Tuesday, February 16, 2010
ROC 28 to Feature a Clash of Titans
Usually, the first incarnation of a fight card is the best, containing therein match-ups of both the relevant and compelling variety. And usually, for whatever reason, some (or most) of those match-ups fail to materialize, leaving behind less-than-stellar pairings that pale in comparison. Friday’s ROC 28 just kicked that whole concept in the ass. Two of the toughest and most promising fighters in the Northeast – Team Tiger Schulmann’s Uriah Hall and Team Serra/Longo’s Costa Philippou – have been added to the roster, and because they’re elite strikers known for utterly outclassing opponents on the feet, their meeting could outshine everything else on the card. They are literally titans, clashing in what should be a battle of epic proportions. Thus far, no one has been able to withstand the heat Hall brings into the cage, and though Philippou has a loss on his record, it was from a close decision he suffered when top dog Ricardo Romero got sick of getting punched in the face and took him down. Folks, the chances of Hall trying to take Philippou down hover around “nil”. Conversely, the chances of there being fireworks when these two meet on Friday – the kind of fireworks that set off fire alarms and injure innocent bystanders – are high. Very, very high. ROC 28 was worth the price of admission because rising star Ryan LaFlare was taking on Justin Haskins, Louis Gaudinot was scrapping with Tuan Pham, Andy Main was throwing down with Lester Caslow, and Andre Gusmao and Brendan Barrett were returning to action. Now it’s a must-see.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Liveblog: NY Showdown Part 5
M-1 Thai Boxing's Preston Baptiste and the Wat's Nick Vaughan are up, with the venerable Kru Phil Nurse in Vaughan's corner ready to infuse his ward with the power of a thousand years of Thai warrior spirit. Or something like that. Anyway, this one is close, with each man waiting for the other to move so they can counter and explode, and if midway through the bout Baptiste is ahead, it's by a fraction of a point. Yet Vaughan clearly takes Round 4 when he traps Baptiste in a corner and unloads, and he keeps it up in the fifth. All three judges give it to Vaughan, but it was close as hell. Next: Mohawk Muay Thai rep Chris Minor, sporting a punky Mohawk, against 5 Points Academy rep Eddie Martinez. This one doesn't last too long. Martinez is clearly the superior fighter, and after dropping Minor in the second round, he follows it up with a right high-kick that knocks the Mohawk Muay Thai rep out. Last up is Rami Ibrahim against Dutchman Dave Duyn. How big of a hometown star is Ibrahim? The dude's got his own rap song for his entrance music. Despite a reach advantage and a pretty tight and seamless game, Duyn is exceedingly wary of Ibrahim, practically freezing when the Palistinian shifts his weight or changes his stance. Duyn does land, though, as does Ibrahim with his sharper hands, so it's most certainly competitive. That is, until late in the fifth round, when Ibrahim is feeding Duyn punch after punch and Duyn is doing nothing to stop it. This prompts the ref to step in, giving Ibrahim the TKO win. And that's all she wrote...
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