What a difference a year makes for Upper Darby native Brandon Robinson. After amassing a 7-1 record against limited opposition to start his career, the heavy-handed puncher known as “B-Rob” has strung together four consecutive wins over qualified veterans dating back to December of last year.
At 30 years old, and having gotten a late start in the professional ranks, Robinson has no time to waste in making a name for himself at Super Middleweight.
In order to preserve his win streak, Robinson will look to cool down Kalvin “Hot Sauce” Henderson on Friday at the 2300 Arena. This main attraction bout will be one of six offered by King’s Promotions. This will be Robinson’s sixth fight since signing an exclusive promotional deal with King’s in September 2017.
Robinson’s step up in class began in earnest last year, decisioning fellow Philly fighter Christopher “Ice Cold” Brooker. This tightly contested win was over a significantly higher caliber boxer than any Robinson had faced; Brooker is a veteran of several televised fights on Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions.
From there, Robinson made quick work of 18-fight veteran Juan Zapata, collecting a first-round stoppage. His second bout of 2018 was a hard-fought decision over slick southpaw Oscar Riojas. “B-Rob” then took out Ernest Amuzu, a Ghanaian boxer touting a 24-3 record, in September. More than 127,000 viewers tuned in on a Facebook stream for Robinson’s TKO of Amuzu.
These leaps forward have led Robinson to Kalvin Henderson, who doesn’t look to be an easy out. A native of Arkansas, Henderson went pro just six months before Robinson, collecting a pristine 10-0 record after a 60-fight amateur career.
While Robinson will be just Henderson’s third opponent with a winning record, “Hot Sauce” has squared off with the most experienced fighters Arkansas has to offer; his previous four opponents have combined for a 43-114-7 ledger. If Thursday’s weigh-in was any indication, Henderson is as hungry for the victory as Robinson.
Friday’s fight night will also feature a four-round Heavyweight tilt between Paul Koon (3-0) of Philadelphia and Cade Rodriguez (2-2) of Monroe, Ga. The bout will be Koon’s first since February 2015.
Super Bantamweights Romuel Cruz (2-0-1, Philadelphia) and Huge Rodriguez (0-1, Nuevo Leon, Mexico) will fight in a scheduled 4-rounder.
Crowd-pleasing Philly Super Welterweight Isaiah Wise (6-2-1) will face Andy Gonzales (6-3) of Worcester, Mass over four rounds.
Lightweights James Brenadin (1-0, Lancaster, Pa.) and Sheldon Deverteuil (1-0-1, Philadelphia) will round out the card with 4-rounders alongside Light Heavyweights Travis Toledo (3-0, Bronx, NY) and Ronnie Lawrence (0-2, Philadelphia).
