A Weh Di Bumboclaat! – Patricio, McTamney & Brown. – Nuh Hart, Noble, or Teasley!
By: George H. Hanson Jr., Esq.
Date: November 22, 2024
Venue: The Liacouras Center – Philadelphia, PA
Promoters: Dominic Walton—Teflon Promotions
Ring Announcer: James Bartley aka “DJ Check For Me.”
Referees: Shawn Clark, Eric Dali & Jamil Ali
Photos: Darryl Cobb Jr.
Editor: Kahlil Small
I was anxiously awaiting this six-bout event – thirty-six scheduled rounds of boxing billed as “Let’s Settle Volume 2” featuring one of my favorite fighters, two-time world title challenger Jesse “Hollywood” Hart (31 wins – 3 losses – 0 draws – 25 kos). The 6 ft. 3 inches light-heavyweight was in a scheduled eight rounder against Ricardo Adrian Luna (27 wins – 12 losses – 2 draws – 17 kos) of Mexico City, Mexico. Equally intriguing was the long-awaited lightweight battle between cross-town rivals Philadelphia’s Jibril Nobles (6 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) and Naheem Parker (5 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 2 kos) of Camden, New Jersey. This fight was previously scheduled but for some inexplicable reason it never happened. Another highly anticipated matchup was the scheduled eight-round welterweight bout between undefeated Thanjhae Teasley (11 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) Allentown, PA and Florent Dervis (10 wins – 2 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) Boston, Massachusetts. Arriving at 6:15 PM, I didn’t have any difficulty finding a spot in the Liacouras Center Garage for which I had pre-paid – $30. Being the poster-child for frugality I was tempted to use my free SEPTA card – catch the trolley and the subway. However, I wasn’t excited about the opportunity to ride public transit late night – wearing a suit – looking like a potential victim!
Therefore, I drove – made my way into the building and press-row which seated approximately 20 but only had five occupants. Nevertheless, I was excited to be in attendance to witness Jesse Hart’s run up the ladder, which I am confident will see him challenging for a version of the light-heavyweight title late 2025 or early 2026. My perspicacity could not have predicted what would unfold tonight. Therefore, continue reading – do not fast forward to the conclusion.
In the opening bout – a scheduled four-rounder featuring twenty-year-old super-bantamweight Lyndon “The Lion” Patricio (1 win – 0 losses – 0 draws – 1 ko) Waianae, Hawaii against thirty-year-old Fernando Joaquin Valdez (1 win – 11 losses – 0 draws – 0 ko) Salta, Argentina. Patricio answered the bell working behind his jab, literally yelling with every punch he threw – going downstairs to the body as Valdez came forward. Midway, Valdez connected with an overhand right that caused little or no damage as the Hawaiian continued outboxing him. Distracted by the sound effects from Patricio, a fan yelled, “Stop all that screaming bro!” – evoking laugher from the audience.
It was a masterful performance by the young fighter whose father was joined in the corner by Philly Legend, former IBF Junior-middleweight Champion Robert “Bam Bam” Hines. Throughout the fight, Hines could be heard reminding Patricio to use his jab. The only infraction was him being warned in the third and fourth rounds by Referee Dali for pushing Valdez’s head down whenever they were at closed-quarters. No surprise that all three judges returned identical scores of 40-36 for Patricio – an impressive performance by the young boxer.
Southampton Pennsylvania’s favorite fighter – featherweight Jaclyne “The Assassin” McTamney (2 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 1 ko) recorded her third consecutive victory – a unanimous decision 40-35 on all three scorecards over southpaw Ayeshia Green (0 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws) of Princeton, New Jersey. The thirty-two-year-old McTamney was able to deposit her forty-one-year-old adversary – who looks like she is drinking from the fountain of youth and appears to be in her mid-twenties – in the opening stanza with a well-timed left hook. More surprised than shaken, the pulchritudinous pugilist was upright almost immediately while Referee Clark was administering the count. He asked the requisite questions, dusted her gloves and the action resumed. Green continued stalking McTamney – fighting on even terms to the bell ending the round.
It was an exciting chess match between two highly skilled boxers. Allow me to diverge. I was at Green’s debut on September 14th at 2300 Arena, Philadelphia – a third-round knockout loss to debuting 2023 US National Golden Gloves 125lbs Champion Shera Mae Patricio of Hawaii. The Junoesque southpaw was simply blitzed by Patricio who is a whirlwind of calculated mayhem and destruction. Therefore, I was somewhat flabbergasted that Green’s handlers would venture down the same road by placing her in the ring with another hot prospect. Green is a gifted pugilist that could develop into a contender or world champion if matched properly. She should seriously consider relieving her handlers of their duties and find a team that can optimize her career.
The remaining rounds were close with McTamney pressing the action, landing to the body and Green working behind her southpaw jab. It was a well-fought bout – kudos to the two boxers who exhibited the art of the sweet science. When it was over all three judges turned in identical scores of 40-35 – all for the splendiferous McTamney.
In what would be the final professional fight of the night, a scheduled six-rounder featuring southpaws, featherweight Rasheen “Sugar Sheen” Brown (12 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 7 kos) of Philadelphia squared off against Juan Antonio “The Wolf” Lopez (18 wins – 17 losses – 1 draw – 8 kos) of Burleson, Texas. It was textbook boxing from the Philadelphian as he lectured behind his jabs and combinations – sidestepping and countering with straight lefts – an unsolvable conundrum for “The Wolf” who couldn’t howl. Brown was in a zone and Lopez was a moving target for him to display his wares. No surprise that Lopez’s face was carmine by the second round looking as though he had been severely sun-burned.
In the third round Lopez complained to Referee Dali showing him his mouth. Dali called a brief halt to the action to examine the fighter’s mouth before calling for the action to continue. The fight resumed and Brown landed a vicious combination that sent Lopez to one knee – genuflecting as though he had entered the Vatican on Easter Sunday. Referee Dali reached the count of ten – declaring the astute Brown the winner by knockout at 1:20.
There was an almost thirty-minute intermission after Brown’s spectacular performance and during that time an award was given by Ofa Donaldson, Boxing Manager – to Philadelphia Police Officer Sammy Sanchez for his exemplary work in the community. Donaldson then grabbed the mike and introduced the combatants – rapper & actor – Anthony “Real Dappa” Samuel and social media influencer Vaughn “V Hustle” Adams -for the USA Boxing-sanctioned exhibition to stop the violence – refereed by Jamil Ali, President USA Boxing Mid-Atlantic Local Boxing Committee. Both fighters wanted to send a message to our youths that despite being from different neighborhoods they can unite for a common cause and there is no need to be territorial because we are all Philadelphians – a message that is oftentimes missing.
It was an entertaining four-rounder and in fulfilling their mission I will not comment on who had the upper-hand. both performed gallantly, and the crowd cheered when Referee Jamil Ali raised the hands of both boxers at the conclusion of the match. Shortly thereafter, Ring Announcer Bartley entered the ring and announced that the rest of the show was cancelled because “the ambulance had to leave and without it on site – the show could not continue.”
Allow me to paraphrase a memorably scene from the movie “My Cousin Vinny” by stating that I am about to “fumigate my wisdom and defecate on you, the reader, from the bowels of my knowledge” by stating that Bartley is either naïve or a poor liar! There is no way Jamil Ali would ever allow an amateur bout to commence without the requisite ambulance and emergency team on site! There is a higher probability of it snowing in Montego Bay, Jamaica than an ambulance and crew not ready to jump into action at a USA Boxing sanctioned bout in Philadelphia. In addition, two ambulances were parked outside next to the Media Entrance!
Did Ring Announcer Bartley willingly fabricate a story, or was he merely doing what he was told? I am not one to speculate or fabricate but I will regurgitate what I heard and seems to be the most plausible reason for the show ending after only four bouts. I was told from several reliable sources that the promoter did not have the funds to pay the six boxers (Jibril Nobles vs. Naheem Parker, Thanjhae Teasley vs. Florent Dervis, and Jesse Hart vs. Ricardo Adrian Luna). I know that it is customary for boxing promoters to present all the checks and requisite payments to the Boxing Commission at the weigh-ins the day before the event. Thus, Teflon Promotions should have given all the checks to Ed Kunkle, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission before or at the weigh-ins on Thursday, November 21st. How a professional boxing show began without the purses available and secure is unfathomable. If this was the case, it is an egregious dereliction of duty by Kunkle – that should secure his walking papers!
Fortunately, the audience paid heed to the “stop the violence” message echoed by the participants of the final bout and accepted Bartley’s rationale for the early ending of tonight’s festivities. Despite the disappointment, the almost 3,000 or more fans exited the venue without incident – a proud moment in Philadelphia’s history. Thank God, because the social dynamite was present for an extremely explosive situation.
Hopefully, the six boxers who were prevented from performing due to circumstances beyond their control will be compensated. It is undue hardship to train and prepare diligently, make weight only to be told in the dressing room that it is time to go home! Teflon Promotions cannot abdicate its duty to make them whole.
A weh di bumboclaat a gwaan?
If you encounter difficulty in translating Jamaican Patois and don’t understand the title of this article, please consult your Jamaican friends or relatives.
Continue to support the sweet science, and remember, always carry your mouthpiece!
ghanson18@icloud.com
