Bam Boxing: Flashback and Preview

     The Philadelphia fight scene is heating up.  I would like to congratulate Philadelphia welterweight Ray Robinson on his second- round knockout over Terrance Cauthen, of Trenton, NJ, on May 12 at the Newtown (PA) Athletic Club.  One week later at Bally’s Atlantic City,  junior middleweight Jamaal Davis earned a majority eight-round decision over pressure fighter Eberto Medina, of Newark, NJ, in a thriller.
     In the midst of these local match-ups, previously undefeated junior welterweight Ray Serrano had the biggest test of his career on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights and camp up short in Albany, NY, where he was stopped in the fifth round by Karim Mayfield, of San Francisco, CA.  I don’t know which was more disturbing:  Serrano’s corner for being mixed up and yelling at each other, or for not giving the fighter the stool and a water bath during the one-minute rest after a face-first knockdown as the bell rang to end round four.  Serrano barely beat the 10-count and was in no condition to continue.  Nobody can doubt Serrano’s heart but I hope he takes a nice rest before he bounces back.
    June looks to be one of the most exciting months local fight fans could ask for with two NBC Sports Network Fight Night shows--June 1 and June 16--featuring four Philadelphia fighters, and having two more locals televised on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley pay-per-view card June 9 from the MGM in Las Vegas, NV.
     Beginning June 1 at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem (PA), welterweight and hometown hero Ronald Cruz faces Prenice Brewer, of Cleveland, OH, in one co-feature, while junior middleweights King Gabriel Rosado of Philadelphia, and Sechew Powell, of  Brooklyn, NY, square off in the other.
     I don’t know much about Brewer other than he is a quick-handed boxer with fair power.  Cruz figures to be the stronger of the two.  Brewer is best-known for his upset win last fall over Emmanuel Taylor, of Edgewood Arsenal, MD.  Rosado, on the other hand, is facing a fighter who has been in with some of the best.  Rosado needs to prove that his Jan. 21 stoppage of Mexico’s Jesus Soto-Karass was not a fluke.
     Eight days later in Las Vegas, on one of the biggest PPV cards this year, welterweight Mike Jones will be fighting for the IBF World Title against Randall Bailey, of Miami, FL.  Also on the televised portion of the PPV card will be another Philadelphian, super bantamweight Teon Kennedy, who will challenge Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA World Title at 122 pounds.  It would be nice for them to come home with two championship belts.
     Jones, not known for the most exciting fights, has a lot to prove against Bailey.  This is the biggest test of his career and the fans will be looking for more excitement then he generated against Sebastian Lujan, of Argentina, on the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito card last Dec. 3 at Madison Square Garden.
    Kennedy, on the other hand, is one of the most entertaining fighters out there.  He will be facing the toughest test of his career.
     Good luck, guys!
     Two weeks later, the NBC Sports Network Fight Night series moves to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.  The 12-round main event features Philadelphia heavyweight Eddie Chambers against Polish star Tomasz Adamek, who now resides in Jersey City, NJ.  The co-feature showcases another Philadelphia heavyweight in Bryant Jennings, who hopes to win the vacant USBA title when he takes on Steve Collins, of Houston, TX.
     Chambers will end a 16-month layoff and hopes to piece back together his fading reputation after multiple injury based pullouts in the last year.  He will be the underdog in the house that night, fighting in a venue that Adamek considers his second home.  I will be looking for Chambers to score the upset.
     Jennings, who is an NBC Sports Network favorite, will continue his on-the-job education against Collins in the 10-round co-feature.
     Not sure which of the up-coming fight cards will be the most entertaining, but one thing is for sure:  The five Peltz Boxing Promotions fighters in action (Cruz, Rosado, Jones, Kennedy, Jennings) have their work cut out for them.
The author is a Temple University graduate who is now a part of Peltz Boxing.  Follow us on twitter @Peltzboxing and our intern @bamonboxing