Amateur boxing made a triumphant return to the gritty South Broadway Athletic Club last Friday as Coach Winston Shaw and Teamsters Local 688 presented the “2007 Showdown in St. Louis,” a card that was stacked with a dozen thrilling bouts between local fighters and visitors from Illinois and Ohio.
Gamble Rec’s Demetrius Johnson once again showed why he is considered one of the hottest prospects in town. The southpaw Johnson faced another lefty in his counterpart, Cherokee’s Dante Turner, and the duo went to work early employing snappy right jabs while searching for defensive flaws.
Johnson turned his jab over effectively into lead hooks and scored high and low, while Turner answered with counter rights of his own. The third and final round saw the fresher Johnson pulling away, slipping and coming back with a sharp lead left and a 1, 2 up top that helped carry him to a decision win.
Terail Singleton and his twin brother Jerail are also Gamble products and although both were on hand, only Terail would see action inside the ropes as he squared off against Columbia’s Justin Jones.
The contest featured the type of body attack that makes the old-time trainers smile as Singleton opened by countering Jones’ jab with straight rights before unveiling a body-snatching barrage that led to a pair of standing eight counts and finally a halt to the proceedings at 1:54 of the second stanza.
Cherokee’s Kent Cruz did a fine job of defending St. Louis’ turf with his domination of Cincinnati’s Charles Johnson. The taller Cruz had the reach advantage and the right idea, keeping Johnson at the end of his longer shots while eliminating the liability of his height with slick head movement.
Johnson continued to fire wide hooks in hopes of evening up the ledger, but the effort took its toll and Cruz had the legs to finish strong and take home the trophy.
Cruz’ stable mate Demonte Turner and Gamble’s Janiel Foy both saw their stock rise at the end of their match in the 90-pound weight division. Turner was thinking counter hook early, putting a temporary halt to Foy’s advances with the threat of a power punch waiting just inside the front door.
But Foy eventually found the key and turned up the heat, scoring enough over the duration to win the approval of the officials at ringside.
The most heated battle of the card was a cross-town meeting between Marquette’s Jarvis Williams and Nate Kempa from South Broadway.
Williams did a good job of closing the distance early by stepping in with his double jab and unloading on his lankier opponent’s ribs. The game Kempa responded with accurate 1, 2’s before picking up the pace. The second round featured a bruising give and take as the pair dug in and swapped body blows while standing pat.
Williams was able to land sneaky lead rights in the third and punctuated the round with a clubbing straight combination upstairs.
The final bell sounded and the pitched action came down to the wire as the judges’ scorecards were tabulated. In the end, Kempa’s hand was raised, and fans had another rivalry to look forward to.
There was no doubt that in addition to entertaining the crowd, the boxers and trainers got an accurate gauge as to where they stand as the busy tournament season rolls around.
