In the main event, unbeaten former WBC United States heavyweight titleholder heavyweight Cassius “C.O.G.” Chaney (photo by Cristian Nunez) won a ten-round unanimous decision over former NABA heavyweight champion Shawndell Terell Winters via the three judges’ scorecards (98-92, 97-93, and 96-94).
The heavyweight prospect controlled the fight, as he was the more active fighter. He outworked and out-landed Winters, especially with his jabs and shots to Winters’ body. Chaney also connected on the harder punches, especially in the third-round when he staggered Winters with several straight rights. Chaney got cut over his left eye in the ninth round from an accidental clash of heads. He improved to 21-0, 14 KOs. Winters dropped to 13-6, 12 KOs.
“New England’s Future VII” was co-promoted by Rivera Promotions Entertainment and Shearns Boxing Promotions from the famed Worcester Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, which had a close to capacity crowd that saw ten bouts, three of which were for titles.
In the co-feature, undefeated up-and-coming cruiserweight prospect Richie “Popeye The Sailor Man” Rivera delivered a powerful right hook to Ernesto “Gatti” Berrospe Rivas’ body, and Rivas was unable to beat the ten-second count, so referee Paul Casey stopped the bout at two minutes and sixteen seconds. Rivas was in a great amount of pain after the knockout and was extremely slow to get up. This was Rivera’s sixth first-round knockout and third in a row. He kept his unbeaten record intact (20-0, 15 KOs) and claimed the vacant NBA Intercontinental cruiserweight title, to go along with the UBF light heavyweight title and ABF Continental Americans cruiserweight strap that he has previously won. Rivas fell to 11-18, 6 KOs.
“I am going to be a world champion,” said Rivera. “I want [former super middleweight and light heavyweight world champion] Badou Jack next.”
Former 2012 Puerto Rico Olympian Enrique Collazo scored a fourth-round technical knockout over Ronald Montes when he did not come out for the fifth-round. Collazo improved to 16-1-1, 11 KOs, and with the victory, he won the vacant NBA Intercontinental super middleweight championship. He has won five in a row. Montes fell to 18-14, 16 KOs. Collazo dominated this bout as he landed at will and scored a knockdown in the third and fourth round from left hooks to Montes’ body.
Carlos Marrero III (2-6-2) and Wilfredo “El Sucaro” Pagan (6-1-1, 3 KOs) battled to a hard-fought six-round majority draw. Initially, it was announced that Marrero was the winner via a majority decision. The three judges’ scorecards were 57-57, 58-56 for Pagan, and 59-55 for Marrero. The New England junior welterweight title which was on the line for this bout will remain vacant. This was an action-packed, back-and-forth battle, in which both fighters threw non-stop, hard punches at one another throughout their bout. While this fight was competitive, Marrero out-landed, threw the harder punches, and got the better of the exchanges over Pagan from the second-round on.
Heavyweight Bryan Daniels got back into the win column as he defeated Corey Morley via a first-round technical knockout when Morley was unable to continue to fight fifty seconds in the bout. Morley landed awkwardly on his left leg and limped to his corner after both men fell to the canvas. Daniels, a former two-time New England Golden Gloves champion upped his record to 6-1, 4 KOs. This was his first fight in almost four years. Morley dropped to 0-5-1.
Former two-time national amateur champion and World Games silver medalist Bobby “BH3” Harris III improved to 3-0-1 with a four-round unanimous decision over Juan Celin Zapata via the three judges’ scorecards (40-35, 40-36, and 39-36). Zapata fell to 6-19-2, 4 KOs. Harris was the more active, accurate puncher throughout their super middleweight bout. Zapata scored an uncalled knockdown in the second-round from a left hook. A cut opened on Harris’ right eye in the third that bled until the end of the fight. This was Harris first bout in three and a half years.
Demek “Hightower” Edmonds defeated Rafael De Souza en route a four-round unanimous decision in which he won every round on all three judges’ scorecards (40-36, 40-36, and 40-36). Edmonds outworked and out-landed De Souza and connected on the harder shots throughout their heavyweight bout. The former three-time New England Golden Gloves champion had a big fourth round as he staggered De Souza a couple of times, however, he could not knock him down. Edmonds, whose first two bouts ended in first-round knockouts, kept his unbeaten intact (3-0, 2 KOs). De Souza fell to 0-2.
Former two-time Ringside Nationals titleholder and 2014 PAL champion Angel “Set It Off” Gonzalez upped his record to 5-0, 3 KOs via a four-round unanimous decision over Richard “Hard to Hit” Bernard from the three judges’ scorecards (40-36, 40-36, and 39-37). Bernard dropped to 1-5-1. Gonzalez was the aggressor throughout this lightweight bout as chased Bernard around the ring. He landed the more powerful punches and connected on the better combinations.
Eslih Owusu made quick work of Carlos Galindo with a first-round technical knockout victory. Referee Leo Gerstel stopped the middleweight bout at one minute and thirty-two seconds after Galindo was knockdown for the second time and showed no desire to continue to fight. Owusu kept his undefeated record intact (5-0, 3 KOs). Both knockdowns were from left hooks. Galindo fell to 1-17.
Junior middleweight Jonsiel “TG” Castro dominated Anthony Everett en route to a one-sided four-round unanimous decision from the three judges’ scorecards (40-34, 40-34, and 40-34). He improved to 4-0, 2 KOs. Everett dropped to 1-9. Castro scored a knockdown in the second-round via a straight left and another knockdown in the fourth from a barrage of left, right combinations. Everett’s corner tried to stop the bout with seconds left in the fight, but referee Casey did not see the white towel that they had thrown into the ring until after the fight ended.