Nick Iannuzzi is kept from falling through ropes after his
3rd knockdown. (Photo:Ted Fleming/TBSN Sports Media
TAMPA – With one of the biggest pay-per-view boxing events scheduled the same night it may have surprised that the sports is alive and well in the Tampa Bay area. Unfortunately, the much ballyhooed main event fizzled as formerly unbeaten cruiserweight Nick Iannuzzi was dropped three times in the opening round by unheralded Harvey Jolly.
It will go down as technical knockout as the three-knockdown rule was in effect but Iannuzzi (12=1, 7ko) has a little luster knocked off his shiny armor. The Tampa product was in against the proverbial tomato can in Jolly (now 10-11, 5ko) but could not get untracked and it cost him. The “Candy Man” had no problem connecting with some of his lunging power shots and the end came at 2:11.
The co-main even easily came off as the best fight of the night in a battle of welterweights with and coming Raymond Charles (12-0, 5ko) taking out veteran Luis Leija (21-12-1, 15ko) in the final round.
Charles, from El Campo, TX and trained by former champion Nate “The Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell, showed he may be a force to be reckoned with as he chased around his opponent and landed punches from nearly every angle. Leija finally ran out of gas after being knocked down in the sixth and referee Frank Gentile called an end to the action at 0:31.
Raymond Charles (right) scores uppercut to the jaw of Louis Leija on the way to a TKO win.
(Photo: Ted Fleming/TBSN Sports Media)
Sarasota’s Adam Jaco (6-3-1, 2 ko) may have scored the biggest win of his professional career wowing the partisan crowd with a TKO victory over Eric Clinton. There was a lot of clutching and grabbing as each tried to maul their way to the win and that style of fighting was taking a toll on Jaco.
Cornerman Pete Fernandez was as animated as anyone has seen him and he kept yelling to Adam not to look at him but his brother Aaron, who is his twin and also his trainer. It worked. Adam dropped back from the clinches and landed some heavy punches before Clinton sagged back on the ropes and Frank Santore Jr. stopped the fight at 2:41 of the fourth.
In a junior middleweight matchup Manny Woods, making his professional debut, took on Wilkey Campfort in a four rounder. Normally fighters who are making the ring debut do not garner much attention except for some family and friends but Woods has a boxing lineage that is tied to St. Petersburg. The 22-year old is the cousin of former light middleweight champ Ronald “Winky” Wright who has 57-wins in his storied career.
It was not just the family ties that link Woods and Wright. Winky made his pro debut back on October 16, 1990 as the same venue, The Hyatt Regency Tampa in a four rounder and the result was identical, a decision victory. There was a slight difference though, Wright’s was unanimous, Woods a majority with one judge calling it a draw.
Like many first timers, Woods (1-0) appeared to punch himself out in the first two rounds and did a lot of clutching over the final pair losing precious points. He did rally in the final ten-seconds of the fourth but not enough to change the mind of Mike Ross who scored it 38-38.
IN OTHER BOUTS:
>> Cordaro Simpkins (2-0) scored a lopsided decision over Roger Rosa in a junior lightweight matchup. Rosa was making his pro debut.
>> Heavyweight Lamar Davis (3-1, 1ko) came away with a majority decision against Robert Turner in his first pro bout.
>> Richard Grant demolished Kenneth Moody in a four round middleweight prelim. Grant (4-3, 2ko) decked Moody (1-1) early in the first and then polished it off in grand style with a clean knockout at 2:25. Moody lay motionless for some time and was not allowed to stand until the ring physician cleared him nearly ten minuted later.
>> In the opener it was a battle of Anthony Rodriguez and Felipe Almanza in the junior flyweight division. Almanza (16-15-4, 7ko) was strictly a punch and run fighter although many of his shots were clean and hard and put the first blemish on the record of New Yorker Anthony Rodriguez who was frustrated throughout. Rodriguez had won eight straight to start his career.
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