CONNOR VICTORIOUS AT THE FITZ!
Closes Fight Trilogy With a Win Over Nicole Woods
By Tracy Morin at ringside/Photos by Wesley Ortiz, MemphisBoxing.com
Kim Connor ©Wesley Ortiz, Memphisboxing.com
In the main event of Fights at the Fitz on August 25 at the Fitz Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, Kim Connor (9-2-2, 4 KOs) scored a decisive decision win in her third fight against Nicole Woods (11-9-2, 3 KOs). The female lightweights had met twice in 2010 (the first ending in a draw and the next a unanimous decision for Connor), and both were out to prove their superiority to a packed crowd–including female boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields, who sat ringside in a special appearance.
This is my casino–the Fitz belongs to me! You better watch out, because I put my stamp on it!
– Kim Connor
Woods and Connor showed respect to each other but weren’t afraid to start throwing from the opening bell. Connor landed a few body shots and tried to stay out of the range of Woods, who mostly circled and jabbed but caught Connor with a solid right midway through the round.
Round two kicked off at a much more frenetic pace, with Connor opening with a flurry of punches, causing Woods to lose her mouthpiece, but throughout the round both women had their moments in spirited exchanges.
Woods, less active in Round 3, absorbed a solid right uppercut to the body and some stiff jabs, but Round 4 saw both boxers come out swinging and Woods landing well to the body while Connor put together solid combinations.
In Round 5, Connor answered a landed right hand with her own solid right that again caused Woods’ mouthpiece to fly, but Woods got a little payback when she landed successfully in the final 10 seconds.
Kim Connor (left) connects a right hand in route to a victory over Nicole Woods as the headliner for Fights at the Fitz, August 25, 2012. ©Wesley Ortiz, Memphisboxing.com
Woods continued taking an array of punches in Round 6 (although she never appeared hurt by them, Connor was clearly scoring), and near the end of the round, Woods was bothered by a head butt; Connor tried to pounce on the opportunity, but the bell rang quickly afterward.
Woods’ head appeared clear for the seventh and eighth rounds, and she landed her right hand with more frequency, but Connor continued her vigorous punch output. Referee Randy Phillips warned Connor for hitting on a break in the ninth, and the round concluded with a spurt of activity from both fighters–even continuing slightly after the bell.
Though the fight was back-and-forth throughout, Woods wasn’t putting in the necessary work rate, and Connor seemed to have a comfortable lead coming into the 10th. However, Connor came out for the final round as if she were behind, aggressively attacking, landing one-two combinations and battering Woods around the ring (still, Woods never appeared to be in serious trouble). The fight went to the scorecards, with all three judges giving the win to Connor: Mack Thornton and Reccia Mullins scored it 97-91, and Gerald Deming turned in a scorecard of 97-92.
Postfight interview with Kim Connor:
You’ve fought Woods twice before.
What did you want to do differently this time?
Last time it was about speed and power, and this time I wanted to actually not be such a brawler, to be more technical. I don’t know if I achieved that, but I tried real hard, the technical aspect–not just brawling and getting in there and slugging it out. I tried to use more of my arsenal–uppercuts, hooks, things I didn’t use in the last fights.
Did you have anything else in your fight plan?
My fight plan went out the window. In the last fight with me, she fell in and let me brawl, but tonight she didn’t want to fight like that–she held me tight when she felt me coming close. She didn’t allow me to do a lot of work on the inside, so I had to fix my game plan when I got in there.
What are you going to work on next?
I’m going to go back to the gym. I got a new team member, a new coach that’s going to help me with my technical things. As far as conditioning, I never have a problem being in shape. I don’t have any issues other than the fact that I don’t get enough sparring and technical work, and that’s all going to change, so hopefully I can advance and take some tougher opponents. Not that she wasn’t tough! Every time I fight her, it seems like I get better and better. She has been truly an asset to me advancing in boxing.
Is there anything else you want people to know?
This is my casino–the Fitz belongs to me! You better watch out, because I put my stamp on it!
The opening fight of the evening was also a rematch, between Josh Williams (6-4, 4 KOs) and Scott Russell (1-1). The two had fought last December, when Williams received a unanimous decision, but tonight Williams would leave no doubt by scoring a TKO at 2:27 of Round 3. Russell seemed to ooze nervous energy from the outset and was busier in the first round, but as the fight progressed Williams showed good head movement and Russell seemed to get desperate. The fight ended when Williams landed at least a half dozen body shots as Russell tried to tie up against the ropes. Randy Phillips stepped in for a standing eight count, after which Russell, in an apparent delayed reaction, took a knee and signaled to his corner he didn’t want to continue.
The second fight was an evenly matched four-rounder between Terrance Roy (9-36, 1 KO) and David Green (2-11-1, 1 KO). Roy, who hadn’t won a fight since January 2007, scored a unanimous decision win over the naturally smaller Green despite a cut over his left eye (caused by a head butt in Round 2). Green’s most successful punches were body shots, but his connects had less pop, whereas Roy was more active and stronger, stunning Green a couple of times. All three judges scored the fight 39-37 for Roy.
The next two fights showcased four fighters making pro debuts. Marketa Mamiaro from nearby Southaven, Mississippi (who brought along a huge cheering section), faced Houston’s April Williams. The female junior lightweights wrestled more than landed clean punches throughout the four-rounder; Mamiaro rushed in head first and didn’t give herself enough room to work effectively, and most attempts at punching ended in holding. In fact, there was more drama outside the ring, as Williams’ cornerman got ejected from ringside after a verbal altercation with a member of the Mississippi State Athletic Commission. Still, the crowd went wild when Mamiaro received her first professional win, with all three judges scoring the match 39-37.
Light heavyweights Tony Mack and A.J. Johnson made their own pro debuts in the final fight before the main event. Mack chased the southpaw Johnson around the ring in the first round as the taller Johnson tried to work his jab, and Mack seemed to be landing one punch at a time. But only one punch was needed in the second stanza, when a hard right landed cleanly and Johnson crumpled, draping over the middle rope like a piece of forgotten laundry. The fight was determined a TKO at 2:51 of Round 2.
If it was a first-round knockout, second, third or fourth, or if it went the distance, I was ready for anything.
– Tony Mack
Postfight interview with Tony Mack:
How did you feel tonight coming in for your pro debut?
Great! I found that he was a southpaw, so I had to adjust to the situation. I never heard of the guy or saw him fight before, so we had to go on natural abilities. Once I found out he was a southpaw, we immediately adjusted. I felt great that I was smart enough to adjust. And I also got him out in the second round, so that’s a blessing. I had about 70 amateur fights; I started boxing at the age of 20, and I’m 27 now.
Were you going for the knockout?
I wasn’t going for the knockout; I was prepared for whatever happened. If it was a first-round knockout, second, third or fourth, or if it went the distance, I was ready for anything.
What did you learn tonight?
I learned a lot. I learned that I didn’t get started quick enough. It took me a bit to get my situation adjusted, but when I figured it out, it was over–you saw what happened!
What are you going to do next?
I’m going to stay busy. Hopefully my next fight will be on October 6 in Memphis. I’m going to go back to the gym. I deserve a couple of days off, but whenever my trainer is ready for me to come back to the gym, I’m ready. I thank God for everything; it’s a beautiful blessing. Nobody got hurt, I pray that he’s all right, but it’s beautiful–we did everything right. Shout out to my team for taking the time to help me prepare.
