Our guys whip head at Ameristar
By Glenn McBrady
For the St. Louis American
Even though Rumble Time Promotions is the newest company to venture into the murky, shark-infested waters of the boxing business, they have quickly risen to the top by uniting the area’s most talented fighters and trainers and staging a string of terrific cards.
Last month they sold out the Ballpark Hilton, and they kept the magic going last Thursday evening by packing the beautiful new Ameristar Casino Conference Center for a night of first class action at the “Battle on the Banks.”
Singer Monya Fisher warmed up the audience with a pair of classics by Aretha Franklin and Gloria Gaynor before belting out the national anthem as former St. Louis Golden Gloves Champion Melvin Brown presented the colors.
The blue canvas bearing the Ameristar logo was spotless before the opening bell, but that would quickly change when East St. Louis’ Joell Godfrey climbed into the ring to face Chuck Dillard from Little Rock, Arkansas in a heavyweight match.
Dillard started fast, and even though he stalked his opponent with heavy feet, he was able to maneuver his concrete shoes into a corner and land some hard shots early on. But Godfrey absorbed the punches and stayed light on his toes, calmly blocking Dillard’s volleys and waiting patiently for an opening.
Godfrey used that airtight defense and a busy jab to take rounds two and three, and by the end of the third it seemed as though Dillard was fading in his professional debut.
That lack of focus may have contributed to the show stopping events in the fourth and final round, when Godfrey used a jab to find that opportunity he’d been looking for. Dillard dropped his left glove and Godfrey sent an overhand right crashing to the temple that opened a slit above the left eye as wide as one of the playing cards at the casino’s blackjack tables.
Blood immediately began gurgling from the patchwork divot that formed where the edges of the wound refused to mesh and as the action continued for only a few seconds before the eventual stoppage, a group of VIP’s sitting at ringside learned a lesson I was taught years ago – it’s cool being so close, but don’t wear your best suit.
A steady crimson stream continued to bubble up and stain the canvas as the ringside physician halted the contest, earning Godfrey his third straight knockout victory.
The rude local hosts would continue their pain parade as St. Louis’ Deandre “The Bull” Latimore stepped in against Rodney Freeman from Covington, Tennessee.
The crowd welcomed Latimore into the ring by chanting his nickname as St. Louis Rams Steven Jackson and Larry Turner looked on. It didn’t take long for “The Bull” to land a stinging right hook to the jaw and Freeman was starched, stretched out and tossing from side to side like he was in the grips of a malaria-induced nightmare.
The buzz from the knockout lingered in the air as the undefeated Latimore left the ring with his Missouri State Championship hardware and waded through the room greeting his fans.
With the caliber of shows Rumble Time has been staging, it’s only a matter of time before they expand their operations to other cities and draw the interest of nationally-televised broadcasts such as HBO’s “Boxing After Dark”, Showtime’s “ShoBox”, and ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights.”
