Frank Galarza got back on the W track, beating Jaime Herrera at MSG Theater on Saturday night, in his first tango for new promoter Main Events.
FG was sharp as heck in the first. He was moving well, seeing everything, looking comfortable as anything. And he kept that up, to the point that the judges gave him a UD8 nod. The scores were 78-74, 80-72, 9-73.
All in all, a solid return to the bright side of the street for “The Brooklyn Rocky,” the fighting pride of Red Hook, Brooklyn.
In round two, FG was again in control. They both worked in tight, with Galarza looking all the way back from losses to Jarrett Hurd and Ishe Smith. To the third…FG pressed from the start, jabbed, combo’d, reset. He’d missed a few times with a hook he really wanted to land clean…In center ring, they traded, and FG ripped low, smartly, so he could more easily go high.
In round four, we saw FG staying intent on working the body. Herrera was now coming forward, looking to change the tone. He was busier, and wasn’t letting FG do what he wanted as much. Herrera wanted to land a power left hook, but his were sent down Telegraph Road, too often.
To the fifth; we saw Herrera again wanting to be the aggressor. FG moved smartly, didn’t let Herrera get a straight line on him, mostly. The Illinois boxer grinned, at one point, indcating he was liking the way this was going. But he got countered a whole bunch and probably didn’t win the round. To 6; Galarza was moving constantly and then setting down and ripping a few shots. He jabbed and stabbed, trainer Aureliano Sosa digging his work and yelling encouragement from the corner.
To the 7th—we saw FG flurry after landing clean and sensing some weakness. He uncorked a power right that drew crowd appreciation even as it missed. Herrera looked to try and apply offense, in response, and FG was deftly slipping shots. His footwork and committment to movement was in evidence. In round 8, we saw FG look to give less ground, stand taller and rip more. Then he went back to the sliding and gliding which served him well. We went to the cards….
LeShawn Rodriguez got into boxing because he couldn’t go on the football field with an ankle monitor. Football’s loss, then..
Rodriguez, from Long Island, went to 8-0 over Jose A. Abreu (now 7-3), as a clubbing right hand sent the loser to the mat, for the second time in round three at the MSG Theater on Saturday night. He beat the count, but so half heartedly that the ref waved it off. This was a middleweight tango and ended at 1:48, before the mat event portion, pitting Sergey Kovalev versus Vyacheslav Shabranskyy.
In the first, we saw Rodriguez stalk patiently.
In the second, more of the same with Abreu in retreat, knowing that he was not a physical match for the Islander.
In the third, a knockdown by Rodriguez. He was directed to go in for the kill and complied. He advanced on a retreating Abreu and clubbed him with a right to the ear. Down he went and his body language told Steve Smoger what he needed to know.
Meiirim Nursultanov got the W over Eric Moon of Georgia in a mddleweight scrap, set for six or fewer.
The 4-0 hitter from Kazahkstan met a 7-0 Moon.
In the first, Nursultanov showed himself to be the stronger hitter and Moon was soon backing up, moving laterally, and in survive not thrive mode. In round two, Nurse stalked, stayed smart to counters, pounded Moon, with wide but quick shots…and the ref stepped in as he wasn’t answering. The end ws 1:54 of the second.
Bakhraam Murtazaliev went to 11-0, with a stoppage victory over Carlos Galvan, from Colombia.
In the first, the Russian stood tall and stalked patiently. He turned up the power in the second and looked to close the distance and end the evening. He’d lead with his right, he’d press and land sharp launches, he was in control. To the third; Galvan was getting popped by a jab, his guard easily pierced. His chin was holding up, though. In the fourth, the winner was in control. In the fifth, down went Galvan. A left to the body had him down again, and he was not wanting to get up. The ref waved it off. The ending came at 1:31.
