11.06.04 – Promoter Lou DiBella was ecstatic over the performance of Chris Smith in the main event of Broadway Boxing presented by Mohegan Sun, calling Friday night’s (June 4) action packed contest at the Mid Hudson Civic Center “the fight of the year.”
Smith, defending his NABA Championship belt, engaged in a wild slugfest with Luis Hernandez. Smith floored Hernandez in the second, ninth and twelfth rounds, before a ringside doctor waved off the fight with 29 seconds remaining in the twelfth round. The final knockdown sent Hernandez to the canvas, with his momentum carrying him under the bottom rope and out of the ring. The exhausted fighter landed on the scorer’s table and climbed back into the ring. Smith was leading on all three scorecards when the 12th round TKO was announced. Smith improves to 18-0-1, while Hernandez falls to 17-2.
CompuBox stats show that Hernandez was the busier fighter, with Smith landing the more effective power shots (52%, 12% higher than the welterweight average). CompuBox’s Bob Cannobio says the final round could not be included after Hernandez fell onto the CompuBox computer following the final knockdown.
In the night’s co-feature, Bronx welterweight Joshua Clottey impressed once again, effectively beating New York’s Christian Lloyd Joseph in a unanimous decision. Clottey, who knocked Joseph down in the second and eighth rounds, is now 26-1.
The bouts will air on the Fox Sports New York, MSG Network, HDNet, Fox Sports Net New England and the Empire Sports Network. The schedule as follows:
Fox Sports New York: Monday, June 14- 8 PM, Tuesday, June 15- 1:30 AM,
MSG: Monday, June 28- 12 PM, Monday, June 28 at 4 PM,
HDNet: Saturday, June 12 at 8 PM, Sunday, June 13- 12:30 AM, Wednesday, June 16- 9PM, Thursday, June 17- 12 AM
Fox Sports Net New England: Saturday, June 19- 7 PM
Empire Sports Network: TBA