By: William Holmes
Top Rank Promotions put on a card at Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey and it featured several high ceiling prospects.
The first fight of the night was between Edwin Ronquillo (2-2) and George Arias (0-0) in the heavyweight division.
Arias came out like a bull in a china shop and was showing good head and upper body movement while keeping his head in his opponent’s chest. He was landing hard left hooks but his corner was calling for more combinations. Arias showed he can take a punch as Ronquillo was able to land a few counters, but Arias clearly won the first round.
Arias came out on fire again in the second round and connected with combinations to the body and head of his opponent. Arias’ corner was pleading with him to pivot more and he was able to adjust and listen to his corner’s advice. Arias eventually wore Ronquillo down and knocked him out when he connected with a three punch combination that was punctuated with a straight right hand.
Ronquillo was unable to get back to his feet and George Arias wins his professional debut at 2:08 of the first round.
The second bout of the night was between Roberto Ventura (15-9) and Mikael Zewski (24-0) in the super welterweight division.
Zewski is an undefeated Canadian with a high knockout ratio that’s due for a big fight or a big test soon. He was in control in the first round and was moving Ventura around this ring with his jab. He focused his attacks on the body of Ventura and won the first round with a measured pace.
Zewski used his feints to land his straight right hand in the second round and forced Ventura to hold on whenever he connected with a punch. The end came when Zewski landed a left hook followed by a multi punch combination that sent Ventura to the ground writhing in pain. He motioned to the referee that he was unable to continue and the fight was waived off.
Mikael Zewski wins by knockout at 2:23 of the second round.
Toka Kahn Clary (12-0) and Jose Del Valle (4-7-3) met next in the super featherweight division.
Del Valle towered over Toka Kahn Clary. He was eight inches taller than him, but he only had a half an inch read advantage. Kahn Clary was able to land his combinations in the first round and account for the height differential. He was trying to get Del Valle to walk into traps in the first, and landed a vicious three punch combination that sent Del Valle to the mat in the first round as it came to a close.
Del Valle was able to survive the first round, but was again pummeled by Toka Kahn Clary in the second and third rounds. Peter Manfredo Sr. was begging for Kahn Clary to pick up the pace and he did in the third round in which Kahn Clary knocked Del Valle’s mouthpiece flying across the ring.
The end came in the fourth round when Toka Kahn Clary was pummeling Del Valle in the corner and landed several shots including a hard right uppercut. Del Valle’s corner had seen enough and called a stop to the fight at 2:00 of the fourth round.
Atlantic City native Osnel Charles (10-10-1) met Waldorf, Maryland native Michael Reed (10-0) in a super lightweight bout.
Charles had a slight height advantage on Reed and a four inch reach advantage. Charles sticked Reed with jabs and right crosses to the body in the first, but the southpaw Reed was able to land hard check right hooks and took Charles’ punches well.
Charles pressed the pace early in the second round but Reed established control of the round when he connected with a two punch combination. Reed was again landing hard left hooks and appeared to be wearing Charles down. Charles did go to one knee after being hit with a low blow, but when he took his recovery time he found himself on the mat again from a straight left hand to the body.
Charles was visibily tiring and spit out his mouth piece twice in the third round. He took heavy shots in the fourth round and his mouth piece fell out twice again the fourth. Charles somehow was able to stay on his feet in the fourth and fifth rounds despite taking several hard punches, especially clean left hooks.
Charles needed a knockout in the final round but only managed to impress the audience with his ability to take a hard punch. Of course the mouthpiece of Charles fell out of his mouth for the fifth time of the fight in the final round.
Michael Reed won by decision with scores of 59-53, 60-52, and 60-52.
Amateur standout Julian Rodriguez (5-0) fought in the super lightweight division against Christian Steele (4-10-2).
Rodriguez took his time in the first round and was feeling Steele out. It appeared that he could land combinations whenever he wanted and Steele did not offer much of an offensive attack. Rodriguez picked up the pace slightly in the second round and he sent Steele to the mat with a clean left hook.
Rodriguez stayed aggressive in the third round and had Steele holding on several times in the round. A two punch combination from Rodriguez sent Steele to the mat as the round came to an end and Steele waited to the count of eight before rising to his feet.
Rodriguez opened up the third round with punishing body shots. He sent Steele to the mat for a third time with another counter left hook. Steele was unable to beat the count of ten and Julian Rodriguez wins by knockout at 1:35 of the fourth round.
Roberto Acevedo (8-2) and Jesse Hart (14-0) fought in the co-main event of the night for the NABF Super Middleweight Title.
Jesse Hart came into this fight with a reputation as a knockout artist and he had heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings in his corner.
Jesse Hart was throwing heavy shots from the opening round and he had Acevedo hurt early with an over the top right hand. He landed hard hooks to the body and head and forced Acevedo to hold on several times.
Hart’s left hooks were starting to land in the second round and was really winding up on his punches. He was getting a little wild and was caught by a straight right from Acevedo as the round came to an end, but Hart was controlling the action.
A right hand by Hart hurt Acevedo early in the third round but Hart appeared to push him to the mat as the referee ruled it a slip. Hart’s corner was begging for him to go to the body more but Hart was landing heavy shots to the head of Acevedo.
Hart ended the fight in the fourth round. He scored a knockdown with a straight right hand that sent Acevedo crashing to the mat and he followed that up with a combination that sent Acevedo crashing to the mat for a second time as soon as he got to his feet.
Acevedo was still wobbly when he got to his feet after the second knockdown and the referee waived off the bout at 1:51 of the fourth round.
Glen Tapia (21-1) met Donatas Bondoravas (18-5-1) in the main event of the night in the super welterweight division. The “Jersey Boy” Glen Tapia had a large contigent of fans in attendance to cheer him on.
Tapia was on point with his jab in the first round and hurt Bondoravas with a left hook to his chin. Tapia was also mixing up his punches to the body in the first round and may have gotten away with a punch that landed after the bell.
Tapia followed up his solid first round with a measured and patient second round. He opened up a cut on the bridge of Bondoravas’s nose in the second round from a four punch combination and ended the second round with a hard right cross to the body.
Tapia came out aggressive in the first half of the third round and was landing hard combinations often. Bondoravas had a cut near his left eye that started to bleed worse as the round progressed.
The ring side doctor took a hard look at Bondoravas’s face at the end of the third round and allowed him to continue. Bondoravas pressed the pace in the opening moments of the fourth round but ate a hard right hand that sent him down to the mat and crashing through the ropes. He nearly fell out of the ring and looked lost when he got back to his feet. The refree took a quick look at Bondoravas and rightly decided to stop the fight.
Glen Tapia wins by TKO at 0:47 of the fourth round.
