Joey Spina squeaks by David Whittom!
By Vikram Birring (April 7, 2008) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © Mary Ann Owen)  
On Friday, April 4, 2008, Joey Spina was supposed to walk through his opponent, David Whittom of Canada in front of a partisan Providence crowd. Instead, he ended up in the fight of his life against a determined opponent, and won by the slimmest of margins.

Whittom, 10-6-1 (6), won the first round, and a surprised Spina, 22-1-1 (15), discussed this with his corner during his sixty second resting period. Whittom showed more technical boxing skill, but occasionally Spina shook up
Whittom’s world with powerful, looping punches. At the end of the second round, Spina’s shots wobbled Whittom, stealing what would have been a Whittom round.

In the fourth round, Spina struck again, landing a destructive combination that not only knocked down Whittom, but also opened up a gruesome cut over his right eye. The cut bothered Whittom for the rest of the fight, as he tried to wipe the blood away with his right glove again and again. Still, Whittom fought to win, and in the fifth he landed a strong jab usually followed by a precisely placed right cross over and over, sending Spina’s eyes to the back of his head.

The sixth round seemed to be key, but neither fighter clearly took the round, leaving the outcome in the hands of the judges, literally. The scores were as close as could be: 58-56 Spina, 57-56 Whittom, and 57-56 Spina. Just as was the case when Manny Pacquiao defeated Juan Manuel Marquez three weeks ago, the knockdown made the difference.

Questions or comments,
e-mail
Vikram at: vikram.birring@mail.utexas.edu

New Doghouse Boxing News RSS Feed Get News Updates on your Desk Top







© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2008