Boxing Results from The Valley Forge Casino - June 15, 2013

 

Yorgey Edges Kennedy in Hotly-Contested Rematch

By Tony Penecale (Ringside)

It’s a rare occurrence when a sequel lives up to the original, much less surpasses it.  Often it lacks originality and it falls short with attempts to recreate the action and drama of the classic that it follows.  But sometimes, you find one like “The Godfather II” or “The Empire Strikes Back” where the sequel not only becomes an equal, it becomes the superior entity.

For local-favorite Harry Joe Yorgey and upset-minded Julius Kennedy, the rematch of their back-and-forth battle in March turned out to be another hard-fought classic in front of a raucous Pro-Yorgey crowd at the Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia, PA.  

As in the original, it was Yorgey’s superior conditioning and strong finish that allowed him to win another closely-contested battle and capture the vacant WBF North America Middleweight title in the process.

Yorgey, 160, of Bridgeport, PA, started quickly, putting on a boxing clinic using his sharp jab and movement to befuddle and neutralize the physically-imposing Kennedy, 160, of Windsor Mill, MD.  Yorgey was able to control the action and pace while Kennedy tried to force the fight inside, his single punches hitting only air.

As in their first meeting, Kennedy started getting closer in the 3rd round, trying to bull Yorgey to the ropes and smother him.  Yorgey found success in landing crisp counter punches off the ropes but the in-close fighting seemed to favor Kennedy.

The momentum started to swing in Kennedy’s favor in the 4th round as he landed several hard punches, including one after the bell which led to a brief war of words between the fighters.  Yorgey continued to fight Kennedy inside through the 5th and 6th rounds, landing at a higher volume while Kennedy’s punches were harder, with his thudding body shots thundering through the arena.

Kennedy enjoyed his best round in the 7th, stalking Yorgey, and landing several big shots.  Yorgey countered inside but his punches lacked the same zip, seemingly a result of Kennedy’s debilitating body shots.

Yorgey seemed to find his second wind in the 8th round and turned the tide, attacking Kennedy’s body with several vicious hooks.  A combination late in the round jarred Kennedy’s mouthpiece out, bringing a welcome respite to the slowing Maryland fighter.

With the fight virtually even, Yorgey took control over the final two rounds, landing hard combinations as Kennedy was becoming increasingly fatigued.  Yorgey sent the crowd into a frenzy, punctuating the evening with a great combination at the bell.

Judge Lynne Carter scored the bout even 95-95 but was outvoted by Dave Greer and Alan Rubenstein who both scored in favor of Yorgey by the identical score of 96-94.

Yorgey improves to 27-2-1 (12) while Kennedy falls to a deceptive 7-6-1 (3).

The main undercard bout featured a Philadelphia neighborhood war between Tevin Farmer and Victor Vasquez.  The crowd was split with Vasquez’s supporters waving Puerto Rican flags only to be offset by a group of vocal fans sporting “Team Farmer” t-shirts.

Farmer, 133, coming off an uninspiring performance at his last visit to Valley Forge, came in focused and determined, and rewarded the fans with a boxing clinic against the courageous but overmatched Vasquez, 136.

Farmer, a smooth-boxing but light-punching southpaw, set the tempo early and couldn’t miss with laser left hand.  By the 2nd round, Farmer was dominating the action, carving up Vasquez, whose left eye was seriously swelling.

Vasquez became increasingly desperate and tried to force the action, only resulting in Farmer hitting him at will in a virtuoso performance.  The final hope for Vasquez’s supporters came when Farmer seemed to slow in the 7th round, opening the possibility of a last-round comeback.

Unfortunately for them, Farmer was simply taking the round off so he could impressively close the show.  Impressive it was as Farmer convincingly punished Vasquez until referee Blair Talmadge decided to stop the bout at the 1:58 mark.

Farmer improves his record to 11-4-1 (2) while Vasquez sees his record fall to 16-8-1 (7).

In other bouts:

In a battle of southpaws, Kamarah Pasley, needed two rounds to shake off the ring rust from a two-year layoff, before impressively dismantling Jeremy Stauffer over six exciting rounds en route to a majority decision win.

Pasley, 198, Philadelphia, seemed lethargic early, allowing Stauffer, 191, Reading PA, to come straight ahead and wing homerun punches.  Stauffer continued to dominate with a relentless attack while Pasley was content to find his rhythm and counter with snapping punches off the ropes.

Early in the 3rd round, referee Benji Estevez penalized Pasley a point for holding, seemingly digging him into a huge hole.  Pasley quickly dug himself out and turned the momentum, timing Stauffer with a flush uppercut, flooring him hard.

Stauffer again found some success in the 4th round but it was Pasley that took over again in the 5th, ripping left hands, both straight and looping,  that sliced open a cut over Stauffer’s right eye.  Pasley kept the momentum through the 6th, stymying his desperate opponent.

George Hill scored the bout even 56-56 while Dave Greer and Lynne Carter both favored Pasley by identical 57-55 scores.

Pasley evens his record at 6-6 (2) while Stauffer drops to 7-3-2 (6).

Frank Santos DeAlba won another battle of southpaws with a six-round decision over upset-minded Jamell Tyson

DeAlba, 131, Reading PA, pressed the action early and landed the majority of clean punches against Tyson, 131, Rochester NY.  Tyson was able to land a fair share of counter punches but not enough to halt his aggressive opponent.

DeAlba punctuated his performance, flooring Tyson with a big left in the 5th round and hurting him again in the 6th round before coasting to the final bell.

All three judges favored DeAlba by scores of 60-53 and 58-55 (twice).

DeAlba improves to 8-1-2 (3) while Tyson falls to a deceptive 3-10-2 (1).

Making his first appearance of 2013, undefeated prospect Todd Unthank-May made a triumphant return from a shoulder injury, shutting out the passive Mike Wilmer over four one-sided rounds.

Unthank-May, 179, Philadelphia, came to the ring sporting a Bernard Hopkins-like executioner mask and tiger-striped trunks.  He was certainly the predator against southpaw Wilmer, 179, Huntington WV, dressed as the prey in zebra-striped trunks.

Unthank-May controlled all six rounds against an opponent who is hard to look good against.  His superior technique was rewarded by the judges who awarded him a unanimous decision by scores of 59-55 and 60-54 (twice).

Unthank-May remains undefeated at 7-0 (2) while Wilmer sees his record fall to 4-6 (3).

Damon Allen was effective in using his height, reach, and superior skillset to offset the aggressive, rough-house tactics of the appropriately named Travis “The Animal” Thompson.

Allen, 137, Philadelphia, was able to land clean punches from the start against his defensively-deficient opponent.  Thompson, 139, Pottstown PA, never stopped attacking, and, as his frustrations mounted, he resorted to wrestling and trying to goad Allen into a slugfest.

Allen maintained his composure and weathered Thompson’s late storm en route to a unanimous decision by scores of 40-36 and 39-37 (twice).

Allen improves to 2-0 (1) while Thompson drops to 4-10-2 (3).

Making his professional debut, Khalib Whitmore, a protégé of famed trainer Brother Nazim Richardson, was successful with a workman-like performance over Lamont Capers.

Whitmore, 181, Philadelphia, a well-schooled southpaw, applied steady pressure and brought the fight to the overmatched, Capers, 184, Hawley PA.  Whitmore landed his straight left throughout and won a unanimous decision, all three judges scoring the bout 40-36.

Whitmore wins his pro debut and is now 1-0 while Capers falls to 1-2.

In a matchup of young professionals making their pro debuts, Antonio Dubose scored four knockdowns in defeating John Portillo over four rounds.

Dubose, 126, Philadelphia, effectively used his superior handspeed to land punches at will against Portillo, 123, Lancaster PA.  A right hand to the body late in the round dropped Portillo to the canvas.  Dubose scored two more knockdowns in the 2nd round, both with counter lefts.  Dubose dropped Portillo again as the seconds ticked down in the 4th and final round.

Dubose easily won the decision by scores of 40-33 and 0-32 (twice).

Dubose wins his pro debut to go 1-0 while Portillo loses his and is 0-1.

In the opening bout of the evening, undefeated Javontae Starks weathered the fast start by George Sosa, before settling down and dissecting him with a brutal body attack over six rounds.

Starks, 151, Minneapolis MN, started the bout by trying to box on the outside but was quickly smothered by the hard-charging Sosa, 150, Reading PA.  Starks found an opening to land hard counter punches to the body which took the wind out of Sosa’s sails.

Sosa continued to work hard but could not keep pace with the body shots that Starks used to control the action.  All three judges scored the bout for Starks by scores of 58-56 and 59-55 (twice).

Starks remains perfect at 7-0 (5) while Sosa falls to 7-4 (6).

The event, promoted by Marshall Kauffman’s King Promotions, was another tremendously successful event with approximately 2,000 fans packing the ballroom.  With the increasing popularity of boxing and mixed martial arts cards held there, the next show at the Valley Forge Casino is scheduled for Friday, August 23.