By: William Holmes
Peltz Boxing Promotions returned to their familiar confines of Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City which featured a main event between Teon Kennedy and Carlos Vinan as well as a feature fight with highly touted prospect Jesse “Hard Work” Hart.
Bally’s Casino was packed early on partially due to the beginning of the “Summer” Season of in the Gambling Mecca by the shore.
The opening bout of the night was between Dan Pasciolla (0-0) and Dante Selby (0-0-1) in the heavyweight division. Pasciolla was a southpaw who was aggressive but a little sloppy and Selby attacked the body from the first round on. Selby’s straight right hand was effective but he rarely used his jab or left hand at all. Pasciolla’s best round of the fight was the last round, but it wasn’t enough to win over the judges. The final scores were 39-37, 39-37, and 40-36 for Dante Selby.
The next bout of the night was between Philadelphia native Sultahn Staton (1-0) and Atlantic City native Sidell Blocker (1-5-1) in the lightweight division. Staton had a large and vocal contingent in attendance at the beginning of the fight and he had an even larger group of fans afterwards. Both fighters came out swinging for the fences and Staton suffered a cut over his left eye early on. Blocker however is not known for having the best of chins and a vicious overhand right by Staton knocked Blocker out cold. Staton scored the knockout victory at 2:59 of the first round.
The next bout of the night was between Anthony Burgin (3-0) and Nuwan Jayakody (1-0) in the junior lightweight division. Burgin walked in with bright orange trunks and is one of the more talented prospects to come out of Philadelphia. Burgin had a strong jab and was able to land some solid 1-2 combinations but never seriously hurt Jayakody. Jayakody had a bloody nose in the third round and connected with a solid right uppercut and hook in the fourth round but he simply could not keep up with the speed and work rate of Burgin. The final scores were 40-36, 39-37, and 40-36 for Anthony Burgin.
Ismael Garcia (4-0) and Alando Swain (5-2) met next in the middleweight division. Swain started the fight off controlling the center of the ring while Garcia used his jab and 1-2 combinations to keep Swain at bay. Garcia suffered a cut in the second round but was still winning the fight with accurate counters and combinations. Swain momentarily trapped Garcia in the corner in the fourth round but was dropped by a crisp left hook from Garcia. A straight right hand by Garcia wobbled Swain’s legs in the fifth round, and Garcia dropped Swain again in the sixth round for the victory. The end came at 2:22 of the sixth round.
Undefeated prospect Jesse “Hard Work” Hart (6-0) took on Thomas Turner (3-3) in the super middleweight division. Hart is a prospect with a very high ceiling and he showed his skills in the ring tonight. Turner was obliterated by Hart with combinations and was dropped in the middle of the ring with a short left hook. Turner was able to beat the count but was met with forceful uppercuts and short hooks. Turner was unable to defend himself and the referee called off the fight at 2:15 of the first round.
Camden, New Jersey native Jason Sosa (8-1) took on Georgi Kevlishvili (12-5)in the junior lightweight division. This was the most entertaining fight of the night. Sosa controlled the first round with his aggression, but Kevlishvili was able to lay a trap for Sosa and knock him down with a clean straight right hand. Sosa took his time getting to his feet and he was able to recover and gather his wits. Sosa was able to stay in tight in the third round and land some vicious uppercuts but Kevlishvili was the better fighter when he fought from the outside. Kevlishvili started off strong in the fourth round with a crisp right hook but Sosa landed a short right hand that knocked Kevlishvili down. There was some controversy with the knockdown since Sosa appeared to land a few more punches when Kevlishvili’s glove was touching the ground. Kevlishvili was able to get back to his feet but he was extremely wobbly. The referee rightly called off the fight at 2:21 of the fourth round.
Carlos Vinan (10-9-5) and Teon Kennedy (17-2-2) met in the main event of the evening. Kennedy was making his debut in the junior lightweight division and he did appear to be a small for this division. The first round was a barn burner and Vinan was able to withstand Kennedy’s best punches. Kennedy’s left hook was landing and he was getting the better of the exchanges. Vinan’s best round was the fourth round and he appeared to walk Kennedy down from corner to corner.
In the middle rounds Kennedy went back to boxing instead of brawling and he sticked to his jab to control the action. Vinan never stopped coming forward but he was unable to stay inside and make it his type of fight. Kennedy landed some blistering punches in the final two rounds band he finally knocked Vinan down in the last round after landing some brutal body shots followed by a short uppercut. Vinan was able to survive the last round.
The final scores were 99-90, 98-91, and 99-90 for Teon Kennedy.
