Lee, Banks, Bostic shine on Beale Street

By Jake Donovan
Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com

Memphis, TN – Local promoter Willie Knox looked to revive an old tradition Friday night, as his Knockout Promotions company presented a night of boxing action at the famed New Daisy Theatre on the even more famous Beale Street.

The show was the first at the Daisy since the beginning of the year, when Knockout Promotions was in the midst of attempting to keep alive the long running tradition of New Daisy's Tuesday Night Fight series. The old movie house at one time played host to a fight card on the first Tuesday of every month, with shows formerly hosted by Mid-South Boxing before stepping away from the game last March. Knockout Promotions brought it back in June 2006, though only lasting seven months, with sparse crowds and financial losses temporarily putting the series on ice.

Friday night was an attempted change of pace from the traditional Daisy shows. For starters, it was on a Friday rather than Tuesday, with the card serving as an appetizer for Saturday Night's star-studded affair one block over at the FedEx Forum. Also of note were some of the key principles, including a pair of undefeated rising prospects in Andy Lee and Johnathon Banks, both of whom fight under the Kronk Boxing Gym banner headed by Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward. The reaction to Steward's presence was a good indication of how starved the venue was for prime-time talent.

Unfortunately, so were most of the fights on the card.

Andy Lee ran his record to 9-0 with a 1st round knockout over upside down Arkansas light heavyweight Clinton Bonds, now 4-9 (2KO). It's hard to appreciate a fight where one participant is world class, and the other is simply a punching bag, but Lee still managed to make an impression to those on hand. Chief among the praise from the crowd, "G*d damn, that white boy can fight!"

Fight he can, as Lee dazzled the crowd – and more specifically Bonds, with a riveting, albeit brief, display of combination punching, ring generalship and an overwhelming desire to put his man on queer street. It didn't take long for the Limerick bomber to do just that, as an uppercut set the table for a three punch combination that put Bonds on the deck for the first of three times in the round.

To his credit, Bonds kept coming forward, though it seemed to be all he brought to the table. Lee went to work on Bonds' body, before a headshot put him back down. Again Bonds rose, before eventually walking into a perfect left uppercut that would send him packing.

Official time was 2:09 of the first round.

Lee's stablemate, Johnathon Banks, also remained unbeaten, though enduring far more controversy in preserving his "0." A headbutt that was never called brought an abrupt end to an otherwise uncompetitive fight, as the Motown-based cruiserweight was credited with a third round stoppage over Lloyd "Jabba" Bryan.

Banks dominated the first two rounds, including the second round, where Bryan spent most of it attempting to find his legs. After surprisingly stretching the fight past two (most on hand figured it to end inside of one), Bryan would be shown the exit in the third. It wasn't a punch that brought an end to the bout, however; instead, a headbutt that went undetected, causing a cut that bled so bad, it required a towel serving as a makeshift tourniquet to slow the flow.

Because the butt went unnoticed by the referee, the bout was ruled a 3rd round injury TKO win for Banks, who runs his record to 16-0 (12KO) with the win. Bryan falls to 22-16 (10KO) with the loss, his third straight, and fifth out of his last six. Far worse than the loss was Bryan's reaction, as he appeared to go after any official in sight, demanding to know how the headbutt went unnoticed. Promoter Willie Knox managed to restrain his charge, thus preventing chaos from further ensuing.

Bryan and his handlers plan to file an official protest with the Tennessee Boxing and Racing commission in the immediate future.

On paper, the most competitive fight of the night appeared to be between Brooklyn-born, Memphis-based super middleweight prospect Jameson "JamieKang" Bostic and undefeated, though untested, Arkansas light heavyweight Craig Ganby. Bostic's decisive advantages in height, reach and overall skill level quickly put that plan to rest, as the 6'4" beanpole southpaw scored four knockdowns en route to a third round stoppage.

By his own admission, the fight was far from Bostic's best. It began with confusion in the dressing room, as he was still having his hands wrapped and gloves put on by the time his presence was demanded in the ring. With no time to warm up, Bostic went in cold, and looked to get Ganby out in a hurry. He nearly got his wish, when a left hand introduced Ganby to the canvas late in the first round.

Though limited, Ganby is never short on heart, attempting to conquer skill with will in the second round. Ganby had his moments, including a right hand that managed to get Bostic's attention. Unfortunately, all it did was awaken a sleeping giant, as body shots eventually forced Ganby to a knee prior to the end of the second round.

Ganby beat the count and survived the round, but could never recover. Two more knockdowns ensued in the third round before Ganby's corner threw in the towel.

Bostic improves to 11-3 (8KO) with the win, his ninth straight. Ganby loses for the first time as a pro, falling to 5-1 (4KO).

Undefeated middleweight prospect Louis Turner rolled to 11-0 (7KO) with a first round knockout win over Billy Mitchem. Having just typed that out, the bout already receives more ink than it deserves.

Joe Linenfelser, yet another undefeated middleweight, ran his record to 4-0 with a second round stoppage of Raymond Brindle. After an awkward first round which bore greater resemblance to a slap fight than a boxing match, Linenfelser went to work in the second, scoring two knockdowns, the second of which put Brindle (0-2) out for the night.

In a rare bout where both participants were even more out of shape than those covering the fight or watching in the crowd, Ray Lunsford emerged victorious with a 4 th round disqualification over "is he still around" rotund journeyman Danny Wofford in a battle of bulging heavyweights. Lunsford came forward, while Wofford postured and alternated his time between holding and throwing his arms in the air, daring Lunsford to hit him. The former earned a point deduction in the fourth and final round. Excessive holding, as well as a general lack of effort, got him tossed from the fight, just 23 seconds shy of lasting the distance.

Lunsford goes to 19-7-2 (7KO) with the win, while Wofford falls to 17-102-2, having not won a fight since 1998 (0-27 in that stretch).