North Bergen, N.J. – Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, NJ was jam-packed with many surprises Saturday night. The action inside the ring was intense, but not as intense as the action outside of the ring.
RESULTS:
Anthony Jones
Anthony Jones (4-0-1, 1 KO – Newark, NJ) Def. Adrien Armstrong (3-3-1, 3 KO – Springfield, MO) by TKO
Anthony Jones dominated this four round middleweight matchup from the start by dropping Armstrong twice. The second knockdown came from a hard right hand that sent Armstrong to the canvas. Referee Ricardo Vera stopped the fight with 1:23 in round two, giving a TKO victory to the still undefeated Anthony Jones from Newark, NJ.
Dion Richardson
Dion Richardson (1-0 – Newark, NJ) Def. Dwayne Holman (0-1 – Montclair, NJ) by TKO
This four round super lightweight bout showcased two New Jersey fighters making their pro debut. Richardson came out blazing as he knocked Holman down an impressive four times in the opening round. The Newark native easily earned his first victory when referee Sammy Viruet stopped the fight 2:15 into the opening round.
Tyrell Wright
Tyrell Wright (3-0, 2 KO – Jersey City, NJ) Def. Eric George (0-4 – Niagara Falls, NY) by TKO
Eric George showed promise early on in this four round heavyweight bout, but as time went on Tyrell Wright took control and there was no looking back. Wright dished out a fierce combination in the third round that did noticeable damage to George. Heavy shots in that same round sent George stumbling, which led referee Ricardo Vera to stop the fight two minutes into the third round.
Gangemi (left) and Johnson (right) square off
Justin Johnson (6-4-4 – Pittsburgh, PA) Def. Anthony Gangemi (4-1, 3 KO – Mine Hill, NJ) by UD
This welterweight slugfest excited the Scheutzen Park crowd, which has become a familiar scene for Anthony Gangemi’s young career. Both fighters landed massive power punches in all six rounds of this bout, but Johnson showed his composure and experience by effectively countering the Gangemi attack, sending the Mine Hill, NJ native to the canvas in the first, third and sixth rounds. The judges scored the fight 57-54, 59-53 and 58-53, all in favor of Justin Johnson for the unanimous decision.
Nydia Feliciano
Nydia Feliciano (7-4-3 – Bronx, NY) Def. Crystal Hoy (5-6-3 – Las Vegas, NV) by UD
The vacant IWBF Bantamweight Title was on the line in this 10 round bout as Feliciano looked determined to grab it early. The Bronx, NY native displayed good movement and excellent defense for the duration of the fight. Hoy showed a ton of heart in the middle rounds, but it proved to be insufficient as all three judges scored this one 99-91 in favor of Feliciano.
Patrick Farrell
Patrick Farrell (8-2-1, 4 KO – Jersey City, NJ) vs Phillip Triantafillo (2-3, 1 KO – Chesterton, IN) No Contest
The bad blood started as early as the weigh in for these two heavyweights. While standing toe-to-toe for pictures, Triantafillo slaped Farrell across the face after trash talking. This drew an immediate reaction from Farrell’s team, and the scuffle had to be broken up by the promoters.
Farrell came out Saturday to the loudest ovation of the night, from a crowd filled with Irish and Farrell shirts that could be seen in every row of the venue. Trantafillo was overwhelmingly booed during his entrance to the ring, and once he stepped in, the trash talking had begun once again. Trantafillo spit in the direction of Farrell, then proceeded with a screaming tirade that ended with him walking out of the ring. No explanation was given, and the fight was called off. Boxing legend Harold Lederman, who was sitting ringside, said he never saw a fighter quit before the fight started.
Juan Rodriguez ( 11-0, 5 KO – Union City, NJ) vs Zack Ramsey (4-0, 3 KO – Springfield, MA) No Contest
The main feature of the night never actually happened. Ramsey had to pull out after being injured when a car hit him while bicycling the week before. Promoters scrambled to find another opponent for Rodriguez but weren’t able to find a fighter that would fight or be approved by the commission in such short notice.