By Ryan Songalia
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City – South African light-heavyweight Isaac "Golden Boy" Chilemba (18-1-1, 9 KO) enjoyed a successful DiBella Entertainment debut as he dropped Jameson Bostic (23-5, 13 KO) of Brooklyn, N.Y. midway through the second round, with the referee's count reaching ten at the 1:48 mark.
Chilemba, 24, pushed the action from the opening bell as Bostic seemed uninterested in engaging Chilemba. Bostic's reticence to fight drew boos from the sparse crowd in the final bout of untelevised action. Chilemba finally solved the negative shell of Bostic in the second round, landing a litany of blows that coaxed the southpaw to the ground. Bostic, on one knee, took the referee's count, electing not to rise and continue.
Junior middleweight prospect Steven Martinez (11-0, 9 KO) of The Bronx, N.Y., established himself as the prospect to watch on tonight's undercard as he scored an impressive fifth-round TKO over the competent Jay Krupp of Catskill, N.Y. The time of the stoppage was 38 seconds.
The multiple-time New York Daily News Golden Gloves champ Martinez, 21, fought from a tight shell, jabbing and counter-punching while fielding the occasional punch in return. The final sequence saw Krupp - out on his feet and stumbling about - being clobbered with superfluous blows as referee Steve Smoger struggled to get between the men. Krupp absorbed about three unnecessary blows and was sent to the floor before Smoger finally pulled them apart.
In a laughable heavyweight contest, Magomed Abdusalamov (10-0, 10 KO) continued his unbeaten, 100% knockout record with a first-round TKO over Kevin Burnett (13-5-1, 8 KO) of Miami, Fla. The time of stoppage was 1:19.
Burnett, at his best, weighed around the 260 pound range, but after 17 months away from the ring, Burnett returned at an inexcusable 304.5 pounds and was a dead whale in the water. The 6-feet-3 southpaw Abdusalamov, originally of Makhachkala, Russia but now living and training in Oxnard, Calif., weighed in at a respectable 229 and scored two quick knockdowns on left crosses before Burnett's cornerman James Bashir Ali halted the bout mercifully. The lack of competency and professionalism exhibited by Burnett made it impossible to gauge Abdusalamov's merit.
In junior middleweight action, Boyd Melson (6-0, 3 KOs) of White Plains, N.Y. defeated Russ Niggemyer (2-4, 2 KOs) of Hilliard, OH over six rounds. Scores were 59-55, 60-54 and 60-53.
The professional fisticuffs venture of boxing publicist Kevin Rooney Jr. (2-1,1 KO) experienced its first bump as he dropped a decision to Danny Lugo (1-1) in a four-round junior middleweight bout.
Rooney, 26, of Catskills, N.Y. came out jabbing and boxing from range in an attempt to show new wrinkles to his game plan. Yet once Lugo, 33, of Philadelphia, Penn., reached him with his first left hook late in the first round, Rooney returned to the brawling style he had employed through his first two bouts. Rooney waited too much to open up, only letting his hands go with uppercuts and left hooks once Lugo opened up with his own combinations.
In the fourth round Rooney stunned Lugo with a right cross that forced Lugo to tackle him to survive. Lugo and team fall to the floor in exaltation when they were announced the upset win.
Rooney Jr. is the assistant to the show's lead promoter Lou Dibella and the son of famed trainer Kevin Rooney.
In six-round middleweight action, J'Leon Love of Dearborn, Mich., shutout Eddie Hunter of Kent, Wash., winning by 60-53 on one card and 60-54 on the other two. Love moved his record to 9-0 (6 KO), but won't dismiss criticism of his opposition: Hunter is now 4-8-2 (2 KO), and none of Love's prior opponents had winning records.
In four-round middleweight action, Panamanian prospect Israel Duffus (pronounced Doo-fus) suffered his first loss as a professional, losing to the Bronx, N.Y.'s Troy Artis (3-2-1, 2 KO) by third-round TKO. The time of stoppage was 2:03. Duffus, who spent time in camp with Sergio Martinez, falls to 2-1 (2 KO).
tonight's undercard as he scored an impressive fifth-round TKO over the competent Jay Krupp of Catskill, N.Y. The time of the stoppage was 38 seconds.
The multiple-time New York Daily News Golden Gloves champ Martinez, 21, fought from a tight shell, jabbing and counter-punching while fielding the occasional punch in return. The final sequence saw Krupp - out on his feet and stumbling about - being clobbered with superfluous blows as referee Steve Smoger struggled to get between the men. Krupp absorbed about three unnecessary blows and was sent to the floor before Smoger finally pulled them apart.
In a laughable heavyweight contest, Magomed Abdusalamov (10-0, 10 KO) continued his unbeaten, 100% knockout record with a first-round TKO over Kevin Burnett (13-5-1, 8 KO) of Miami, Fla. The time of stoppage was 1:19.
Burnett, at his best, weighed around the 260 pound range, but after 17 months away from the ring, Burnett returned at an inexcusable 304.5 pounds and was a dead whale in the water. The 6-feet-3 southpaw Abdusalamov, originally of Makhachkala, Russia but now living and training in Oxnard, Calif., weighed in at a respectable 229 and scored two quick knockdowns on left crosses before Burnett's cornerman James Bashir Ali halted the bout mercifully. The lack of competency and professionalism exhibited by Burnett made it impossible to gauge Abdusalamov's merit.
In junior middleweight action, Boyd Melson (6-0, 3 KOs) of White Plains, N.Y. defeated Russ Niggemyer (2-4, 2 KOs) of Hilliard, OH over six rounds. Scores were 59-55, 60-54 and 60-53.
The professional fisticuffs venture of boxing publicist Kevin Rooney Jr. (2-1,1 KO) experienced its first bump as he dropped a decision to Danny Lugo (1-1) in a four-round junior middleweight bout.
Rooney, 26, of Catskills, N.Y. came out jabbing and boxing from range in an attempt to show new wrinkles to his game plan. Yet once Lugo, 33, of Philadelphia, Penn., reached him with his first left hook late in the first round, Rooney returned to the brawling style he had employed through his first two bouts. Rooney waited too much to open up, only letting his hands go with uppercuts and left hooks once Lugo opened up with his own combinations.
In the fourth round Rooney stunned Lugo with a right cross that forced Lugo to tackle him to survive. Lugo and team fall to the floor in exaltation when they were announced the upset win.
Rooney Jr. is the assistant to the show's lead promoter Lou Dibella and the son of famed trainer Kevin Rooney.
In six-round middleweight action, J'Leon Love of Dearborn, Mich., shutout Eddie Hunter of Kent, Wash., winning by 60-53 on one card and 60-54 on the other two. Love moved his record to 9-0 (6 KO), but won't dismiss criticism of his opposition: Hunter is now 4-8-2 (2 KO), and none of Love's prior opponents had winning records.
In four-round middleweight action, Panamanian prospect Israel Duffus (pronounced Doo-fus) suffered his first loss as a professional, losing to the Bronx, N.Y.'s Troy Artis (3-2-1, 2 KO) by third-round TKO. The time of stoppage was 2:03. Duffus, who spent time in camp with Sergio Martinez, falls to 2-1 (2 KO).