Standing in Roades’ way is the “Baby Dragon,” Sammy Lua.  Lua comes into this fight with a 16-2 record and is a former V3 bantamweight and lightweight champion as well as the 2011 “Breakthrough Fighter of the Year.”

Roades and Lua will be battling it out for the vacant bantamweight title (current champion Ryan Collins has declared that he is turning pro).  Harmeier states, “I can’t wait for this fight.  Styles make fights and I see this fight going to the ground.  Roades has awesome ground and pound and we have all seen Lua’s jiu-jitsu. These two fighters are easily the top two fighters in the bantamweight division. I’ve been waiting to see this fight for a long time. This can easily be a main event on any other card.”

When asked about this fight, here is what these two fighters had to say:

Landon Roades….”I’m going to hit him in the face until it breaks or he is knocked out.  I hear he has good submission skills and all, but I’m not too worried about it.  This is what I believe to be my comeback fight.  So be ready to see an intense war.”

Sammy Lua…”I’m really looking forward to fighting for V3 again.  I have been fighting in Louisiana and Texas and I’m ready to make my return to Memphis and try to put on a great show for all the V3 fans.  I wish the best of luck to my opponent.  I know we will both train very hard for this fight.  I am sure it will be a war that V3 will never forget.”

By Tracy Morin at ringside, Photos By Wesley Ortiz, MemphisBoxing.com

On May 12, at the Fitz Hotel & Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, Fights at the Fitz showcased successful pro debuts and veterans trying to move up the ranks.

The main event featured hard-hitting heavyweight Quincey Palmer (3-0, 3 KOs) and Chris Miller, who was making his pro debut. Miller was able to make his first pro boxing fight a success by using his legs and jabbing at the plodding Palmer, who absorbed nearly every shot thrown, thanks to nonexistent head movement or footwork. Though Palmer’s shots carried firepower, he looked for one knockout shot rather than putting together an offense–a tactic that went unrewarded in the four-rounder, as all judges (Gerald Deming, Mack Thornton and Reccia Mullins) scored the contest 39-37 for Miller.

Post-fight interview with Chris Miller:
What did you want to do in the ring tonight?
Fight! He had a lot of power, but I stayed away from that.
What are your plans for the future?
I’m not sure. I’m an MMA fighter too, so I do both.
What would you like people to know about you?
It’s crunch time!

The opening bout of the evening saw cruiserweight Billy Cunningham (5-14, 4 KOs) snap a six-fight losing streak with a victory over Chris Doyle from New Orleans. Doyle seemed unable to avoid Cunningham’s right hooks and was sucking wind by the second round; the accumulation of punches caused referee Randy Phillips to step in for a standing eight count in the third round, after which he waved off the fight.

Post-fight interview with Billy Cunningham:
What was your fight plan coming in tonight?
Attack the body, get some good rounds in, and use everything I’ve been working on in the gym.
What have you been working on?
The body attack, more moving around, and using the jab to work my way in.
Were you trying to go for the knockout in this fight?
He was a warrior, so I couldn’t just knock him out like I wanted to. He was real tough, but I hit him with great shots.
What are you going to work on now, and what’s next for you?
We’re going to keep going for more work on the body, being more defensive and having more accuracy. I hope to fight next month and get my record back on top.

In his pro debut, Donald Ward found a game and durable opponent in fellow middleweight Dustin Christy from Monroe, Louisiana. Ward lived up to his nickname, “Bulldog,” by unleashing flurries of punches from the opening bell and overwhelming Christy, whose main accomplishment was surviving the four-rounder (though he received a standing eight count in the opening stanza). The crowd stirred with excitement as the young fighter from nearby Memphis peppered his opponent with multiple-punch combinations and jolting body shots, and the judges agreed on the unanimous decision, with tallies of 40-35 on all scorecards.

Post-fight interview with Donald Ward:
Your right hooks tonight were really successful. What was your plan coming in?
My plan was to come out and work my jab, because I never saw him fight before and I wanted to feel him out. When I saw he was going for the feints when I threw my jab, I knew my right was going to land every time.
You seemed to fight in spurts. Were you waiting for him to come to you at times?
Yeah, I would fight in spurts and try to counterpunch.
Were you surprised he lasted the four rounds?
Oh, yeah. A lot of fighters couldn’t be able to take that. They couldn’t take it in the amateurs! I thought it was going to be easy, but he has a hard head.
What are you going to work on now?
My stamina, and keeping my hands up. I might have a fight coming up in Kentucky next week. This is going to be the next Memphis champion right here!

In a cruiserweight six-rounder, Joell Godfrey (13-6-1, 6 KOs) got in a workout against Leo Bercier (8-17-1, 4 KOs), using the match as an opportunity to showcase his range of punches with minimal resistance from his overmatched opponent. Godfrey came out strong (Bercier received a standing eight count before he threw a single punch in the first round) but then settled in to work his long jab and array of right crosses, hooks and body shots. The judges agreed on a shutout, all scoring it 60-53.

Post-fight interview with Joell Godfrey:
What did you want to accomplish tonight?
I saw the knockout, but I didn’t take it because I need rounds. I’m about to fight Guillermo Jones the 24th of next month in Hollywood, Florida. We’re going to do eight rounds down there, so I wanted to get some rounds in, get a win and tune up, and then get back in the gym Monday and get ready for Guillermo.
Did you want to work on anything in particular in the ring?
I wanted to work on my jab, set down on my punches, and try to be fast.
What are your goals now?
I’m hoping to fight in Rhode Island also coming up; Don King is going see the contract Monday. I want to fight for a belt, so hopefully that is coming up too.

The final fight before the main event was a one-sided affair between super middleweights Morgan Fitch (5-0, 3 KOs) and Dennis Williams (1-2, 1 KO). Fitch was able to use his considerable size and reach advantage to tag his opponent at will, especially with effective body shots. Though Williams looked hurt at several moments, he was able to strategically tie up and hold on to last the four rounds. All judges scored the fight 40-36.

Post-fight interview with Morgan Fitch:
What was your fight plan coming in tonight?
We wanted to just get the job done, go to the body and head. I give my performance a B. I fought two weeks ago. I’m not giving excuses, but I might have had a little fatigue from that. But we got the job done, and that’s all that matters.
Did you want to get the KO?
I never expect a KO. I wanted it, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t. I wanted to go out there and finish him, which I didn’t do, but next fight we’re going to get it.
What will you work on now?
Just stay working hard. We’re probably fighting again in about two weeks, June 2.
Do you have any goals for 2012?
I want to get to 15-0 by the end of the year.

On June 16, V3Fights’ Featherweight Champion, Jesse James Wallace (11-1) will defend his title for the second time against top contender, Nick “Dynamite” Davis (17-9). Both of these fighters come into this fight with a great deal of momentum. Wallace comes into this fight fresh off of a TKO victory in round #1 against Sean O’Grady. Davis’ last fight for V3 was against Dalton Pierce, which he won via rear naked choke.

Both fighters have similar styles in that they both win most of their fights with their jiu-jitsu. Wallace trains out of Bang gym and has recently started cross training at Ole Miss BJJ while he is away at school. According to Wallace, “Nick is one of the top guys around so it’s going to be one of the best fights of the night.” Davis fights out of Team Relentless 2.0 and makes a weekly trip to Memphis to cross train at UFK. Wallace probably has the advantage on the ground and Davis will more than likely have the advantage on their feet. When asked about Wallace, here is what Davis had to say about the fight, “Jesse James is one of my favorite fighters to watch. He has an exciting fighting style and tremendous heart… But I can beat him. Not only have I been cross-training with UFK, but I’ve stepped up my training altogether. He’s good everywhere, but I believe his jiu-jitsu is his bread and butter. I train with people better than him that are constantly pushing me to work and do better. I’m very comfortable playing the underdog role and I look forward to shocking people June 16 at Minglewood Hall.”

Jesse James is currently 3-1 in the V3 cage (his only loss is to bantamweight champion, Ryan Collins), and Nick Davis is currently undefeated with the promotion with a 3-0 record and has been fighting with V3 since the promotion originated.  This fight is expected to be an all out war!

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.The action started to heat up slightly in Round 4, and by Round 5 Taylor was beginning to put his punches together as opposed to relying solely on the jab.

Round 6 might have been won by Truax, who found success with right hooks and an overhand right, though Taylor’s defense–and offense–began to step up to the challenge in Round 7, as he threw a trio of left hooks and closed the round with a three-punch combo.

Though Truax continued to land one punch at a time, he found his mark more successfully in Round 8, leading Taylor to show a flash of his former self, firing back with combos and throwing with more of the bad intentions that earned him his nickname–and causing the Taylor-supporting crowd at the Beau Rivage to lead robust chants of “J.T.” However, the former champ’s slowly building momentum came to a screeching halt in Round 9, when Truax caught him with a short right that landed Taylor on the canvas, creating immediate drama given Taylor’s recent history of being on the wrong end of vicious knockouts. However, he beat the count and, still on unsteady legs, held on to Truax, stifling most of the latter’s offensive efforts.

With the crowd on its feet, Round 10 saw a bouncing Taylor trying to regain stability, slip punches and clinch when necessary, causing Truax to wind down the fight with few effective blows landed in the final frame. The judges’ scorecards reflected Taylor’s control of the majority of the fight, with scores of 98-91 (Keith Hughes), 97-92 (Larry Ingle) and 97-94 (David Taranto).

In the co-feature, Cuban amateur star–and victim of a controversial decision versus Paul Williams in his last outing–Erislandy Lara (15-1-1, 10 KOs) had no intention of leaving his fate in the hands of judges this time out, and needed only about a half of a round to dispose of Ronald Hearns (26-2, 20 KOs), the lightly tested son of legend Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns. Though the southpaw Lara opened with a few jabs to the long body of Hearns, he soon worked in a straight left that put Hearns down and in trouble. Though Hearns rose from the canvas, Lara was officially in attack mode, launching an onslaught that caused referee Keith Hughes to step in and give the beleaguered Hearns a standing eight count. However, when Lara then stepped in with a left-right-left combo, Hearns was decisively put down and out, giving Lara a TKO at 1:34 of Round 1.

In the first of three nontelevised undercard fights, Steve Martinez (11-1, 9 KOs) and Marcus Thompson (5-6-1, 2 KOs) met up in a junior middleweight contest that effectively displayed Martinez’s punching power. Thompson spent much of the fight with his back to the ropes, while Martinez teed off with an impressive body attack that quickly wore down his overwhelmed opponent. Martinez, through a balanced mix of patience and pressure, dropped Thompson with a right in the second round, after which he came forward aggressively and once again trapped Thompson against the ropes, leading ref Keith Hughes to call an end to the bout at 1:52 of Round 2.

Detroit-based middleweight J’Leon Love (10-0, 6 KOs) similarly needed less than the scheduled eight rounds to dispose of southpaw Ibahiem King (10-6, 4 KOs), who emerged for Round 1 with stiffer jabs and initially seemed to have more pop behind his punches. However, the counterpunching Love took control after a feeling-out first round with body-head combos, though he seemed to fight in spots. By Round 3, having found his confidence and rhythm, Love connected with a spot-on short right while fighting inside, leading to a KO victory at 0:38. After the fight, Love (now in camp Floyd Mayweather to prep him for the upcoming Miguel Cotto fight) told the crowd his plan was to take control and dictate the fight, and seized the moment when he saw his clean shots were landing with increasing frequency.

Kelvin Price (12-0, 6 KOs) went the distance in his effort against fellow heavyweight Arron Lyons (12-11-1, 9 KOs). Though outjabbed throughout thanks to a significant height and reach disadvantage, Lyons made the 10-rounder interesting–albeit with help from the 6’7″ Price, who kept his left hand low throughout and ate an array of solid right hooks. Price used his legs, athleticism and jab to control the fight, but once the oft-lunging Lyons found a home for his head-snapping hooks, he was able to catch Price with a reliable degree of consistency. Judges awarded the fight to Price, with scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92, but Lyons received an appreciative round of applause from the crowd for his efforts as he exited the ring.

Nathan Rogers (209lbs) def Chad Frame (200lbs)
Corner Called – Knee 3:00 RD1

David Brannan (136lbs) def Jairo Rodriguez (133lbs)
Tap out – Arm Bar 1:07 RD2

Marcus Wallace (225lbs) def David Sanders (264lbs)
Doctor Called – EYE 3:00 RD2 

Zac Thompson (122lbs) def Jeremy Rogers (122lbs)
Tap out – Ankle Lock 1:13 RD1

Jamie Lopez (133lbs) def Kevin Glona (133lbs)
Split Decision  - 29/28, 29/28, 28/29

Brandon Pannell (169lbs) def Viktor Gilicze (169lbs)
Knockout – Strikes :20 RD1

Amber Lynn Orr (133lbs) def Katy Collins (137lbs)
Tap out – arm bar :51 RD1

Timothy Dobbins (152lbs) def Daniel Byram (154lbs)
Tap out – Arm Bar 1:09 RD2

Danny Shell (186lbs) def Julius Moore (215lbs)
Tap out – Strikes 2:41 RD1

Chris Warrick (154lbs) def Mike Duavall (162lbs)
Tap out Guillotine Choke 0:16 RD2

Jeron Bray (166lbs) def Dustin Pumphrey (161lbs)
Tap out Arm Triangle 2:48 RD1

Brady Rapp (182lbs) def Jay Wilson (184lbs)
Tap out – Arm Bar 2:54 RD1

Venue: Sams Town
Promoter Fred Fisher
Judges: Jeff Pressley, Adrian Purvis, Chris Gates/Max Bishop
Referees: Chris Gates and Max Bishop
Ringside Doctor: Dr. Sal Vasireddy

At 52 seconds into Round 3 the southpaw threw a textbook short right hand and caught Bryant square on the proverbial ‘button’, putting him to sleep in dramatic fashion, his limp neck and arms being held up by the rope as his body just laid there motionless.

Experiencing the glory of winning by KO is nothing new to Harder. As a MMA fighter Harder is 2-1, 1 KO, 1 Submission), but he showed Prize Fight Promotions and his large crew of supporters that he has found a home within the squared circle.

“It means everything,” said Harder. “I work full-time as a Memphis Police Officer, so I sacrifice all my free time to training and running our awesome new facility, Prize Fight MMA Academy in Southaven.”

You see a lot of boxers and MMA fighters making the transition from one fight sport to another, and it was clear that having the professional MMA background as Brandon does gave him an edge Saturday night.

“I do believe it gives me an advantage,” said Harder. “I love to stand in the pocket and throw leather. My mental toughness from fighting MMA has to help as I can go places mentally in there where most cannot.”

Going forward, Harder has proved that he can dominate whether it is within the cage or the ring, but where does the heavy hitter feel most at home?

“I’m doing both (MMA and boxing); I love to fight so the more often the better. I have always trained boxing separate so a few weeks out I cut off the MMA training and focus solely on boxing. I’m back in the cage May 19 at the Landers Center and will be looking to knock another head off somebody!”

Brandon Harder has shown he has the determination, drive and raw talent to go far in this sport. In a division without too many big punchers and fighters prepared to go to war each time they step between the ropes, Brandon Harder may be what the boxing world needs to get excited about again.

“Lastly, I’d like to thank my Lord; he puts people in my life that bring so much positivity. Also my amazing girlfriend Michelle who trains with me on a daily basis; and my tough as nails training partners Jake and Zach Underwood—they hit harder with 16 oz. gloves on than most do in 4 oz! I lost my boxing coach Ken Blann last October; he was a trainer of champions but most of all he was a father figure and a beautiful person. I fought that fight for him.”

A class act in and out of the ring, remember the name Brandon Harder, as he will undoubtedly be making a big splash in the fight world in the near future.

On a fight card dubbed “Unfinished Business,” Monyette Flowers came up big, winning by a TKO in the second round of the featured bout at the Omni New Daisy Theatre on Tuesday night (April 10).

Tyrone Dowdy, who went the distance against Flowers in a losing effort 2/28 at the New Daisy, was determined to bring his fans a higher-level of satisfaction. Monyette Flowers, of Flowers Power Boxing stable, vowed he was, “coming back to put somebody to sleep.”

Round 1: From the opening bell, both fighters threw punches in a frenzy and the fight looked as if it would end in the first round.

Midway through the first, Flowers pressured Dowdy against the ropes, and what looked to be a knockdown was ruled a push by Flowers (which he apologized for).

After the first, the fight became increasingly one sided.

Round 2: Flowers approached Dowdy with “unfinished business,” greeting him with and landing a barrage of punches. Sensing Dowdy was in danger, the referee stepped in to stop the fight. Flowers TKO’d Dowdy in 2.

Tuesday’s boxing card was a product of CDA Promotions in conjunction with Flowers Power Boxing. Flowers Power links Monyette Flowers with his three brothers – Emmanuel, Nicholas and Duran – in a budding effort to promote up and coming fighters, providing them opportunities they may not have had. Brothers Emmanuel and Nicholas were featured on the fight card. Brother Duran is a trainer.

Other winners of the night were:

Nicholas Flowers (Memphis) defeated Justin Marshall via KO1.

Anthony Bailey (Memphis) defeated Emanuel Steward via KO2.

Emmanuel Flowers (Memphis) defeated Clifton Smith via TKO2.

Triston Todd (Memphis) defeated Seneca Griffin via TKO2.

In the co-main event, junior middleweight Bobby “The Prodigy” Bryant (13-0, 9 KOs) brought a significant supporting crowd from nearby Memphis and dominated Justin Flanagan (9-2, 5 KOs) through eight rounds. Though Bryant was unable to put Flanagan on the canvas, he landed a barrage of punches, including digging left hooks to the body that landed consistently and a trio of rights in Round 5. Flanagan proved durable, but he got tagged with a series of combinations, had more success holding than boxing and landed few clean shots. The judges scored the one-sided bout 79-73 (Reccia Mullins), 80-72 (Gerald Deming) and 80-72 (Mack Thornton), all for the still-undefeated Bryant.

The undercard matches offered up a few dramatic knockouts as well as competitive fights that went the distance. In the first bout, cruiserweight Chris Henry (25-2, 20 KOs) barely broke a sweat with a first-round knockout of Marvin Hunt, a veteran of more than 40 fights who went down quickly courtesy of a short right while pinned against the ropes.

Middleweights Patrick Majewski (17-1, 11 KOs) and Antwun Echols (32-17-4, 28 KOs) each tasted the canvas in a scheduled eight-rounder, with Echols being floored–and barely beating the count–in the first, then scoring his own knockdown with a short right in the second. However, Majewski came back strong in the late second round and scored a third-round TKO when referee Randy Phillips stepped in after numerous combinations from Majewski went unanswered.

Memphian Joey Bryant (2-0, 2 KOs) came out with guns blazing from the opening bell against Steven Cox (2-4, 1 KO), peppering him with a series of multiple-punch combinations that demonstrated his hand speed. Cox, overwhelmed from the get-go–and often reaching, lunging and coming up short–was knocked down in the second thanks to a right that landed flush on the temple, then was staggered with a left in the third, but managed to finish out the lightweight four-rounder. Not surprisingly, the judges saw a shutout for Bryant, with scores of 40-35 (Mullins and Thornton) and 40-36 (Deming).

Marlon Lewis (6-2, 3 KOs), fresh off a one-round TKO two weeks earlier, turned out a disappointing effort in what was supposed to be an easy night versus lightweight David Green (2-9, 1 KO). Lewis’ apparent plan was to use his significant height advantage to circle and jab, but Green took the initiative and landed the more significant blows throughout the four-round bout–including a left hook in the third that buckled Lewis’ legs. Though Lewis began the fight showing little respect to Green (even turning his back on him several times), he seemed to realize he was behind on the scorecards and came out more aggressively in the final round.

Unfortunately, Green’s work rate went unrewarded–but even though Lewis is a Memphis native, the crowd roundly booed the majority draw decision, with both Deming and Thornton scoring it 38-38 and Mullins seeing the fight at 39-37.

Dusty Hernandez-Harrison (4-0, 2 KOs) demonstrated his usual calmness in the ring against Anthony Bowman, who has had more than 40 fights and offered up a plethora of rough-and-tumble tactics: He was warned twice for rabbit punching; in Round 4, apparently frustrated, lifted Hernandez-Harrison completely off the mat to a nearly horizontal position; and after the final bell needed to be restrained by the ref when he looked like he would attack his opponent. However, Hernandez-Harrison’s patience, speedy multiple-punch combos and excellent ring generalship–not to mention a slew of straight rights that landed flush against the shorter Bowman–allowed him to walk away with the unanimous decision, with all judges turning in scorecards of 40-36.

Dedrick Bell (7-12, 5 KOs) and Blake Franklin (7-4-2, 3 KOs) churned out a competitive, evenly matched effort after a feeling-out first round, but Franklin got the better of most exchanges, often pinning Bell against the ropes and landing body shots that slowed his opponent over the course of the six-rounder. Bell came out more aggressively in the final round, but again got trapped against the ropes and was caught with a short left in the closing moments. Though Bell was game, the judges were in agreement that Franklin had dominated, scoring it 59-55 (Mullins and Thornton) and 58-56 (Deming) to award Franklin the unanimous decision.

Southpaw Brandon Harder had a successful pro debut versus Willie Bryant (0-2-1) after a somewhat awkward couple of rounds during which neither fighter landed much of significance. Bryant seemed to gain confidence toward the end of Round 2, and trapped Harder in his own corner in Round 3–when Harder landed a picture-perfect short right that caught Bryant square on the chin and dropped him in dramatic fashion, with his neck and arms hanging limply on the rope. The referee began a count but quickly waved off the fight 52 seconds into Round 3 when he saw that Bryant was out cold.

The co-main event, in the junior middleweight division, featured Justin Flanagan (9-2, 5 KOs) and Bobby Bryant (13-0, 9 KOs) in a one-sided affair that went the distance. Flanagan squandered most of his energy rushing in head-first and tying up, and looked outclassed versus Bryant, a hometown favorite from nearby Memphis who frequently inspired chants from the crowd. Flanagan’s main accomplishment was his ability to avoid being knocked down through the eight-rounder, since along the way he was hit with every punch Bryant could throw at him–including echoing body shots, sneaky left hooks and straight rights–but he was never truly hurt by the onslaught, calling Bryant’s power into question despite his high KO percentage. Still, the judges saw a near-shutout for the undefeated Memphian: Reccia Mullins scored the bout 79-73, while Gerald Deming and Mack Thornton saw it 80-72, all in favor of Bryant.

Check back for full fight report.