Mashantucket, Conn. - Undefeated Edwin "La Bomba" Rodriguez
(22-0, 15 KOs) made a major statement tonight in the main event,
punishing a tough, previously unbeaten Jason "Monstruo" Escalera
(13-1-1, 12 KOs) until referee Steve Smoger called off the fight at the
start of the eighth round, on tonight's special HBO Boxing After Dark tripleheader in MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
"Road
To Glory" was promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with
Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing and Gary Shaw Productions.
Rodriguez
came out after the first bell throwing bombs and nearly dropped a game
Escalera on several occasions, winning 10-8 on all three judges'
scorecards, and the dynamic Dominican living in Worcester (MA) never let
up in his first United States Boxing Association (USBA) title defense.
He won every round convincingly, showcasing his entire arsenal in the
process. Rodriguez is closing in on a major fight, if not a world title
shot, and is rated No. 3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), No. 4 by
the International Boxing Federation (IBF), No. 8 by the World Boxing
Association (WBA), and No. 9 by The Ring Magazine.
"I was surprised he got out of the first round," Rodriguez admitted. "He's definitely a strong kid; tough with raw power but easy to
predict. We want any of the top 10 guys, definitely (Kelly) Pavlik. I
wanted to send a message and I think my performance speaks for itself."
"That
was the offensive machine Edwin can be that you didn't see against
Donovan George," Rodriguez' ecstatic promoter Lou DiBella noted. "He
fought a tough kid with an iron chin. He's ready for Pavlik at 168, or
(Lucian) Bute or (Jean) Pascal at 175. I hope HBO brings us the biggest
fight because Edwin is ready to step up and be a star."
Three-time,
two-division world champion Vic Darchinyan (38-5-1, 27 KOs), fighting
out of Australia, won a dominating decision over previously undefeated
Luis "Orlandito" Del Valle (16-0, 11 KOs) for the vacant North American
Boxing Federation (NABF) super bantamweight title. Darchinyan outworked
the 25-year-old Del Valle, who is rated No. 4 by t
|
Vic Darchinyan (L) vs. Luis Del Valle |
he WBA, effectively pressuring his opponent and repeatedly finding Del Valle's chin with powerful left uppercuts.
"I'm
back," Darchinyan exclaimed. "I feel good at this weight; I feel
strong. I worked very hard. He's a tough kid. I just felt I was in a
different class than him."
"I'm
disappointed," Del Valle remarked. "He's extremely awkward. I let him
impose his style and he got his confidence early. Every time I went
inside, he held me. My hat's off to him. He was the better man
tonight."
In
the HBO opening fight, French-Canadian welterweight Antonin Decarie
(27-1, 8 KOs), rated No. 7 by the WBC, introduced himself to American
fans with a bang, knocking out previously unbeaten Alex Perez (16-1, 9
KOs), of Newark, New Jersey, in the sixth round. Decarie won the
|
Antonin Decarie (L) vs. Alex Perez |
first
five rounds on two judges' cards and led 4-1 on the other. Near the
end of the sixth round, Decarie caught Perez with a left hook and then a
right cross as Perez was rocked. Decare pinned Perez on the ropes and
unloaded a series of solid punches until referee Danny Schiavone stopped
the fight with six seconds remaining in the round. Decarie won the
vacant North American Boxing Association (NABF) title to go with his WBC
International that was not on the line.
"I
feel awesome," Decarie said after the fight. "We had a great training
camp. The right hand was something we worked on. I knew I could land
the right and once I started landing it I knew I could hurt him. I give
a lot of credit to Alex for taking the fight. This was the outcome we
expected. I'm ready for any welterweight in the world and I can't wait
to be back on HBO."
|
Danny O'Connor (R) vs. Josh Sosa |
Backed
by an enthusiastic Irish-American crowd, fast rising super lightweight
of Danny O'Connor, of Framingham (MA), put on a show for his fans,
stopping Josh "Nino Assasino" Sosa (10-4, 5 KOs) in the third round.
Now managed by Dropkick Murphys band founder and lead singer,
Kenny Casey, O'Connor trapped Sosa on the rope and unleashed a barrage
of unanswered, vicious body shots until referee Eddie Cotton halted the
action.
|
Isaac Chilemba (R) vs. Rayco Saunders |
World-rated
cruiserweight Issac "Golden Boy" Chilemba (20-1-1, 9 KOs), fighting out
of South Africa, turned in a workmanlike effort against veteran Rayco
"War" Saunders (22-17-2, 9 KOs), pitching a shutout en route to a
eight-round win by unanimous decision (80-72 X 3). Chilemba originally
was supposed to fight on the HBO broadcast against undefeated, two-time
world champion Zsolt Erdei, who was forced to withdraw with a rib
injury. Chilemba is rated in the top 15 by all four major world boxing
organizations, as high as No. 5 by the IBF, as well as No. 9 by The Ring Magazine.
Popular
Massachusetts super lightweight Ryan "Polish Prince" Kielczewski (14-0.
2 KOs) remained undefeated, outclassing Jeremy McLaurin (9-4, 5 KOs) in
an impressive victory by six-round decision.
Local
favorite Luis "KO King" Rosa, Jr., fighting out of New Haven (CT), ran
his perfect record to 11-0 (6 KOs) with a sixth-round technical knockout
of New Jersey super bantamweight Victor "The Viper" Valenzuela (8-4, 1
KO).
Crowd-pleasing
Greek heavyweight Sonya Lamonikis (7-0-2, 1 KO) kept her unbeaten
record intact, taking a six-round majority decision over heavyweight
Tanzee Daniels (4-2-1, 1 KO).
FULL RESULTS
(winners listed first each fight)
FEMALE HEAVYWEIGHTS:
Sonja Lamonakis (7-0-2, 1 KO), Turner Falls, MA
WDEC6 (59-55, 59-55, 57-57)
Tanzee Daniels (4-2-1, 1 KO), Queens, NY
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS:
Issac Chilemba (20-1-1, 9 KOs), Johannesburg, South Africa
WDEC8 (80-72, 80-72, 80-72)
Rayco Saunders (22-17-2, 9 KOs), Pittsburgh, PA
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHTS:
Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KOs), Worcester, MA
WTKO8 (0:12)
Jason Escalera(13-1-1, 12 KOs, Union City, NJ
(Rodriguez retained the USBA super middleweight title)
WELTERWEIGHTS:
Antonin Decarie(27-1, 8 KOs), Laval, Quebec, Canada
WTKO6 (2:54)
Alex Perez(16-1, 9 KOs), Newark, NJ
(Decarie won the vacant NABF welterweight title)
SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS:
Danny O'Connor(19-1, 7 KOs), Framingham, MA
WTKO3 (0:33)
Josh Sosa (10-4, 5 KOs), Kansas City, KS
SUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS
Ryan Kielczewski (14-0, 2 KOs), Quincy, MA
WDEC6 (60-54, 59-55, 59-55)
Jeremy McLaurin (9-4, 5 KOs), Coon Rapids, MN
SUPER BANTAMWEIGHTS:
Vic Darchinyan(38-5-1, 27 KOs), Sydney, Australia
WDEC10 (99-91, 99-91, 96-94)
Luis Orlando Del Valle(16-1, 11 KOs), Newburgh, NY
(Darchinyan won the NABF super bantamweight title)
Luis Rosa, Jr. (11-0, 6 KOs), New Haven, CT
WTKO6 (1:26)
Victor Valenzuela (8-4, 1 KO), Passaic, NJ
All pictures by Edward Diller - DiBella Entertainment/Star Boxing
.
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