Harry Yorgey vs. Alfredo Angulo on HBO November 7th!

Talk about it on the forum http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=889.msg6745;boardseen#new

There is a morsel of good news to share in an otherwise very dead Philly boxing scene and that is Harry Joe Yorgey (22-0-1, 10ko's) hits the big time on November 7th as he is signed for a Jr. Middleweight showdown against Mexico's Alfredo Angulo (16-1, 13ko's) in the opening bout for HBO World Championship Boxing. Like the old saying goes, gotta take a big risk to get a big reward and the winner of this is almost certain to land a world title shot in their next bout.

Yorgey, a former #1 on the Philly Keith Sports local pound for pound list has impressed in his last two outings, both of which were televised on national TV. In his latest effort he impressively TKO'd Ronald Hearns live on ShoBox which cemented his name as a player in the 154 lb division. As he has climbed the ladder, his opponents have gotten tougher and once again I am here to report that Yorgey will face his toughest foe to date. As usual there are mixed feelings on where the Bridgeport native belongs amongst the divisions elite. Regardless of your stance, he is taking his shot and going against one a fierce customer who is known to do damage. I can assure you he will go into this with the mindset of leaving a winner.

Angulo, a 2004 Olympian, is fresh off a 2nd round stoppage win over the well regarded Gabriel Rosado and looks to get his name back to the very top of the divisions list. He will bring a fire that Yorgey has yet to see as a pro. Boxing will be the key here as Angulo is a bit of a one trick pony with his bread and butter is pressure. Make no mistake, that one attribute is fierce and banging with him would be a big mistake. Yogey is known to keep his cool and will turn up the pressure at the right times so this will be a benefit.  The main even of the evening will be Chad Dawson vs. Glen Johnson II. More to come but this could turn out to be a very entertaining matchup.

Banner Promotions and Gary Shaw will co-promote the event which will take place in Hartford Connecticut.

Chazz Witherspoon to fight in Mississippi 8/29/09

A year ago, St. Joe's grad Chazz Witherspoon (25-1, 17ko's) was mentioned in the conversation of "Best American Heavyweight Prospect". A loss to Chris Arreola sent him to the back of the line. "The Gentleman" has won his last 3 fights and he looks to make it 4 in a row this Saturday in a stay busy fight in Mississippi. Another TV shot isn't far away, he could be a dangerous sleeper if taken lightly...

Anthony Thompson pulls out of the Brewer rematch, says he is retired!

In a weird turn of events. Anthony "The Messenger" Thompson pulled out of his fight against Grady Brewer with less than a week to go saying he is retiring from boxing. Speculation has run rampant from an eye injury to not wanting the fight Brewer to just no longer being motivated to fight anymore. 

Attempts to reach Team Thompson were unsuccessful. Bernard Fernandez put together an article on the topic for the Philly Daily News http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/columnists/20090901_Bernard_Fernandez__Thompson_s_retirement_from_boxing_draws_criticism.html 

Have we seen the last of The Messenger"? Stay tuned... 

Salem, NJ show 8/14/09 has been canceled!

Talk about it on the forum http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=867.0

The Dungeon Warriors / Bionic Bull Promotions card written about earlier this week featuring Hank Lundy and Derek Ennis has been canceled for 8/14/09. The official reason was "faulty bond paperwork". The weigh-in did go as planned the day before. Either way, I am told that a make up date will be announced. Check the forum for more info

Mike Jones has 10 rounds of target practice, but is injured in win Jamaal Davis gets a hard earned win @ Bally's

Talk about it here on the forum http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=878.msg6539#msg6539

photos by Mike "Teek" McGuigan

In a bout that was billed at ringside as "Jones versus The Volcano" MJ wasn't faced with a bubbly fire of molten lava, instead he was the one who ruptured as he exploded on Lenin "The Volcano" Arroyo with rights and lefts over the 10 round distance en route to a unanimous decision win at Bally's Casino in Atlantic City. It wasn't Jones (18-0, 15ko's) best performance, there were times where he looked bored and others times where he played to the crowd. On the plus side, he displayed patience, when he jabbed it was sharp and put his combinations together very well. Make no mistake, he dominated this fight from start to finish. Jones energy level was still high even at the end of the fight so the gas tank definitely was fueled with diesel. He also used the opportunity to shake off some rust as he has only fought 5 complete rounds in the past year coming into this match-up.

Some felt that he should have gotten rid of Arroyo, some thought the fight should have been stopped by the corner or ref after 6 but I will give the shifty Costa Rican his credit, even with no hope of winning, he earned every cent of his pay by trying his best, absorbing some vicious upper cuts and never giving the indication that he wanted to pack it up. With that said, Lenin Arroyo's body will be feeling the sharp stings of a Mike Jones blow for some time. Jones continues his reign as the top local attraction in town who deserves his world ratings. The final scores were 99-91 x 2 and 98- 92, I had it a clean sweep at 100 - 90 for Jones who made the third successful defense of his NABA Welterweight title. Enough with these journeyman types, let's see Jones knocking off some prospects and contenders!

In a note of misfortune, it was diagnosed shortly after the fight that Jones has suffered a pinched nerve in his neck which robs him of any strength in his tricep. This injury has shelved the idea of a September 24th grand finale show at the Spectrum. Jones will be reexamined in 3 weeks and doctors speculate more of a November return. Peltz Boxing hopes the symbolic sports temple on South Broad street is still standing at that time so they can put on what was expected to be one last classic night at the fights in a building that produced some of the best ever in this town. With the wrecking ball scheduled to hit the Spectrum on Oct 31, it is not looking good...

As predicted, Jamaal "Da Truth" Davis and Manuel Guzman went toe to toe and produced the fight of the night in their 6 round Jr. Middleweight contest which Davis won by unanimous decision. In the beginning, we saw the Jamaal Davis of old, storming out of the corner and dishing out an old school case of ass whoop. Davis got right in Guzman's chest and fired off hard hooks to the both rib cage areas, overhand rights and overall was just a mean bully in the first two frames. But the tide started to shift as the fight wore on. Guzman, a noted tough guy found an opening late in round 3. While working inside, Davis kept leaving his left down and Guzman started to take advantage by continuously connecting with hard overhand rights upstairs. Guzman landed real some bombs in rounds 4 and 5 as Davis kept on his attack. There was also a spot where it looked like Davis was going to stop Guzman in the 4th. The crowd loved it and the fight hung in the balance down the stretch. In the final round Davis conditioning advantage came into play as he was still ready to rock while Guzman slowed down. Davis activity and pressure in round 6 won him the round and likely won him the fight. The final score cards read 58 - 56 x 2 and 60 - 54 all in favor of Davis. The official that scored the fight 60 - 54 should be fired ASAP! 58-56 is much more accurate. Either way excellent fight and the best showing for Davis in some time.

In other action

Ronald Cruz and Julias Edmunds continuously exchanged blows at short range for 3 round until a cut in Edmunds ear caused the doctor to stop the fight between rounds. Edmunds corner was fuming but Cruz told them "I'll see you again". This was breaking down into a very good fight and a rematch is definitely in order. This goes in the books as a TKO3 win for Cruz who improves to 6-0.

Frankie Trader boxed masterfully for 3 rounds but as the fight went to the second half, it looked like Francisco Palacios was chasing him with a chainsaw as the Connecticut brawler turned the tide and put on a pressure that had Trader befuddled. Good fight with the momentum making a drastic change. Trader got the nod on the scorecards unanimously.

Josh Mercado had a good showing in his pro debut as he won a unanimous decision over Terrell Boggs.

Ryan Carson won his pro debut with a come-from-behind, one punch TKO over Osnel Charles in the 2nd round.

Jerson Ravelo and Willis Locket brought the boo birds out early in what amounted to a flat out stinker of a co-main event. Ravelo won by unanimous decision.

Hank Lundy to fight in Salem, NJ tonight!

The link will bring you to a recent Lundy interview and also let you comment on this fight.http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=867.0

South Philly Lightweight "Hammerin" Hank Lundy (14-0-1, 8ko's) returns to the ring tonight for a 6 round tune up against journeyman Gary Bergeron (10-4-1, 6ko's) of Louisiana in Salem NJ on 9/14/09. After Lundy cleans up this business, he says that a USBA title shot is coming his way in September. He has called out everyone who has a name and has done well on TV, let's see who comes up next because a big fight should be around the corner for this rising prospect.

Derek Ennis and Victor Vasquez will not participate in this card as was indicated earlier.

The card will be brought to you by Dungeon Warriors & Bionic Bull Promotions

Danny Garcia's 8/14/09ESPN Fight canceled!

Talk about it on the forum here http://phillykeith.com/fightforum/index.php?topic=897.0

Danny Garcia's team wasn't swift enough to find a suitable opponent for his 8/14/09 co-feature bout so work coming from ESPN head quarters is that his fight has been canceled. Garcia's management has made a habit of waiting until the last minute for an opponent. This time it cost a valuable TV date just as ESPN FNF gets ready to wrap up it's season . With that said, Young Swift has a powerhouse team behind him so you will end up seeing him somewhere soon.

Angulo KO's Rosado in 2 on ESPN

"King" Gabriel Rosado looked very sharp for the first 4.5 minutes of the bout but one punch changed it all as Alfredo Angulo landed a stunning right midway through the 2nd round which changed the course of the fight. Rosado would go down three times before the referee stopped it as amazingly Rosado seemed able to continue.

Tough loss but expect to see Rosado back in the mix soon taking on another contender or prospect in the 154 lb division.

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