Gentleman Chazz Witherspoon Wins Main Event at Caesar’s Atlantic City Playground
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent- Ringside
Atlantic City, NJ(August 17, 2015)– In the main event of a ten bout card promoted by Silver Spoon Promotions at Caesar’s Atlantic City, New Jersey, in The Playground shopping and entertainment complex, on Saturday evening, August 15, 2015, heavyweight contender Chazz Witherspoon knocked down opponent Nick Guivas in the second round, and then stopped Nick Guivas in the third round for his third consecutive comeback win.
The event was broadcast on Goflightlive.tv over the internet, and will be rebroadcast on Comcast TV by tape delay. This was the first boxing card held at The Playground in Atlantic City, formerly the Pier at Caesar’s. A complex of adult bars with live music, The Playground events box office, and The Playground events area and bars, has replaced the previous shopping area and dancing water fountain light show. With high ceilings, the rotunda shaped two story event area (the second floor is balcony view) is very suitable for television telecasts as there are no pillars. However small, the event area is exciting.
Witherspoon, 34-3, 26 knockouts, Paulsboro, New Jersey, wasted no time going on the attack against Guivas, cutting off the rink and putting on the pressure. Guivas found himself being forced onto the ropes and having his way out. After spotting Guivas a round and finding no significant defense against a heavy hitter, Witherspoon let thunder loose, dropping Guivas with an overhand right in round two. In round three, Witherspoon beat Guivas, now 11-3-2 with nine knockouts, Topeka, Kansas, senseless in a corner till referee Eric Dali ended the carnage and stopped the contest.
In an interview after the bout which will appear in a separate story on Real Combat Media, Witherspoon said he hoped to maneuver for a title shot in the near future against heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder. Witherspoon has fought three times in the past six months, and if he remains active and keeps winning, he has a chance of landing the Wilder fight with any luck, as he is an American opponent and Wilder seems to prefer fighting on the home front in the U.S.A. at this moment.
Celebrities in attendance included former world heavyweight champion Ray Mercer, former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi, light heavyweight contender Richie Kates, and Atlantic City welterweight John ‘Eastern Beast’ Brown. A silent auction was held of sports memorabilia, benefitting the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame.
Result: Chazz Witherspoon TKO 3 Nick Guivas, Heavyweights
Referee: Eric Dali. Time: 1:07 of the third round. Guivas was down in the second round.
In a heavyweight undercard bout, unknown 4-1 Dan Pasciolla of Brick, New Jersey, a sparring partner of Chazz Witherspoon and Travis Kauffman, scored a six round split decision upset over the more experienced 13-3 John Lennox of Carteret, New Jersey.
Pasciolla appeared to be in top condition, while Lennox had a role of fat around his belly. While a fat appearance is not an indicator of who can fight and who cannot, Pasciolla was busier and landed far more than Lennox, who appeared tired late in the fight. For Pasciolla, hard work, and quality sparring with Witherspoon and Kauffman, paid off.
Result: Dan Pasciolla Win Split Decision 6 John Lennox, Heavyweights
Scoring: 59-55, 58-56 Pasciolla. 58-56 Lennox. Referee: Eric Dali
Undercard Bouts at The Playground, Caesar’s Atlantic City
Referees: Eric Dali and Samuel Viruet
Anthony Young Win 6 Jonathan Garcia, Welterweights
Garcia hung tough and went the distance, taking every hot Young threw with interest.
Zhang Zhilei TKO 6 Dennis Benson, Heavyweights (0:56)
Rising Chinese heavy weight prospect Zhilei boxed patiently, dropping stopping Benson.
Gilbert Alex Sanchez Win 4 Eric Kitt, Super Welterweights
Mild upset, with shorter aggressive hard punching 5-6-1 Sanchez exposing the 5-1 Kitt.
Keenan Smith KO 2 Lavelle Hadley, Welterweights (1:56)
Smith overwhelmed Hadley with powers shots and finished him with a flurry in a corner.
Samuel Ellsworth TKO 3 Kashif Mohamed, Super Welterweights (2:32)
Louisiana p 4-0 prospect Ellsworth came forward aggressively and trapped Mohammed, landing power shots for two rounds. Mohammed, punching with a suspect defense, and not moving well, eventually got trapped and finished on the ropes.
Jerome Conquest TKO 4 David Perez (Pro Debut), Super Lightweights (2:51)
Conquest outpointed the game but outmatched Perez in a technical war for three rounds. The debuting Perez, trying hard but having clearly lost the bout on points going into the final round, took his chances and punch swung for broke in heated exchanges, got caught, and pitched forward face first knocked out, down for the ten count with only seconds left.
Irish Scott Kelleher (Pro Debut) TKO 1 Xzaviar Ford, Super Lightweights
Irish welterweight prospect Kelleher made short work of Ford, who had a shoddy defense.
Wang Zhimin TKO 4 Carlos Nieves, Super lightweights. Nieves is now 0-8-1.
First bout. Zhimin jabbed patiently, and slowly but sure broke Nieves down, and later out.
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