Amir “Hardcore” Mansour: Making Up for Lost Time

Amir “Hardcore” Mansour: Making Up for Lost Time

By Ken Hissner, Doghouse Boxing (Feb 24, 2011) Doghouse Boxing
-

The first time this writer saw Amir “Hardcore” Mansour, 11-0 (8), enter the ring last August I thought “Marvin Hagler” came back to the US as a heavyweight! It had been 9 years since his last fight stopping Fabian Garcia, 18-15-1, at the Sands Casino Hotel, in Atlantic City, in the 1st round!

Mansour is a “young” 38 with a build like the marvelous one except coming in around 220. It was now 2010, not 2001. In the corner was his opponent career Army Sgt. Samuel Brown, 4-6-2, from Ft. Campbell, KY. Brown had appeared at the Legendary Blue Horizon in Philadelphia 4 times and was good trial horse for Mansour after the long “lay-off” from the ring. Brown had gone the distance with unbeaten Ran Nakash and lost a majority decision to then 43-4 Keith McKnight. This would be Brown’s seventh unbeaten opponent in eleven fights.

The Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, in Dover, DE, crowd were anticipating a knockout like they normally do with heavyweights. It was scheduled for 6 rounds as the bald, bronze muscular body of Mansour’s was over anxious in the beginning and his timing was off as expected. It only took a little over a round to “get the rust off”.

In the second round referee Vic deWysocki had to hold Mansour back in the middle of the ring. He was eager to get done what he had envisioned for 10 long years. An overhand left from Mansour found its mark stunning Brown. Several wild misses followed by Mansour as Brown now kept his hands held higher.

Brown came back with a lead right of his own to let Mansour know he was in to win. Suddenly Mansour landed a double left hook and Brown went down to a knee. Upon rising Brown was met by Mansour who landed a devastating right hook dropping Brown flat on his face. Referee deWysocki didn’t bother to count as the crowd went wild as the EMT’s entered the ring. It was over at the 1:31 mark of the second round.

Next opponent at the same Dover Downs in December was Joseph Rabotte, 9-15-1, coming in at 258 to Mansour’s sculptured 218. For 2 rounds the right hooks of Mansour were putting welts on the body and face of Rabotte who would smile through the pain. Rabotte had just come off a win over Taurus Sykes, 25-5-1, and fought a draw with Hector Ferreyro, 20-8-1, and defeated Kevin Burnett, 13-2-1. The question is was he ready for Mansour?

In the third round what seemed like the first left thrown by Mansour drove Rabotte into the ropes and down with the fans cheering wildly. As Rabotte struggled to beat the count the referee Gary Rosato waved it off at the 1:04 mark of the third round.

In Mansour’s corner are veteran trainers Howard “Mose” Mosley and assistant Tommy Barnes, a former southpaw featherweight. His manager is Keith Stoffer. “He’s (Keith) like my father. He stuck by me. He’s my best friend,” said Mansour. Stoffer has been around the Delaware fight game for many years. He once managed this Friday’s main event boxer Mike “No Joke” Stewart who Mansour will appear under in an 8 rounder at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino.

Mansour trains out of the Joe Hand Gym in Philadelphia and fights out of Wilmington, DE. “Going back before turning professional in 1997 I went to the Nationals in Marquette with John Thornton as my trainer. Keith (Stoffer) was there from the start,” said Mansour.

This Friday at the Dover Downs Casino Mansour will meet Puerto Rico’s Alexis Mejias, 11-6 (5), now out of Paterson, NJ. At 6:04 Mejias has been in with Chazz Witherspoon, Derric Rossy, Bowie Tupou and unbeaten Tor Hamer all in 2010. In September he stopped unbeaten Kimdo Bethel Boykin. This will be a much bigger test for Mansour as long as it lasts. There’s a saying Mansour has for his opponents. “Night, night”! Don’t go to the rest room on this one!

NEW: Follow Doghouse Boxing on FaceBook!
For more Boxing News 24/7 and so much more...
visit our homepage now!