By King P
The year has just begun, but Ring Gang Radio is already making our presence known at boxing events. It was great to be back at The Hulu Theater in MSG. Nothing like fights in New York, I will always enjoy them being here. This was the first time I was able to cover a Top Rank event, and I was ready to see boxing by them live and in living color. There is always a different type of atmosphere with TR.
Got into the building in time to catch Euri Cedeno face off against Antonio Todd. I was there for his fight last year in Florida, where he had a split decision draw against Dayan Depestre. No such issues this time around, as he put a hurting on Todd en route to a fifth round KO. Next up was Tiger Johnson facing off against Paulo Galdino. Tiger is a young fighter that many people are mixed on. Some are high on him; others are down on him. This definitely was the fight to get him back on track, as he hurt Galdino early and got rid of him in the first round. The next fight was a hometown one. The Bronx’s own Ofacio Falcon faced off against Edward Ceballos. Falcon did not have much issue with Ceballos, outboxing him and cruising to an easy UD (60-54 3x).
Next up was another NY fighter, as Long Island’s own Isaah Flaherty faced off against Julien Baptiste. Fight started off rocky, as a clash of heads left Flaherty with a sizable cut on the top of his head. Flaherty’s corner was able to keep it under control though, and he continued the fight without trouble. Flaherty outfought Baptiste, and in the end scored an easy UD (60-54 3x). For the last prelim fight, we had heavyweight action as Guido Vianello took on Moses Johnson. The action started early, as Vianello dropped Johnson with an overhand right. Moments later, Moses got dropped with another right hand. Vianello dropped Johnson 2 more times until the fight was finally stopped at the end of the first.
The main card kicked off with Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington taking on Bernard Torres. The fight started off rough, and Torres definitely had Shu Shu confused with his Pacquiao imitation style. By the third round Bruce finally had Torres all figured out, ripping him with body shots. In the fourth round, Bruce landed a right hand on Torres that sent him down to the canvas face first. The crowd roared when he got the KO. The Brooklyn kid then channeled his inner Mike Tyson as he borrowed his “I’m the best ever speech” and the crowd loved it. The co-main event was Andres Cortes vs Bryan Chevalier. This was expected to be a competitive fight, but Cortes had other plans. He beat Chevalier from pillar to post. After 4 rounds, the corner finally stopped the fight.
Now we have reached the main event: WBC champion O’Shaquie Foster defends his title against Abraham Nova. The fight started off on even terms, with both fighters getting off punches. Foster looked a little sluggish, have to wonder how much the weight cut affected him in this fight. In the fifth round Foster’s bicep was hit by Nova’s elbow, and it definitely affected Shaq. But he weathered through, and actually took over the fight as Nova started to fatigue. By the eighth round Nova was completely gassed. Foster wobbled Nova in the ninth round with his right hand and came close to getting the stoppage. In the 12th round Foster dropped Nova with a counter hook. Nova disputed it saying it was a slip, but the call stood. At the end of twelve rounds, Foster was declared the winner by split decision (115-112, 116-111, 113-114). In the post-fight press conference, Foster admitted the weight affected him and it was not his best performance. He said he will be hiring a nutritionist and staying at 130 for a couple more fights. Foster has another mandatory coming soon, and he said he will take the fight if it is ordered. As for who he wants to fight? A unification with Lamont Roach and the winner of Oscar Valdez vs Liam Wilson. Overall, it was a particularly good night for boxing. Salute to Top Rank for giving us a fun and entertaining card. Looking forward to the next card they bring to NYC.
