Tag Archives: Al Sands

Busy boxing summer ahead for Minnesota?

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Generally warm weather in Minnesota slows down the boxing scene. Not looking like that is the way this summer is going to go. 2013 has already blown 2012 out of the water in terms of great fights and fight cards. Seconds Out Promotions return along with a couple nice shows by RDS and T-Rex Promotions have produced great action, high profile fights, and some great top to bottom cards. Follow MNBoxingLeague on facebook.

Vand (left) Truax (right) Courtesy Jesse Kelley, MinnesotaBoxing.com

Seconds Out Promotions will be topping its own card “Truax/Vanda” when they join Warriors Boxing to bring in ESPN “Friday Night Fights” with Truax in a televised bout vs Don George June 21. The undercard is packed with fan friendly fights and a nice state title fight.

Jungle Boy Promotions has July 6 set and it will feature Cerresso Fort in his first fight back after his April 19 loss on Friday Night Fights… It doesn’t look like he is interested in coming back soft either. Gary “Stone Cold” Eyer, fresh off his thrilling fight and victory over Blake Franklin, will be defending the strap won last month. Al Sands will also be featured in what is said to be a step-up fight. Marcus Morris will be making his pro debut.

July/August have three to four different cards being discussed. This is boxing, and it will be interesting what shakes out beyond July 6….

Minnesota’s pro boxing champs and rankings….

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Among Minnesota’s boxing fans, those that don’t just follow hometown heros, and those who look deeper than what a promoter or promotion tells them, have had mixed feelings about Minnesota’s new ranking system and processes for becoming a state champ. Ever since the “State Champ” came back into play with Zach Walters winning and defending his state title one time over 5 years, while several quality and most think favored fighters were avoided. The only state title given any credit had been at middle weight. The middles seemed to understand sport/sportsmanship in their competition, giving each worthy foe an opportunity to challenge to see who REALY is the best at a given weight. Vanda, Bonsante, Kolle, Truax, all fought each other. Some a few times…

Mr. Walters decided abusing the belt system would be great to start up his new promotion by creating and naming his own title challengers, causing the Minnesota Boxing Commission to step in and try to set up a system of rankings and rules for winning and defending state titles. This should be and probably will be a good thing for local boxing and helping promotions to challenge their fighters and make for better fights for the fans and for the growth of what for many years has been known as a farm league for guys on the rise elsewhere…

The problem, not all weight classes have active boxers. Walters and Sands took full advantage of the rules and bought themselves a belt! (winning it by beating a guy who had not boxed since 2010 and is now (2,2)…) Nothing new here, those in Minnesota have seen this act come out of Duluth for 10 years… If it works, don’t break it! Unless of course you’d like to compete on a national level against worthy opponents. Duluth, MN will probably be at Jungle Boys feet no-matter the facts, but it hurts those trying to go about boxing in a sporting fashion… Do we want to promote bullying? Does Duluth want to be the new home of pro wrestling? There has been a good reason Minnesota on the whole has distanced themselves from Duluth fighters and “belts without meaning.” Okay, Okay, rant finished. But statements that Al Sands and Jungle Boy Walters have made about taking on the best and cleaning out the state are a farce unless of course you live in Duluth MN….

This brings us to a real title State title fight…

On the undercard of “Golden” Caleb Truax (21,1,1) vs Don “Da Bomb” George (24,3,2) June 21… Seconds Out Promotions and Warriors Boxing is bringing a stellar undercard featuring what we feel is a legit Minnesota State boxing championship… Tony Lee (7,1) vs Jeremy McLaurin (10,5) for MN 135 pound strap… This is the sort of fight I am sure Minnesota’s commission and rankers had in mind when setting things up. Both Lee and McLaurin have been in tough, with McLaurin getting a wide UD over Duluth’s Gary Eyer.. Along with that, both Lee  and McLaurin have fought and impressively defeated Joel Flores and went one and one with Hector Orozco…

I think Minnesota’s top promoters will do their best to handle the states belt system with respect and most things will come out in the wash. The beauty of boxing, if you step up, you will find out where you truly stand… No matter how much protection received from promotion and managers…

Below is Minnesota’s official rankings for May, beside is how we see it… (ours do not follow  same guidelines… main difference, is since we don’t have the amount of boxers as many boxing mecca’s, we use those who have fought in a weight.)

First the League’s P4P list…. 1. Caleb Truax (21,1,1) Middle 2. Cerresso Fort (16,1,1) Middle 3. Jason Litzau  (29,3) lightweight 4. Andy Kolle (25,4) middle 5. Ismail Muwendo (13,0) Super Featherweight.

Minnesota’s official rankings in bold below.

Heavyweight 201 plus

1. Joey Abell 2. Rafael Butler 3. Aaron Green 4. Ray Edwards 5. Serhiy Karpenko

We wouldn’t have any changes in the top 5 here. Both Abell and Karpenko are believed to be fighting in separate bouts June 21….

Cruiserweight 176-200

State Champ. Al Sands.

1. Tyrone Gibson 2. Harley Kilfain 3. Lucas St. Clair 4. Joe Lorenzi

5. John Moxey

We would have Phil Williams, Gibson, Lorenzi one,two and three. Harley has been on a pretty long losing streak. St. Clair hadnt fought since 2010 just being easily beaten by Sands…

Light-heavyweight 169-175

1. Phil Williams 2. Harley Kilfian 3. Tim Taggart 4. Lexie Keshick 5. Jerome LaBarge

We agree with this, like cruiser, just not any title worthy fights… Phil Williams could easily be champ at both light-heavy and cruiser if he desired.

Super Middleweight 161-169

1. Caleb Truax 2. Phil Williams 3. Cerresso Fort 4. Bobby Kliewer 5. Jon Schmidt

Again, pretty much agree, but Kolle has fought there in the last two years and would rank above Kliewer and Schmidt in our opinion…

Middleweight 155-160

State Champ. Caleb Truax

1. Cerresso Fort 2. Andy Kolle 3. Charles Meier 4. Michael Faulk 5. Jon Schmidt

Agree for the most part with list… Rob Brant and Tyler Hultin could be in consideration…. Meier fights Hultin June 21 and could shake things up if they don’t hit 154. (We fully expect Meier/Hultin to be at light-middle 154)

Jr Middleweight 148-154

1. Andy Kolle 2. Cerresso Fort 3. Dave Peterson 4. Antonio Johnson 5. Jamal James

Understand the ranking given Fort/Kolle was fought at 155, but I think 1 and 2 could be swapped…

Welterweight 141-147

1. Jamal James 2. Mohammed Kayongo 3. Hector Orozco 4. R.J. Laase 5. Javontae Starks

To those wondering about Orozco being ranked ahead of Laase… They fought twice, the first fight was at welter, with Orozco winning close SD… When Laase won by UD to avenge loss they fought at Junior Welter… I think 3 through 5 are interchangeable at this time.

Jr. Welterweight 136-140

1. R.J. Laase 2. Tony Lee 3. Hector Orozco 4. Winston Anderson 5. Mike Davis

We agree with the rankings here. Lee beat Orozco at this weight but lost to him at Welter.

Lightweight 131-135

1. Jason Litzau 2. Ismail Muwendo 3. Tony Lee 4. Jeremy McLaurin 5. Gary Eyer

Again, hard to argue with these rankings, but Lee or McLaurin will be champ after June 21. Over the last couple years talks of McLaurin/Muwendo, Litzau/Muwendo have come up without fights happening…

Jr lightweight 127 – 130

1. Jason Litzau 2. Wilton Hilario 3. Ismail Muwendo 4. Jeremy McLaurin 5. Brad Patraw

Again, pretty set in stone list. Just like lightweight, lots of interesting fights here.

Featherweight 123 – 126

1. Jeremy McLaurin 2. Gary Eyer 3. Hassan Wasswa 4. Jonathan Perez

5. Nate Seelye

Another tough weight to judge and really not ready for title.. Not sure if some of these guys will see this weight again.

Jr. Featherweight 119-122

State Champ. Vicente Alfaro

1. Antwan Robertson 2. Brad Patraw 3. Jake Backus 4. Brad Herroff

There are two more weight classes that serve as a mix of above fighters.

One thing to look forward to is that under Minnesota boxing’s new rules “champs” will have to defend their titles or prove there was not an opportunity to do so. ( may be easier said than done)…. Like we have said from the beginning we do believe the negatives will shake out and there will be weak divisions. It’s our hope that the Minnesota boxing commission may learn from the Al Sands vs St Clair fight, that just because they have 5 guys, does not mean a title is warranted. It’s too late now, but the bright side is that Walters and Sands may end their fear of an actual fight and try and avenge the brutal beating Gibson put on Al Sands before he went on the give-me tour. Phil Williams, TJ Gibson, Joe Lorenzi could all make for nice fights and help undo some of the damage Promoter/Manager Walters has done to MN boxing.

 

Jungle Boy Promotions next show, July 6, Stone Cold to defend title… Al Sands “No more opposition in Minnesota”

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Below is some of what Zach Walters, Al Sands and Gary Eyer had to say…. From Duluth News Tribune… Follow MNBoxingLeague on facebook.

Eyer’s bout will be in defense of his NABU title and the beginning of a new strategy.

“We want Gary to earn points by defending his title successfully,” said Walters, head coach and gym manager of Jungle Boy Boxing Gym. “By defending it, it validates him.”

That, in turn, could lead to Eyer adding more regional belts to his boxing wardrobe.

And now that Sands has cleaned up on the state’s cruiserweight competition, Walters will begin casting a wider net to snare his opponents.

“He’s run out of local options,” Walters said. “We’re going to shop him out of state. Local guys don’t want to fight him.”

“I want to see Gary defend that belt, maybe capture a couple of more regional belts, and get himself established at 135,” said Chuck Horton, who helps Walters train both fighters. “I’d like to see Al on more of a national level now and get his rankings up there.” Full story from Duluth News Tribune..

There are many who would disagree with much said, TJ Gibson gave Al Sands his loss and Sands has yet to avenge it.. Joe Lorenzi is on a two fight win streak, and rumors are that Phil Williams would love to win belts in several weights… One thing is for sure “Jungle Boy” Zach Walters is moving Sands fast and careful… Looking forward to full line-up and who is chosen as opponents… Possibility of 3 or 4 summer shows in Minnesota Boxing!

Gary “Stone Cold” Eyer (11,2,1) fights his way to thrilling victory…

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Last night in Carlton, Minnesota, Gary “Stone Cold” Eyer (11,2,1) put on another fight of the night as he and Blake Franklin (10,6,2) fought a close, tough fight. In the end it was Split decision in Eyers favor….Full results from boxrec. Both Duluth, MN fighters got W’s… Al Sands (9,1) had another easy fight and win, finishing Lucas St. Claire (2,2) in the first round. And winning the “Minnesota Cruiserweight title”!!! This has caused quite the stir for Minnesota’s new belt system and could be the ruining of it as St. Claire had only 3 fights prior, last in 2010 and two in 2007… Really puts a damper on regional titles and match-ups that have meaning. (Vanda/Bonsante), (Kolle,Vanda) (Truax,Vanda) (Kolle,Bonsante) (Truax,Kolle)…. and future title fights (Lee,McLaurin) (Fort, Peterson/Truax) (Abell,Green)…. The commission may want to think about actual fight before granting title….  Boxing!!

Tonight, Gary “Stone Cold” Eyer (10,2,1) vs Blake Franklin (10,5,2) / Upper Midwest Golden Gloves in Walker, MN.

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Tonight in Carlton, MN, Eyer will be in a nice fight with Blake Franklin. Big fan of Eyer’s and this will be his stiffest test since his loss to Jeremy McLaurin… Look for a great fight from Stone Cold… Also fighting are Jordan Shimmell (9,0), Al Sands (8,0) vs Lucas St. Clair (2,1) and more… Sands looks to have another easy night as St. Clair has not fought since 2010, and before that 2 fights in 2007.

Northern Lights Casino brings the Upper Midwest Golden Gloves tonight and tomorrow….

For talk and updates on tonight’s action in MN and the huge national fights Follow MNBoxingLeague on facebook.

News and Notes….

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Tony Grygelko “Seconds Out Promotions”

“Golden” Caleb Truax and Don “Da Bomb” George have verbally agreed to fight each other June 21 on ESPN!

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Although “Sir” Cerresso Fort (16,1,1) fought a game fight for all 8 rounds, Jackson was just too much for him. Fort proved he has heart and a chin, 14 of Jackson’s previous wins came by stoppage. We expect the always upbeat Sir Fort to bounce back and learn from Friday’s experience…Follow MNBoxingLeague on facebook and twitter.

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Along with many big time national fights, Saturday, April 27 has a Minnesota State title fight pitting Al Sands (8,1) vs Lucas St Clair (2,1)… St. Clair boxed two times in 2007 and once in 2010, but he is as worthy as any in a very weak Cruiser weight class… Below are Minnesota’s rankings and can be found on the Minnesota Boxing Commission’s site. Only 44 year old Lindquist, Sands and St. Clair have winning records. Al Sands Loss came to number two ranked Gibson..

1. Al Sands (8,1) 2. Tyrone Gibson (1,4) 3. Harley Kilfain (10,13) 4. Marty Lindquist (14,8) 5. Lucas St. Clair (2,1)

Here is a recent piece done by local Duluth, MN news station, news coverage on AlSands.

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Seconds Out Promotions has moved to May 18 at the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis…

Twin Ports ABC and Fox affiliates coverage of upcoming shows…

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Fox 21 coverage of twin ports fighters in action this month. Some nice coverage of the northlands fighters… Some great fights coming up.. April 13 and April 27….Interesting Zach Walters’ Jungle Boy Boxing already has the belt his fighter, Gary Eyer is fighting for… This card boasts some nice fights, “title” or no, Eyer vs Franklin is a good fight… Al Sands (8,1) is fighting his stiffest test since his KO loss to TJ Gibson (1,4). Even though Lucas St. Clair has not boxed since 2010, it is believed Walters and Sands will announce that fight as a Minnesota cruiserweight title fight. Rising Heavyweight / Cruiser Jordan Shimmell (9,0) will be featured in a 10 round fight that just might be the biggest fight of the evening.. Shimmell has been sparring with heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko… Although he has had to stay in southpaw stance, the opportunity to grow is huge…

WDIO’s coverage of April 13 fights. There are now 8 fights with tickets starting at $10, we have been told over 1,000 already sold… Rob “Bravo” Brant to headline, also featured Tyler “The Hitman” Hultin, Corey Rodriguez, Winston “Nasty Time” Anderson, Joey “The Don” Lorenzi, and more…Follow MNBoxingLeague on facebook and twitter.

Gary “Stone Cold” Eyer (10,2,1) vs Blake Franklin (10,5,2) Black Bear Casino, April 27…

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Jungle Boy Boxing looks to be putting together a pretty nice little show for Black Bear Casino… The main event should be fireworks and a lot of fun… Both Eyer and Franklin are known for putting on a show… Franklin is coming off of a nice run of fights and Eyer is ready to step up the competition again… Good Fight… Also, one of Minnesota’s best prospects Ismail Muwendo (12,0) is slated to fight. Al Sands (8,1) will be stepping in with Lucas St Clair (2,1), St Clair has not entered the ring since 2010, but has stayed busy in the cage… Nice work so far by Jungle Boy… boxrec April 27 Jungle Boy Boxing

Al Sands (7,1) to fight Chris Thomas (17,17,2), March 15…

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Zach Walters and Al Sands have been talking about a big step up in competition, they must mean their April show… Thomas is 41 years old and lost 13 of his last 14 fights!!(boxrec, Chris Thomas) Not sure why Jungle Boy is playing it so careful with Sands, but he is trainer/manager/and promoter and probably knows Al better than any. We are hoping they can get his game worked out enough to face a live body soon… I doubt the commission will keep approving these type of opponents much longer as Sands record grows… We were looking forward to that test, hopefully they are saving it for Black Bear in April… Here is WDIO’s report on Al Sands….WDIO Al Sands Piece.