USA Comebacks of the Moment: Ortiz, Tabiti, Lundy, Hart, Rosenberger, Boone and More

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Head Boxing Correspondent

April 2024 and May 2024 has brought on some significant comeback attempts in the United States of America. While the participants may or may not be candidates to win a world or national title in the future, their presence in the ring, some after significant ring rust, most certainly made a statement. In one case, a major mega bout immediately emerged from fog.

Vergil Ortiz Jr., 21-0, 21 knockouts, Grand Prairie, Texas, scored a first round knockout with a left hook body shot of washed Thomas Dulorme, 26-7-1 with 17 knockouts, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Ortiz defeating Dulorme, who had already been knocked out in the first round previously by Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in October 2021, did not prove much. However, the win did propel the 21-0 Ortiz in a junior middleweight mega bout with Tim Tszyu at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on August 3, 2024.

On the same Save Mart Arena card as Ortiz on April 27, 2024, Jose Carlos ‘Jaguar’ Ramirez, 29-1 with 18 knockouts, Avenal, California, won a 12 round decision over Rances Barthelemy to keep his hopes of a second shot at a share of the world super lightweight title alive.

At Metro Plex Center in Youngstown, Ohio, in April 27, 2024, hard-working super welterweight Danny Rosenberger, 19-9-4 with 10 knockouts, Youngstown, Ohio, went undefeated in his fourteenth consecutive bout with a fifth round stoppage of 33 bout Honduras veteran Jorge Luis Munguia. Rosenberger, whose pro debut was seen by this reporter, may never win a world title, but he certainly has worked hard and done better in the last 36 months of his career. An eight round split draw with Nico Ali Walsh at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was changed to a No Contest with a nine months suspension and a 1500 dollar fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission when Rosenberger tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.

On the same Metro Plex card, aging light heavyweight ring veteran Darnell Boone, 24-25-6 with 13 knockouts, Atlanta, Georgia, attempting a comeback after four and a half years of inactivity, fought to a four round draw with 14-10-1 Joe Jones of Jersey City, New Jersey.

At Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on April 27, 2024, onetime cruiserweight contender Andrew Tabiti, 21-2 with 17 knockouts, Las Vegas, Nevada, scored a first round knockout of onetime cruiserweight amateur standout Junior Anthony Wright. Neither of these fighters should be fighting at heavyweight. Both were former world cruiserweight title challengers.

On the same card, heavyweight veteran Joey Dawejko, 18-11-4 with 16 knockouts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, scored a third round stoppage of Michigan’s 7-2 Walter Burns. Light heavyweight contender Jesse Hart, 30-3 with 27 knockouts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stayed busy and scored a fifth round stoppage of Ghana’s 15-5-1 Daniel Aduku, who has never won a bout outside of his native Ghana. Super lightweight veteran and onetime contender Henry ‘Hank’ Lundy, age 40, 32-14-1 with 14 knockouts, won a comeback after six failed previous attempts, scoring a six round split decision win over 34 bout veteran Juan De la Cruz Rodriguez of Front Royal, Virginia by way of El Salvador.

Lyubomyr Pinchuk, ‘The Demolition Man’, 15-4-2 with nine knockouts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by way of Ukraine, scored a first round stoppage of 16 bout veteran Andrew Satterfield of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Pinchuk also stopped Satterfield in the first round at the Sokol Club in Pittsburgh in May 2021, his only two bouts at heavyweight. Pinchuk should remain at cruiserweight where he is competitive.

Carlos Monroe, 18-0 with 13 knockouts, Atlanta, Georgia, in his first comeback bout after four and a half years of inactivity, won a six round split decision over 41 bout veteran Marcelo Fabian Bzowski of Buenos Aires, Argentina, at Brownsville Sports Park, Brownsville, Texas, on April 27, 2024. Monroe will next face 42-15-1 Vincente Martin Rodriguez of Argentina at Jacob Brown Auditorium in Brownsville in August.

Onetime welterweight contender Jonathan ‘Gallo de Oro’ Medina, 21-2 with 16 knockouts, Watsonville, California, won a six round decision over Salvador Briceno, 18-8-1 with 11 knockouts, Guadalajara, Mexico, at Gold Coast Casino in Oroville, California, on August 26, 2024.

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