Jerry Glick reporting from ringside: Juan Dominguez dominated durable Puerto Rican Arturo Santiago for most of eight rounds to take a unanimous decision and the vacant New York State Bantamweight belt as he raised his record to 8-0 (5 KOs).
Just north of Howard Beach, New York there is, on Jamaica Avenue, a local catering hall, The Cordon Bleu, that on occasion doubles as a fight venue. With its ability to attract a local and regional fan base the promotional outfit called New Legends has teamed up with Old World Boxing to showcase some talented boxers for the second time at the Cordon Bleu.
Dominguez, from Santiago, DR, did his best work going after his opponent’s body. Not that he forgot to bring it up to the head, but the body attack is often forgotten especially with less experienced fighters such as Dominguez.
The Puerto Rican’s best round was the fourth when he landed some good rights to Dominguez’ head as they traded punches for three solid minutes. This was the only round that Santiago appeared to win. Santiago tried to make it a brawl but the craftier Dominguez set the pace.
Santiago, 117 pounds, was hurt badly in the final round and went down twice; first a left did the trick then a right uppercut almost finished the job for Dominguez, who weighed a half pound more than his foe, but the bell rang with Santiago on his feet and they went to the scorecards. Dominguez won by scores of 80-70 twice and 79-73. The brave Puerto Rican saw his record fall to 7-3-1 (4 KOs). Ricky Gonzalez refereed.
In the co-feature Melissa McMorrow, from San Francisco, CA, took the vacant New York State Female Flyweight belt with a surprising split decision win over crowd favorite, Eileen Olszewski, who fights out of New York, NY. McMorrow, 111 pounds, forced the action throughout the eight two minute rounds to catch the eye of the Judges who scored it 78-74 for Olszewski, and 78-74 and 79-73 for her.
Olszewski,110 ½ pounds, did a decent job of controlling McMorrow on the inside and did her best work when she moved away at long range landing jabs and combinations, but the Judges were more impressed with the shorter Californian’s pressure up close and she was able to keep the action there most of the time. Sparkle Lee refereed.
THE UNDERCARD
It was all Mike Brooks, 138 ½ pounds, Long Island, NY, 4-0 (1 KO), as he started and finished fast with bombs aimed at the head and body of winless Mateo Acosta, 127 ½ pounds, Lajas, PR, 0-3. Called “Lefty” for the right reason, Brooks hammered an almost defenseless Acosta for four solid rounds. In the second referee Tony Chiarantano came very close to stopping the fight with Acosta getting beaten badly on the ropes. In fact it appeared by the look on his face that the Puerto Rican journeyman would have welcomed his intervention at that point. The Judges all gave it to Brooks by scores of 40-35 twice and 40-36.
They called it a draw but Ariel Duran, 135 pounds, Queens, NY, 7-2-1 (4 KOs), out fought and out punched Jonathan Cuba, 134 pounds, Queens, NY, 5-3-1 (4 KOs), for most of the eight rounds that they spent together in the ring. Cuba was felled by a right to the head in the opening round for the NYS Lightweight Belt and had his nose bloodied in the second which bled throughout the rest of the fight. Duran gave him angles and landed the cleaner punches. After not getting the win that he seemed to deserve, Duran became hysterical. He threw himself on the canvas and wept. This reporter is not sure if he would have responded any differently after such a theft.
Judge Luis Rivera scored it 76-74 for Cuba. Judge John Signorile gave it to Duran 78-73, while Judge John McKaie tallied 75-75 making it a split draw. Chiarantano refereed.
In a big upset journyman Bryan Abraham, 138 pounds, Schenectady, NY, 4-6-2 (4 KOs), forgot to do his job and lose to unbeaten prospect Scott Burrell, 138 pounds, Brooklyn, NY, 3-1 (2 KOs). Instead he rushed out of his corner at the first bell and landed a hard right that stunned the Brooklyn battler then followed it up by attaching a shaky Burrell dropping him hard with a left hook.
In the next round Burrell seemed to gather himself and outboxed Abraham only to be clobbered in the third by a right that had him down again. Now in bad shape he was decked again after trading shots. He got to his feet but another right put him down and out at 2:23 of the third. Refereeing the fight was Ricky Gonzalez.
Tommy Rainone, 149 pounds, Plainview, NY, 15-4 (3 KOs), is certainly not known as a puncher but for one round on this night he looked like one. I said a puncher, not a finisher. He had weak chinned Norman Allen, 145 ½ pounds, Forestville, MD, 6-5 (3 KOs), down and almost out in the first of six rounds scheduled but let him off the hook and settled into a boxing mode that earned him a unanimous decision by a score of 59-54 from all three Judges, John Signorile, Robin Taylor, and Luis Rivera. Both men were unmarked until the last few seconds of the fifth frame when a clash of heads gave Rainone a huge two inch gash over his right eye. Great work by cut man Big George Mitchell (How’d you control it George, I asked, “Twenty years of experience,” said the 6’7” cornerman). Gonzalez refereed.
Two grizzled club fighters showed the fans what fighting-not boxing-is all about. Edwin Valdez, 133 ½ pounds, Brooklyn, NY, 4-7-2 (3 KOs), and George Santiago, 137 ¼ pounds, Brooklyn, NY, 1-5 (1 KO), stood nose to nose and just kept throwing punches until the bell ending each of the four round they fought rang. All three judges gave Valdez the shutout win with a 40-36 tally. Sparkle Lee officiated.
Carlos Cisneros, 148 pounds, Philadelphia, PA, 9-18-1 (6 KOs), hung tough for as long as he could against prospect Martin Wright, 148 ¼ pounds, Brooklyn, NY, 10-1-2 (5 KOs), finally succumbing to a left hook at 32 seconds into the sixth and final round. He went down and out as referee Lee counted him out.
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