By Cliff Rold
Photo © David Infinite/FightWireImages.com
Boxing fans who only take their televised boxing en ingles were treated this evening to the ongoing stories of two legitimate contenders and two of the sports premiere prospects in separate broadcasts on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights and Showtime’s ShoBox series.
The early card on the evening was ESPN’s, headlined by rising Super middleweight contender Allan Green (26-1, 18 KO, Ring Magazine #7) of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Green, 28, picked up a workmanlike ten-round unanimous decision victory over veteran Rubin Williams (29-3-1, 16 KO, unrated) by scores of 99-90, 99-89, and 98-91 at the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino in his hometown. It was Green’s third straight victory since a lackluster loss to Edison Miranda in March, 2007.
The highlight of the bout for Green came in the ninth when a hard right jab dropped Williams to the canvas. It was ultimately that jab that told the story of the fight. Green repeatedly used the stick to drive Williams backward, opening his opponent up for right hands and Green’s often devastating left hook.
Williams, who was making his first start since a draw last January against hard-punching Antwun Echols, never seemed to be able to get off the blocks. His hand speed was there, but his punch output seemed far too predicated on what Green threw first. When Williams did land, it was often one punch at a time. Green continued an awkward habit of looking at his shoes when he punches, a habit on display to his detriment in the Miranda bout, but Williams was never able to capitalize.
The top of the 168 lb. class is on hold while World champion Joe Calzaghe decides what the future of that title and Green is not currently rated in a mandatory position for the division’s other alphabet title holders (Anthony Mundine, 30-3, 23 KOs WBA; Lucien Bute, 21-0, 17 KOs, IBF). He and his team will have to decide in 2008 whether they go after one of those belts or await any titles Calzaghe may vacate.
In undercard action, Lightweight Zahir Raheem (29-2, 17 KO) of Las Vegas, Nevada picked up his most impressive victory in years. It was also his most watchable fight in years, over in 1:18 of the opening frame with a devastating one-punch knockout of Mexico’s Ricardo Dominguez (25-3-2, 15 KO).
Some brief feeling out moments were all it took for Raheem to set the stage. Typically a fighter whose style can be described as jab-and-grab, Raheem went killer. A right to the body and slight push set up his foe for the single counter left hook caught Dominguez, 22, blind and left him flat on his back along the ropes. Domiguez sat up around the count of five with unclear eyes and shook his head, indicating that the shot he’d taken was all he’d be taking on the night. Whether this performance gets Raheem closer to a title shot remains to be seen.
Other ESPN televised action:
Junior middleweights - Carson Jones (13-5-1, 1 KOs) WMD 6 Jose Gonzalez (11-2, 9 KOs).
Middleweights - George Tahdooahnippah (9-0-1, 8 KOs) Draw 4 James Cook (10-3-1, 7 KOs)
Immediately following the Green decision, a flip of the remote landed viewers by proxy at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi for a spotlight look at the Memphis, Tennessee based Peterson brother, Anthony and Lamont, on ShoBox.
In the opener, 22-year old younger brother Anthony picked up his 19th victory by way of stoppage, extending his record to 26-0, at the expense of 30-year old Jose Antonio Izquierdo (16-2-1, 13 KO), a Cuban battler based in Mexico. It was Izquierdo’s second straight loss after beginning his career 16-0-1.
The bout began at a measured pace, Peterson’s every jab accompanied by a war cry of “HAA!” Izquierdo sought to work his way inside with some success early on, as well as some rough clinches and retaliatory shoulder bumps from Peterson. Izquierdo’s corner complained about the fouls between during the rest periods but, as the rounds wore on, found more to complain about in the punches landed against their man.
Izquierdo began to show fatigue in the sixth and that wear became pronounced in the seventh as he was sent to the canvas for the first time. Continuing his momentum, Peterson would drop Izquierdo twice in the eighth round, the second leading to the conclusion of the bout at 2:54.
Anthony Peterson is currently rated #10 at 135 lbs. by Ring Magazine and #1 by the WBO. The WBO titlist is Juan Diaz (33-0, 17 KO), perceived in most circles as the division’s top fighter. Expect to see Peterson continue to develop before challenging for a title.
In the Jr. Welterweight main event, someone’s “0” had to go and it wasn’t Lamont Peterson’s. Older by one year, 23-year old Lamont improved his record to 24-0 with 11 stoppages with a unanimous ten-round decision over 35-year old Antonio Mesquita (34-1, 26 KO) by scores of 98-93, 99-90 and 100-89. Mesquita was deducted a point in the tenth round for what appeared to be an attempted head butt.
The foul-filled tenth would turn out to be the most interesting round of the fight. Mesquita came out with an urgency he lacked through much of the bout and the result was some rough work from both men. Peterson landed a hard shot below the belt and Mesquita, after a rest, pointed towards his cup as if to say “You did that on purpose and I don’t believe your indications otherwise.” As Mesquita reached out seemingly to touch gloves and then decided instead to again point towards his cup, Peterson hit him with a flush jab to the face. That turn of events led to Mesquita losing his cool and the subsequent point deduction.
Outside that exchange, it was the sort of standard, steady victory one would expect from a prospect being groomed for bigger things. Peterson utilized a mix of impressive foot movement, jabs and body-head combinations to keep his older foe off balance for the bulk of the action. A presumed power advantage for Mesquita was never given a chance at proof.
Lamont Peterson is currently unrated by Ring at 140 lbs. but rated #3 by the WBO. The current WBO titlist is hard punching Colombian Ricardo Torres (32-1, 28 KO), a bout that Peterson may well be ready for before the end of 2008.
