And Joe Torry, Coach Shaw announce cards
By Glenn McBrady
For the St. Louis American
Promoter Jim Howell and the Monford Point Marine Association staged a boxing card last Thursday to benefit the North County and St. Charles Boxing Clubs, and the 12-bout event provided excitement for the staunch supporters of amateur boxing in attendance.
The action heated up early, when Cherokee’s Otis Brown faced off against Jamie Hernandez from 12th & Park in the 135 lb. weight class. The first two rounds were a tale of two distances as Hernandez was effective with his straight right in the first frame and Brown scored several clean 1, 2’s, but both fighters failed to double or triple up on their jabs to close the distance between them.
The fight moved inside in the second stanza, but then the pair were often too close as they traded hooks, smothering their punches and prompting the referee to step in several times to untangle the web of twisted limbs.
In the third and final round, Hernandez came out with guns blazing, but as the round wore on he looked like his lungs were burning from his initial flurry.
The outcome fell into the judges’ hands, and Brown emerged with a tight split-decision win.
In another bout at 135 lbs., North County Boxing Club’s Darwin Price Jr. took on Hasan Abdullah from Champions Gym. Both spent the opening round falling in and swinging wildly, but the only punches of consequence that landed were a couple of solid uppercuts by Price. He continued to build on that theme in the second, and, with Abdullah’s jab hand pinned to his own chin, Price had an open invitation to stroll through the front door.
Abdullah also kept bending over in front of Price, providing an easy mark for an uppercut, which Price cashed in on several times. A minute and a half into round two, Price landed a punishing 1, 2 and the referee pulled the plug on the match.
Just south of that duo in the 132 lb. division, Ronald Freeman from 12th & Park and North County’s William Boyd climbed into the ring for the ninth bout of the night. I had been looking forward to watching the two talents battle each other, and they delivered in a big way.
They got tangled up and tumbled early in the first, and for the rest of the round Freeman fired a balanced attack to the body and head while Boyd countered with swift left hooks. Boyd came out for round two bouncing lightly on the soles of his spotless white and blue “Roy Jones Jr.” shoes, and landed a spearing body shot that drew a standing eight count.
With the outcome up for grabs, both came out roaring in the third with a sense of urgency, and Freeman landed a stinging right uppercut that left the rim of Boyd’s left nostril coated with blood.
The breakneck pace of the final round left the busy boxers exhausted and struggling for air as they waited patiently for the judges to crunch the numbers on the scorecards. In the end, Freeman got the nod with a razor-thin 3-2 decision, and the fans were treated to a card packed with highly competitive contests between some of St. Louis’ amateur standouts.
Boxing with Joe Torry and Coach Shaw
There will be ten exciting amateur boxing matches this Sunday as part of Joe Torry’s Family Day in Downtown St. Louis across from City Hall. The ring will be located at 13th & Pine and the action will get underway at 12:30 p.m. It will be a great chance to see some of our city’s talented amateur athletes in a very unique outdoor setting.
Fans of amateur boxing usually experience a drought during the summer, but Coach Winston Shaw and the Head Hunters Association have come to the rescue with the announcement of their first annual St. Louis Boxing Invitational on July 15 at the Harris-Stowe State College Emerson Physical Education & Visual Art Center at 3026 Laclede Avenue.
The action starts at 7 p.m., and the card features a list of talented St. Louis fighters such as the Singleton twins, the Dailey brothers, and Rodney and Robert Standard competing against new faces from Illinois, Kansas City and Ohio.
The feature attraction will be Barry Dennis Jr., the 2005 National Golden Gloves Champion and one of St. Louis’ most promising young hopefuls.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for those 12 & under and are available at the door or by calling Coach Shaw at (314) 368-1635.
