Friday, July 17, 2015, GH3 Promotions’ undefeated prospect Antoine “Action” Douglas (18-0-1, 12 KOs) of Burke, VA took on Istvan “The Prince” Szili (18-1-2, 8 KOs) of Switzerland in a scheduled 10-round bout from The Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
The Showtime telecast celebrated ShoBox: The New Generation’s 14th anniversary and featured four competitive fights on paper, with six fighters putting their undefeated records on the line.
Douglas’ performance put an exclamation point on an exciting night of action which included multiple knockdowns and knockouts.
Douglas started off showcasing his quicker reflexes from the opening bell, snapping his sharp jab that seemed to shake Szili like a power punch.
Douglas mentioned in the pre-fight preview that he wanted to establish the jab early on, something that was able to help him control the action while it lasted.
Szili tried to press forward and impose his will, obviously feeling like he could break down Action with pressure, but it was a poorly thought out gameplan to say the least.
Instead, Douglas continually beat Szili to the punch and rocked him early and often with multiple-punch combinations to the body and head. Douglas nearly finished Szili off with series of six unanswered punches towards the end of Round 2, and though he laid flat on his face, The Prince managed to beat the count.
Douglas came out in Round 3 determined to pick up where he left off in Round 2 and immediately jumped on Szili, scoring two more knockdowns before officially earning a TKO at :29 of Round 3.
In the co-main event, undefeated and supposed power-punching Middleweight Derrick “Take It to the Bank” Webster (19-1, 10 KOs) squared off against fellow unbeaten fighter and the newest fighter to sign to the Main Events stable, Arif Magomedov (16-0, 9 KOs), of Glendale, California in a 10-round middleweight clash.
This fight was a classic style matchup with Webster–the taller and lankier matador–trying to tame the raging bull, Magomedov.
In the first few rounds, Webster skittishly moved around the ring, working behind a weak jab and trying to stay out of range of Magomedov’s big hooks.
Magomedov was determined throughout the fight, walking Webster down with little regard for defense, instead zoning in on landing power shots upstairs and to the body.
The pressure Magomedov put on Webster in each round was impressive. The Russian heavy hitter never seemed to get tired, which was certainly frustrating for Webster who could never get more than two seconds to breathe without a power punch being thrown at him.
Round 7 was Magomedov’s best as he connected with two stiff, straight right hands that Webster to the canvas. Webster was a bit dazed, but got up to beat the count and survived the round.
Webster spent the first minute of Round 9 and 10 trying to listen to his corner and find a way to knock Magomedov out, but it was simply not in the cards. Webster stood toe-to-toe with Magomedov, but there was absolutely nothing in the 33 year old’s arsenal that could deter the younger, stronger man from coming forward.
Magomedov was able to score a second knockdown in Round 10, simply widening his margin of victory on the judges’ scorecards. All three judges scored the bout 99-89 for Magomedov who handed Webster his first professional defeat.
In other televised action, Adam “Mantequilla” Lopez (13-0, 6 KOs) took on Dominican Republic’s Eliezer “Campeoncito” Aquino (17-1-1, 11 KOs) in a 10-round Super Bantamweight bout.
The fight started off shaky for the Dominican, Aquino who suffered a knockdown in Round 1. To his credit, Aquino came right back and surprisingly buzzed the undefeated fighter from San Antonio.
The fight quickly developed into a battle of power punches as through Round 6 neither man had landed double digit jabs.
Lopez got the better of the exchanges throughout the bout, landing his uppercut repeatedly as Aquino lunged in recklessly. Aquino’s style was a bit awkward at times and caused multiple head clashes.
Aquino showed toughness, giving Mantequilla some quality rounds and valuable experience. Lopez–for the most part–was able to control the pace and keep the fight in the middle of the ring where he wanted.
Aquino, while being outgunned for many of the middle rounds, did catch a second wind starting in Round 8 and put stiff combinations together that gave his corner enough confidence to implore him to go after the knockout in the final round.
Aquino backed Lopez up in Round 10 and at times, Lopez has forced to hold and catch his breath. The two men traded hooks to end the bout with Aquino proving to be a tough outing for any up-and-coming fighter.
The judges scored the bout unanimously and very closely in favor of Lopez, with scores of 95-95, 96-93 and 96-93.
In the opening fight of the telecast, Super Middleweight prospect Jerry “The King’s Son” Odom (13-2, 1 NC, 12 KOs) took on Samuel “The Main Event” Clarkson (15-3, 9 KOs) in an eight-round bout.
Odom, of Washington D.C. and Clarkson of Texas got chippy during Thursday’s weigh in when each man shoved the other.
Clarkson did not let the favored fighter intimidate him and was confident through the lead up to the fight.
“I’m going to start and finish this. I’m going to counter, for sure. I’m one of the best southpaws he’s ever faced,” said a confident Clarkson in the pre-fight preview.
The fight started at a measured pace with each man looking to pick their spots, not letting the bad blood from the weigh in deter them from their gameplan.
Odom came out working behind his jab and looked to find a home for his money punch, the overhand right.
Clarkson on the other hand looked to counter and landed a few good punches in the opening stanza, including one that would serve him well later on–the uppercut.
Odom went on the offensive in Round 2 as he walked Clarkson down, putting strong combinations together that seemed to bother Clarkson as he backed up continuously into the ropes.
Clarkson continued to try and land one big punch at a time, but didn’t have much luck. Towards the end of the round, the fight completely changed when Clarkson found a counter opening, sending Odom crashing to the canvas for the first time in his career.
Odom survived the round, but the end was near as Clarkson came out in Round 3 intent on checking Odom’s chin once again. Odom, perhaps trying to look for some get back and a knockdown of his own, stood in the pocket and exchanged with Clarkson and ate more hooks and uppercuts.
After Odom got up from the second knockdown–one that nearly sent him completely through the ropes–the referee asked him to show him something, but Odom again found himself in close range and getting hit with numerous punches.
Referee Shawn Clark jumped in to stop the fight, a decision which Odom furiously disagreed with.
Odom did have his guard held up high at the time of the stoppage, but he was squared up and getting hit with clean shots which prompted Clark to make his move at 1:15 of Round 3.
All photos by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
