by - Mike Ricciardelli & Cindy Capitani, Ringside,
Prudential Center, Newark, N.J. 7/11/09

Adamek Holds Onto Championship, Bobby Gunn Robbed of a Puncher’s Chance

In Newark New Jersey before a frenzied crowd in red and white, the Polish born IBF Cruiserweight Champion Tomasz Adamek successfully defended his championship against Bobby “the Celtic Warrior” Gunn. Adamek, granted a TKO, rose to 38-1 with 26 knockouts, while Gunn, who is 35 years old, fell to 21-4-1 with 18 knockouts.

Referee Earl Brown stopped the fight after the end of round 4 on the advice of the ringside physician on account of a cut over Gunn’s eye. The referee told the Associated Press: "The doctor looked at the cut (over Gunn's left eye) and recommended that I should stop it," Brown said. "I was ready to give him a little longer."

Gunn was not pleased. AP reported: "I didn't even see the blood," Gunn said. "I couldn't believe he was stopping it. Honest to God, I wasn't hurt. I could have gone on."

He could have. Although Gunn was said to be clearly behind on the judges cards, the fight was competitive. Gunn ate punches throughout the fight—but did so with a granite chin and a shake of his head that challenged the champion to throw more. Adamek looked shocked after he landed a right hand square in the fourth (along with a bevy of unanswered punches) and Gunn, although rocked, did not go down.

Like a 50’s throwback fighter, the shorter Gunn was taking two and three to land one. And land he did—connecting with a good left hook throughout the abbreviated fight.

After Adamek’s onslaught in the fourth, the fifth round may well have been a challenge to Gunn, but it was a challenge he had clearly earned—having fought the only fight he could to give him a chance at winning the championship. A puncher’s chance. A chance at which the ringside doctor robbed him.

UNDERCARD

Ran Nakash Expands Both His Horizons and Win Record in Newark, N.J.

Ran Nakash, “The Jewish Warrior,” lately a mainstay at Philly’s own Blue Horizon, easily maintained his “O” and defeated his quickly gassed, but sometimes dangerous opponent, William “The Storm” Bailey in the fourth round by TKO.

Although initially Bailey was able to land the jab and a few combinations, he emerged from the first round with a cut over his right eye. Despite Bailey’s fluid but undisciplined efforts, Nakash moved forward, connecting with both hands (and a particularly nasty right to the ribs in the second). Nakash, who has made his living training Israeli Commandos in hand to hand combat, tenaciously worked inside and dug to Bailey’s body throughout the fight, hastening “The Storm’s” passing via a left hand to the head which sent him to the canvas. It is unclear whether the referee, Bailey’s corner, or Bailey himself stopped the fight. Either way, the stoppage was merciful, as Bailey was seemingly left without gas or desire. Ran Nakash is now 13-0 with 9 knockouts while Bailey is 10-17-2 with 5 knockouts.

Kaseem Wilson Backpedals His Way to a Loss.

Henry Crawford won a unanimous decision over Kaseem Wilson, who won only one round on one judge’s card. It is unclear what Wilson was attempting to do as he backpedal’d throughout the fight and failed to throw punches in a meaningful way. Besides quick backward movement, Wilson barely did enough to register as alive; and after eight rounds I questioned my own pulse.

Crawford, by default, was the aggressor throughout the fight. As Wilson was only the second southpaw he had ever faced, the first round seemed to be one of tentative adjustment for Crawford, who fights out of Paterson NJ and still works the night shift at Foodtown. Except for an occasional punch by Wilson, the rest of the fight—what there was of it—was Crawford, who landed jabs, body shots, and a particularly big left in the seventh. Crawford goes to 22-0-1 (9) and a possible fight with Philly’s Mike Jones—if Jones wins his August 8th bout in Atlantic City with Larry Mosley—and Kaseem Wilson falls to 12-2-1 (4) and what one would hope is some honest reflection about what he’d like to do for a living.

Curtis Stevens Takes Wilczewski’s “O”

Curtis Stevens walked into the ring with a blue and white bandanna covering his face like he was set to pull and armed robbery. He walked out of the ring having strong armed the formerly undefeated Piotr “The Wolf” Wilczewski out of his “O.” It took three rounds and three knockdowns and it should have been stopped sooner. Stevens dropped the Pole twice in the very first round and once again in the third with a big left hand. Wilczewski showed big heart and rose each time from the canvas on the roar of the Polska crowd—but he was seriously pummeled by Stevens after doing so in the third; the ref showed a dangerous lack of discretion in letting it go as long as he did. Stevens looked good— very good—connecting in fierce combinations to the body and head throughout the fight. Stevens improves to 21-2 with 14 knockouts, while Piotr Wilczewski fell to 22-1 with 7 knockouts.

Masternak Defeats Aly

In a somewhat surprisingly competitive fight, undefeated cruiserweight Mateusz Masternak remained so against Naser Mohamed Aly via TKO in the 5th round. Masternak tagged Aly throughout, but Aly responded throughout—until the end. Masternak had found the range and hit Aly with three good right hands, a right-left-right combination and another good right hand that brought Aly down. He got up, but was unable to find anything resembling a safe harbor within the ropes. The ref stopped the fight. Masternak moves forward to 14-0 (9), Aly moves back to 4-4 (2).

Mama Trained Him Well, Douglin Comes Off the Canvas to Defeat Harris

Morganville New Jersey’s Denis “The Momma’s Boy” Douglin, who is trained by his mother, Saphya Douglin, got off the canvas in the first round to go on to defeat Lamar “Prince of Pain” Harris in a unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 38-37 in favor of Douglin, who fought well, coming back hard after the knockdown and staggering Harris with a left over the top. In equally hard fought Rounds 2, 3, and 4, the southpaw Douglin continued to connect with the straight left over the top, eventually cutting Harris under his right eye. Harris landed a nice series of double left hooks in the fourth round of this well matched fight, but it wasn’t enough as Doughlin took the 4th and Rounds 2 and 3 on the Judges’ cards to walk away with a well deserved victory. Douglin advances to 5-0 (3), while Harris falls to 6-2-1 (4).

The Sniper Picks Off His First, Defeats Miles

Delen “The Sniper” Parsley of Brooklyn, NY, who made his pro debut in the Junior Middleweight division, defeated Tyrone Miles of Camden, NJ.

After a tentative first round, Miles connected well to Parsley’s body in the second, but The Sniper responded with a good left hook to Miles’ body and a right hand upstairs. In the third, Parsley, who had not been using his height advantage much in the fight, took a step back and connected with a hard right hand. Parsley then landed on Miles in the corner, ending the round with a good stiff right over the top. In the fourth round, Parsley landed a series of rights, bringing Miles to a knee and the referee’s stoppage at 1:47 of the round. Parsley is 1-0 (1) and Miles is 1-1.