Derrick “Take It to the Bank” Webster Wins in Return to the Grundy Arena in Bristol, PA, Saturday!
By: Ken Hissner
Three new promoters in Deuce Promotions and Kane 5 Promotions in association with MIS Downing Promotions in an ice rink presented five fights before a crowd of about 500. Sacred Downing from Trenton, NJ, was an outstanding amateur boxer who was an Olympian.
Super Middleweight southpaw Derrick “Take It to the Bank” Webster, 23-1 (11), of Glassboro, NJ, won the WBF International title stopping southpaw Frankie Filippone, 22-6-1 (7), of Norfolk, VA, at 0:32 of the seventh round. Referee Eric Dali who worked the entire five matches saw enough after Filippone was knocked down in the sixth round and twice in the seventh of a scheduled ten rounds. Filippone had won his six previous fights.
Webster much taller than Filippone rarely used his left hand controlling the fight with a jab. Filippone tried urging Webster into mixing it up and not just eating jabs all night and when Webster did Filippone wouldn’t exchange with him. It was not a performance by Webster that would get him into the top 15 of any of the organizations. Up until the final round it was more like a sparring session.
The co-feature was cancelled when female lightweight Ikram Kersat, 7-1 (5), of Pensacola, FL, born in Tunisia and previous only fought in Germany had several opponents fall out. The WBF Jr. Regional title belt was given to her by James Gibbs of the WBF. Webster made Filippone wait some ten minutes in the ring before he came out of his dressing room. Commissioner Rudy Battle and Boxing Director did little to make Webster appear.
In the new co-feature Mikkel Lespierre, 16-0-1 (7), of Brooklyn, NY, won a fairly interesting bout over the once prospect Jerome “The Messenger” Rodriguez, 7-9-3 (2), of Bethlehem, PA, who has lost eight of his last nine fights. Rodriguez landed more punches in this battle of southpaws but Lespierre was too heavy handed for him.
Judges scores were Lundy and Page 59-55 twice and 58-56 Weisfeld all in favor of Lespierre as this writer had it 58-56 for the winner.
Featherweight Vidal Rivera, 6-0 (4), of Camden, NJ, won a majority decision over southpaw Jesus Salas, 1-1 (1), of PR over six rounds.
Salas was the much taller of the two and may have took the first round but from the time the bell sounded to start the second round Rivera got inside the reach of Salas and took it to his body and head. “I felt I won the fight and have gotten few fights due to my job and opponents lacking to fight me,” said Rivera. He had an outstanding amateur career.
Cruiserweight Mike Hilton, 6-0 (6), of Trenton, NJ, scored a technical stoppage over Eric Cason, 2-6 (2), of Davenport, IA, at 2:51 of the second round in a schedule 4.
Hilton won a close first round but gave Cason a beating in the second round until referee Dali called a halt. Cason complained to no avail.
Light heavyweight Brandon “Brob” Robinson, 3-1 (2), of Upper Darby, PA, easily defeated by knockout over Phillip Legrand, 1-5 (1), of Atlanta, GA, at 0:45 of the second round.
In the show opener Liberia’s Gowarr Karyah, 1-0 (1), of Philadelphia stopped Jose Homar Rios, 1-5 (1), of Moorhead, WI.
Rios tried by kept get tagged by Karyah and the referee Dali had seen enough. There were no complaints from the loser’s corner.
In this writer’s ten years of covering fights the conditions were the worst. The freezing ice hockey rink was so cold we moved to the penalty box to get off of the covered ice. The speaker system was poor and a late start. This facility should not be approved by the commission in the future. With a lack of security the fans stood in front of the penalty box making the writers stand for the entire show.
