The fourth annual Missouri Athletic Club Boxing Championships were held last Thursday evening, and it was obvious from the moment a spotlight sliced through thick plumes of Macanudo cigar smoke and trained itself on ring announcer Peter Vaccaro and a pair of ready prospects that those inside the stately Missouri Room were in for a special night of amateur action.
In what would end as an early and clear frontrunner for “Fight of the Year” honors, Chris Porter faced off against Wellston’s Darnell Mason in the 152-pound class. Porter jumped out of the gate early with a busy jab, draping a suffocating blanket of pressure over his counterpart’s shoulders, while the lefty Mason countered with 1, 2’s and right hooks.
The duo had settled into a groove on the inside by round two, swapping power punches from close range while trying to build a case with the officials seated at ringside.
Porter landed a nifty lead left to the body and doubled it upstairs in the third and final act and then swarmed his opponent as time expired, looking as fresh as he did in the first 30 seconds of the fierce affair.
With his corner of Harold Petty and Jerry Leyshock looking on, the 12th & Park product’s hand was raised after the officials had tallied the scorecards.
The momentum continued as Marquette’s Lavell Hadley stepped in against Otis Brown, the Cherokee gym member currently ranked #2 in the Junior Men’s Division of USA Boxing.
The confident Brown showed poise early as he avoided a couple of blows and used his wheels to get into position for a well thought out combination. He avoided a jab by taking a half step back and then returned a right cross high, followed by a blunt left hook downstairs.
Hadley opened round two with a jab to the body, but when he tried turning it over into a lead left to the head, he barely missed the mark. After absorbing a hard-nosed hook, Hadley was given a standing eight count, and a subsequent body barrage from Brown got the referee’s attention again.
Although the rugged Hadley looked to continue and battle back, future St. Louis Boxing Hall-of-Fame inductee Joe Marshall had seen enough and pulled the plug as Brown and his crew rejoiced.
According to the vocal response from the audience, the judges’ verdict following the tussle between Jordan McCrary from North County and Pagedale’s Louis Holloway was not a popular one.
McCrary showed great ring generalship in the opening frame, dictating the action and setting the pace, while Holloway fired a jab and went to work on the inside, trying to take his opponent’s legs away.
The duo finished very strong, but when Holloway’s glove was raised the crowd responded with a contentious chorus of “boos”.
Cherokee’s Jarvis Williams looked impressive during his abbreviated meeting with South Broadway’s Kenny Lomax. A taut, accurate stick and big right hands by Williams led to a quick night for him and a nice win for his club.
The combination of elegant surroundings and thrilling action made for a memorable night Downtown with some of St. Louis’ top talent on display.
