PENNINGTON SHOCKS RODRIGUEZ AT MOHEGAN SUN FOR THIRD STRAIGHT UPSET WIN
NEW YORK (May 12, 2017) – Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing® presented the first ever live stream “FIGHT NIGHT LIVE” last night from The Mohegan Sun Arena seen live and free over Facebook as 40,000 viewers watched in and saw Courtney Pennington (11-3-2, 5KO’S Brooklyn, NY) score his third straight upset win and best of his career taking down perennial contender Delvin Rodriguez (29-9-4, 16KO’S Danbury, CT) over the 10 round distance in the Jr. Middleweight division.
In the main event, the younger and quicker Pennington boxed deftly throughout the contest as Rodriguez tried to apply pressure and be the aggressor. Courtney was in control of the fast paced fight, although Rodriguez had his moments, landing heavy blows. Heading into the 10th round Delvin knew he was behind on the cards and had his best round as he swarmed Pennington landing some very heavy punches, but in the end it was too little, too late as Pennington took the unanimous decision by scores of 98-92, 98-92, and 97-93.
The semi-final 6 round Jr. Welterweight match, Danny Gonzalez (14-0-1, 5KO’S Woodhaven, NY) pounded out a shutout victory of the very experienced Samuel Amoako (21-15, 15KO’S Silver Springs, MD). Gonzalez was in complete control and got in some valuable work over his grizzled veteran opponent.
Recent Star Boxing signee Anthony Laureano (4-0, 2KO’S Hartford, CT) and NYC’s Syndey MacCow (4-6, 3KO’S) had the fans on their feet through an unbelievable 6 round war in the Jr. Welterweight division. MacCow started fast winning the first two round against his ever-pressuring opponent but Laureano started to find his mark in the 3rd round with vicious combinations to the head and body. The action was fast and furious! The 6th round turned out to be a frenetic one as the fighters stood toe to toe, trading bombs as the crowd went wild. In the end it was Laureano coming away with a unanimous victory, 58-56 on all cards as the crowd cheered wildly in appreciation of the two warriors.
In a special 6 round Female Jr. Middleweight fight, former world champ, Kali Reis (11-6-1, 5KO’S Providence, RI) had all she could handle from Ashleigh Curry (7-11-4, 1KO St. Joseph, MO). The women put up a thrilling battle but it was Kali squeezing out the razor thin majority decision. Scores were 58-56, 58-56, and 57-57.
Hartford Jr. Middleweight Jose Rivera improved to 3-1, 3KO’S as he took out Roosevelt, LI native Marcus Beckford (3-7-3, 1KO) at the 1:50 mark of round 4. The bout was scheduled for 6 rounds.
Pro debuters Omar Bodoy of nearby Danbury, CT and Jonathan Rojas of Jersey City, NJ fought a crowd pleasing 4 round Jr. Lightweight match which saw Bodoy winning a 40-36 decision on all three judge’s cards. Every round was very close as both youngsters fought their hearts out.
The opening bout of the evening pitted Richie “Popeye” Rivera (2-0 2KO’S Hartford, CT) and Marco Parente (0-1 Toronto, CN) in a 4 round Light Heavyweight fight. From the opening bell the two fighters waged a back and forth brawl electrifying the crowd. The end came at the 2:27 mark of the 4th and final round as Rivera landing numerous crushing blows breaking Parente’s nose and causing a stop to the fight.
From top to bottom this was an exciting, competitive card and the fans enjoyed every minute of the action packed event. Promoter Joe DeGuardia had these thoughts on the evening’s festivities, “What an unbelievable to kick off our new venture on Facebook “FIGHT NIGHT LIVE”. The title of the show was Slugfest at The Sun and the fights really lived up to the billing. Our streaming of the show live on Facebook was a smashing success as over 40,000 viewers watched in and the comments left were unbelievably positive. I truly believe this could be a very positive showcase for Boxing and I’m confident it will grow into something unique and special”.
