SUNDAY UPDATE: Derric Rossy is in contemplation mode after losing to Carlos Negron Saturday night. He’s 36, and was disappointed, he told me, that he wasn’t able to get in a groove last night. No oomph..not the amount of energy and zing needed. He told his followers on social media he will think hard about his fighting future:
Just want to thank everyone for the the support. You guys always got my back. Have to contemplate a lot. I love fighting but it’s a tough sport to love. My family is always first so I must be healthy for them. So we shall see. No decisions now need to heal up a bit. Once again thank you so much for the love and support.
The NY boxer didn’t feel his legs under himself, he told me. “The fight game is a tough woman to love, Woodsy,” he said, summing up that near end of career feeling for so many practitioners.
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Heavyweight Carlos Negron announced himself onto the larger scene in pretty impressive fashion, as he took the main event scrap in the first Holyfield Real Deal Promotions boxing event, held at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday night.
The tango ran on CBS Sports Net, and Negron started strong. He is well coordinated for a 6-6 guy, and he sent Derric Rossy, the ex BC footballer, to the mat in round two.
The 36 year old New Yorker tried to fire back, maybe take some shots and take Negron in deeper waters, but the 29 year old kept on hurling. In round three Negron kept on stalking an immobile Rossy.
In the fourth, Negron landed and Rossy took a knee. He got up, and Negron knew it was go time. He looked to finish and did so, at the tail end of the round.
Negron can’t be called a topflight contender yet, though he snagged a WBC minor crown, but neither do you dismiss him. He’s tall, has some pop, throws a jab-cross combo, and his balance is solid for such a long dude. The hitter has a three fight deal with the Holyfield outfit.
I didn’t know, going in, if Negron was tabbed as the A side, being that I hadn’t see him, but he was. The victor rises to 20-1, with 16 Kos. Rossy, will he fight on? We shall see; his mark is now 31-13. Word was he hurt a shoulder in the fight so maybe there is an explanation for the outing.
Toka Kahn Clary, a Liberian lefty living in Rhode Island, had a swell debut for Holyfield, going to 22-1 in a fan friendly rumble with 11-3-1 Angel Luna. They battled at featherweight.
Steven Martinez fought Anthony Lenk, a fellow middleweight, the Bronx clashing with Niagra Falls. This fight went after the main event, so the televisers could make sure the heavyweight main event got on TV. Martinez rose to 18-3 and the loser went to 14-4, with Martinez snagging an MD8.
Lenk got notice to fight two weeks ago, but he looked to be in shape. We saw solid trading late in the second. Lenk can move well, is sort of slick and his hand speed is not cruddy. Martinez is a power hitter, he wants to throw and make impact beyond point scoring. If Martinez hoped that Lenk, off since 2013, would gas early, no luck. The fight looked even after four. Lenk has been trained to move, and keep moving..and Martinez was told to crack to the body, to get his legs heavier.
Lenk bore forward, and then stayed in the pocket, and slid, so he was mixing directions smartly. Being first with a lead right in round seven worked for the winner. Round eight was so spirited; they battled to the bell.
