The Mouthpiece
The Iceman Cometh—Hawkins Decisions Serrano
Rock Storms Hale
By: George H. Hanson Jr., Esq
Date: March 30, 2018
Venue: The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
Promoters: Hard Hitting Promotions in Association with Roc Nation Sports
Ring Announcer: Pat Fattore
Referees: Ronald Ali Bashir & Shawn Clark
Photos: www.christoneyphotography.com & Darryl Cobb Jr.
I couldn’t help reminiscing about The Legendary Blue Horizon (“The Blue”) as I entered The Fillmore for the first time and witnessed the lay-out. Similar to the world-renowned venue that was shuttered after the last show on June 4, 2010 – the balcony seating gave the impression that one could take off and land comfortably in the ring. Like The Blue there was an air of familiarity and comfort in the arena. One can only hope that boxing continues to be a mainstay at this great venue with all of the modern amenities easily accessible – off the highway with public transportation right outside the door.
Hawkins (R.) connects with the right hook
The ten-round main event pitted Philly gladiator Raymond ‘Tito” Serrano (24 wins – 4 losses – 0 draws – 10 kos) against Malik “Iceman” Hawkins (12 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 9 kos) of Baltimore, Maryland for the vacant WBA-NABA USA Welterweight title. It was a tale of two fights as the bigger, natural welterweight Hawkins took charge in the opening round by walking Serrano down and imposing his will. The size disparity was obvious as the 6 feet tall Hawkins pressed forward bombing away to the head and body, forcing the Philly fighter to retreat and fire while moving. Hawkins easily captured rounds one, two and three on the scorecards. It didn’t appear that Serrano would make it to the final bell.
Raymond Serrano is a ten-year veteran with vast experience. Somehow, he made the requisite adjustments and started landing his jab and using lateral movement to offset Hawkins who pressed forward. The fourth round was close but it had to be scored for Serrano who out-hustled his adversary. Serrano had similar success in the fifth round and opened a cut on Hawkins’ left cheek. The action continued in the sixth round with Serrano being the busier boxer, controlling Hawkins with combinations.
Similar to Serrano, Hawkins made the final modification and started out-working his more experienced foe down the stretch. The twenty-two year-old Hawkins picked up his work rate and focused on drumming away at Serrano’s core by placing some good shots to the midsection and ribcage. He kept up the intensity from the seventh round to the final bell. The judges had it 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Hawkins who won by unanimous decision, capturing the vacant WBA-NABA USA Welterweight title in an exciting fight. It was a great performance by the youngster who beat a formidable foe with more than twice his experience.
Serrano (R.) throwing the straight right
Philly heavyweight Darmani “Rock Solid” Rock (10 wins –0 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) was impressive in his scheduled six-round bout against the deceptively dangerous Ronny “Big Country” Hale (4 wins – 11 losses – 0 draws – 4 kos) of Austin, Texas. The last time Hale was in town on March 2nd he ruined the professional debut of amateur standout Dominque “Majik” Mayfield – blitzing and dropping the young fighter three times in the opening round – winning by first round knockout. True to form, Hale came out at the opening bell like a gloved NFL linebacker chasing down a quarterback. But, the 21 year-old Rock is a behemoth heavyweight standing 6 ft. 5 inches and tipping the scales at over 250 lbs. with quick feet and impeccable boxing skills. It was those traits that garnered him numerous amateur titles and attracted the attention of his promoter—Roc Nation Sports.
Hale attacked and like a veteran quarterback, Rock stood tall in the pocket—unabashed and unfazed sticking his long jab. Hale swung like an octopus amped up on a gallon of espresso and got nailed behind the head by one of Rock’s counter punches that sent him to the canvas momentarily. It was an accidental blow that didn’t do much damage and Hale was up and back to swinging for the fences. Rock calm as a saint in paradise kept his composure while dissecting the marauding fighter with his jab to the bell ending the first stanza.
The action continued in the second round with Hale attacking with reckless abandon. However, Rock had already solved the puzzle and blasted Hale with a vicious left hook to the body straight from the pages of Mike “The Body Snatcher” McCallum’s manual on the art of body punching. Hale froze almost in slow motion giving Rock time to unload another right hook and a vicious combination, sending him backwards like Greg Louganis on the springboard at the 1988 Olympics. Hale landed in Rock’s corner as referee Bashir began to count. Miraculously he almost made it to his feet as the referee reached ten a millisecond before he was upright – declaring Rock the victor by knockout at 1:07 of the second round.
Rock (R.) stands over the fallen Hale
In a scheduled six-round super-middleweight bout, undefeated prospect Ronald Ellis (14 wins – 0 losses – 2 draws – 10 kos) of Lynn, Massachusetts won a unanimous decision 60-53 twice and 59-54 over Philadelphia’s Taneal “The Spider” Goyco (9 wins –10 losses – 1 draw – 4 kos). The timing was right for Goyco who won two Briscoe Awards – “Upset of the Year” for 2014 & 2016. Many believed that he would stop Ellis as was the case with the highly-touted Jerry Odom who had to be rescued by his corner in the fifth round of the scheduled eight-rounder against Goyco on November 11, 2016—“Upset of the Year.”
However, tonight Goyco didn’t seem like the same fighter who out-boxed and out-slugged the tough and talented Odom. Goyco’s balance and timing were off and his punches much too wide to surprise Ellis who came out blasting at the opening bell pinning him to the ropes in an attempt to end the fight early. Goyco bobbed and weaved to evade punishment for over a minute forcing Ellis to abandon his plan for a premature stoppage. Ellis got on the outside and used his jab until the bell ended the round.
The undefeated fighter boxed from a distance as Goyco lost his balance in the second stanza after throwing a sweeping hook that missed its target and sent him toppling to the canvas. The referee dusted his gloves and the action resumed with Ellis landing a right on Goyco’s ear that somewhat discombobulated his equilibrium. Rough and rugged, Goyco recovered quickly and backed Ellis into the ropes landing to the body before the round concluded.
Ellis captured the next round by boxing wisely instead to trying to slug with the always dangerous Philly fighter. It is safe to assume that his success in the third stanza caused Ellis to come out slugging at the bell in the fourth round. He was able to connect with a straight right that put Goyco on the canvas momentarily. The fallen fighter was up before referee Clark tolled the count of two and the action resumed with Goyco finishing on good footing connecting with a left hook that rocked Ellis before the bell.
Ellis (L.) and Goyco mixing it up
I am sure that Ellis was aware of Goyco’s success against Jerry Odom and boxed brilliantly over the last two rounds – sticking and moving – using lateral movement – landing combinations while being elusive. It was a defining performance for the undefeated fighter who came to Philadelphia and defeated a fighter who despite his record is one of the toughest super-middleweights in the country.
In the opening bout of the night, undefeated junior- middleweight prospect Joey Alday Jr. (6 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) of Odessa, Texas dominated southpaw Michael Crain (1 win – 1 loss – 0 draws – 0 kos) of Smyrna, Delaware at the opening bell – sending him to the canvas twice – once in the second and third round respectively – winning by technical knockout at 1:28 of round three of the scheduled four-round bout. Alday pressed the action at the beginning, blanketing the smaller Crain, hurting him with a right uppercut early in the round.
Crain didn’t have the firepower to keep Alday from landing every punch in his arsenal. Alday repeatedly connected with left hooks capped off by straight rights. With ten seconds remaining in the second round, Alday switched to the southpaw stance and sent Crain to the canvas with a right hook followed by a straight left combination. It was a fortuitous end to the round for Crain because he was upright as referee Clark reached the count of three and the gong sounded concluding the round.
Alday continued his trouncing of Crain in the third stanza – hammering him with left hooks to the head and body. The courageous Crain returned fire but it was a case of a Mack truck facing a Sherman tank from Texas. Alday connected with a vicious hook to Crain’s cranium and immediately went downstairs with a similar punch to his ribcage. Crain collapsed to the canvas and miraculously made it to his feet as the referee reached the count of six and decided that it was in Crain’s best interest to call a halt to the bout and protect him from further damage.
I would speculate that bearing the moniker “Mighty Midget” is politically incorrect. However, I doubt if Tramaine “The Little Person” Williams would be any better. Nevertheless, Roc Nation Sports–promoted undefeated southpaw featherweight Tramaine “The Mighty Midget” Williams (14 wins –0 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) of New Haven, Connecticut displayed his wares and boxed brilliantly to the final bell of the scheduled six-rounder. Like a gloved Harry Houdini Williams disappeared at will – countering, slipping and sliding, having his way with Antonio Rodriguez (12 wins – 20 losses – 1 draw – 5 kos) of Mexico for six glorious rounds.
Williams (R.) connect with the right hook
It was an artful display of the sweet science as Williams was simply too fast and too skilled for the courageous Rodriguez who fought back valiantly but was always two steps behind his slick-boxing adversary. In the opening stanza Williams connected with four consecutive straight lefts from the southpaw stance, a difficult combination to land. This wasn’t a boxing match but more of display of Williams’ arsenal and firepower. He won every round on my scorecard while evoking fond memories of four-division World Champion and Hall of Famer Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker. The judges had it 60-53, 59-55 and 58-56 all for Williams who won by unanimous decision. I would be hard-pressed to find someone in the building who gave Rodriguez two rounds other than the judge who scored it 58-56.
In an exciting six-round lightweight bout, top Philly prospect Jeremy “King” Cuevas (7 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 6 kos) had to get off the deck in the second round to win a unanimous decision 59-55 on all scorecards over Efrain “Macho” Cruz (4 wins – 4 losses – 1 draw – 1 ko) of Vieques, Puerto Rico. The southpaw Cuevas controlled the action in the opening stanza by working behind a stiff jab, using head movement and feints to land quick combinations. It appeared that his success in the first round caused him to press the action in the second stanza as he engaged at closed quarters. Early in the round Cuevas connected with a combination and walked into a straight right by the crafty Cruz that introduced him to the canvas for the first time in his nascent career. More surprised than hurt, Cuevas was up immediately and referee Clark wiped his gloves and motioned for the fight to continue. Cuevas pressed the action backing up Cruz – dominating the remainder of the round – making it a 10-9 round instead of 10-8 for Cruz who would have lost the round absent of the knockdown.
Cuevas (R.) land the straight left
Cuevas pressed the action for the rest of the fight landing hard combinations – trading with the resilient Cruz who came to Philadelphia to fight. It was an all-action fight from the opening to the final bell with Cuevas learning more in this victory than he did in his knockout wins. He faced adversity and handled it with the calculated calmness of a seasoned professional.
Junior-welterweight Samuel “Tsunami” Teah (12 wins – 2 losses – 1 draws – 5 kos) of Philadelphia by way of Liberia was back in the ring after dropping a majority eight-round decision to prospect Montana Love (8 wins –0 losses – 0 draws – 4 kos) February 2nd televised on Showtime. Teah was under the weather fighting the flu and should have postponed that encounter. However, he took a gamble that didn’t pay off. Tonight, he was in superb health, seeking redemption. He didn’t have to break a sweat in his scheduled six-rounder against Orlando Rizo (19 wins – 12 losses – 0 draws – 11 kos) of Managua, Nicaragua. Rizo must have taken a good look across the ring at the chiseled Teah—who looks as big as most middleweights—and decided that it was in his best interest to misplace victory as quick as possible and get back home to Nicaragua unscathed and intact.
It is reasonable to conclude that Rizo did not want to fight because as Teah pressed the action at the opening bell he retreated and was in survival mode. After visiting the canvas twice compliments of grazing punches that didn’t land with full impact, Rizo took a third trip, compliments of a straight right that soared past his head never touching one facial hair. Rizo has a bright future as a thespian because referee Bashir stopped the fight and declared Teah the winner by technical knockout at 2:33 of the opening round.
Gone are the days of Francis Walker, Pennsylvania Boxing Commissioner, who held the purses – refusing to pay many aspiring actors who donned boxing gloves – entered the squared circle in Philadelphia and proceeded to pretend that they were on a springboard and nosedive onto the canvas. Under Walker’s regime it is safe to conclude that Rizo would have boarded the plane home to Nicaragua without being paid. The Nicaraguan left his heart in the dressing room and took the easy way out of the fight.
Eighteen year-old Philly Phenom Branden “The Gift” Pizarro (8 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 4 kos) was back in action after suffering his first setback December 1, 2017 – a six-round unanimous decision loss to undefeated twenty-eight year-old Christian (6 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) Rivera of Puerto Rico. Decked out in his trademark midnight sunglasses, Pizarro made his way to the ring with his entourage led by his father/trainer Angel Pizarro to face the awaiting Pablo Cupul (9 wins – 23 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) of San Diego, California by way of Mexico in the scheduled four-round junior-welterweight bout.
Pizarro established his dominance at the bell, literally toying with his shorter opponent. It was a mismatch from the onset as Pizarro was simply too fast, too skilled and too big for the thirty year-old Cupul who despite the egregious disadvantages gave a valiant effort. Pizarro had his way the entire fight hitting Cupul with everything except the referee! I would fare better facing a Silverback gorilla with a baseball bat than Cupul tonight against Pizarro who was attempting to erase the memory of his single loss. Cupul was mere cannon fodder for the gifted teen who won a unanimous decision 40-36 on all scorecards.
Pizarro (R.) throws the long jab
It was another exciting night of boxing by Hard Hitting Promotions in front of a packed house. Kingston AV – CEO of Yarvente Legend (www.yarvente.com) made his way from The Beltway to support Philly boxing and witness Jeremy Cuevas—one of the athletes sponsored by his brand— in action. Needless to say, he wasn’t disappointed as he reveled in the action seated next to me in press-row. Boxing is engrained in the fabric of our great, historic city. Hopefully, it will continue to garner more dates on the The Fillmore’s calendar.
Continue to support the sweet science, and remember, always carry your mouthpiece!
“Be Live. Be Real. Be a Legend.” (www.yarvente.com)
ghanson3@hotmail.com
