— click here to view photo gallery — Ringside Report from Manhattan by Geoffrey Ciani – It was a good night of boxing at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York, New York. There was a lot of energy at the small venue as fans packed in anxious for excitement. Celebrities like Chuck Zito, Burt Young, and New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs were all in attendance. Also on hand were several familiar faces from the boxing community including Junior Jones, legendary trainer Emanuel Steward, and New York middleweight prospect Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin.
In the first preliminary bout, cruiserweight Josh Harris stopped Jaywon Woods via fourth round technical knockout. It was a decent fight that ultimately saw Woods crumble to the canvas following a quick combination from Harris that ended with a solid hook to the head. This was the first loss for Woods in his professional career. His record drops to 7-1 while Harris improved to 5-3.
Maureen Shea was slated to fight on the card, but unfortunately her opponent Jenna Shiva did not pass her medical examination so the fight was pulled from the card. This was an unfortunate turn of events for “The Real Million Dollar Baby” as she was looking to bounce back after suffering back-to-back losses. It is uncertain when Shea will return to action but it should be sometime in the near future..
After the first preliminary came the long awaited return of former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs. He had not fought since losing his WBO title to Sultan Ibragimov in June 2007. Briggs appeared to be in good shape, and is rumored to have lost over 85 pounds to get back in fighting condition. From the onset, it was clear that Briggs was looking to counter his opponent, Marcus McGee. After a patient start, it was not long before Briggs’ power was on display. A sharp left hook to the body hurt McGee, and moments later, a crushing right to the midsection dropped him for a ten count. After the bout, McGee attempted to touch gloves with Briggs in a show of sportsmanship before doubling-over in pain, obviously the result of a rib injury following the knockout blow. With the victory, Briggs improves to 49-5-2. This was the 28th first round knockout of his career.
Next up was a very entertaining scrap between undefeated welterweights Brad Solomon and Ray Robinson. It was a back and forth affair which constantly drew cheers from the crowd, as each pugilist battered the other before taking some back in return. It was obvious that these two fighters were not accustomed to losing, as each displayed a great deal of heart and desire. In the end, the judges saw it in favor of Solomon with two judges scoring the bout 79-73 and the third scoring it even at 76 apiece. Robinson seemed to have no problem with the verdict, as he instantly went over to his opponent and lifted him to help celebrate his victory. Even though Solomon won, the fight appeared closer than two of the official scorecards.
In the main event “Mighty” Mike Arnaoutis battled Tim Coleman for the vacant USBA junior welterweight title. It was a pretty good fight in which “Mighty Mike” appeared to have the advantage in skill. At times, Coleman looked sluggish and winded. At one moment during the fight, he even grabbed hold of the top rope while throwing a punch. It was unclear whether he did so to gain leverage or because he was just plain tired. Regardless, he gutted it out and continued fighting. Each man had his moments, but at the end of the night, it looked as if Arnaoutis had done enough to earn a victory. Two of the three judges, however, saw things differently and Coleman was awarded a split decision victory and with it, the vacant USBA title.
At the end of the event, Shannon Briggs could be seen in the lobby area. He was signing autographs, chatting with fans, and posing for pictures with them. The fans loved it! It will be interesting to see where Briggs goes from here. Despite his age and his recent spell of inactivity, he still has outstanding punching power. This makes him a threat to any heavyweight out there. The question is, will he get a chance to prove himself or is he too big a risk for other heavyweights to take a chance on him? Only time will tell. In the meantime, he seems thrilled to be back in action as evidenced by his enthusiastic interactions with the fans.
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