A Night at the Fights
BySeconds Out
Published 11/03/2006 at 23:00 GMT
By Evan Korn: Boxing culture insists we become infatuated with "prospects", these young whipper-snappers who hold the future of our sport in their very hands. They are often undefeated dynamos with Olympic pedigrees and fat signing bonuses. Other times, they are creations of a certain promoter who has invested a sizeable amount of time and money in an attempt to eventually secure a lucrative meg
BOXING 2006 glove
Image credit: Imago
By Evan Korn: Boxing culture insists we become infatuated with "prospects", these young whipper-snappers who hold the future of our sport in their very hands. They are often undefeated dynamos with Olympic pedigrees and fat signing bonuses. Other times, they are creations of a certain promoter who has invested a sizeable amount of time and money in an attempt to eventually secure a lucrative mega-fight for the pugilist. Most of the time, prospects turn out to be suspects, victims of the hype machine.
On Thursday evening at the Manhattan Center in midtown Manhattan, promoter Lou DiBella showcased three of his "prospects": Jerson Ravelo, Gary Stark Jr., and Edgar Santana.
Ravelo, a 2000 Olympic representative of the Dominican Republic, came into the pro ranks with immense fanfare, a "can't miss" tag attached to his muscular frame. After winning his first 13 bouts as a professional, Ravelo was knocked out by David Alfonso Lopez, and in less time than Britney Spears' first marriage lasted, Jerson Ravelo was tossed to the prospect scrap heap with the rest of the lost causes. After a majority decision victory against Mohammed Said, Ravelo was sidelined for 17 months because of injury. Armed with his health and the backing of a powerful promoter, Ravelo made his return.
His comeback opponent was 40 year old Detroit native Raynard Darden, whose 9-12 record included knockout losses to the likes of Fitzgerald Bruney, Dwain Lockman, and Jason Naugler. In short, this guy takes a worse punch than "Glass Jaw Joe" from "Mike Tyson's Punch Out."
2:18 and three knockdowns into the contest, referee Randy Neumann halted the slaughter. While Darden was game, he had less of a chance of winning the fight than Pamela Anderson did of capturing an Oscar for her portrayal of a futuristic bounty hunter in "Barb Wire." For Ravelo, who returns on DiBella's next "Broadway Boxing" show Apr. 20, it was one small step in the quest to shed the "suspect" label.
Stark Jr., a 13-0 Featherweight, was matched against Debind Thapa, a southpaw sporting a 20-4-1 record. Fun fact of the week: according to boxrec.com, Thapa is the only active fighter born in Nepal.
It was a relatively easy day at the office for Stark, who showed uncharacteristic power in scoring a TKO at the end of the fifth round over a resilient Thapa. Stark, who showed a willingness to mix it up, won every minute of every round, controlling the action with a sharp jab and battering ram of a straight right, which was able to find its target at will. By the forth round, the contest had turned into a ritual slaughter, as Stark threw everything including the kitchen sing at his opponent. The obligatory "stop the fight" screams came cascading from members of the audience by the third round.
Last but not least on the docket was Edgar Santana (17-2 12 kos), the flashy Puerto Rican native who has gone undefeated since 2002. His last 10 contests have been staged in New York City, which makes you wonder whether DiBella is trying to turn this guy into the Latin Sean O'Grady. Before Thursday's fight with Francisco Campos (19-6-1 11 kos), Santana's last five opponents sported a combined record of 40-28-2. Campos, 34, had lost three of his last four contests, indicating that the Costa Rican fighter had seen better days. Of course, "better days" is in the eye of the beholder
Fun fact #2: According to boxrec, Campos won the Costa Rican lightweight title in only his seventh pro fight. Do you think Campos tries to pick up chicks by saying he was the Costa Rican lightweight champ? Even if you, I, and the milkman know that title is the height of lunacy, I bet you Campos has gotten laid as a result of that belt. Another slice of life the other scribes just don't point out: if a fighter walks into a club with a title belt, whether it be the WBC, IBF, WBO, BBC, or TNA, their chances of getting lucky increases tenfold. Do you think some tasty in stiletto heels can tell the difference among the belts? And you wonder why fighters refuse to give the belts up.
Santana would stop Campos via seventh round TKO, when Campos stayed on his stool after the round. With the win, Santana does not become the Costa Rican lightweight champion of the world.
Final Note: While DiBella's prospects took care of business, none of his meal tickets looked to have the stuff of a future champion. Whenever I attend fight cards, especially ones that are not televised live, I am always on the lookout for a diamond in the rough. Most of the time, like Thursday night, you end up being disappointed, since you realize you made the trek into the big city to watch a bunch of prospects who most likely won't amount to much. Maybe, just maybe, Ravelo, Stark, or Santana will make a fool of me and grab a belt somewhere down the line. In the end, you realize most fighters, to quote the great Chris Rock, are "born suspect."
E-mail Evan with any questions or comments at NYKNICKS2@aol.com
On Thursday evening at the Manhattan Center in midtown Manhattan, promoter Lou DiBella showcased three of his "prospects": Jerson Ravelo, Gary Stark Jr., and Edgar Santana.
Ravelo, a 2000 Olympic representative of the Dominican Republic, came into the pro ranks with immense fanfare, a "can't miss" tag attached to his muscular frame. After winning his first 13 bouts as a professional, Ravelo was knocked out by David Alfonso Lopez, and in less time than Britney Spears' first marriage lasted, Jerson Ravelo was tossed to the prospect scrap heap with the rest of the lost causes. After a majority decision victory against Mohammed Said, Ravelo was sidelined for 17 months because of injury. Armed with his health and the backing of a powerful promoter, Ravelo made his return.
His comeback opponent was 40 year old Detroit native Raynard Darden, whose 9-12 record included knockout losses to the likes of Fitzgerald Bruney, Dwain Lockman, and Jason Naugler. In short, this guy takes a worse punch than "Glass Jaw Joe" from "Mike Tyson's Punch Out."
2:18 and three knockdowns into the contest, referee Randy Neumann halted the slaughter. While Darden was game, he had less of a chance of winning the fight than Pamela Anderson did of capturing an Oscar for her portrayal of a futuristic bounty hunter in "Barb Wire." For Ravelo, who returns on DiBella's next "Broadway Boxing" show Apr. 20, it was one small step in the quest to shed the "suspect" label.
Stark Jr., a 13-0 Featherweight, was matched against Debind Thapa, a southpaw sporting a 20-4-1 record. Fun fact of the week: according to boxrec.com, Thapa is the only active fighter born in Nepal.
It was a relatively easy day at the office for Stark, who showed uncharacteristic power in scoring a TKO at the end of the fifth round over a resilient Thapa. Stark, who showed a willingness to mix it up, won every minute of every round, controlling the action with a sharp jab and battering ram of a straight right, which was able to find its target at will. By the forth round, the contest had turned into a ritual slaughter, as Stark threw everything including the kitchen sing at his opponent. The obligatory "stop the fight" screams came cascading from members of the audience by the third round.
Last but not least on the docket was Edgar Santana (17-2 12 kos), the flashy Puerto Rican native who has gone undefeated since 2002. His last 10 contests have been staged in New York City, which makes you wonder whether DiBella is trying to turn this guy into the Latin Sean O'Grady. Before Thursday's fight with Francisco Campos (19-6-1 11 kos), Santana's last five opponents sported a combined record of 40-28-2. Campos, 34, had lost three of his last four contests, indicating that the Costa Rican fighter had seen better days. Of course, "better days" is in the eye of the beholder
Fun fact #2: According to boxrec, Campos won the Costa Rican lightweight title in only his seventh pro fight. Do you think Campos tries to pick up chicks by saying he was the Costa Rican lightweight champ? Even if you, I, and the milkman know that title is the height of lunacy, I bet you Campos has gotten laid as a result of that belt. Another slice of life the other scribes just don't point out: if a fighter walks into a club with a title belt, whether it be the WBC, IBF, WBO, BBC, or TNA, their chances of getting lucky increases tenfold. Do you think some tasty in stiletto heels can tell the difference among the belts? And you wonder why fighters refuse to give the belts up.
Santana would stop Campos via seventh round TKO, when Campos stayed on his stool after the round. With the win, Santana does not become the Costa Rican lightweight champion of the world.
Final Note: While DiBella's prospects took care of business, none of his meal tickets looked to have the stuff of a future champion. Whenever I attend fight cards, especially ones that are not televised live, I am always on the lookout for a diamond in the rough. Most of the time, like Thursday night, you end up being disappointed, since you realize you made the trek into the big city to watch a bunch of prospects who most likely won't amount to much. Maybe, just maybe, Ravelo, Stark, or Santana will make a fool of me and grab a belt somewhere down the line. In the end, you realize most fighters, to quote the great Chris Rock, are "born suspect."
E-mail Evan with any questions or comments at NYKNICKS2@aol.com
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