The same stage inside the walls of The Pageant that has featured some of the finest talent since opening a decade ago hosted professional and amateur boxing for the first time last Friday night at Rumble Time Promotions’ “New Year’s Brawl.”
The ring was set up under the bright canned lights, giving fans a unique vantage point to view all of the highlights and knockouts as some of our area’s finest rising young fighters drew from their repertoires of combinations and counter-attacks.
Talented southpaw Stephon Young started the show in fine fashion, using a quick jab and left hands to force a standing eight count near the end of the opening round after sending his opponent south.
That trend would continue in the second as Young mixed in a pair of short right hooks to the head on the inside, prompting another delay. Two lead lefts in round three would prove to be the beginning of the end, as referee Victor Weber assessed the situation and decided Young’s opponent faced long odds of making a comeback.
Amateur heavyweight Joshua Temple faced a tough test in highly regarded lefty Javonta Charles from Memphis, but it was the local product who dictated the pace from the first bell forward. Temple was the boss inside the ropes, waiting on a left check hook early on that Charles refused to bite on. As the minutes continued to click on the timekeeper’s watch, Temple slashed at his tentative counterpart’s ribs on the way to a decision victory that set the table for the pros.
Tyrone “TNT” Chatman’s name has appeared in this column countless times over the past half-decade, started with a brilliant amateur career that has bridged into the paid ranks. With a wealth of skills and experience to draw from, he faced a game and durable foe in the form of Chad Vandenburg from Kansas City, Kansas.
With his stable mate Deandre Latimore looking on, the game plan for Chatman could be summed up in one word: patience. Using a tape measure jab to lay the groundwork, Chatman added crosses and punishing hooks that sent Vandenburg down but not out.
The domination extended through the third and sent a charge through the crowd, providing an exhilarating feeling for those of us at ringside sharing the same stage as the performers the fans were cheering.
Patience finally paid off for the calculating Chatman in round four when he took a half step back to slip a right hand and landed a stinging left, ending the contest at 1:30 of the final frame.
Jamal Parram is another product of the 12th & Park gym, and he got a head start on his way to the after-party by using lead hands to slice and dice his way to a fast knockout win over cross-state rival Ryan Pederson.
Junior middleweights Lamarr Harris and Ryan Davis dug deep and hammered away at each other for a half-dozen breathless rounds on the way to a majority draw verdict delivered by the dynamic announcer Peter Vaccaro.
Although Daniel “Super Sweet” Mitchell brought an unblemished 5-0 record with him from Pittsburgh, it was a deflating left glove from St. Louis’ “Dangerous” Dannie Williams that ended his undefeated campaign in under a minute and whipped the fans into a frenzy.
When the final performance ended on a chilly January evening, it was evident that a skillful cast and crew had created a memorable and historic event in the Loop.
