Photo Gallery: Fernando Guerrero vs Ossie Duran

Fernando Guerrero (pictured left), one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport was back in action last Saturday night against Ossie Duran (right).

In front of his hometown fans at a cold Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, Maryland, the 23 year old battled it out with the tough veteran from Ghana over 10 closely contested rounds.

Photographer Cheryl Nemazie was ringside to capture all the action.

Fernando Guerrero vs Ossie Duran

Photos © Cheryl Nemazie / cherylnemazie.com- Click on the images to enlarge. The two fighters pose for photographers at the Thursday pre-fight press conference. Guerrero brought a 15-0 record into the bout, while Duran entered with a ledger of 23-7-2. Fans peer down from their seats at the walkway leading from the dressing rooms to the grass field - normally the domain of the Class A Delmarva Shoebirds baseball club - as they wait for the fighters to make their entrance. The hometown fighter acknowledges the near capacity crowd gathered at the 5,200 seat ballpark. Below - Referee Gary Camponeschi has the fighters touch gloves before the start of hostilities. Duran proved to be Guerrero's toughest test to date, extending the youngster the full 10 rounds in narrowly losing a majority decision. The scores were 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95. Guerrero proudly shows off his first piece of professional hardware - the NABO 160 pound belt. On the under-card, Fernando's brother Alex (pictured on the right in the first photo) made his second pro-start a winning one with a unanimous decision over Rodricka Ray in a 4 rounder. The two fighters previously met back in June with Guerrero taking a majority decision.

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Alfredo Angulo vs Gabriel Rosado Preview

Michael Nelson previews tomorrow's Friday Night Fights main event between junior-middleweights Alfredo Angulo and Gabriel Rosado.

It didn't take long for the riders to flee, but it never does. In their place were the calls of "exposed" echoing around the empty halls of Alfredo Angulo's bandwagon.

Angulo had just lost a competitive decision to Kermit Cintron. Those who said he was a lumbering slugger with little skill reveled in glory. After all, their flys were open ready to urinate on Angulo's skill level and potential well before May 30th. And naturally, when a prospect falls short in a fight they're expected to win, the naysayers' voices will resonate louder than the voices of those who remain supporters.

Although I'm generally not an advocate of excuses - when a fighter looks bad, 95% of the time it's a direct result of what his opponent is doing - I feel there's a legitimate question as to whether Alfredo was 100% that night. He only gained four pounds between the weigh-in and the ring entrance, a sharp decline from the usual 10 pounds he gains. Moreover, Boxing After Dark commentator Bob Papa noted that Angulo came into the fighter's meeting the day before looking sickly and drained. The anecdote seems to corroborate Angulo and promoter Gary Shaw's steadfast story that he had a stomach virus in the days leading up to the bout.

But a larger point is, when did it become a crime to lose to a contender in your 14th professional fight? Kermit Cintron fought his most disciplined fight to date, jabbing and moving on the outside while becoming an octopus on the inside. I suspect Margarito would've had a bit more trouble with him if Cintron fought with the same mentality a year and a half ago.

Nevertheless, Angulo begins his road to redemption against tough spoiler Gabriel Rosado Friday night. The 6' Philladelphian upset James Moore and Kasim Ouma, and gave the promising Dominican prospect Fernando Guerrero a scare by dropping him in the 3rd round of their fight. Guerrero got up to win a unanimous decision.

Angulo will look to be spectacular to wash away the bitter taste of the Cintron defeat. Becoming the first man to stop Rosado will go a long way towards reestablishing some of the tread he lost. Expect him to work his way inside and focus on slamming left hooks and right hands into Rosado's lanky midsection as Gabriel tries to build on the blueprint Cintron drew up in May. If Rosado pulls off another upset, Angulo's ascension towards being an HBO attraction will be derailed and a reclamation project that may take years would undoubtedly follow.

Props go to ESPN 2 - the drama of whether Angulo can rebuke the 'exposed' label along with the action that it promises to bring should make for the third solid Friday Night Fights headliner in a row.

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Photo Gallery: Fernando Guerrero vs Brian Norman

Photographer Cheryl Nemazie was ringside at the Wicomico Civic Center in Salisbury Maryland to capture all the action from Friday night's Prize Fight TV show.

We've got the key moments from the main-event that featured exciting middleweight prospect Fernando Guerrero's stoppage victory over Brian Norman, plus a selection of shots from the undercard bouts.

Fernando Guerrero vs Brian Norman

Photos © Cheryl Nemazie / cherylnemazie.com - Click on the images to enlarge. Norman had the better of the opening round, but in the second frame Guerrero started to find the range with sharp uppercuts and digging body shots. After a hard right hand to the body strayed a little low, Guerrero hurt Norman with a combination along the ropes. A series of power shots, culminating in a right hand eventually put the tough veteran down. Despite never fully regaining his legs, Norman tried to slug it out and was quickly in trouble again. Guerrero unloaded with a series of clean power shots that had the visiting fighter on the canvas for the second time. Guerrero waits in a neutral corner, as referee Kenny Chevalier picks up the count. Norman managed to make it to his feet, but Chevalier didn't like what he saw and stopped the fight. The time was 2:35 of the second round. The Undercard... Highly touted super-middleweight prospect Dominic Wade stopped Anthony Cannon at 1:45 of the second round. The 19 year old former amateur star improved his record to a perfect 3-0. Fighting in his pro-debut, cruiserweight Alex Guerrero (pictured above left throwing a right hand) used an effective jab to take a close majority decision over Rodrika Ray. Shawn Porter made quick work of late substitute Brandon Wooten. It was clear shortly after the two fighters touched gloves that the bout wouldn't last long - and it was over in just 2:08. The 2007 National Golden Gloves champion turned pro less than a year ago and has quickly jumped out to a 9-0 mark.

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Fernando Guerrero Stars in PrizeFightTv.com's Debut Show

Andrew Fruman reviews last night's PrizeFightTv.com's debut PPV webcast show.

Photos © Cheryl Nemazie

Despite a busy schedule of televised fights including the light heavyweight battle between Jean Pascal and Adrian Diaconu, the only option I had last night to watch a live event was the $4.95 PPV from Prize Fight TV featuring the up and coming Fernando Guerrero against Brian Norman.

What about ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights? Not shown live for those of us north of the US border. And the aforementioned big fight from Montreal between Pascal and Diaconu? Surely that was available in Canada? Not unless you had Bell ExpressVu. Viewer’s Choice, the Canadian PPV provider for cable subscribers didn’t offer the event.

With my choices limited, I happily forked over the modest cost of the Prize Fight TV show.

Now as most potential viewers are in the US, my first instinct is to wonder why put the show up on a Friday night up against two other televised boxing cards. But after hearing that a big live crowd regularly shows up to the Wicomico Civic Center in Salisbury for all of Guerrero’s fights, I’d assume catering to the local market is the main concern when it comes to scheduling.

I’ll get to Guerrero’s performance in a minute, as well as the other fights, but first a couple comments regarding the online broadcast.

The audio was clear, but it was limited to the commentary and ring announcer, as all the fight sounds that viewers are used to hearing were not picked up. No sounds of thudding punches landing, or the crowd cheering or the bell ringing. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it was definitely noticeable and as a result the overall atmosphere of the show didn’t fully come across.

The picture was good, although there were moments when the screen froze, and others times when the feed wasn't smooth and for this reason there were a few rounds that were a little difficult to watch.

It's not realistic to expect HBO quality production values, but I'm sure both those issues could be improved upon.

Now onto the fights...

Fernando Guerrero was impressive.

Brian Norman’s no walk in the park. This is a fighter who gave Jean Pascal a solid run over 10 tough rounds 18 months ago and he showed his physical strength early last night when he managed to push Guerrero back steadily during the opening frame.

Norman kept pressing forward and working the body early in the second round, until the kid from Salisbury by way of the Dominican Republic took over. Showing his full repertoire of punches, Guerrero deposited Norman on the canvas twice, prompting referee Kenny Chevalier to call an early end to the night’s fistic activities.

The first knockdown (pictured left) came about a minute and a half into the round after Guerrero hurt Norman with a heavy combination, and followed it up with an array of power shots. A right hand was the blow that eventually put the 30 year old from Georgia down along the ropes.

After taking the count, Norman bravely waded back in for more and Guerrero reciprocated with a torrid assault that included some heavy body shots, and vicious uppercuts. Finally after a number of clean shots found the mark, a left-right combination sent Norman to the canvas for the second and final time.

Explosive stuff from the big punching 22 year old.

On the undercard…

Opening the show was Dominic Wade, who showed some nice skills in a win over Anthony Cannon in moving his record to 3-0. The 19 year old super-middleweight did a great job of working the body while pounding Cannon with combinations until referee Bill Clancy stopped the bout mid-way through the second round.

Up next in a 4 rounder and making his pro-debut was Alex Guerrero – the older brother of Fernando. The lanky 190 pound cruiserweight took on 201 pound Rodrika Ray, and despite tiring quickly managed to do enough to take a majority decision by scores of 39-37 twice and 38-38.

The next bout was a bit of a disappointment as 2008 US Olympic alternate Shawn Porter’s (pictured right) scheduled opponent Dion Savage never made the trip to Maryland from Florida. In his place, taking the fight on only 24 hours notice and arriving in town at 3 AM was journeyman Brandon Wooten.

Wooten did his best under the circumstances, but was no match for the quick handed 2008 Olympic alternate, lasting only 2:09 seconds while tasting the canvas 3 times. Porter, who turned pro a little over 10 months ago improved his record to 9-0. He's looked sharp each time I've seen him and he's definitely someone to keep an eye out for.

The final supporting bout featured Philly fighter Farah Ennis taking on Norfolk’s Bobby Jordan in a competitive 8 rounder. The 29 year old Jordan started slow, but got himself back in the fight with surge over the middle rounds. Overall though, Ennis was just a little sharper in a bout were both fighters turned it up in a very exciting final round. The scores were 79-73 twice - which I felt was too wide - and a much more reasonable 77-75 for Ennis who moves to 10-0. The previously unbeaten Jordan dropped to 6-1-1.

Was it worth the $5?

Yes, I'd say so. This was the first online PPV I've purchased, and I appreciated the opportunity to watch a smaller show that I otherwise would not have had the chance to.

Guerrero himself goes a long way in making it worth the money. Anytime you get a chance to see one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport in action, I think forking over a few bucks for the privilege is small price to pay. Throw in a few more talented youngsters, on a full card of five fights and I think $5 is pretty reasonable.

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Boxing Bulletin Photo Gallery

All the action from last week's Friday Night Fight's card in Salisbury Maryland. Photos by © Cheryl Nemazie.

The Main Event: Referee Kenny Chevalier looks on as Yusaf Mack lands a right to the head of Chris Henry in their light heavyweight bout.

Middleweights Fernando Guerrero and Gabriel Rosado pose for the cameras.

Representing the Rosado corner, Naazim Richardson looks on as Guerrero has his hands wrapped by Patrick "Boogie" Harris.

Guerrero receives instructions from trainer Barry Hunter between rounds, while his manager Hal Chernoff (back to camera) assists in the corner.

Guerrero sticks a right hand between the guard of Rosado as referee Gary Camponeschi watches.

Rosado leans back in an attempt to slip a jab.

Junior middleweight prospect Shawn Porter (right) in action against Cory Jones.

Still undefeated: Referee Malik Waleed holds up Porter's hand in victory.

A good crowd at the Wicomico Civic Center in Salisbury, Maryland.

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FNF, Shobox and the Return of Chagaev

It's been a fairly busy weekend so far. Even with the highly anticipated main event between Vic Darchinyan and Jorge Arce still to come, we've already had plenty of fights worth touching on.

Last night, Yusaf Mack and Chris Henry battled it out on a FNF card that also featured middlewight propsect and crowd favourite Fernando Guerrero (photo © Cheryl Nemazie). 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward was in action on Shobox, while in Germany, Ruslan Chagaev made his return after more than a year on the shelf on a show highlighted by 140 pound belt holder Andriy Kotelnik and challenger Marcos Rene Maidana.


Yusaf Mack - Chris Henry

It was a solid, albeit a bit frustrating, Friday Night Fight headliner. Yusaf Mack showed that he carried his power up to light heavyweight, rocking Chris Henry multiple times with right hands en route to a split decision victory. He refused to put together combinations, however, and if he followed those right hands up with left hooks, he almost certainly would have knocked Henry out. Henry, for his part, actually appeared to out jab his quicker opponent. His wide right hands were the problem, as they continued to miss their mark throughout. Poor foot work and balance were also issues. Henry wasn't able to keep a proper distance on the inside, instead falling into clinches and smothering his own punches. Yusaf was badly gassed late in the fight; more body work with some uppercuts mixed in could have finished him off. Both men showed limitations that makes it difficult for me to place them among the elite at 175, although they would give most of the top 10 a rough outing. Mack's stamina issues will likely always be a problem, as will Henry's lack of accuracy and balance. - Michael Nelson

Mack has the skill to be a serious player. He's pretty good defensively, has quick hands, and can bang a little bit. The problem is in his stamina and focus. He had Henry wobbling around in the 6th round, but instead of taking advantage, he showed a lack of composure and started chucking wildly. He gassed himself in the process, and had little left in the tank for the final six rounds.

Mack will get more spots on TV because he tends to make exciting fights, but even at 30 years old, he has plenty of maturing to do if he is to fulfill his potential.

Even though Chris Henry lost, I was impressed with the way he kept plugging away. You had to admire the way he pushed the action, even while utterly exhausted. He carries certain useful tools, like above average punching power, a strong beard and all the inside stuff you want in a fighter and with work on a few technical elements he could take his game up a half a level or so.

I'd like to see simple head movement. The man is so wide open on his left side, it gave me flashbacks of Cliff Ettienne. That's a shame, because he is better than that. If Henry committed to the body with those booming rights, he would be a monster. Follow that up with a left hook and you've got yourself a dangerous man.

While dropping this fight is a definite setback, I believe this fighter has the guts and power to get back into contention.

I wouldn't mind seeing one of these guys fight Tavoris Cloud next.

Fernando Guerrero - Gabriel Rosado

The Co-feature pitted the extremely popular local prospect, Fernando Guerrero, against Gabriel Rosado. The kid from Salisbury, Maryland made sure the home crowd was not disappointed, as he pounded out a competitive unanimous decision win. This was a significant step up for the undefeated young fighter and he handled himself well, despite a flash knockdown.

We still don't know how he takes one on the chin or to the ribs, but he's an interesting personality with a devoted audience, so I look forward to checking him out again.

Andriy Kotelnik - Marcos Rene Maidana

In Germany, Andriy Kotelnik successfully defended his 140 title belt in a busted face effort against relatively unknown Argentinian banger, Marcos Rene Maidana.

The challenger came out fast, slamming several right hands around the guard while also splitting the gloves with lead left uppercuts that snapped Kotelnik's head back. He never stopped banging away for the first 3 rounds, while his opponent showed great resolve in standing up to the abuse and coming back to make it a very tight contest down the stretch.

It was Maidana's big swings and activity against Kotelnik's sharper blows and crowd reaction. In the end, the decision was a fair one. I thought the fight was 7-5 either way and the judges agreed.

Ruslan Chagaev - Carl Davis Drummond

The less said about Ruslan Chagaev's return, the better. It was one of the most timid performances I have ever seen. The opponent, Carlos David Drummond, was just as careful and it made for a yawn. It was one of those fights that make you angry. Neither guy wanted to lead at all so there were a lot of ugly collisions between the painfully few clean punches.

An accidental headbutt opened a cut over Chagaev's left eye brought an early end to things after the 6th round. He won the dreadfully boring decision that has pretty much forced me to avoid his fights for awhile.

The cut turned out to be the best thing about that "fight". It saved me from being bored for another 6 rounds.

-Lee Payton

Ward-Buchanen In his showcase on ShoBox, Andre Ward whitewashed Henry 'Sugar Poo' Buchanan, but his performance left plenty to be desired. Sugar Poo, more saccharin than pure cane, didn't put up much of a fight. His offensive output comprised mainly of 'don't touch me' jabs, and I feel when faced against a relatively harmless combatant, a prospect like Ward should do his best to take him out. Instead, he was content to potshot from the outside, never taking it to the next level. Getting inside and shredding Poo's midsection is something I would have liked to see him do. Nevertheless, Ward is obviously talented. But how sturdy his chin is and how he'd fare in a long, grueling fight remain the questions that Buchanan didn't have the capability or willingness to ask. -Michael Nelson

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