By: Declam Hughes
NORTH BERGEN, NJ-This past Thursday night, Jersey City Lightweight, Danny “Little Mac” McDermott, came up short in his 1st crack at a regional title. He was vying for the WBF Americas title in an 8 round match up against tough undefeated prospect Brian Miller,(8-0,3kos), from upstate NY. It was 9 months since McDermott was in the squared circle, a match in which he annihilated another tough prospect in Floriano Pagliara (9-1) in two short rounds.
Since his last fight, McDermott had many distractions outside boxing. He lost both his uncle, Larry Antionetti and close friend and mentor, Arturo Gatti, all in the same month in July. Just 3 weeks ago McDermott’s wife gave birth to their second son. Anyone whoshas an infant can tell you sleep is hard to come by in the first 5 months to a year. People in McDermott’s camp said he struggled to make the 135 limit this time around and was looking weak in the days leading up to the championship fight. Never the less McDermott fought like he always does, with his heart on his sleeve.
After a solid first round, many in the Schuetzen Park Venue thought McDermott would have an easy night. He started up on his toes, pumping his jab at Miller and using his ring generalship. The jab landed clean and crisp when he used it. The combination’s McDermott was throwing was something Miller had no answer to, and he was forced to eat many punches courtesy of the New Jerseyite.
Miller stalked McDermott, as the Jersey City titan boxed and moved away gracefully. In the second, McDermott took on the same role early but then got comfortable on the inside trading with Miller. McDermott wanted to keep it at distance but this was to no avail. Miller would use his busier hands as McDermott would wait to unload 2-3 power shots at a time. The Miller punches didn’t seem to be having an effect on McDermott and that ultimately may have lead to the wrong decisions that changed the coarse of the fight and the night for McDermott.
Rounds 3 through 5 were the same. McDermott came out and stayed on the inside digging with the busier Miller. Miller was a non-stop punching machine that did not let up, taking advantage of McDermott’s long rest periods between each of his flurries. There was no doubt that McDermott landed the much harder blows in each round but it was Millers consistency that won him rounds 3 through 5. At this point McDermott must have been wondering how Miller was walking through the punches he was connecting with. Each time McDermott connected with a punch the North Bergen crowd erupted. However, Miller kept plodding forward and showed no signs of being phased by the power and speed of McDermott.
In the 6th round, McDermott came back out as he did in the first round. He pumped his jab and made the New Yorker miss several shots. He had the crowd up on their feet. The fancy footwork and great head movement would only last for half a minute more. The nonstop Miller kept coming. The peppering shots were finding their mark more and more and McDermotts left eye was now closed and bleeding due to the two clashing heads on more then several occasions from the inside fighting.
McDermott was showing signs of fatigue and was slowing down as he was taking more and more punishment. With 30 seconds left in the round McDermott landed 4 hard bombs that stopped Miller and backed him up. McDermott rallied with more and stole the round. The crowd was up on their feet cheering as McDermott walked back to the corner bleeding from both eyes. McDermott resembled his late mentor,Arturo Gatti.
In the 7th Miller came out with the same pace he came out with in the 1st. McDermott seemed tired but there was no giving up in him. He missed some huge shots. Miller kept peppering him with short shots up the middle. McDermotts head was snapping back from the punishment he would some how manage to answer back again and again. Just when you thought he was spent he rallied again. I had him stealing the 7th round.
In the final round McDermott tried to end it. Every punch he throw he was swinging for the fences. He landed some hard shots but Brian Millers chin must be made out of titanium. Both fighters threw punches from beginning to end giving the North Bergen crowd their moneys worth.
Brian Miller would win this fight by split decision in the end. One judge, ruled the bout for Miller, 79-71, which seemed ridiculous and way off. With a score like that maybe the New Jersey commission should look into what he was doing during the match. The other two judges were split and a little more realistic, McDermott 77-75 and Miller 78-74 . It could be argued the fight should have gone the other way, but both fighters were winners in this one, and their reputations improve drastically.
On my final score card I had McDermott winning 77-75.
Shortly after the fight, there were talks between both camps about a rematch for the summer. This would be a great thing for New Jersey boxing and brought up thoughts of Gatti-Ward. The next fight may be even more spectacular then this one.