Broadway Boxing Recap

Dibella Entertainment's "Broadway Boxing" series returned to Manhattan's Roseland Ballroom Wednesday night, raising money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. All proceeds from the show were donated to the American Red Cross. It was a thrilling card with many rising prospects and contenders showcasing their skills.

The main event featured light heavyweight contender Will Rosinsky (17-2, 9 KO's) versus Otis Griffin (24-11-2, 10 KO's). Rosinsky, 27, outpointed Griffin, 35, in a close affair via ten-round unanimous decision by official scores of 97-93 and 96-94 twice on the three ringside judges' scorecards. The bout was Rosinsky's first since dropping a ten-round unanimous decision to Kelly Pavlik earlier this year. The defeat was Griffin's fifth in his last six bouts.

Rosinsky used superior lateral movement to stay away from the taller and stronger Griffin for most of the fight, although he failed to put many combinations together in succession. 


In the co-main event, Brooklyn's Gabriel "Tito" Bracero (21-1, 4 KO's) stopped Johnnie Edwards (15-6-1, 8 KO's) in the fourth round of a junior welterweight contest. Official time of the stoppage was 2:48.

Bracero, 31, sustained a minor cut alongside his left eye in round one, but managed to send Edwards, 33, into the ropes with a sharp left hook shortly thereafter. Referee Eddie Cotton halted the action in the fourth round after Bracero scored with a left jab to Edwards' face. The body language of Edwards suggested he took a thumb to his right eye.


The most exhilarating bout of the evening featured rising lightweight prospect Ivan Redkach (13-0, 11 KO's) squaring off against Brooklyn's Edward Valdez (11-9-2, 8 KO's). Redkach, a 26-year-old southpaw from the Ukraine now making his home in Los Angeles, CA, won an eight-round unanimous decision by scores of 79-73 and 78-74 twice. Entering the fight with Redkach, Valdez, 34, had won eight of nine bouts, including six straight.

Valdez easily proved to be Redkach's toughest opponent to date. Redkach held a tremendous edge in power and hand speed, although he could not faze Valdez. In the opening round, Redkach struck Valdez with many blistering shots. Yet, Valdez found a home for his overhand right, striking Redkach frequently after he finished his combinations.

In the second round, Valdez ate numerous crisp left crosses and right hooks to the body from Redkach. Valdez remained undeterred, continuing to seek openings in Redkach's defensive guard.

After an explosive round two, Redkach took a small step back in round three. Valdez momentarily stunned Redkach in the corner with flush right-hand shot. Redkach absorbed the punch and survived the onslaught that followed.

Redkach opened the fourth round as the aggressor, relentlessly stalking Valdez. Despite getting peppered with a multitude of punches from different angles by Redkach, Valdez was still connecting with his overhand right. No matter what Redkach did, he could not shake Valdez. Yet, Valdez displayed some swelling under his right eye toward the end of the round.

Valdez briefly stunned Redkach again in close quarters during round five near the corner.

In a highly-competitive sixth round, Redkach began to beat Valdez to the punch. At this time, Valdez sported a slight abrasion above his right eyebrow.

While Valdez demonstrated a sturdy chin, Redkach tattooed him with sweltering punches in round seven, leaving him with massive swelling below his left eye.

Redkach got a little wreckless in the eighth round, winging shots from a variety of angles and leaving himself open for sharp counter-punches. Instead of attempting to systematically break Valdez down, Redkach tried too hard for the knockout against a seasoned journeyman.

Redkach exhibited a ton of talent, and should be able to benefit in other future bouts from his ring experience against Valdez.       

Other Action

Welterweight contender Ionut Ion (30-2, 17 KO's) stopped Franklin Gonzalez (15-12, 10 KO's) at :11 of the fifth round with a left cross to the body. Ion, a 31-year-old southpaw, got his punches off first, repeatedly hitting Gonzalez with a series of right hooks and left crosses to the body during the course of the fight.

Travis "The Notorious" Peterkin (6-0, 3 KO's) captured a four-round unanimous decision versus Eddie Tigs (1-5-2, 1 KO) in light heavyweight match-up. Peterkin received scores of 40-35 on all scorecards. Peterkin, a southpaw from Brooklyn, NY, sent Tigs sprawling into the ropes with a counter left cross to the jaw in round three.

In a scintillating junior welterweight showdown, Mikkel Lespierre (1-0-1, 1 KO) and Cornelius Whitlock (0-0-1) battled to a four-round, unanimous draw. All three ringside judges scored the bout 37-37. 

Lespierre, a tall southpaw fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, walked Whitlock down in round one. 

A right hook-left cross combination snapped Whitlock's head back in the second round, as Lespierre's fans erupted in the audience.

After visibly dropping two rounds to the hometown fighter, Whitlock stormed back into the fight, catching Lespierre off guard with a clean right-hand shot. Lespierre recovered from the flash knockdown, but Whitlock caught him again with another vicious right-hand punch near the end of the round that sent Lespierre swiftly to the canvas.

Following the consecutive knockdowns in round three, Lespierre had enough energy left to stay away from Whitlock in round four. Whitlock did not capitalize on his opportunity from the previous round, appearing gassed himself. 

Junior middleweight Akima Stocks improved her record to 5-0, 3 KO's, defeating Marva Dash (0-2) 40-36 on all scorecards in the only female bout of the evening. 

Heavyweight Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller (4-0, 4 KO's) kept his perfect record intact, stopping Tyrone Gibson (1-4, 1 KO) with a savage right uppercut at 1:25 of the second round.

Junior lightweight Danny Calzada (5-6-2, 1 KO) upset Allan Benitez (7-2, 1 KO) via six-round unanimous decision. Official score totals read 60-54 and 59-55 twice. Calzada, 22-years-old from New Mexico, landed countless, well-timed right hands off the left jab. Calzada moved efficiently around the ring, while Benitez, a 21-year-old from Texas, seemingly took too much time looking for counter-punches, especially his left hook.

Junior welterweight prospect Maurice Hooker upped his record to 7-0-1, 5 KO's, winning a four-round unanimous decision against Cameron Kreal (2-4-2). Official scores were tallied at 40-34 twice and 39-35. 

Hooker, 23, who is very rangy and statuesque, threw whipping punches off a timely left jab and floored Kreal with a concrete right cross in the third round.

Denis Lebedev KO 4 Santander Silgado

Santander Silgado Workout Pictures

Undefeated Colombian knockout artist Santander "Cha Cha" Silgado (23-0, 18 KOs) challenges World Boxing Association Cruiserweight champion, Denis Lebedev (24-1, 18 KOs), on Monday, December 17th in Russia. Below are some pictures from Silgado's workout in Moscow.

Trout Ends Cotto's Unbeaten Streak At Garden

Austin "No Doubt" Trout (26-0, 14 KO's) retained his WBA World Light Middleweight title, capturing a twelve-round unanimous decision versus Miguel Cotto (37-4, 30 KO's). Official scores were 119-109 and 117-111 twice. It was Trout's fourth successful defense of his title since defeating Rigoberto Alvarez via twelve-round unanimous decision in 2011. The defeat was Cotto's first (7-1, 4 KO's) at Madison Square Garden.

Trout, a 27-year-old southpaw from Las Cruces, New Mexico, performed sensationally behind a consistent right jab. Cotto, 32, who started his professional career as a junior welterweight, had a tremendous amount of trouble dealing with the naturally bigger Trout. 

In the first round, Cotto attacked Trout's body efficiently, although Trout's maneuvering confused the Puerto Rican warrior. 

Trout began to settle in round two, beating Cotto to the punch with sharp combinations. 

Cotto stepped up his assault in round three, smothering Trout's shots and applying constant pressure.

During round four, Cotto continued to work diligently. Yet, it was apparent Trout presented an crucial edge in hand speed.

Trout struck Cotto with a hard low blow in round five. Cotto bounced back from the low, straight left and kept fighting at a high level.

In round six, Trout methodically backed Cotto up using his size advantage, along with a busy right jab.

The seventh round became the turning point of the fight. Trout really controlled the ebb and flow, while Cotto's punch output slightly decreased. Trout also created more angles, keeping Cotto off-balance.

As Cotto came on in round nine, Trout hit him with another low blow, although it appeared to land on the belt line. From this point, Trout's punches caused additional swelling to Cotto's face.

Trout tagged Cotto with a sharp left uppercut in the eleventh round, momentarily slowing the challenger. Cotto's plan of suppressing Trout's offense did not have the anticipated results due to the champion's size. Cotto's punches simply did not have the same effect on a bigger man.

Cotto fought valiantly in the twelfth round, but Trout had him in danger whenever he threw multiple punches. 

Cotto gave a tremendous effort given the size disadvantage he encountered, in conjunction with facing a superior ring technician.

Jayson Velez (20-0, 15 KO's) put on a brilliant performance, dismantling Salvador Sanchez II (30-5-3, 18 KO's) in just three rounds in a featherweight match-up. Prior to the fight, Sanchez, 27, was never kayoed, and had amassed an 11-fight win streak. 

Making his second appearance at Madison Square Garden, the 24-year old Velez owned a decisive edge in hand speed. Velez was very fluid with his punches, hammering Sanchez repeatedly with crisp combinations. Early in round two, Velez wobbled Sanchez after landing a left hook, followed by two right crosses in succession. Near the end of the round, Velez floored Sanchez after connecting with a vicious left uppercut to the head. 

Ten seconds into round three, Velez put Sanchez on the canvas with a scintillating right uppercut. After landing another overhand right, referee Harvey Dock stopped the fight. Time of the stoppage was :38.

Velez is tentatively scheduled to face Mexico's hard-hitting Daniel Ponce De Leon (44-4, 35 KO's) next for De Leon's WBC Featherweight championship.

Danny "The Miracle Man" Jacobs (24-1, 21 KO's) forced Chris "The Irish Ghost" Fitzpatrick (15-3, 6 KO's) to quit on his stool after five, one-sided rounds in a middleweight contest. Jacobs has now accumulated four straight victories since being TKO'd in five rounds by Dmitry Pirog in 2010. On the other hand, Fitzpatrick has dropped three of his last four bouts. 

Jacobs, 25, started very slowly, but picked up the pace quickly in round three after an accidental headbutt left Fitzpatrick with a wide gash on top of his head. Seeing Fitzpatrick bleeding, Jacobs overwhelmed him with a barrage of swift combinations. Fitzpatrick stayed in Jacobs' face, although he could not compete with the Brooklyn fighter's arsenal.

In round five, Jacobs continued with his onslaught, peppering Fitzpatrick with sweeping right-hand shots and deadly left hooks to the head and body.

Jacobs is targeting February 9, 2013 as his next appearance in the ring. It is a phenomenon that Jacobs is even walking, let alone boxing. 19 months ago, Jacobs suffered from thoracic spinal cancer and was paralyzed from the waist down. Following six hours of surgery to remove a gigantic tumor that wrapped around his spinal column, as well as completing extensive physical therapy, Jacobs is back and ready to claim a world title.

Other Results

Featherweight 126 lbs. - Jorge Diaz (17-1, 10 KO's) W6 vs. Victor Sanchez (3-5-1)

Middleweight 160 lbs. - John Thompson (10-0, 3 KO's) W6 vs. Elie Augustama (6-6, 3 KO's)

Junior Middleweight 154 lbs. - Eddie Gomez (12-0, 8 KO's) W6 vs. Luis Hernandez (10-1, 6 KO's)

Junior Lightweight 130 lbs. - Jeffrey Fontanez (10-0, 9 KO's) TKO 2 vs. Pedro Arcos (8-4, 6 KO's)

Junior Middleweight 154 lbs. - Jorge Melendez (25-2-1, 24 KO's) TKO 4 vs. James Winchester (15-7, 5 KO's)

Lightweight 135 lbs. - Michael Perez (18-1-1, 10 KO's) W8 vs. Fernando Carcamo (10-5, 7 KO's)

Spadafora Wins Again, Eyes Title Shot

Paul "The Pittsburgh Kid" Spadafora (47-0-1, 19 KO's) won his second fight this year, securing a ten-round unanimous decision against rugged Solomon Egberime (22-4-1, 11 KO's) in a welterweight battle. Spadafora won by scores of 98-91, 97-94 and 100-90.

Spadafora, 37, utilized terrific feints and worked behind a reliable right jab to dictate the pace of the fight. At times, Egberime landed some firm right-hand shots. Yet, Spadafora's peerless reflexes allowed him to roll with Egberime's punches to avoid the full effect.

Both men battled blow-for-blow in round four. Spadafora remained poised, and ripped off a series of methodical combinations. Spadafora's right jab really made it difficult for the 34-year-old to get into a groove.

Although Spadafora was decisively putting rounds in the bank, Egberime undoubtedly made him work.

In the eighth and ninth rounds, Spadafora's punch volume dropped and Egberime took full advantage, connecting with blistering right-hand shots to the body and head. Spadafora acquired a small cut under his right eye. However, Spadafora stepped up the pace in round ten, nailing Egberime with an accumulation of punishing shots off the right jab to close the show strong.

With the victory, Spadafora may have cemented a clash against Brooklyn's Paul Malignaggi for Malignaggi's WBA World Welterweight title in the near future.


In the co-main event, lightweight Monty Meza-Clay (34-3, 21 KO's) defeated Emmanuel Lucero (26-13-1, 14 KO's) by an eight-round, unanimous decision in their second meeting via scores of 77-75 twice and 80-72. Lucero has now lost seven fights in a row. Previously, Meza-Clay captured an eight-round, majority decision versus Lucero on July 14, 2012.

Meza-Clay, 31, and Lucero, 34, battled in close quarters, striking each other with brutal body shots the entire fight. Both fighters displayed similar styles, which enabled them to engage in a fan-friendly slugfest.


Peter Oluoch (12-6-2, 6 KO's), 34, of Nairobi, Kenya, handed Jake "The Bull" Giuriceo, 27, of Youngstown, Ohio, (16-2-1, 3 KO's) his second consecutive loss, winning a five-round, split decision in a highly-competitive, junior welterweight showdown.

Oluoch's stiff left jab, along with a distinct height and reach advantage kept Giuriceo off-balance in the first two rounds. Giuriceo attempted to close the distance, but ate many punches in his effort doing so because he lacked a steady jab. However, Giuriceo began to find his rhythm in round three, unleashing a higher punch output.

In round four, Oluoch successfully connected with countless, flush right crosses to Giuriceo's head.

During the early moments of the fifth round, Oluoch discharged a vicious right uppercut, snapping Giuriceo's head back. Giuriceo continued to employ a relentless attack, but Oluoch was much more consistent finding the target.

At the end of the round, the ringside physician deemed Giuriceo unable to continue due to a cut sustained from an accidental clash of heads. Official scores were 49-46 and 48-47 in favor of Oluoch, and 48-47 for Giuriceo.


Morgan "Big Chief" Fitch (8-0, 4 KO's) remained unbeaten, stopping Cameron Allen (4-12, 2 KO's) in the first round of a super middleweight contest. Fitch, 29, hit Allen with a paralyzing left hook to the liver. Time of the stoppage was 2:28. Originally from Louisiana, Fitch now resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.


In a welterweight match-up, Bill Hutchinson, 23, (5-1-2, 3 KO's) stopped Jose Caraballo (5-5, 1 KO) at :39 of the second round. After landing numerous left hooks to Caraballo's head in round one, Hutchinson dropped him with a powerful overhand right. Moments later, Hutchinson landed a rock-solid, overhand right that sent Caraballo sprawling to the floor as the bell rang ending round one. Caraballo did not last much longer. Hutchinson struck Caraballo with an overwhelming right cross-left hook combination, prompting the referee to halt the action.


Joey "The Hitman" Holt (1-0, 1 KO) scored a first-round knockout in his professional debut against Alan Moore in a light middleweight contest (3-18, 2 KO's). Holt, who is also an MMA fighter, floored Moore three times, as the bout was halted due to the 3-knockdown rule in West Virginia.

Spadafora vs. Egberime Weigh-In