In what can only be termed as a wildly crazy, unpredictable and sometimes disappointing year, 2009 will surely not be soon forgotten by Star Boxing Founder and CEO Joe DeGuardia.
NOTABLE EVENTS/FIGHTER HIGHLIGHTS
Star Boxing promoted and was in association with numerous successful events throughout the year, starting in February at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom.
ROBINSON SHINES ON FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
The show, which was held on Friday the 13th and broadcast on the ever popular ESNP2 “Friday Night Fight” series, saw Star Boxing’s jr. welterweight prospect, “The New” Ray Robinson pick up his most impressive victory to date. In his first nationally televised co-feature, Robinson stopped fellow previously undefeated prospect Darnell Jiles (8-0-1, 3KO) in the third round of their scheduled six round contest. In a very impressive showing, Robinson continuously beat Jiles to the punch and was in command throughout until Jiles failed to answer the bell to start the fourth. The victory improved Robinson’s record to 10- 0, 4KO.
STAR FIGHTERS PICK UP A CLEAN SWEEP ON FNF
On March 6th at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, CT, Star Boxing packed the house, and picked up a clean sweep with Delvin Rodriguez, Raymond Serrano and Demetrius Andrade all scoring impressive victories. The card, which again was part of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fight” series, was headlined by Rodriguez taking on fellow Star Boxing stable-mate Shamone Alvarez in an official IBF Welterweight Title Eliminator.
In what was a very close and highly entertaining battle, that brought the fans in attendance to a standing ovation multiple times throughout the twelve round contest, Rodriguez overcame an injured right hand and rallied down the stretch, dropping Alvarez in the 11th, to go on to win a unanimous decision.
In the co-feature bout of the night, Raymond “Tito” Serrano improved his record to perfect 9-0, 5KO winning a unanimous decision over Louisiana’s “Smokin” Jay Krupp. Serrano dropped the once beaten Krupp in the first, and cruised his way to victory. The impressive showing by Serrano, on national television, caught the eye of trainer Freddie Roach, who later invited Serrano into camp to serve as a sparring partner and help prepare Manny Pacquiao for his bout against Ricky Hatton.
Kicking off the telecast was 2007 amateur world champion, and 2008 U.S. Olympian, Demetrius Andrade. The jr. middleweight Andrade, who hails from nearby Providence, RI, and is co-promoted by Banner Promotions, was fighting in his third professional fight since turning pro in late 2008. His opponent Tom Joseph (4-1-1) stood no chance against Andrade, as Andrade showed why many believe him to be one of top up and coming prospects in all of boxing, displaying his lightening speed and thunderous power to stop Joseph at just 1:53 of the very first round.
ANDRADE SCORES TRIFECTA ON ESPN2 IN 2009
Andrade followed up his first ESPN2 performance just two weeks later, opening up another Friday Night Fights telecast on March 20th from Laredo, TX. The date and location might have been different, but the outcome was very much the same, as Andrade battered Arnulfo Javier Romero from ring post to ring post, finally knocking Javier out with a vicious uppercut 2:53 into the 2nd round.
Andrade made one more appearance on ESPN2 in 2009, pitching a dominate shut-out decision over Tony Hirsch (8-1-1, 4KO) on June 19th. Overall Andrade fought six times in 09, winning four of the fights inside the distance, knocking off three fellow unbeaten prospects in the process and improving his record to 8-0, 6KO. For the second year in a row Andrade was named as one of boxing’s top up and coming prospects by ESPN.com’s boxing analyst Dan Rafael.
VIP BOXING GETS UNDERWAY
On April 28th, Star Boxing presented its first installment of VIP Boxing at the beautiful Russo’s On The Bay banquet hall in Queens, NY. VIP Boxing, which combined professional boxing with a wedding like atmosphere, including a pre-fight hour long cocktail reception, and a four course elegant dinner served during the bouts, was headlined by Queens native, and heavyweight fan favorite, Vinny Maddalone taking on Benji Baker. The always entertaining blood and guts warrior Maddalone didn’t disappoint his strong contingent of fans, turning in a standard Maddalone-like performance, as he stalked his opponent from the opening bell, ripping heavy shots to both the body and head of Baker, dropping him in the first, third and fourth rounds. The third knockdown being the equalizer as Baker failed to come out for the 5th. With the win Maddalone improved his record to 32-5, 23KO.
In December, Maddalone traveled to France to take on former two-time cruiserweight champion, Jean Marc Mormeck. Maddalone took the fight straight to the former champion. The fight, which took place at the Halle Carpentier in Mormeck’s native Paris, France, had the packed house in attendance on the edge of their seats for the majority of the contest.
In the end Mormeck was the winner on the judges score cards, but the warrior Maddalone won over many of the fans with his aggressive come forward style. Maddalone will be back in action in Atlantic City on February 6th.
SOMEONE’S O’S HAD TO GO, AS STAR’S HEAVY’S COLLIDE AT HARRAHS
On May 15th, from Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, fellow undefeated Star Boxing heavyweight’s Kevin “Kingpin” Johnson and “Devastatin” Devin Vargas, collided in the main event on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights”.
The top-five-rated Johnson and 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Captain Vargas were originally slated to face separate foes, but when Johnson’s originally opponent Monte Barrett pulled out last minute due to injury, Vargas stepped up to the plate to save the show.
The bout saw good action as both fighters went toe-to-toe, not afraid to trade with one another. In the 3rd, Johnson landed a series of hard left hooks that dropped Vargas for the first time in his entire career, both amateur and professional. Vargas fought on valiantly, but Johnson began pouring it on, dropping Vargas again in the 5th, and battering him against the ropes, finally forcing his corner to throw in the towel near the end of the 6th.
With the win, Johnson improved his record to 22-0-1, 9KO, while Vargas dropped to 17-1, 7KO. It was later revealed that Vargas suffered a perforated ear drum in the third.
RUMBLE AT THE HILTON RYE TOWN PREMIERES
In July, Star Boxing presented the first of two promoted events at the Hilton Rye Town Hotel in Rye Brook, NY. Both shows were headlined by Westchester County’s own, The Pride of Portchester, David Telesco.
The former number one light heavyweight contender Telesco, who is best known for challenging Roy Jones Jr. for the undisputed light heavyweight championship of the world, returned to the ring from a near four and a half year hiatus on July 16th, stopping William Gill in devastating fashion at 2:13 of the second round.
RILEY SCORES HIGHLIGHT REEL KNOCKOUT
Also picking up victories on the card were Star Boxing prospects, Yathomas Riley (right in the picture) who improved to 6-0, 4KO and Ray Robinson who moved his record to 11-0, 4KO.
Riley scored a devastating one-punch knockout over the usually durable Andre Hemphill, dropping him with a picture perfect left uppercut that caught Hemphill flush on the jaw. To see the knockout,CLICK HERE:
In the second installment of Rumble at the Hilton Rye Town, Telesco engaged in a wild shootout with former two-time super middleweight champion Byron Mitchell which unfortunately didn’t go Telesco’s way as he suffered a 2nd round TKO.
“SHOWTIME” STEVENS ANNIHILATES WILCZEWSKI BEFORE SEA OF RED
2009 saw the re-emergence of super middleweight contender Curtis “Showtime” Stevens. Stevens, now 21-2, 15KO, scored a career best victory over previously undefeated and world rated Polish contender Piotr Wilczewski, annihilating the Pole in three rounds, before a packed house of Polish fans at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center. The impressive victory propelled Stevens back into the world ratings, he is now currently rated as the IBF #10, WBC #13, WBO #13 super middleweight in the world. Up next for Stevens is a showdown on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” against former Contender Season 1 Alumni, Jesse Brinkley (34-5, 22KO). The bout, which will take place in Reno, Nevada, will be an official IBF Super Middleweight Title Eliminator.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING RETURNS TO THE MOHEGAN SUN
On August 1st, Star Boxing brought World Championship boxing back to the Mohegan Sun, staging the vacant IBF Welterweight Championship of the World between Delvin Rodriguez and Isaac Hlatshwayo.
The fight was a rematch of their very entertaining scrap that took place in November of 2008. The bout, which took place in Hlatshwayo’s native country of South Africa, was ruled a draw, although many ringside observes felt Rodriguez deserved the victory.
The two combatants once again went right to battle, leaving off right where they had left off. Rodriguez was the aggressor in the early rounds, hurting Hlatshwayo with a right hand in the third. As the bout progressed, Hlatshwayo’s left eye began to close, as Rodriguez right hand kept finding its mark. Hlatshwayo pressed on though, trying to walk down Rodriguez and get on the inside. The later rounds were close, and hard to score, as Rodriguez boxed and countered effectively from the ouside, while Hlatshwayo kept coming forward aggressively.
In the end, once again many felt Rodriguez deserved to have his hand raised as the victor, including judge Glen Feldman who scored the bout 115-113, but unfortunately for the Danbury native Rodriguez, judges Tony Paoillilo and judge Isaac Tshabalala scored the bout 116-112, 116-113 respectively, giving Hlatshwayo the decision, and IBF belt. The loss dropped Rodriguez’s record to 24-3-1, 14KO while Hlatshwayo improved to 29-1-1, 10KO.
On the undercard Star Boxing fighters, Demetrius Andrade, Yathomas Riley, Raymond Serrano and Tarvis Simms all picked up victories.
ROBBED IN POLAND
2009 A YEAR TO FORGET FOR HARD LUCK RODRIGUEZ
Looking to hopefully set up a third fight with Hlatshwayo, Rodriguez traveled to Poland in November to take on native Rafal Jackiewicz in yet another official IBF Title Eliminator only to suffer another controversial and heart breaking defeat.
Going in, Rodriguez knew he would have to put on a dominating performance to win a decision, being the fight was taking place in Jackiewicz home country of Poland. Rodriguez stated prior to the fight that he was going to be aggressive and take the fight right to Jackiewicz. Rodriguez also stated he was going to hurt the Pole, and look to knock him out. Rodriguez made it clear that he didn’t want to leave any questioning up to the judges, and would put on a performance that no one could argue who the real winner would be.
Rodriguez started fast, and didn’t let his foot off the gas for the entire twelve rounds, dropping the Pole hard in the 6th. Rodriguez displayed a lightening quick jab that he pumped into the face of Jackiewicz all night long. He continuously walked the Pole down, landing vicious shots to the body when the two would be in close quarters.
At the end of the fight Jackiewicz faced showed the wear and tear of the grueling fight he has just been in, Rodriguez on the other hand didn’t have a mark on him. Reports from Poland stated that Jackiewicz was urinating blood after the fight, most likely as a result of the heavy body shots he received all night, and was taken to the hospital for observation on a possible concussion and broken jaw, heavy injuries for a fighter who ended up winning by scores of 116-112, 115- 112, 114- 112.
In the end Rodriguez was credited with throwing 1,025 punches, while Jackiewicz only through 351. Rodriguez also outlanded Jackiewicz 141 to 108 and held a 94-60 edge in power shots.
Hopefully 2010 will bring some better luck to Rodriguez as he continues to show that he is one of the best welterweights in the entire world.
U.S. OLYMPIANS VARGAS AND BENITEZ WIN AT VIP BOXING II
The second installment of VIP Boxing in September saw Star Boxing’s two former U.S. Olympians, Devin Vargas and Roberto Benitez get back into the win column before yet another packed house at Russo’s On The Bay.
Vargas improved his record to 18-1, 7KO with a dominate eight round unanimous decision over game Terrell Nelson. It was later revealed that Vargas injured his right hand in the first round, forcing him to fight almost solely with his left for the remainder of the bout.
In the co-feature bout of the evening, Roberto Benitez, one of the most decorated amateurs to come out of the U.S. in the last decade returned to the ring after a three year hiatus, due to injuries, to win a shut out decision over Luis Angel Paneto.
Benitez, who won the United States Junior Olympics at 14 and 15 years of age and went on to win ten National championships, including two National Golden Gloves Titles, and 4 National Everlast Boxing Championships (more than any amateur boxer in history), as well as winning two Olympic trials, and being an alternate to the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team as a flyweight and a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team as a bantamweight, was dominate, winning by scores of 60-52 three times, improving his record to 6-0, 3KO. Look for Benitez to have a big 2010.
STAR JOINS PARTNERS WITH HUSTLER-NYC TO PRESENT NEW SERIES
On Decemer 3rd, Star Boxing presented its premiere installment of “Hustler Boxing,” a new a series of star-studded boxing events throughout the New York City area, promoted in association with Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club- NYC.
The card was broadcast live on the nationally televised Versus Network, and featured Mike Arnaoutis taking on Tim Pitbull Coleman for the vacant USBA light welterweight championship.
The bout saw good action from both fighters, with Coleman building an early lead, and Arnaoutis coming on strong down the stretch. Although many ringside observers, including the majority of press row, ring announcers, and hall-of-fame trainer and HBO commentator Emmanuel Steward, felt Arnaoutis deserved the decision, they, as well as judge Robin Taylor (116-112) were overruled by judges Kevin Morgan and Glen Feldman, who both scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Coleman.
Star and Hustler will look to feed of the success of the first show and continue the series all throughout 2010.
JOHNSON LOSES BID FOR WBC BELT AGAINST KLITSCHKO
On December 12th from Bern, Switzerland, Kevin Johnson became just the second fighter to go the distance with current WBC Heavyweight Champion Vitali Klitschko.
Johnson had some early success against Klitschko with his jab, but was unable to capitalize, eventually losing a unanimous decision.
HISTORIC BPA FORMED
2009 will go down as one of the most historic years in boxing, as more than thirty of the United States top promoters met at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City during the summer, to discuss the current state of boxing and the need to establish a unified boxing promoters association. After an all day meeting, which was spearheaded and organized by Star Boxing President and CEO, Joe DeGuardia, the promoters unanimously agreed to form the Boxing Promoter’s Association (BPA) and signed the BPA’s Declaration.
The second meeting, which took place during the fall, saw the BPA set a course of action, determine a set of by-laws, and select a Board of Directors, the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Association.
About Star Boxing:
Star Boxing, Inc. has been in operation since 1992. Star Boxing has worked to produce some of the most exciting and memorable boxing events in recent history. Star has continued to work with and develop a number of very exciting world champions, world rated contenders and young prospects. Star has consistently brought credibility, integrity, and exciting fights to the boxing industry. For more information on Star Boxing, visit the official website at www.starboxing.com.
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