Report From Boxlab Promotions Orlando Card

Put Boxlab Promotions on your watch list of promotional outfits that are doing it right.

The Florida-based organization put on a beefy card Sunday, to help kick off the WBA annual convention, their one hundredth.

Boxlab is quite quickly gaining a positive rep. They’ve made Orlando the hub of boxing in Florida

The bouts and the WBA fete, which drew Jake Paul and loads more dignitaries, both were held at Caribe Royale, the top tier resort in Orlando, Florida.

I can attest to the quality of the resort, and the bouts, because I called the bouts Sunday, with analyst Paul Malignaggi, from within one of the Royale’s ballrooms.

That was my second visit to Caribe Royale, and I’d feel comfortable recommending it to family and friends.

Michael Woods calling the Boxlab bouts for Linacre Media. The fights from Caribe Royal in Orlando, Fla ran on CBS Sports Network

I am maybe not supposed to say this, but it’s a decent bet Boxlab Promotions will be showing their chops even more in 2023. The Sunday card ran on CBS Sports Network, so it’s possible the promoter and platform will continue the relationship.

Here is a release which went out informing on the Sunday tussles:

Orlando, FL (December 16, 2022) – On Sunday December 11, Boxlab Promotions hosted the first ever WBA KO Drugs fight card in the United States at the Caribe Royale in Orlando.

The card opened the WBA’s 100th convention and featured eight title fights. This special event took place in front of a packed crowd featuring many current and former boxing greats.

In the main event of the evening, Las Vegas, NV based Cuban Orestes Velazquez, (6-0, 6 KOs) became the WBA International junior welterweight champion when Argentina’s Guillermo Crocco, 20-3-1, 6 KO’s) retired on his stool after the first round due to a shoulder injury. Although he only had three minutes of work, Velazquez’ all-around talent was evident.

Undefeated Argentinian powerhouse Francisco Veron captured the WBA Continental middleweight champion by impressively stopping previously unbeaten Leonardo Ruiz of California.

Veron (pictured below) took the fight to Ruiz, overwhelming him with aggressive shots to the body and head. A battered and bloodied Ruiz was extremely game but took a ton of clean shots, forcing at 2:37 of round 5.

Veron came ringside after his fight to root on another Argentine boxer. I posed for a pic with him, telling him he has the looks of a future star

Veron is now 11-0 with 10 KOs while Ruiz slides to 10-1 (7 KOs).

Idalberto Umara, (8-1, 5 KOs) captured the WBA Fedecentro lightweight champion by stopping Emiliano Garcia (18-9-1, 13 KOs) of Argentina in the fifth. Umara, who resides in Miami and is originally from Cuba, dropped Garcia twice in round three and closed the show by scoring another knockdown in the fifth.

Official time of stoppage was 2:17.

Unbeaten local favorite Jeovanny Estela of Orlando scored two knockdowns in a six round beatdown of Colombian veteran Luis Eduardo Florez.

Estella looks to have some “star” qualities, let’s move monitor his progress (Photo by Damon Gonzalez)

Estella, 10-0 (3 KOs), landed at will but the game Flores hung tough till the final bell.

Scores were 60-52 on all three cards.

Welterweight Damian “The Punisher” Lescaille scored three knockdowns en route to a first round stoppage of 41 fight veteran Rondale Hubbert at 2:39. Lescaille, a Miami Beach resident originally from Cuba, is a blue chip prospect with a decorated amateur background.

Heavyweight Heinrich Cordoba knocked out Phillip Jean Seide at 2:59 of the first round. A bronze medalist at the 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships, Cordoba is now 2-0 as a pro with 1 KO.

“The Caribe Royale Hotel and Boxlab Promotions were proud to have hosted and put on the 2022 WBA KO Drugs show,” said Amaury Piedra of Boxlab Promotions.

Amaury Piedra, Tony Ojeda, Richard Roman, Eric Enrique (left to right)

“It was a great turnout and as WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza said Orlando has become the hub of boxing in Florida,” Piedra said. “We’re happy to be a part of it and want to thank the other promoters from around the globe that had fighters on the show. The teamwork was second to none in making this event and convention the best ever!”

ADDITIONAL RESULTS:

NABA super middleweight title – Yamaguchi Falcao, (23-1-1, 9 KOs ) TKO 7 (:49) Ernest Amuzu, (26-7, 22 KO’s)

Talent, pugilistic and otherwise, shone at Caribe Royals

NABA middleweight title – Connor Coyle, (18-0, 8 KOs) TKO after 7 Sladan Janjanian, (34-14, 24 KO’s)

WBA Fedecentro super middleweight title – Raiko Santana, (9-3, 5 KOs) UD 10 (98-91, 97-93, 96-93) Joseph George, (12-1, 7 KO’s)

WBA Continental Americas junior lightweight women’s title – Kalliopi Kourouni, (12-3-1, 2 KOs) DRAW 10 (97-93, 92-98, 95-95) Calista
Silgado, (21-16-4, 16 KO’s)

BANTAMWEIGHTS – Melvin Lopez, (29-1, 19 KOs) SD 10 (97-92, 95-94, 94-95) Jobert Alvarez, (20-4-2, 7 KO’s)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – Sergio Martinez, (56-3-2, 31 KOs) TKO 2 (2:35) Noah Kidd, (6-7-2, 5 KO’s)

Maravilla has won five in a row since taking a break from 2014-2020

LIGHTWEIGHTS – Alex Rios Vega, (5-0, 1 KO) UD 4 (40-36, 40-36, 39-37) Christopher Nelson, (4-23, 1 KO)

MIDDLEWEIGHTS – Ibrahima Diallo, (6-0) UD6 (60-54, 60-54, 60-54) Carlos Cruz, (2-9, 1 KO)