Ringside Boxing Report: Miguel Cartagena and Jason Sosa Win in Philly
Ringside Boxing Report: Miguel Cartagena and Jason Sosa Win in Philly
By Ken Hissner and David Ruff at ringside, Doghouse Boxing (Oct 14, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
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Miguel “No Fear” Cartagena
Greg Robinson’s Power Productions returned to the National Guard Armory in NE Philadelphia Friday night with 10 bouts and a main event featuring unbeaten Philly bantamweight Miguel “No Fear” Cartagena, 6-0 (2) and Camden, NJ, super featherweight  Jason Sosa, 6-1-3 (2), in the co-feature posting wins!

Cartagena had his hands full with rough Jose “Chilli” Rivera, 3-7-2 (0), of New Rochelle, NY, who one would have thought was the local with what he got away with in the ring.  Cartagena is a fine boxer and an outstanding prospect who normally boxes but fell into a brawl at times with Rivera who was fighting the only way he knew to win.  

Referee Shawn Clark didn’t deduct any points and rarely warned Rivera for the many foul tactics he used on Cartagena from twisting his head into a punch, to butting him whenever inside.  Cartagena showed the marks of the battle while Rivera’s corner men were celebrating what they thought was a victory.  Cartagena tried to acknowledge a good fight to his opponent at the final bell but Rivera would have nothing to do with it.

Judges Alan Rubenstein and Dewey LaRosa scored it 59-55 while Joe Pasquale a little closer at 58-56 all for the winner Cartagena.  Either score would be correct in this writer’s eyes.  Cartagena came out in the sixth and final round and displayed his boxing ability going from side to side while scoring punches against his opponent.  “I tried not to get into his brawling type of a fight but he fouled so much it wasn’t easy not too,” said Cartagena.  He is trained by Javier Varela and managed by Moz Gonzalez.  Needless to say, in the east it isn’t easy when you are 111 ½ pounds to get fights.  Cartagena has a very good amateur past.

In the co-feature Sosa was all business as Clinton “Pretty Boy” Douglas, 4-5-2 (1) of Philly tried his best but had no answer for Sosa whose right, left, right combinations had him down in the second round.  In the third and final round of this 6 round bout a Sosa combination had Douglas down again and hurt badly.  It had been a 2 year absence from the ring for Douglas and too tough an opponent to return with.  Referee Blair Talmadge stopped the contest at 1:17 of the third round.  

Sosa has a good following and posted his second straight win since back to back draws with Philly’s Angel Ocasio.  He is a crowd pleaser who shows much improvement with each fight.  “I knew I had him in the first.  I felt good having just fought 3 weeks ago,” said Sosa.

Frank “Nitty” Trader, 9-1 (2), of Philly had too much of everything for Georgia (country) born Georgi Kevlishvili, 12-4 (3),  fighting out of Russia,  whose nose bled from the opening round until the final bell in the sixth. Trader, who looks more like Denzell Washington than gangster Frank Nitty, showed very good footwork, hand speed and smarts in dominating every round to take a majority decision.

Kevlishvili started out southpaw and switched back and forth to orthodox to no avail.  He showed a lot of heart in being the aggressor with blood splattered all over him.  Trader would not let his opponent trap him in a corner or on the ropes until the sixth and final round when Kevlishvili had his biggest round but still wasn’t enough to take it.  The judges all had different scores as Pasquale scored it 59-55, Rubenstein 58-56 and LaRosa 57-57 giving Trader a majority decision win.  Clark was the referee.  DHB had it 60-54 Trader who was fighting in his hometown for only the second time.  He was coming off a disputed loss in his last fight.

Emmanuel “Tranzformer” Taylor, 15-1 (10), of Edgewood Arsenal, MD, returned to the ring after losing for the first time some 11 months ago.  His last minute opponent was Dominican George “El Terrible” Sosa, 6-1 (6), of NJ, whose previous 6 opponents had an overall record of 3-59-2.  The smaller Taylor held his hands high while taking some good left hooks and looping rights from Sosa.  

Taylor started opening up more in the second round showing much respect to Sosa.  By the third round Taylor was landing a vicious body shots.  Sosa had the look of a surprised fighter when Taylor was not falling.  This was not the same fighter this writer saw in the amateurs but a less busy one.  His father was noticeable missing from the corner.  “I hurt my left hand along the way,” said Taylor.

Tim Witherspoon, Jr., 8-3-1 (2), seemed to take the first round and then it was down hill from there on in this 6 round light welterweight match-up.  Ramon Ellis, 4-7-2 (2), was coming off a first round knockout and looked the stronger of the two.  Both Philly boxers gave it their all for 6 rounds.  

Witherspoon had no power to keep Ellis at a distance.  He kept finding his way to the ropes with Ellis landing crushing blows to the body.  Former IBF light middleweight champion Rob “Bam Bam” Hines, kept yelling from ringside to “stay off the ropes”.  Judges Rubenstein and LaRosa had it for Ellis while Pasquale had it 58-56 for Witherspoon for a split decision win for Ellis.  Talmadge was the referee.  DHB had it 59-55 for Ellis.

Saud “Kid Grady” Clark, 2-1 (2), and Greg Jackson, 2-0 (1), both out of Philly in a 4 round welterweight match seemed to do more posing than fighting.  Clark certainly won the first 2 rounds with a jab to the stomach.  Suddenly in the third round Jackson reaches Clark with a right hand dropping him as both fighters were throwing punches.  Clark was trying to survive by holding on.  While backing away from Jackson it looked like a push followed by a punch along the ropes that dropped Clark again.  Before he hit the canvas the referee Clark waved it off at 2:33 of the third round.

Jackson’s corner men jumped into the ring knocking their fighter down.  While Clark was put on a stool his trainer Angel Garcia (father/trainer of WBC & WBA Super light welterweight champion) was standing next to his fallen fighter.  Suddenly Executive Director Greg Sirb got into the ring and both he and Garcia were seen exchanging words.  Before you knew it Garcia left the ring and was escorted out by a security guard.  “Get your M…F… ass out of the ring” Garcia claimed Sirb told him.  “I told him “Don’t talk to me like that you M…F…, I’m a grown man,” said Garcia.  Promoter Robinson stopped Garcia on the way out and directed him to the stands for the remainder of the show.  “I was standing next to my fighter not saying a word when Sirb approached me,” said Garcia.  This writer has learned you don’t approach Sirb for an answer if it’s “none of your business”!

The taller boxer Joe Cusumano, 7-1 (4), of Virginia Beach, VA, was rocked by Zeferino Albino, 4-15-3 (2) of Philly in the first round.  In the third round Cusumano dropped Albino twice with the second one coming with 10 seconds left in the round.  “I broke my right hand or I would have stopped him,” said Cusumano.  His hand was swollen.  Rubenstein and LaRosa had it 39-35 while Pasquale 38-36 all for the winner, Cusumano, in this heavyweight 4.  Cusumano is handled by Don Elbaum and trained by Jim Deoria.  

Anthony Burgin, 1-0 (1), and Milton Lopez, 0-1, both of Philly made their debut’s with Lopez unable to come out after the first round.  Burgin was very impressive in this win and has a very good amateur background.  Raul “Chino” Rivas trains Burgin out of a Cherry Hill, NJ, gym.  He is a fighter to watch.

In the opening bout light welterweight Rasheed Estrada, 1-0 (0), of Philly defeated Benjamin Burgos, of Mt. Pocono, PA, in a 4 round lightweight match.  Both boxers were debuting.  Judge Rubenstein had it 40-36 while LaRosa and Pasquale saw it 39-37 all for the winner, Estrada.  Talmadge was the referee.

Angel Carvajal, 2-0 (0), of Chicago, IL, defeated Ricardo Carabello, 0-1, of Philly in a flyweight 4 by majority decision.  Rubenstein and LaRosa had it 39-37 and Pasquale 38-38.  Clark was the referee.

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E-mail questions, comments to Ken Hissner

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