06.02.07 – By Wray Edwards: Photos © Wray Edwards/ESB, — click here for photo gallery — Osceola County’s Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida hosted a healthy crowd which was treated to an exciting evening of boxing. The main event featured Undefeated NABF Light Heavyweight Champion Chad Dawson’s powerful and successful effort to conquer the Undefeated WBC Champion Tomasz Adamek.
The boxers traded KDs as Adamek went to the floor in Round Seven, and Dawson also went down in round ten. Dawson ruled the canvass roost through eight or nine rounds and pretty much coasted through Rounds Eleven and Twelve. During the news conference Chad’s reps confessed they told him to ease off feeling that the bout was well in hand…they were right..
In the Co-feature on Showtime Julio Diaz cruised to an easy victory as Jesus Chavez injured his knee and was unable to continue. In doing so Julio became the IBF Lightweight Champion.
Before Showtime began its broadcast, IBF Junior Middleweight Champ Cory Spinks defeated IBF Number One contender Rodney Jones in a grueling twelve round match. His UD victory keeps him on the championship road to his goal of unification.
In a Cruiserweight attraction Wayne Braithwaite stopped Gustavo Enriquez in the seventh round. Gustavo’s left eye was badly cut in the first round and Wayne tried to stay away from the cut until at least four rounds were completed. Braithwaite then turned up the wick in each successive round until the ref stepped in.
Light Heavyweight William Gill, who was next door to my room at the hotel, told me that the reason he lost his bout with Marcus Johnson was that, “The darned guy just kept hitting me!” Bummer.
As Bermaine Stiverne and Harold Sconiers stepped onto the ring for their Heavyweight match, the Judge remarked to ESB that this was “Going to be short.” He wasn’t kidding Stiverne treated Sconiers to an early trip to the showers by knocking him down in the first round. The ref waited for Harold to get vertical but he was unable to do so.
Light Heavyweight Epifano Mendoza was deducted two points for hitting Eric Howard, who was down at the time, but he soldiered on until he thrashed Mendoza to the point that Epifano quit in the sixth.
In a swing bout of four rounds, Super Middleweight Darnell Boone won a UD over James Johnson.
During the post fights news conference Julio Diaz and Don King called out Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz.” Julio speculated that he hoped Juan would be able to put down his “homework” long enough to fight him. Also Gary Shaw predicted that Chad Dawson would be around as champ for five or ten years and would probably continue to move up in weight even to the heavies. Zounds!…that would be a journey.
For the most part the matches were well made and very entertaining. It bears repeating that Chad IS “Bad” and he really has boxing talent as well as power…A guy to watch. See you at the fights.