LaManna and Bracero Fight A Wild Split Draw on Showboat Casino Floor and Facebook
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
*Photo Credit: Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media
Atlantic City, NJ (February 25th, 2018)– In the first boxing card ever to be staged on an actual casino floor, Thomas ‘Cornflake’ LaManna retained the World Boxing Council Fecarbox Welterweight title, fighting to a controversial 10 round draw with Gabriel ‘Tito’ Bracero. The WBC regional title bout was the main event of an 11 bout card staged by Rising Star Promotions and matchmaker Russell Peltz at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday, February 24, 2018. It was the first career draw for both LaManna and Bracero, who have both fought 28 fights in their careers, spanning those 56 professional fights.
The Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey reopened on July 8, 2016, as a non-gaming hotel owned by Bart Blatstein. In addition to the boxing show on the casino floor, an MMA show was staged in an adjacent ballroom by Dead Serious MMA Promotions. The penny poker lights were still flashing, but there were no slot machines, gaming tables, restaurants or stores open, only a lobby bar, glow in the dark mini golf, a pool table and a ping-pong table. The hotel was packed, though, as both sports crowds came to have a good time and did.
LaManna, age 26, 35-2-1 with nine knockouts, Millville, New Jersey, and Bracero, 24-3-1 with five knockouts, Brooklyn, New York, were an odd matchup. LaManna stands 6’1”, and had height and reach advantage. In rounds, one, four, six and ten, LaManna used his reach to keep Bracero at bay, and score long jabs and power shots to win the rounds. Bracero, age 37, who stands only 5’7”, looked best in rounds two, three, five, seven, eight and nine, when he got inside. Bracero executed the perfect game plan, trying to get inside and land anything during those rounds, though many of the rounds were close. Many at press had Bracero ahead. The scorecards went three different ways, perhaps highlighting how close the bout was and how difficult it was to score it. The height disparity made for an entertaining evening and a unique matchup engineering by matchmaker Russell Peltz.
Bracero felt after the bout he was a bit lazy in the eighth, ninth and tenth round, but found the bout fun. Bracero noted LaManna would smile whenever he hit him with a good shot, and in a rematch, Bracero said he would simply walk LaManna down. Bracero, whose corner was missing noted trainer Tommy Gallagher, as well as his father, had swollen eyes after the bout, because his changed corner did not put ice on them between rounds.
The vacant Noodle House Restaurant served as a dressing room for the fighters. Paulie Malignaggi provided ringside commentary. The card was broadcast live on Facebook. If either fighter won one more round, he would have won a split decision on the third scorecard.
Result: Thomas LaManna Split Draw 10 Gabriel Bracero, Welterweights
Scoring: 97-93 Bracero. 98-92 LaManna. 95-95 Draw. Controversial decision.
Referee: Benjy Esteves Jr.
Undercard Bouts at Showboat Hotel Atlantic City
Referees: Eric Dali, Benjy Esteves Jr., and Shada Murdaugh
Tommy Rainone Majority Draw 8 Eduardo Flores, Super Welterweights
Rainone, 38, got robbed of a clear decision, with the dirty Flores fouling all night.
Alvin Varmall Jr. Win 6 Larry Pryor, Cruiserweights
14-0-1 Cus D’Amato gym cruiserweight Varmall wins all rounds. Pryor fought to survive.
Frederic Julan Win Referee’s Technical Decision 3 Edgar Perez, Cruiserweights
Paris, France light heavyweight southpaw Julan now 8-0. Red-faced Perez wore earmuffs.
Perez corner stopped the bout between rounds. Julan tortured Perez for all three rounds.
Donald Smith Win 4 Andrew Bentley, Super Featherweights
5-0 Philadelphia super featherweight Smith decisioned 3-2 Jersey City fighter Bentley.
Mike Rashid King (Pro Debut) KO 1 Darius Taylor, Heavyweights (0:59) Knockout
40-year-old Arizona social media fitness fanatic debuted by knocking out 0-3 Taylor in 59 seconds. Though not the main event, over 30,000 Mike Rashid King fans paid to watch this bout pay-per-view on Facebook. King immediately destroyed Taylor, so not much to see.
Omar Kabary Salem Win 4 Leon DeShields, Middleweights
Brooklyn’s 2-0 Salem decisions Philadelphia’s 0-3 DeShields.
Ernesto Perez (Pro Debut) Win 4 Steve Moore, Welterweights
Vineland, New Jersey’s Perez debuts by decision over Orange, New Jersey’s 0-3 Moore.
Corey Weekley (Pro Debut) Win 4 Robert Terry (Pro Debut), Middleweights
Both fighters debut. Philadelphia’s Weekley came forward with a good offense. His opponent, Jersey City, New Jersey’s Terry backed up with a good defense, but no offense.
Osnel Charles Win TKO 4 Laquan Lewis, Super Lightweights (0:33) Fight of the Night
In the ‘Fight of the Night’, Atlantic City’s 11-18-1 Charles showed up in shape, and went at it with Brooklyn’s 2-8 LaQuan Charles, who also showed up in shape. Both fighters went down in the second round. In the fourth round, with the fight on the table, as both fighters had no record to defend, both fighters ‘put it all on the table’ and it was bombs away! The crowd went wild! Charles staggered Lewis off the ropes and around the ring to earn the stoppage win. Crazy ending. Billy Johnson, father of the late world champion Leavander Johnson, and Leavander’s assistant trainer Arnold Robbins, were in the corner of Charles.
Vanderley Miranda TKO 4 Jahmal Dyer, Super Lightweights (2:14) Minor Upset
In a minor upset in the opening bout of the card, Cape Verde, Portugal 0-3 fighter Miranda, having lost the first three rounds and the bout on the scorecards, put it all on the table in the fourth and final round and stopped 4-0 Baltimore prospect Dyer near very end.
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