Tony Mack with Randy Phillips, Photo by Wesley Ortiz
By Tracy Morin at ringside, MemphisBoxing.com; Photos by Wesley Ortiz
Rumble at Resorts, held February 23, 2012, at Resorts Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, showcased two promising prospects—and gave four less-experienced fighters tough tests on their way up the ranks.
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Gibson (background) vs Henley. Photo By: Wesley Ortiz, Memphisboxing.com
By Tracy Morin, Memphisboxing.com, Photos by Wesley Ortiz
On January 26, 2013, at the Fitz Casino & Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi, Fights at the Fitz kicked off the new year with an exciting and diverse card that featured undefeated prospects, local favorites and unexpected upsets.
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Qa’id Muhammad looks on as Parram receives the count from referee Randy Phillips. Parram’s corner would throw in the towel seconds later. Photo: JD Meredith, Memphisboxing.com
By Tracy Morin at ringside, MemphisBoxing.com, Photos by JD Meredith
The night began with a memorial 10-count for boxing legend Emanuel Steward and culminated in a main event that would have made him proud to be a part of the sport. On November 3 at the Fitz Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, Prize Fight Promotions put on a five-card event that offered up plenty of drama and impressive performances from rising undefeateds. Read more »
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.
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By Tracy Morin, MemphisBoxing.com, Photos by: Wesley Ortiz
In the main event, the middleweight Taylor (29-4-1, 18 KOs) began the fight cautiously, as did opponent Caleb Truax (18-0-1, 10 KOs), who seemed to take several rounds to warm up. The gun-shy Taylor landed mostly jabs, with a couple of glancing overhand rights thrown in, for the first couple of rounds, but by round three began to advance behind the jab and ripped off a three-punch combo; meanwhile, Truax tried, with minimal success, to counter. Read more »
By Tracy Morin, Memphisboxing.com
On April 7 at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, fans were treated to a nine-fight card that culminated with James “Lights Out” Toney (73-7-3, 44 KOs) fighting for the IBU Heavyweight Championship belt against Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn (21-4-1, 18 KOs). Toney entered the ring to “Walking in Memphis,” and walked out as the new beltholder thanks to his still-formidable power and considerable ring savvy. Round 1 opened with Toney on the attack, stalking Gunn and keeping his left hand low to lure in his opponent, who couldn’t mount an effective offense–and the story remained the same in all five rounds of the scheduled 12-rounder. Read more »
On April 7 at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi, seven-time champion and future Hall of Famer James “Lights Out” Toney (73-7-3, 44 KOs) received a five-round workout against Bobby “The Celtic Warrior” Gunn (21-4-1, 18 KOs) during which he was only lightly tested. Toney, at 43 years old, sported a softened midsection (he weighed in at 248 pounds) but displayed still-sharp reflexes and head movement as he stalked the younger Gunn and relied upon his slickness and considerable experience to avoid absorbing shots. Gunn landed a few lefts, mostly hooks, throughout the first five rounds that sent the sweat flying, but Toney’s popping jabs, Read more »
Report By Michael Sheffield, Post Fight Interviews by Tracy Morin, Memphisboxing.com
The 10-Round NABO Jr. Welterweight Championship between Karim Mayfield and Patrick Lopez was everything the crowd at The Fitz has come to expect over the event’s history. After a slow start, Mayfield (14-0-1 10 KOs) and Lopez (20-4 12 KOs) would open the third round wrestling into the ropes. Lopez would leave the exchange with a cut over his left eye that bled and threatened to derail the fight. However, his corner would do an outstanding job stopping the bleeding throughout the fight.
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by Tracy Morin, Memphisboxing.com
Tracy Morin: This weekend, Karim Mayfield and Patrick Lopez will meet at Fights at the Fitz. You’ve seen both fight this year. What impressions of the fighters can you share?
Teddy Atlas: I think it’s a step up for Mayfield; he’s stepping up in class a little bit. He stepped up a little bit in his last fight, against Forbes on Friday Night Fights, and I got a peek at him. Read more »
Andre Berto | Photo by Scott Foster
By Tracy Morin @ ringside, Memphisboxing.com
Despite a tropical depression swelling on the Gulf Coast, a lively and vocal crowd gathered at the Beau Rivage Theatre at Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi, for the card billed “Battle in Biloxi,” with seven fights designed to test several prospects, including four undefeated fighters, and showcase a few cagey veterans.
Slovenian-born Jan Zaveck (31-1, 18 KOs), who fights out of Germany, brought a substantial supporting crowd for his U.S. debut, where his IBF welterweight belt was on the line vs. Andre “the Beast” Berto (27-1, 21 KOs), who was coming off his first loss, against Victor Ortiz in April. However, Zaveck couldn’t turn the significant audience support into a win over Berto, who lived up to his nickname by coming out aggressively and showing off his speed and power. Berto has faced some criticism–namely, that he doesn’t sell tickets because he isn’t exciting to watch, or that he can’t fight on the inside–and apparently wanted to use this fight to prove otherwise by letting his hands go, engaging in vigorous exchanges and staying busy throughout. Luckily for fans, Zaveck also came to engage, making for an exciting contest.
