Photos by SnapLocally.com

Truax (left) Williams (right), Courtesy SnapLocally.com

In front of a full house at the St Paul Armory, “Golden” Caleb Truax and Phil “The Drill” Williams did something nobody predicted would happen, they fought to a draw. To the fans point of view this decision was split among party lines, both sides feeling their guy got robbed. I even pulled some of the professional fighters in attendance and it was an even split as to who they thought had won the fight, again following their party lines. My vantage point was somewhat obstructed so I could not give a completely accurate scoring myself. Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell  finished his destruction of Josh Gutcher in exciting fashion at 55 seconds of the second round. Ismail “Sharp Shooter” Muwendo lived up to his moniker with precise strikes until his fight was stopped after the 5thround. Full results below. Stay tuned for more on the Truax/Williams fight from Laura Zink.

Derek Winston exhibition Jake Backus - This was one of the more spirited exhibitions I have seen. I think if Winston would use his length more he would be a very tough foe.

Meier (left) Copp (right), Courtesy SnapLocally.com

Charlse Meier over Dan Copp (UD 40,36/ 39,37/ 40,36) - This was a pretty fun fight. Meier was able to control things when he stuck to his boxing and using his jab. To Copp’s credit he was very game in this fight, he did much of the pressing and was able to land a fair amount of his punches.

Courtesy SnapLocally.com

James Owen over Antwan Robertson  (UD 40,36/ 39,37/ 40,36) - Superman vs Batman, Robertson came to the ring in his customary Superman attire while Owen was sporting a Batman T. From opening bell until the final moments of the fight Batman controlled the ring. As soon as both fighters entered the ring it was clear to me that Robertson was the much smaller man and Owen took full advantage of that in forcing almost all the action and stalking Robertson around the ring for pretty much the entire fight.

MMA

Zach Juusola over Shaine Emmons (Arm Bar)

Travis Reddinger over Elias Jones (Ground and Pound)

Boxing

Muwendo (right) Courtesy SnapLocally.com

Ismail “Sharp Shooter” Muwendo over David Laque (Ref stopped the fight after the 5th) - Muwendo continues to impress me hugely. Laque looked quite a bit bigger to me but that did not stop Muwendo from dishing out punishment over the 5 rounds the fight lasted. Ismail Muwendo was sharp as ever with his jabs and pretty much whatever else he threw. I think it was only Laque’s size advantage that kept him on his feet throughout. I dont think it will be long before we hear much more from Sharp Shooter.

Joey "Minnesota Ice" Abell, Courtesy SnapLocally.com

Joey “Minnesota Ice’ Abell over Josh Gutcher(Stopped 55 seconds into the 2nd round) - Not too much to say about this fight. Abell is just a man amongst boys in most cases when he enters the ring. One only needs to look at Abell as he enters the ring to know what separates him from so many. Abell seemed like he would knock Gutchers head off with every strike landed. Ice stunned Gutcher on several occasions with varying punches from jabs to straight lefts, hooks and you name it, almost every throw could have been a game ender.

Truax (left) Courtesy SnapLocally.com

“Golden” Caleb Truax Draw Phil “The Drill” Williams (Draw 97,94 T/ 96,94 W/ 95,95) - This was a much different fight than I expected. Phil Williams learned his lesson against Matt Vanda and decided to let his hands go during his fight with Truax. Early in the contest it seemed Truax’s superior boxing skill would win the day but as the rounds went on and Williams kept increasing his offense the fight grew very close. Like I have stated before from my vantage point I would not feel comfortable giving any score other than I saw it as a close fight. The two biggest things I took away from this one is, Phil Williams was able to learn from prior mistakes and used his full arsenal in this fight, and Caleb Truax has a chin, a very good chin.

Again, stay tuned for Laura Zink’s peice on the fight.

Truax to Battle Rival Phil Williams April 23!

For Immediate Release

St. Paul, MN (April 6, 2010) - Highly touted super middleweight Caleb “Golden” Truax will meet in-state rival Phil “The Drill” Williams at the St. Paul Armory Friday, April 23, in the main event of Seconds Out Promotions’ “St. Paul Brawl”.

A flawless 14-0 with 9 knockouts, Truax is amongst the top up-and-comers in the Midwest. The Osseo, MN native stopped five of his last seven opponents, most recently outpointing well regarded Kerry Hope in the World Boxing Federation’s Fight of the Year.

Williams, a dynamic power puncher, looks to get back on track following two recent setbacks. At 11-3 with 10 KO’s, Williams owns knockout victories over former title challenger Antwun Echols, underrated Marcus Upshaw, and twice decked unbeaten contender Marcus Oliveira before coming up short. A resident of Minneapolis, MN by way of Queens, NY, Williams is confident he will tarnish Truax’ perfect record.

Truax and Williams meet over ten rounds for local bragging rights, as the Minnesota State Super Middleweight title will be up for grabs.

In the eight round co-feature, cement fisted heavyweight Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell battles 31 fight veteran Josh “The Griz” Gutcher of Albia, IA. A fan favorite based out of Coon Rapids, Abell sports a 25-4 record with 24 wins by knockout. Having fought in the U.S., Sweden, Canada and Saint Lucia, Abel is globally recognized as a devastating puncher.

Unbeaten featherweights Ismail Muwendo and Gustavo Espinoza meet over four rounds, while crowd favorites Jon “Iron Man” Schmidt, Charles Meier, Derek Winston and Antwon Robertson will appear in separate bouts against opponents to be announced.

With mixed martial arts’ interest at an all time high, Seconds Out added three special attraction MMA bouts to the card. Middleweight Jedidiah Jones meets Isiah Mahto in a highly anticipated three round rematch, while well regarded locals Travis Reddinger and Zach Juusola meet opponents TBA.

Tickets for the “St. Paul Brawl” are $25 for general admission and $75 for VIP and are available at ticketweb.com. Doors to open at 7 pm. The first bell is slated for 8.

The St. Paul Armory is located at 600 Cedar Street St. Paul, MN 55101.

When retired professional boxer Tony Grygelko found himself unable to stay out of the gym, he realized that his passion for boxing was undeniable. At age 29, Grygelko formed Seconds Out Promotions. By utilizing the vast boxing knowledge of world-class trainer Ron Lyke, Grygelko and Seconds Out quickly became a hit.

Through determination, integrity and hard work, Seconds Out strives to become a top promotional firm by giving young fighters the ability to showcase their talents to a worldwide audience, along with offering fans the highest quality of entertainment. Seconds Out is committed to recruitment and development of the best and brightest young fighters to help achieve our mission.

Seconds Out Promotions’ current stable of pugilists includes undefeated prospects “Golden” Caleb Truax, Marcus Oliveria, Michael Faulk, Ismail Muwendo, dynamite fisted Heavyweight Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell, Willshaun Boxley, Charles Meier, Jon “The Ironman” Schmidt, and Mohammed Kayongo.

For more information, go to www.soboxing.com

Truax (right) Courtesy SnapLocally.com

2010 looks to be a fun year for Minnesota boxing. Matt Vanda and Phil Williams have big fights on the 29th of this month and February has pro boxing in each of its first two weekends. From all I have been told and read both MSC and Seconds Out Promotions plan on another very busy year of boxing. Andy “Kaos” Kolle called out Matt Vanda and Caleb Truax towards the end of 2009 and rumor has it that Kolle/Vanda could be right around the corner if all goes well. The Fistic Mystic reported that there were bids sent out to Hinckley Grand Casino for a Caleb Truax/Kenny Kost fight and Matt Vanda / Andy Kolle 2, with Vanda/Kolle 2 winning out (Fistic also reported that nothing was final on Vanda/Kolle as contracts were not done at that time). Lets hope that both of these fights stay alive or at least some pairing of these four happens. Below are some MN vs MN fights we would love to see in 2010 if things continue to go well for the fighters mentioned. Big national or tv fights rank high in our book, but this is just Minnesota possibilities and we realise some of them may not make sense to the fighters for several reasons.

Jason Litzau, Courtesy of SnapLocally.com

Jason Litzau vs Wilton Hilario - We know this is probably a pipe dream for the time being

Andy Kolle vs Caleb Truax - This fight seems a ways off with what has been reported

Vanda landing on Williams, courtesy SnapLocally.com

Andy Kolle vs Matt Vanda - Probably the biggest fight out there in terms of money and turnout

Matt Vanda vs Caleb Truax - Another pipe dream as they share the same gym and trainer

Caleb Truax vs Phil Williams - I really like this fight

Joey Abell vs Raphael Butler - I still would like to see this fight, but dont have much hope of it happening

Gary Eyer (right), Courtesy SnapLocally.com

Gary Eyer vs Jeremy McLaurin - might be too soon for such a meeting, but I love the fight.

Brad Patraw vs Ismail Muwendo - weights are slightly different and this may also be too soon, but I love this fight.

Jeremy McLaurin, Courtesy SnapLocally.com

Jeremy McLaurin vs Ismail Muwendo - same as above

I am really looking forward to several fights on this card. Schmidt (9,1) vs Kamya (17,10) should be a nice fight and a great jump-start for the winner. Ismail Muwendo (4,0) will be facing Noe Perez (2,1) and Willshaun Boxley (5,3) goes against William Hernandez (2,0). I am also very pumped to see Mike Richman go up against Marcus Levesseur in MMA action.

 This show has been canceled due to an injury to Jon Schmidt.

Jon Schmidt vs Robert Kamya

 Ismail Muwendo vs Noe Perez

 Willshaun Boxley and more.

We will have more on this card in the coming days.

I am sorry for being so slow in getting this up. 2009 was quite a ride for The League. Our first year covering Minnesota’s boxing scene had it all, big time ups and big time downs. As the year went on the more I respected each fighter I covered. I watched Caleb Truax progress from the first time I covered him last January to his most recent fight this past November. The Truax of today would kick the butt of Truax from a year ago, that guy learns from every fight. I started out the year not really having a high opinion of Matt Vanda, today he is one of my favorite fighters. Ismail Muwendo and Jeremy McLaurin probably made the biggest impressions on me as new fighters. Gary Eyer proved what I already believed, he has one of he biggest hearts and body shots in the state. Andy “Kaos” Kolle is for real. Jason Litzau is still the man in Minnesota. We were able the watch some of Minnesota’s best fighters of the decade hang up their gloves, Zach Walters and Anthony Bonsante maybe didn’t get to go out as they wanted, but did so on their own terms. Below is our year-end awards.

Fighter of the year

Matt Vanda

1. Matt Vanda

2. Jason Litzau

3. Caleb Truax

4. Wilton Hilario

Fight of the year

Gary Eyer (right), Courtesy SnapLocally.com

1. Gary Eyer vs Levi Cortes

2. Matt Vanda vs Ted Muller

3. Caleb Truax vs Kerry Hope

3. Dave Peterson vs Corey Rodriguez

3. Antwan Robertson vs Brad Patraw 2

3. Cerresso Fort vs Lamar Harris

Most important fight of the year

Andy Kolle and Anthony Bonsante, Photo Courtesy Walters Photography, all rights reserved

1. Andy Kolle vs Anthony Bonsante

2. Matt Vanda vs Phil Williams

KO of the year

1. Andy Kolle’s KO of Anthony Bonsante

2. Ismail Muwendo’s KO of  Josh Jungjohann

3. Marcus Oliveira’s KO of Otis Griffin

Biggest show of the year

Matt Vanda working the body, Courtesy SnapLocally.com

November 13 at Hinckley Grand Casino

Prospect of the year - new pro this year

Ismail Muwendo, courtesy SnapLocally.com

1. Ismail Muwendo

2. Jeremy McLaurin

Fighters of the decade

Zach Walters

Anthony Bonsante

Matt Vanda

Minnesota’s top P4P

Jason Litzau last April at the Target Center, Courtesy SnapLocally.com

1. Jason Litzau

2. Andy Kolle

3. Caleb Truax

4. Wilton Hilario

5. Matt Vanda

Tony Grygelko of Seconds Out Promotions just called me to put all the comments under our interview with Willshaun Boxley to rest. He said there is an open invitation for Ronnie Peterson, Antwan Robertson, or Brad Patraw to fight Willshaun Boxley November 20.  He also said they can contact him directly or I can forward any responce to him. Again, I am only the messenger.

Update: for Boxley they would take anybody 130 and down in MNand for Ismail Muwendo they would take anybody from 135 and down. Minus Jason Litzau.

Will we see Boxley vs Hilario? Wow! Ok there is a response in the comments.  As many thought, with Wilton Hilario having a fight on November 13, one week would not be enough time. But he would be interested in such a fight. Cory Rapacz gives a full run down in our comment section.

Ismail Muwendo, courtesy SnapLocally.com

Uganda and Minnesota don’t seem to have much in common. But lets face it, all I know about Uganda is that it is in Africa, right? Another thing I know about Uganda is that it is where Ismail Muwendo is from and where he had his first professional fight, a four round unanimous decision victory. I was lucky enough to be covering the fights at Epic nightclub last April when Muwendo had his first professional fight in the United States. At that time I didn’t know anything about him. I didn’t know of his world class amateur career or that he just recently moved to Minnesota to train under Scot Tolzmann. All I knew was what I saw in the ring:

Ismail Muwendo(TKO round 2) over Felix Martinez- This one was all Ismail. He was able to use his length to keep Felix at the end of his jab. Ismail landed a big left hook that really stunned Felix in round 1. The second round was more of the same with Ishmail really working off of his jab then nailing Martinez with a straight right that sent him to the mat where the fight was stopped.

After this fight I made sure to seek out Muwendo to deliver the magical MNboxingleague business card. You’ve probably seen them discarded on the floor at several events. Again, I was able to show my lack of knowledge of Ismail as I tried to explain why I was handing him this card. For me, this is nothing new. At times it might be easier to understand me if my mouth were filled with rocks. Anyway, I didn’t know that Ismail didn’t speak very much English. So needless to say, I didn’t hear back from the exciting fighter with an awesome straight right. As the year has progressed so has Muwendo, he has two more KO’s on his resume and as I learned October 3rd, his English is arguably better than mine.

Muwendo took some time before the nights fights to thank me for my interest in him and for the coverage we had given him thus far. I snapped at the opportunity to get to know this man better. So as the fight night began, I began to get to understand Sharp Shooter better, both verbally and ring-wise.

Uganda and Minnesota. The biggest immediate difference for Muwendo was the crazy cold and white stuff on the ground. When talking about Minnesota winter weather with Ismail, you can see him reliving the shot he had to his system when first feeling the ice cold Minnesota winter air. But trust, he wasn’t complaining.  Almost everything we take for granted, he looks at as a great gift. Being able to have a change of clothes, new shoes, real boxing equipment, and the list goes on. To say Ismail Muwendo is happy to be here would be a huge understatement. Muwendo has nothing but good things to say about the guy responsible for this exciting change of scenery, Scott Tolzmann. Muwendo not only trains under Tolzmann, but he lives with he and his wife, and also works in their restaurant. All a necessity in order for this adventure to happen. And from the ear to ear smile Muwendo has outside of the ring you can tell Sharp Shooter wouldn’t have it any other way.

Boxing here and boxing there. When I asked what was different in training here verses in Uganda, Muwendo’s smile spoke volumes. Heavy bags you say, try hanging a tractor tire up and if lucky, a pair of insufficiently padded gloves. Like I have mentioned before, I have spent time in a boxing gym. Keeping my hands and wrists healthy hitting a standard heavy bag was/is a challenge for me. But working combos on a tractor tire would surly end any hand modeling jobs I have lined up. Muwendo told me that sparing was a big part of training in Uganda. I thought that sounded about right, then he went on to add that those same small wore out gloves used on the tractor tires were generally the same gloves worn when sparing. Oh yeah, they also don’t wear head gear. These are just a few of the differences Ismail was able to share with me in our short conversation.

Training with Tolzmann and the other Ugandan pros under Scott’s tutelage. Muwendo spoke with praise of his stablemates, Mohammed Kayongo and Robert Kamya. He is elated that he is able to work and spar with these pros on a weekly basis. He almost seemed as excited about their future plans as his own.

There is plenty more to know about “Sharp Shooter” Muwendo and we hope to bring a full interview in the coming weeks. My hope is our best writer, Laura Zink, will be able to do another of her stellar profiles.

Release from Tolzmann’s Twin Cities Boxing

Twin Cities Boxing is very excited to announce the ring return of Ugandan Amateur Sensation, Ismail “Sharp Shooter” Muwendo.  Ismail Muwendo (4-0) will be stepping up in class and rounds as he makes his (6) round debut against fellow undefeated prospect William Hernandez (2-0) of Chicago, IL.  The bout will be held at the St. Paul Armory on Oct. 17th.  This will be without a doubt Ismail’s toughest test to date; Hernandez just came off of an impressive upset victory over fellow Ugandan Hassan Wasswa.  Hernandez was also having a very solid showing against well known boxer Wilshaun Boxley before the fight was stopped do to weather conditions.  Ismail is extremely excited to get back in front of his fans against a very deserving - William Hernandez.  Ismail is “Sharper” than ever and promises to impress his fans!

It has been a while since we ranked Minnesota’s fighters. (We generally post Boxrec and IBO computerised rankings) Many will say that is a good thing and please continue not ranking. We say, “rank this”. From the mind of Todd comes the latest MN Boxing League rankings. (We use mind loosely here, could be/ should be, idiot mind of Todd) All fan fair aside, this is how we rank Minnesota’s best.

Rankings are not official

Minnesota’s P4P Best

1. Jason Litzau (25,2)

2. Andy “Kaos” Kolle (19,2)

3. Wilton Hilario (11,0) / “Golden” Caleb Truax (13,0)

Minnesota’s People’s Champ   (most fans, will travel)

The Peoples Champ, Matt Vanda, Courtesy SnapLocally.com

1. Matt Vanda (41,9) * he could be biggest draw against Minnesota’s best at: Junior Middle, Middle, and Super Middle

2. Zach “Jungleboy” Walters (24,4)

Heavyweight

1. Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell (25,4)

2. Raphael Butler (34,8)

Light Heavyweight

1. Marcus Oliveira (19,0,1)  *not from or fighting out of MN, but fights here often, don’t think could be MN champ

2. Zach “Jungleboy” Walters (24,4)  *he is the Minnesota champ at this weight, and has told me he will fight to defend that title

3. Phil “The Drill”  Williams (11,1)  *like Walters, Williams intends to be at his more natural super middle

4. Harely Kilfian (8,2) *Wisconsin, but fights here most

Super Middleweight

Zach "Jungleboy" Walters, Courtesy Walters Photography

1. Zach “Jungleboy” Walters (24,4)

2. Phil “The Drill” Williams (11,1)

3. “Golden” Caleb Truax (13,0)

Middleweight

1. Andy “Kaos” Kolle (19,2) *Minnesota’s middleweight champ

2. “Golden” Caleb Truax (13,0)

3. Kenny Kost (14,4)

4. Matt Vanda (41,9)

5. Robert Kamya (17,10)

Junior Middleweight

Andy "Kaos" Kolle and Pimp James, Courtesy of Walters Photography

1. Andy “Kaos” Kolle (19,2)

2. Robert Kamya (17,10)

3. Dave Peterson (10,0)

4. Cerresso Fort (7,0)

5. Corey Rodriguez (4,0)

Welterweight

1. Mohammed Kayongo (14,2)

2. Corey Rodriguez (4,0)

Junior Welterweight

1. Gary “Stone Cold” Eyer (6,0,1)

2. Jeremy McLaurin (5,0)

Lightweight

Jason Litzau

1. Jason Litzau (25,2)

2. Wilton Hilario (11,0)

3. Allen Litzau (13,4)

4. Jeremy McLaurin (5,0)

Featherweight

1. Jason Litzau (25,2)

2. Wilton Hilario (11,0)

3. Ismail Muwendo (4,0)

4. Willshaun Boxley (5,1)

5. Brad Patraw (6,0)

Bantamweight

1. Willshaun Boxley (5,1)

2. Brad Patraw (6,0)

3. Antwan Robertson (4,1,1)