The South Side proved to be the destination for hundreds of fight fans last Friday evening as Capt. Jerry Leyshock staged the local leg of the 2009 USA Senior Championships at the South Broadway Athletic Club.
Before the veterans battled, 12th & Park’s Larry Shelton squared off with Ryan Thurmond from the Gamble Rec Center in an 80-pound duel.
The southpaw Shelton scored with a right hook upstairs early against his taller opponent and by the third and final round the pair was still busy, but often without consequence as the real estate between them resulted in many wide misses.
After the final bell the judges were polled and it was Shelton who descended the creaky steps near his corner as the victor.
Jerome Courtney would follow his stable mate’s lead, securing a decision by letting his hands go in a variety of combinations directed at Brandon Weddell of Cherokee Rec Center.
Unfortunately, the talented champions Stephon Young from Gamble and Wellston’s Deirdre Rhodes were unopposed, so the first title decided inside the ropes was in the 125-pound division.
Kevin Elliott from Hannibal had a handful in his test with the game Mike Pearson, a well-prepared lefty who found a home below Elliott’s shoulders.
After drawing a standing eight count in round one, Pearson continued to serve up a steady diet of lead lefts to his counterpart’s midsection, a game plan that took its toll and resulted in another delay so the ref could assess Elliott’s viability.
A right hook, straight left chaser in the final frame forced the third man in the ring to step in and call a halt to the match, earning Pearson the winning hardware.
Although they train in the same gym, Derrick Murray and Bennie Culpepper made it clear during their 132-pound stand-off that they wanted to leave everything but the top trophy behind on their way back up the street to 12th & Park.
They locked horns early but smothered each other in close quarters. At a distance, Murray’s straight blows frequently arrived ahead of Culpepper’s bruising hooks.
In a photo finish, Murray outlasted Culpepper and the durable duo showed the mutual respect they have for each other.
One of the most highly anticipated clashes on the card was a tussle between the well-traveled Knuckles’ product Kenny Garcia and Chris Porter from 12th & Park.
An accurate jab was Porter’s best friend out of the gate, while Garcia answered with an overhand right and fired lead crosses without hesitation.
Porter doubled up on his left hook to begin round two before the exchanges moved inside with a surplus of high and low strikes thrown and caught by both.
But the action would really hit a crescendo as gloves were touched to cap the match and each man had precious seconds to try to gain the favor of ringside officials. Porter would begin his closing argument by landing a searing left to the body, forcing Garcia to take a knee to regroup.
Porter continued to stick to Garcia’s ribs, hoping to incur additional damage, while Garcia recovered and scored two nifty right crosses as the crowd roared.
By the time the result was announced and Porter’s mitt was raised, the current rippling through the room was proof that the packed house had just witnessed the most memorable meeting of the tournament.
