Barnstormer Boxing Card in 120 Degree Heat in Harrisburg
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent- Ringside
Harrisburg, PA ( July 13th, 2014)– Promoter Jason Bryant dared to host a dynamic boxing card in mid-summer in the rough tough town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The temperature inside Camp Curtin Gymnasium rose to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, 49 degrees Celsius, as a packed local Harrisburg crowd watched a five bout locals card, getting by on cold bottles of water and Gatorade, and snacking on hot dogs.
Sooner than one could believe, the action became a barnstormer, as the boxers had to fight through the heat. Cold water poured into the eyes between rounds became more important than the all-important drink.
In the main event rematch, well-prepared Harrisburg featherweight Josh Bowles won a six round decision over Dominican fighter Jhovany Collado. Bowles, now 8-1, one knockout, is a skilled technical fighter whose abilities are on the rise. In the previous match, Bowles ran into trouble with Collado’s reckless windmill style. The second time around, Bowles moves in and out and side to side to perfection, avoided Collado’s wild haymaker right hands all night, and counterpunching accurately. Collado became frustrated, showing heart but unable to land power shots on the inside or score from the outside.
Collado moved well enough to remain ‘in the house’, but paid the price every time he tried to land the big one, getting hit by Bowles power shots. Collado landed light flurries to the body when the fighters locked horns in center ring, but none of these punches were of any consequence.
Collado went down in the second round from a short right hook counter, and seemed frustrated from that point. Unable to change the game plan, Collado kept swinging for the rafters with his right hand, providing those at ringside with some desperately needed air conditioning. Collado kept getting countered, getting wobbled at the end of round five and looking ready to go but saved by the bell. Collado survived round six, and finally did land one of his right hooks near the end of the bout, but by then it was too late. Collado fell to 4-9-2 with one knockout. Collado holds draws with Frank Galarza and Boyd Melson, world ranked fighters. Collado, who is short, sometimes gets lucky with similar short fighters. The spirit of Bowles performance was in his ability to make adjustments between his fight with Collado at the Harrisburg YMCA in March 2014 and this rematch five months later. For Bowles, it clearly was a better performance.
The concept of a boxer swinging for the home run is not unique. Mike Weaver, behind on points, knocked out John Tate several decades ago in the 15th round to win the World Boxing Association World Heavyweight title in this fashion. This approach can work against an inconsistent fighter. Tate, taller and heavier than Weaver, tried to slug it out with Weaver in the 15th round, responding to the crowd, when he had only to continue the same technical fighter he had been fighting to retain his world title. Welterweight slugger Luis Collazo was unable to win a round with this approach against Amir Khan this past May in a 12 rounder at Grand Garden Arena at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Khan, a highly technical style fighter, remained a jackrabbit moving consistently out of Collazo’s range and dropped Collazo three times when Collazo tried to get inside recklessly.
Collado, like Collazo, was unable to effect a change in game plan early when his game plan was not working. The bottom line was Bowles had prepared to move and counter when Collado went for broke. Collado did land some inconsistent left hands midway through the bout which scored when he tried the left and did well with it, but seemed not to understand what he did when he landed with the left, and went back to his wild right hand ways.
Bowles was warned for low blows in the third and fourth round by referee Gary Rosato.
Promoter Jason Bryant has his next show planned for Harrisburg on August 30, 2014, at the Harrisburg Farm show Arena, a larger (and hopefully cooler) venue.
Result: Josh Bowles Win Unanimous Decision 6 JhovanyCollado. Featherweights
Scoring: 60-53, 60-53, 60-53 Bowles. Collado was down in the second round.
Referee: Gary Rosado. The bout was a rematch of a six rounder won by Bowles.
On the undercard, matchmaker Mike Melendez, who trained nine golden gloves champions in a recent year, worked the corner with South Philly trainer Gregory Thomas, and took one of the promoter’s hometown fighters to the cleaners. Thomas, who trains 1-0 South Philly welterweight prospect Anthony Abbruzzese with Gregory Hackett Jr., watched his fighter beat up and blow away overhyped 1-0 Harrisburg welterweight Isaiah Varisano.
Abbruzzese, with his wife and newborn baby at ringside, incurred a cut atop the center of his forehead midway through the first round and was forced to ‘get down to business’. Abbruzzi cut off the ring on Varisiano, battering him senseless with both hands in a corner. The end of the brief bout was ugly. Varisiano, his arms down and his legs bent while slumped over, was beaten nearly unconscious on his feet till referee Gary Rosato stopped it at 2:29 of the first round.
It was clear Hackett and Thomas did the work with Abbruzzese, and Varisiano had no chance of getting out of the first round. Philly fighters, this writer notes, are always well-trained and dangerous and not to be underestimated. Also not to be underestimated is a serious matchmaker with hard core experience as a trainer like Melendez, who by virtue of having been there many times before, knows not to let a fight go to the scorecards in enemy territory, and Abbruzzese’s corner didn’t leave the Harrisburg crowd time to figure out what happened. “I warned the promoter my South Philly fighter was a dangerous fighter and could fight, but it was 1-0 versus 1-0 and the promoter wanted to do it, so we did it,” noted Melendez.
Preliminary Bouts in Harrisburg, Refereed by Gary Rosato
Rick Pyle (Debut) Exhibition 3 Danny Ligero, Welterweights
Sanctioned pro exhibition. Two minute rounds with headgear.
Orland Diaz (Debut) TKO 2 Taureano Edwards, Middleweights
0-4 Edwards down in first and second. Diaz flurry ended the bout.
Anthony Abbruzzese TKO 1 Isaiah Varisiano, Welterweights (2:29)
In battle of 1-0 prospects, Abbruzzi beat up and exposed Varisiano quickly.
Jason Thompson Draw 4 Charles Natal, Light Middleweights
Thompson down in first, Natal in third. Natal hospitalized with concussion after bout.
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