Parker was the boss from the start pushing the visitor from West Virginian back with jarring jabs and right hands.
In the second round, Parker hurt Pettaway with a straight right to the body and was cracking him late in the round.
Pettaway came forward trying to make a fight of it in the third but was down from body shots with thirty seconds left in the round and was in trouble at the bell.
Undefeated WBC number 28 super lightweight Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin took his record to 16-0 and 1 NC with 13 KOs scoring a fifth round stoppage of Johnny Garcia (19-3-1, 11 Kos) in a scheduled ten at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, NY on ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights.
Seldin, 28, shook Garcia to his boots with a left hook in the fourth and hammered him for the final minute of the round.
In a top quality contest, Johannesburg’s Hekkie Budler (28-1, 9 kos) retained his WBA and IBO minimumweight titles with a unanimous twelve round decision over WBA number 2 contender Jesus Silvestre (30-6, 22 kos) in the main support to Gennady Golovkin – Martin Murray in Monte Carlo on Saturday night. The official scores were 117-110, 115-112, 115-112.
“The Hexecutioner” rated number one by Ring magazine was a clear victor (my score 116-111) but was made to work hard, especially in the opening few rounds when the former WBA interim titlist from Mexico came out attacking from the go.
In Quarter number 1, 25 year old Ukrainian Skorokhod (9-0, 7 kos) dominated southpaw Michael Moore (13-1, 6 kos) from Cleveland, Ohio, scoring a four round TKO.
Right hands did the trick. Moore was dropped 29 seconds into the third but survived as Skorkhod went for one big punch. It came in the fourth, a right hand around Moore’s high guard, with referee Mike Ortega stopping it at 1.03.
Former WBC 154 pound titlist Sergio Mora (28-3-2, 9 kos) scored a twelve round split decision over Abie Han (23-2, 14 kos) in the main event of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights card in Biloxi Mississippi.
WBC # 10/ WBA # 14/ IBF # 14 rated Mora, 34, picked up the vacant USBA 160 pound strap.
“The Latin Snake” controlled the majority of the first nine rounds striking with several sharp shooting right hands before the tough Han rallied late.
WBO # 13/ IBF # 15 Han scored a knockdown in round ten which seemed to spur him on as he aggressively pursued the faster Mora in the final rounds.
photo by David Spagnolo/Main Events – Seven to one underdog Tony “Lightning” Luis handed hyped lightweight Karl “Dynamite” Dargan his first loss with a unanimous ten round decision on an ESPN 2 Friday Night Fight card at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
WBA number 13 Canadian Luis (19-2, 7 kos) out fought Dargan (17-1, 9 kos) from the second round on and it was a long night for the Philadelphian who entered the ring rated no. 15 IBF and no. 31.
The 5’9 Naazim Richardson trained Dargan took the first round as Luis fell short with most of punches following his rangier opponent around.
In the main bout of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights, 2014 Boxcino middleweight champion Willie “El Mongoose” Monroe Junior (19-1, 6 kos) scored a ten round unanimous decision over Brian Vera (23-9, 14 kos) at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona.
The slick New York southpaw could hardly have been more impressive as he dominated the 33 year old Texan veteran putting on a wonderful exhibition of boxing.
In the first card for 2015 on ESPN Friday Night Fights, WBA interim lightweight belt holder Darleys Perez (32-1, 20 kos) retained against number 6 contender Jonathan Maicelo (21-2, 12 kos) with a convincing unanimous decision at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.
Columbian Perez was a class above his fellow 31 year old foe over the final half of the fight and punctuated a dominating performance with big rounds in eleven and twelve.
Peru’s Maicelo was competitive during the opening four rounds with his unorthodox movement and wide punches but once Perez established his led left hand he was able to control the action from center ring.
If any current fighter deserved to win a world title it was Sam “King” Soliman. The inspirational Australian won the IBF middleweight championship with a unanimous decision over Felix Sturm in Germany last Saturday night.
While the forty year old Soliman’s performance was convincing it was hardly surprising as the veteran has always been a remarkable Prize Fighter.
Debuting as a professional in April 1997 after going 84-11 as an amateur boxer and grinding out a successful career in the Kick Boxing Arena, Sam has always been a Triple A Man: “Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime”.
Quarter Finals:
1/Anthony Nansen (4-2, 1 KO) W 3 (unanimous) Hasim Rahman (50-9-2, 41 KO)
2/Brice Ritani Coe (4-2-1, 3 KO) W 3 (split) Alonzo Butler (30-3-1, 22 KO)
3/Kali Meehan (39-5, 31 KO) W 3 (split) Hunter Sam (10-3-2, 4 KO)
4/Michael Sprott (41-21, 17 KO) W 3 (majority) Martin Rogan (16-6, 8 KO)
Quarter Final summary:
It was sad to see shell of Hasim Rahman sleepwalk through three rounds. Local Anthony Nansen (30-5 as a Kick Boxer) was able to move around and out score the 41 year old former heavyweight champion of the world. Rahman, inactive since a two round knockout at the hands of Alexander Povetkin for the WBA belt in September 2012, tried and edged the second, but it just wasn’t there, his right hand repeatedly missed the mark or caught gloves as the Kiwi circled away. Eastside’s score: 29-28 Nansen.
In a close bout, Brice Ritani Coe showed the benefits of working in Las Vegas sparring countryman Joseph Parker and other notable big men to take the points over American Alonzo Butler whose work rate and conditioning let him down.