable moment as a professional boxer?

Gee: The day Bernard Hopkins asked me to start sparing with him. Actually I have to favorite memories. Sparing with Bernard and the day he gave me my first check for sparing with him. He told me I should buy a bike. And I said why. And he said you want to save your legs. You can ride your bike just as well as you run. I took that first whole check he gave me and went out and bought a trek. It’s the same bike that Lance Armstrong had. I spent my whole check on that bike. Those are the two moments that I love the most. I go back to that story anytime anyone asks.

MM: In ending this interview, is there anything you would like to add to let people know who Gee Culmer is ?

Gee: A hardworking man that loves this city. That loves everything that comes out of this city and that has to do with boxing. As far as you guys at Philly Keith and anything that promotes boxing and the history of this city man. What we have done. The great Sugar Ray Robinson fought here; a lot of guys don’t know that. Out of this city we have a champion in every major original division except for fly weight. There’s too many places like Geno's, Pat's, and Jims serving us cheese steaks so we don’t have anybody that can make weight for fly weight. I can go on about the rich history of this city and you guys making your own mark. I love it, I love it to death man and as long as i'm in, i'm going to love to be in it. There’s a saying in a rap song that says "i'm not the captain of the yacht but i'm on the boat" and that’s how I sum up my career. No I’m not the champion, and no everyone’s not talking about me, but I’m in it and I’m doing my best. Hopefully this will all work out for me.

MM: Gee I’d like to thank you for taking the time out to go in detail about your career and your life for me and all your fans. Good luck in the future. TKO Teek.

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

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

Chazz Witherspoon knocks out Haggler, Eric Mitchell wins the IBC Lt. Middleweight title

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On February 15, 2008, new promoters came to a new town as Big Box Promotions collaborated with Fighting City Productions for a night of professional boxing at The Commerce Bank Arts Center in Sewell NJ. The build-up to this night was originally surrounded around four rising undefeated fighters with a main event for the vacant IBC Light Middleweight title. As fight night came closer, there were dramatic changes to the line-up with many boxers whose names appeared on the promotional poster ended up not fighting. The most notable subtraction was Derek Ennis who was scratched at the last minute after failing to reach the 154 pound weight limit on the eve of the fight, leaving the entire card in limbo. With less than a day to go, Eric "Murder" Mitchell, a 38 year old Philly native with a rep for being as "real" outside of the ring as he is inside of it. Mitchell who was in the midst of an 18 month layoff took the assignment on less than a full days notice, grit his teeth and got the job done preventing a potentially disastrous situation to cap off a solid night of fights in the Garden State. In the co-feature, "The Gentleman" Chazz Witherspoon looked to continue his ascension towards the world heavyweight rankings, this time against which on paper, appeared to be his toughest test to date as a professional in South Carolina's Jonathan Haggler. This one had an interesting start and ended with a loud which put the crowd on its feet. In "the womens division" Karemah Thomas and Jennifer Mollister finally had their chance to get it in as they nearly came to blows at the initial press conference a few weeks back. Filling out the card were rookies Jesus Barbosa who left his opponent Melvin McGuire looking for a new line of work in a pro debut that went horribly wrong. In the opener, Victor Venezuela of Passaic, NJ made his pro debut after an extensive amateur career which included over 300 fights, his opponent was Felix Arroyo of Philly who though only 2 fights into a career has seen and bounced back from boxing controversy. Scroll down to get the full report.


Light Middleweight Division

Eric Mitchell...vs...Edwin Vasquez
20-4, 10ko's.........22-11-2, 8ko's
Philly...............Puerto Rico

In the main event, Eric "Murder" Mitchell, one half of one of the most successful brother tandems in the history of Philly boxing, returned to the ring after 18 months of inactivity to take on Edwin Vasquez, a limited yet legitimately tough customer who has fought some of the best in the world for the vacant IBC Light Middleweight title.

Though Mitchell has been out of the public eye for some time, his skills are still regarded very highly by many who are familiar with his work. The main question surrounding this fight was "which Eric Mitchell is going to show up?" Would it be the one who in 2004 knocked out recent IBF Super Middleweight champ Alejandro Berrio in the 1st round, or the one who followed up that fight with a sluggish unanimous decision loss to Ricardo Mayorga?

On this night we saw an Eric Mitchell who fought with a lot of heart and determination. Though he was admittedly rusty, especially in the early going, he refused to back down from the fight and took everything Vasquez had to offer, most of the time responding with cleaner, harder punches to the head and body.

It was slow paced and even through two rounds but Mitchell seemed to get his ring legs back in the third where he landed his best punch of the night, a left uppercut which cleaned Vasquez clock and sent him stumbling backwards. Mitchell tried to follow up with another heavy right but Vasquez sensed danger and responded with two low blows, the second earned him a point deduction which proved to be fatal on the official scorecards. Mitchell smelled blood and landed another big shot, this time an overhand right as the bell sounded which put Vasquez on rubber legs.

Round 5 was probably the best round of the fight where both men decided to stand in front of each other and trade short rights and lefts up top at close range. This was the theme of the round until the end where Vasquez changed up and began to slip in hard body shots as Mitchell continued to swing for the fences upstairs.

Rounds 6 & 7 were pretty close and had lots of clinching but the 8th round was when Mitchell really dug deep. It started with both men trading single rights to the face as the circled each other. Mitchell put a quick move on Vasquez and landed a hard two punch combo which again stunned his opponent. Unfortunately, the right upstairs knocked out Vasquez mouthpiece which gave the Puerto Rico native a much needed rest. During the break, his brother Aaron screamed out "DO IT, DO IT!" Eric obliged with yet another murderous overhand right which knocked Vasquez silly. Mitchell tried to follow up with another big right but missed, allowing Vasquez to tie up and save himself from a visit to the canvas.

Though he seemed to be hurt at the end of the 8th, Vasquez did more over a slow final two rounds as Mitchell conserved energy to ensure he made it to the final bell.

The fight went to the scorecards and they read 95 - 94 twice and 97- 92 in favor of Eric "Murder" Mitchell to cap off a true workman like performance.

After the fight, I caught up with Mitchell for a few minutes and when asked about his inactivity, he said "I have been staying busy in the gym over this time sparring with Bernard Hopkins". When asked if there was any ring rust he said " I started to get back into things around the 3rd round but my timing was off a bit. I was able to see the openings but a couple times I was a split second too late". Aaron Mitchell also stated that "We are back now, expect to see a whole lot more of us".


Heavyweight Action

Chazz Witherspoon...vs....Jonathan Haggler
New Jersey................South Carolina
21-0, 14ko's..............18 - 1, 13ko's

In the co-feature, "The Gentleman" Chazz Witherspoon withstood an early barrage to score a 4th round knockout over a big, husky southpaw Jonathan Haggler.

As we have seen plenty of times in the past, Chazz used the first couple of rounds to feel out his opponent and find openings that would serve him well later on in the fight.

Though Chazz seemed to be seeing what his opponent had in the arsenal, he did pay a price getting tagged with some hard left hands thrown by Haggler. In the process, Chazz showed a pretty good chin by taking these punches clean and not budging too far. Haggler was winning the fight at this point but it was obvious he was starting to get tired, breathing heavily through his mouth.

The tide turned in the 3rd where Witherspoon put a critical beat down on Haggler in what could arguably be a 10 - 8 round dispute no knockdown. From the start of the round, Chazz went from hesitant to very aggressive, bullying the bigger man into the ropes and firing off hard combinations which typically ended with a hard right to the face. Midway through the round, another 3 punch combo on the ropes sent Haggler sprawling around the ring, looking done. Though Haggler was seriously hurt, he was still dangerous and threw some left handed bombs from weird angles in a desperate attempt to stop Witherspoon's charge. He needed a miracle to survive and it came in the form of the sound of the bell which ended the round.

The bell only delayed the obvious as Witherspoon continued his assault as Haggler threw more wild bombs, one of which landed flush. It wasn't enough as Witherspoon continued, this time with a four punch combo that knocked Haggler to the canvas. To Haggler's credit, he got to his feet and referee Steve Smoger gave him every opportunity to land another miracle left but it was just not meant to be. At 2:44 of the round Smoger finally saw enough and put an end to the contest.

After the fight I had a chance to speak with Witherspoon who, when asked about the early rounds said "I know I have a full tank of gas, why go to war with the guy when I know I can strategically chop him down?" "I took some punches tonight, a few more than I would have liked to but I did what I set out to accomplish and that was get the win". When asked to grade his performance he humbly gave himself a C and also mentioned a possibly April fight on either Shobox or ESPN.

Lightweight Division

Jesus Barbosa...vs...Melvin McGuire
Philly...............Deptford, NJ
1-0-1, 1ko...........Pro Debut

Jesus Barbosa was explosive in this fight as he used a crushing body attack to chop down Melvin McGuire who was making his pro debut. Just after the opening bell sounded, Barbosa went hard to the body ala Miguel Cotto. The first two knockdowns came by crushing right hooks to the ribs. To McGuire's credit, he picked himself up off the canvas twice but a third right hook, this time to the ear left him down and out at 2:10 of the 1st round.

After the fight I had a chance to speak with Barbosa. When asked if he looked to make a statement like this after coming off a draw in his last fight he said "I talk about this fight with my team and we came prepared for a 4 round fight. I had the opportunity for the knockout and I took it but we always come to prepared to go the entire way".

Lightweight Division

Victor Venezuela...vs...Felix Arroyo
Pasiac, NJ............Philly
pro debut.............1-1

In the opener, Victor Venezula showed an explosive left that he was very well schooled and owns an explosive left hand. In the early rounds he has Arroyo in big trouble, landing hard left hooks to the head almost at will. In the final minute of the opening round, Valenzuela landed another hard left hook which put Arroyo down to the canvas. Arroyo, sucked it up, rose to his feet and managed to escape the round without any further punishment.

The second was another strong round for Valenzuela and it looked like it was going to end early as the Passaic native continued to land that hard left hook. Arroyo was shaken but not completely out of it and continued to try his best.

The tide turned in the third as Valenzuela seemed to take most of this round off but still scored with a jab and occasional right. Arroyo started to come on strong near the end and landed a nice left hook of his own before the bell sounded.

Arroyo knew he was behind and decided to go to war in the 4th, staying in Valenzuela's chest and throwing punches with everything he had behind them. Valuenzuela's left which was powerful early had lost some steam and couldn't keep a tired Arroyo off of him. Arroyo gave it his best but it wasn;t enough as the final bell sounded.

It went to the cards and they read 40 - 35 & 39 - 35 twice in favor of Victor Valenzuela who wins his 1st professional fight.

I had a chance to speak with Valenzuela after the fight, when asked about this match he said "I am glad to be turning pro after about 300 amateur fights. I knew I was hurting him early, but I'll give him credit, he is a tough kid"

Jennifer Mollister...vs...Karemah Thomas
New Jersey................Philly
pro debut.................Pro Debut

Karemah Thomas won a unanimous decision over a willing to fight Jennifer Mollister in their four round female battle. Mollister wanted to brawl from the beginning but Thomas settled down after the 1st and used a jab and occasional straight right hand while circling her incoming opponent to earn the victory by scores of 40 - 36 & 39 - 37 x2

Mollister showed that she isn't afraid take a shot to give on in return, a little more side to side movement would help. Thomas showed the ability to adapt.

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

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

Lenny DeVictoria and Gee Culmer win at The Blue Horizon

Lenny DeVictoria vs. Derrick Moon

Two fighters who don't duck anybody got together to headline this card at The Blue and this one didn't disappointed. It was 8 rounds of two way exchanges as a chizzled Moon tried to apply pressure and be the boss in the ring but his offense was nullified by clean counter punching and well timed combinations by Lenny.

The fighters split the first two rounds which went at a steady pace with neither man truly gaining the upper hand. In the third, the fight seemed to take its form as Moon, the stronger of the two would try to muscle Lenny into the ropes and punch to the body. Lenny, with his back against the ropes would take a few then wiggle free to fire off some combinations in return.

In the 4th, DeVictoria brought the fight to the middle of the ring where he would do his best work of the evening. Moon would stand toe- to toe with the Philly native but it was Lenny who landed the cleaner punches and eventually scored a flash knockdown as his movement kept Moon off balance.

Moon picked up the pace after the knockdown and tried to change his look, switching from orthodox to southpaw and back again. Lenny let the fight come to him and responded with three and four punch combos as Moon kept coming, fighting until the very end.

It went to the cards with all three judges seeing it in favor of Lenny DeVictoria who improves to 11- 10 , 4ko's





Gee Cullmer vs. John "The Baptist" Terry

We didn't get the Gee vs. Joe Christy fight that was originally proposed but we did get Joe Christy lite in the form of John "The Baptist" Terry. Gee pounded away for the majority of this fight but Terry does have some spunk in him and showed that even though he is from Baltimore, he is pretty tough. Through 5 rounds, Gee worked the body and followed up with straight rights upstairs. Terry's corner man was screaming going into the 6th and Terry responded with his best round of the evening as he went all out trying to get a KO. In the end it wasn't enough and Gee won on all three judges scorecards.







Ran Nakash vs. Rey Ruiz

Ran Nakash stays undefeated with a 2nd round knockout over Rey Ruiz who usually fights at light heavyweight. It was a typical Nakash fight where the house stacked the odds heavily in his favor as he came in 3 lbs over the cruiser weight limit. With that out of the way, Nakash did do what he had to do and afetr a slow first round, he let loose in the second landed punches at will. A hard 4 punch combo sent Ruiz to the ropes where referee Gary Rosado decided to stop the fight. Hopefully Greg Serb will no longer sit idle as Nakash gets eased through the ranks. At 11 - 0, it is time to take at least a half decent fight.





The house gave the steel chinned Tex Cobb a standing ovation when he was presented his Sports Management degree as he recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Temple University




Ahmed Samir vs. Kamarah Pasley

Samir was very aggressive in this fight as he chased around Pasley over four rounds and landed a good amount of straight right hands. Pasley had a few spots where he would catch Samir sleeping and lunge in with a straight left out of his southpaw stance but overall it was Samir's energy and willingness to fight which led him to the win.





Julias Edmunds vs. Shavaris Boui

In the opener, Philly's Julias Edmunds pounded out a 4 round unanimous decision over NY's Shavarious Boui. Though Edwards was the smaller fighter, he was more aggressive, landed the much cleaner punches and even though it was his debut, looked far more comfortable in the ring.

Things got really good in the final minute as Buie looked for the KO and slugged away but Edwards responded and landed some hard rights and lefts of his own which put the corwd on their feet.

It went to the cards and Julias Edmunds won by scores of 40 - 36 & 39- 37 x2.


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

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

LaJuan Simon Interview

U.S.B.A. MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION - Lajuan Simon

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By: Charles "The Hatchet" Brewer

In a weight class, that has been defined by most as one of the “Toughest”, the middleweight division, over the years, has had its share of standouts. Philadelphia middleweights, at one particular time, could have been considered the “ambassadors” of BAD-ASSES. Sure the days of Watts, Hart, Hayward, Monroe & Briscoe are now cemented in the city’s pugilistic history, only to be replaced, by modern day standouts such as, Brewer & Hopkins, just to name a few. Another warrior looking to one day be included in this city’s rich boxing history is USBA Champion, Lajuan Simon (17-0-9ko’s).
I had the opportunity to speak with Lujuan about his upcoming title defense:

Hatchet: WHAT AGE DID YOU BEGIN BOXING
LS: I began at the age of 16 but wasn’t serious about it. It wasn’t until the age of 19 that I really began to dedicate myself to boxing and started taking boxing serious.

Hatchet: WAS THERE ANYTHING OR ANYONE, THAT GOT YOU INVOLVED IN BOXING
LS: I was watching the Hagler – Mugabi fight and after seeing how the difficult that fight was for Hagler, and seeing him rally back to ko Mugabi, I thought to myself, “I can do this” that fight, motivated me to become serious about a boxing career.

Hatchet: HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A PHILLY FIGHTER
LS: it feels good, but you know what, I never looked at it that way. But with guys like yourself and Bernard Hopkins being from Philly, it feels good

Hatchet: HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR STYLE
Ls: I’m a Pressure fighter, a boxer puncher

Hatchet: HOW HAS TRAINING GONE FOR THIS FIGHT
LS: It’s going good, although I’m disappointed that my original opponent. KofI Jantuah (31-3-20KO-1D), was changed to now Elco Garcia (19-6-9ko’s)

Hatchet: JANTUAH, ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO FIGHING JANTUAH NEXT
LS: definitely, a victory over Jantuah, will place me in the top 15, in the world

Hatchet: WHO’S BEEN YOUR TOUGHEST OPPONENT TO DATE AND WHY
LS: Levan Easley, because my jaw was broken in that fight, in the third round but even with injury, I was able to pull a majority decision.

Hatchet: NOW THAT YOU’VE ACQUIRED THE USBA TITLE, HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL
LS: It makes me feel good, it motivates me to acquire a world championship

Hatchet: PREDICTIONS, A KO IN THIS FIGHT OR PLAY IT SAFE AND GO FOR THE DECISION
LS: KO, I’ll stop him in the later rounds

Hatchet: GOING FORWARD, WHO DO WANT TO FIGHT
LS: Kelly Pavlk, Jermaine Taylor, and John Duddy whoever can get me to the top.

Hatchet: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO YOUR FANS
LS: Thanks for the support, I’ll be world champion soon.

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

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