By Tim Kudgis
Sands Bethlehem, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - Bobby Gunn vs. Glen Johnson - 8 rounds Cruiserweight - The first round showed a feeling out process. Glen was able to dictate the pace around the ring pushing forward while Bobby was backing up but Bobby landed more punches. The second was much like the second. Midway through the second, Johnson landed a low blow but Gunn pushed through instead of taking the allowed break. Towards the end of the second, Johnson landed some heavy shots. Johnson really started to come on in the third round. In the third, Johnson landed quite a few power shots but Gunn showed he has a good set of whiskers. Johnson kept up in the fourth round. Gunn would land some quality shots when the opportunity presented itself but Johnson pretty much stayed in charge.
Even though the second half of the fight had begun, the same action continued with Johnson controlling the pace but Gunn was starting to find more openings and becoming more aggressive. Johnson continued to push to action and land hard punches on the very game Gunn. Gunn absorbed the best Johnson had to offer and kept swinging at the multi time former champ as the rounds went on. Both men showed they still had stuff to offer the boxing world. While Johnson looked like he found a time machine, Gunn showed heart, will, and determination in a strong effort against the future HOF'er.
After eight solid rounds of boxing action the judges scorecards read 80-72 across the board for your winner, via unanimous decision, Glen Johnson (53-18-2, 36KOs).
After the scorecards were read Bobby Gunn (21-6-1, 18KOs) announced his retirement and thanked Glen for letting him fight a legend in front of his son for his last fight. Gunn was classy as usual.
Co-Main Event: Miguel Cartagena vs. Eduardo Valenzuela - The first round saw both fighters feeling each other out but it was the undefeated Cartagena that got the better of the exchanges. The feeling out process was over in the 2nd. Cartagena was landing brutal combinations to the head and body at will but the game Valenzuela kept pushing forward. The action remained solid in the 3rd round with Cartagena once again controlling the pace. Cartagena consistently pushed Valenzuela around the ring but Valenzuela was able to find limited luck in counter punching. In the 4th, Valenzuela found success in countering early on but the tides shifted when Cartagena was landing combinations with Valenzuela against the ropes.
The 5th round was very competitive with both fighters getting the best of one another in exchanges but Cartagena reached out and stole the round when he unleashed a barrage on Valenuela against the ropes. Valenzuela had his best round of the fight in the 6th round but it was too little to little when the final bell rang.
After the final bell the judges scorecards read 59-55 for the winner, via unanimous decision, Miguel Cartagena. Miguel climbs to double digits in the win column (10-0) while Valenzuela plummets to (5-4-1).
Mark Rideout vs Eric Newell - 6 rounds heavyweight - Unlike the 1st heavyweight fight of the evening, Rideout vs Newell was a much more competitive bout. Both men were active in the first 3 rounds trading back and forth with Rideout seemingly getting the better of the exchanges. In the 4th roundm Rideout found success trapping Newell against the ropes as well as body work on the inside. While Rideout had been dictating the pace throughout the fight Newell is always there doing his best at countering. The final two rounds mirrored the rest of the fight with Rideout pushing the pace and Newell keeping it competitive. All in all neither man did anything to stand out and grab the fight from judges but Rideout seemed to do enough.
After the final bell the judges scored the bout 58-56 Rideout and 57-57 x 2 for a majority draw. After the result Rideout goes to (4-0-1) while Newell is (7-2-2)
Dante Selby vs Randy Easton - 4 Rounds Heavyweight - Eastom attacked Selby right from the get go and sent him to the canvas very quickly with a right hand followed by a barrage. Selby dropped and bounced up before the ref could administer the count. Easton kept attacking until the ref broke it up. The referee deducted 2 points from Easton. When the action continued Easton swarmed Selby with vicious punches dropping him brutally for the 2nd time causing the referee to end the fight with 53 seconds left. Your winner, via KO in the 1st round, Randy Easton. Easton moves to .500 with a record of (2-2-1) while Selby takes his 1st pro loss resulting in a record of (2-1-1).
Travis Thompson vs Julius Leegrand - 4 rounds lightweight - Thompson started off the fight implementing a relentless body attack on Leegrand. Leegrand was able to counter a few times before Thompson displayed a full body attack at the end of the round. In the 2nd round Leegrand was landing the harder shots but they were few and far between as compared to Thompson with the lighter but more aggressive punching.
Leegrand continued to struggle putting punches together unlike Thompson who continued to throw punches in bunches on the 3rd. In the 4th and final, the other rounds sort of repeated themselves but with Leegrand being slightly more active. In the end Thompson simply outworked his opponent.
After the final bell the judges scorecards read 40-36 across the board for your winner, via unanimous decision, Travis Thompson. With the win Thompson climbs to (5-11-3) while Leegrand drops to (4-2-1).