By: William Holmes
“Thank you, enjoy the fights!” were the only words the crowd heard from Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi throughout the whole night. The weights listed on the official bout sheet did not match up with the weight classes the fighters were listed as fighting in. It was apparent that Team Snooki has some wrinkles to work out before they put on their next event, but the action in the ring however, did not disappoint.
Team Snooki Boxing brought a solid card to Resorts in Atlantic City featuring the Hyland brothers from Ireland. Eddie Hyland, the former super featherweight Irish champion, was the first brother to fight in the welterweight division. He came in looking a little soft in the middle, and was rocked in the middle of the first round. Franklin Gonzalez upset the first of the Hyland brothers, with a close decision victory.
Paul Hyland was able to perform much better than his brother, as he battered Arturo Santiago around the ring with quick combinations and effective use of his shoulder roll defense. He also looked to be in much better shape. Afterwards Paul Hyland said, “It was a great fight for me, and I’m looking forward to the next one with no worries.”
Co-feature of the night featured heavyweight Derric Rossy from New York who came out to classic blues, a nice change from the constant hip hop and metal that every other fighter came out to. He stunned Castillo a few times, but overall the fight was slow.
The last brother to fight was the brother with the best record. Undefeated Patrick Hyland fought a tougher than expected Emmanuel Lucero. Lucero looked confident, and banged at the body of Hyland repeatedly, but Hyland’s harder and crisper punches proved to be the difference as he coasted to victory. Afterwards, Patrick Hyland thought he could have done a lot more, and that he was a bit rusty because has been six months since he fought.
Afterwards Hyland said to boxinginsider that he’d like to fight Gamboa if he doesn’t move up to lightweight, and if Gabmoa is not available he’d like to fight Billy Gibb. He also said that Snooki is a down to earth woman and a good business woman, and that when the offer came to have her promote him he jumped on it. He felt her popularity in America could only help improve his popularity worldwide, and that he’d be foolish if he didn’t sign with her.
Below are quick results for the undercard, and round by round results for the Hyland brothers fights.
Undercard Quick Results:
Chazz McDowell (4-0) vs. Phil Nazario (0-1); Junior Lightweight
McDowell wins by decision with official scores of 40-36, 40-36, and 40-36.
Moses Molina (0-0) vs. Desi Williams (0-3); Featherweight
Moses Molina wins in his professional debut with a TKO at 1:33 of round 1.
John Thompson (4-0) vs. Andre Espeut (2-3); Super Middleweight
John Thompson wins by decision with official scores of 40-36, 40-33, and 40-36.
Derric Rossy (25-5) vs. Livin Castillo (16-10); Heavyweight
The official scores are 78-74, 78-74, and 78-74 for Derric Rossy.
Hyland Brothers Round by Round Results:
Eddie Hyland (16-1) vs. Franklin Gonzalez (14-9); Welterweight
Round 1:
Hyland and Gonzalez comes out to the center of the ring and Gonzalez side steps a lazy jab. Hyland connects with a cross, and two consecutive jabs that knocks Gonzalez backwards. Hyland keeps his guard up high, and lands another straight left hand. Gonzalez tags Hyland with a straight right hand, and Hyland responds by putting his back to the corner and landing some hard body shots. Gonzalez lands a right hand that stuns Hyland and he looks wobbily on his feet. A straight left hand lands upstairs for Gonzalez. Gonzalez peppers Hyland with two jabs. Hyland lands a decent body shot after having a straight left hand blocked upstairs. Gonzalez lands a hard left hand that leaves Hyland grimacing. Hyland lands a leaping lead left hook, but goes back to the corner with his eye starting to show signs of swelling. 10-9 round for Gonzalez.
Round 2:
Hyland lands a two punch combination early in round 2. Hyland comes forward with a two punch combination but Gonzalez is easily able to duck those punches. Gonzalez has a two punch combination blocked by Hyland. Gonzalez lands a good left hook on Hyland, and Hyland responds with some short body shots. Hyland lands a decent left hook and right uppercut. Fighters exchange blows up close, and Hyland lands some short uppercuts, but Gonzalez is connecting with hard left hand shots. Gonzalez is keeping his jab in the face of Hyland, and Hyland is able to come forward with a straight right hand that sends Gonzalez backwards. Hyland lands a straight right hand, and punishes the body of Gonzalez with short hooks. Hyland lands a right hook near the end and roars towards his fans as he walks back to the corner. 10-9 round Hyland.
Round 3:
Hyland comes out aggressive in the beginning of round three and lands a lead right hand and a stiff jab. Gonzalez stays on the outside circling away from Hyland landing jabs and straight left hands. Gonzalez lands a good body shot and a short uppercut. A straight right hand lands for Hyland that causes the face of Gonzalez to go on the other side of the ropes. Gonzalez tags two punch combinations on Hyland and Hyland blocks them asking Gonzalez to come forward. Both fighters exchange hard body blows. Hyland continues to apply the pressure this round and is responding well to his corner’s instructions. Hyland has Gonzalez trapped near the corner and continues to bang at the body of Gonzalez with short uppercuts. Gonzalez lands a good right hook to the body and a straight left hand. 10-9 round for Gonzalez.
Round 4:
Fighters touch gloves in the last round of the fight. Gonzalez lands some short hooks early in the round, but Hyland comes right back and connects with a straight left and right hand. Hyland has Gonzalez by the ropes and lands a left and a right hook upstairs. Gonzalez is starting to look tired, and they clinch by the corner. Gonzalez lands a decent lead straight left hand on Hyland. Gonzalez lands another straight left hand. Hyland pushes forward and bangs at the body of Gonzalez. Hyland tags Gonzalez with a left hook. Hyland smashes Gonzalez with a right hand that gets the crowd roaring. Hyland sticks a jab in the face of Gonzalez. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Official scores are 39-37, 39-37, and 40-36 for Franklin Gonzalez.
Paul Hyland (20-2) vs. Arturo Santiago (7-4-1); Super Bantamweight
Round 1:
Santiago and Hyland come out to the center of the ring, and Hyland looks to be in much better shape than his brother. Santiago bangs at the bdoy of Hyland by the ropes, and Hyland is able to fight his way out of trouble. Hyland lands two jabs on the nose of Santiago. Hyland ducks under a while right hand from Santiago, and then connects with a straight right hand and a left hook upstairs. Hyland easily blocks a combination from Santiago, and snakes forward with a nice two punch combination. Hyland lands two short right hooks on Santiago as he comes forward. Hyland unleashes a quick three punch combination and circles out of danger from a counter. Hyland lands a nice counter right hand. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 2:
Hyland keeps his left hand in the face of Santiago, and connects with a straight right hand. Santiago lands some short body shots on Hyland by the ropes. Hyland again keeps using his jab effectively while dancing on the outside. Hyland ducks under a punch from Santiago and tags him with a three punch combination. Hyland continues to stay active with his jab, following it with an occasional straight right hand. Santiago has Hyland caught near the ropes, and bangs at his body, but Hyland is able to spin away and reverse positioning on Santiago. Hyland connects with a straight right hand and a short right uppercut to the body. Hyland again bangs another two pinch combination on the face of Santiago. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 3:
Hyland ducks under a punch from Santiago, and stings Santiago with a straight right hand. Hyland lands two check left hooks upstairs on Santiago. Hyland weaves and connects with a jab and a straight right hand upstairs. Hyland lands a beautiful straight right hand. Hyland sticks a jab in the solerplex of Santiago. Santiago connects with four hooks to the body on Hyland by the ropes. Hyland lands a stunning straight left hand, but eats some hooks upstairs from Santiago in response. Two jabs land for Hyland, and another hard right hand. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 4:
Hyland is employing the shoulder roll style defense, and keeps a safe distance landing an occasional jab and straight right hand. Santiago is getting wild with his punches, and continues to eat the straight and more accurate punches of Hyland. Santiago lands two hooks to the body of Hyland. Hyland lands a jab and a straight right hand on Santiago. Santiago keeps his guard up high, but is throwing wild looping punches that are not finding their mark. Santiago again bangs at the body of Hyland, but eats harder right hands upstairs in response. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 5:
Hyland continues the same gameplan he employed in the earlier rounds, peppering Santiago with jabs and crosses from the outside while circling away and staying light on his feet. Santiago again swings wildly and lands a rabbit punch to the back of Hyland’s head. Santiago gets tagged with two check left hooks from Hyland. Hyland snaps his jab in the nose of Santiago. Hyland connects with a stiff right hand, gets stung with a straight left in response. Hyland’s chin gets punishes for staying exposed by a right cross from Santiago. Hyland lands a right and a left hook upstairs.
Round 6:
Santiago throws out and connects with a straight right hand to the body of Hyland. Hyland peppers Santiago with three jabs to the face. Santiago lands a good left uppercut to the body of Hyland. Santiago stays aggressive, and bangs Hyland at his body. Fighters are exchanging in close, exchanging body blows. The fight is starting to get sloppy as Santiago continues to hang on the back of the head of Hyland. Santiago is having a much better round, as he throws wild hooks at the defenses of Hyland. Santiago lands two decent hooks to the temple of Hyland as the round ends. 10-9 round for Santiago.
Official scores are 58-56, 59-55, and 58-56 for Paul Hyland.
Patrick Hyland (24-0) vs. Emmanuel Lucero (26-8-1); Featherweight
Round 1:
Hyland comes in looking to be in good shape, and Lucero comes forward with his jab and body shots. Hyland connects with a solid jab to the body of Lucero. Hyland connects with a two punch combination upstairs on Lucero. Lucero throws out a double jab but does not land. Hyland lands two jabs to the body of Lucero. Lucero comes forward and lands a hook to the body but his hook to the head is blocked. An overhand right from Lucero is blocked by Hyland. Lucero connects with a stiff jab. Hyland lands a cross combination to the body and head. Hyland lands a hard straight right hand, and Lucero answers with a right hook to the body of Hyland. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 2:
Hyland lands a decent jab to start round two, and Lucero clinches when they get in close. Hyland stays behind his heavy jab, and misses wildly with a right uppercut. Hyland misses with another wilduppercut, and gets tagged with some body shots from Lucero. Hyland misses with a hard right hand. Lucero bangs another body shot on Hyland. Hyland keeps his jab in the face of Lucero, and lands a few. Hyland lands about four shots to the body of Lucero. Hyland misses with a wild right uppercut. Hyland lands an overhand right, and two quick jabs. Hyland lands a left hook and three hard uppercuts to the body of Lucero. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 3:
Hyland lands an early lead left uppercut to the chin of Lucero. Lucero bounces a two punch combination off the defenses of Hyland. Hyland hurts Lucero with a combination and he smells blood by coming forward. Hyland connects with two short hooks to the temples of Lucero, and Lucero responds by digging some hooks to his body. Hyland lands a hard straight right hand, and misses with another wild uppercut. Hyland snaps the head of Lucero with a right uppercut. They exchange combinations in the center of the ring, and Hyland lands the harder punches. Most of Lucero’s punches this round have been easily blocked by Hyland. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 4:
Hyland comes out and works behind his double jab, and sticks a hard jab to the body of Lucero. Hyland lands a lead left hook right hook combination, and follows it with another two punch jab cross combination. Lucero lands a lead left hook followed by a stiff jab. Hyland lands a straight right hand that gets the crowd cheering. Hyland connects with a body head combination, and then gets stung with a left hook upstairs. One of Hyland’s wild uppercuts finally lands doing damage to the chin of Lucero. Lucero lands about four punch hook combination upstairs on Hyland. Hyland lands a good three punch combination that was quicker than the combination of Lucero. Lucero lands a good lead right uppercut and a check left hook. Crowd gets to their feet as they exchange hard shots. 10-9 round for Hyland, but Lucero did much better.
Round 5:
Lucero comes out and throws an early combination that does not land. Lucero eats a lead right uppercut from Hyland, and a straight right hand. Lucero shows some good head movement and tags Hyland with a left hook. Lucero connects with a double lead left hook, and evades a combination from Hyland. Hyland connects with a jab, but then eats a left hook upstairs. Hyland’s jab connects again. Hyland connects with a three punch combination as Lucero comes forward. Closer round, 10-9 for Lucero.
Round 6:
Lucero throws out a left hook that is blocked, and they then clinch. Hyland lands a hard two punch combination, and follows it up with a stiffer jab. They exchange combinations in the center of the ring and Hyland lands the clearly harder punches. Lucero’s body punches are easily blocked by Hyland. Hyland stings Lucero with a lead left hook, and short combination inside. Lucero appears that he may be tiring as his punches don’t have the sting of earlier rounds. Hyland lands a thudding left hook on Lucero, and follows it with hard straight punches. Lucero lands an overhand right on Hyland. Hyland goes back to his double jab and stays light on his feet. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 7:
Hyland misses with a jab, but follows with a three punch combination that lands. Lucero lands a stiff jab, and a left hook to the body and a right hook upstairs. Hyland lands a straight right hand, and then eats two hooks from Lucero. Lucero digs two body shots to the ribs of Hyland. Lucero bangs some hooks to the arms of Hyland. Hyland looks fresh and still light on his feet. Hyland lands some shots in close on Lucero. Hyland lands some soft jabs, and Lucero backs Hyland to the corner and throws wild hooks to the body of Hyland. Lucero keeps on coming forward and is able to do some more damage to the body of Hyland. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Round 8:
Lucero must know or believe he is behind on the scorecards, because he comes out like a man possessed and lands multiple body shots on Hyland. They exchange vicious combinations by the corner and Hyland lands the harder and crisper shots. Hyland catches Lucero with stiff straight right hand. Hyland lands a lead left hook on Lucero, and Lucero responds with a combination that hits the arms and defenses of Hyland. Hyland lands a nice check uppercut on Lucero as he steps forward, and then smiles at his opponent. Hyland lands an overhand right on Lucero. Lucero tries to keep the fight in tight, but is unable to land any punches of significance. Lucero lands a cominbaiton to the body, but Hyland is able to land a harder straight right hand. Bother fighters celebrate in their corner, but Hyland should take this fight. 10-9 round for Hyland.
Official scores are 77-75, 78-74, and 79-73 for Patrick Hyland.