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You want to be close to the action? Maybe you would like to look down on the combatants from directly above. If you like up close and personal when going to a show, Epic Nightclub delivered. There was a definite buzz in the air for this special evening. It looked to me as though ALS should get a nice check from this event.
I really enjoyed this show. Seconds Out Promotions did a fine job in giving the fans entertainment for a great cause. I am a boxing guy, but MMA won the night. I was thoroughly impressed with the action and skill of the MMA fighters. The fans of Caleb Truax really made his short fight feel like a major event. They were great, and everything fight fans should be. Joey Abell was simply, WOW. Below is a fight by fight recap.
Jon “Iron Man” Schmidt…vs…Charles Meir (4 rounds exhibition)
The first three rounds of this exhibition were controlled by Schmidt. His ring experience seemed to be too much for his gym teammate. Charles did land punches, but most came when Jon was just standing in his defensive guard. The fourth round was by far the closest, with Meir taking it in my opinion. Since this was an exhibition there was no winner or loser.
(W)Jeremy McLaurin…vs…(L)Sook Siyajuck (4 rounds lightweights)
Jeremy proved to be too fast and skilled for Sook. I found it amusing that during the first round while McLaurin was running circles around Sook, Sook’s corner was yelling out that Jeremy was slow. I would not use the word slow when describing Jeremy’s performance. The first two rounds were all Jeremy McLaurin. Sook was a game opponent, just not on the same level. The third and fourth rounds were much more competitive, but it’s my opinion that this was only due to McLaurin seemingly being gassed. I had every round going to Jeremy and so did the judges.
(W)Dion Savage…vs…(L)Marvin Rodriguez (4 rounds super middleweights)
This fight started out with both boxers throwing heavy shots, plenty of them wild. Marvin’s right eye was swollen before 2 minutes had gone by in the first round. Round two brought more big shots and also started to show the obvious skill and strength advantage for Dion. Marvin’s eye looked to be almost swelled shut by the end of the second. The third round had much of the same, although Dion Savage began to leave his hands down in an effort to lure Rodriguez into a bomb. Round 4 started with Dion in a football 3 point stance, after that, much of the same as previous rounds. This fight was all Dion Savage, his strength, skill, and speed were just to much for a very game Mavin Rodriguez.
(W)Willshaun Boxley…vs…(L)Felix Martinez (4 rounds super bantamwights)
Its my opinion that Boxley was touched more often in the first round of this fight than he had been all of his bout January 24. Don’t get me wrong, it was still all Boxley. The first two rounds had Boxley clearly showing superior ability and quickness. We also saw the Mayweather defense make a few appearances. Sometime during the second round it looked as though Willshaun had hurt his right hand, but it didn’t hinder his dominance. By the third round it was obvious Boxley was not concerned about Felix’s power. He stalked Martinex around the ring landing punches in bunches until his opponent could take no more.
(W)Carey Vanier…vs…(L)Derek Abrams (3 rounds MMA)
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Carey dominated this fight from start to finish. The first round saw Vanier throw Abrams over his back WWE style. Much of the fight was spent with Carey in the dominant mounted position. The fight ended in the second with Vanier finishing things off with a Kimora.
(W)Marcus LeVesseur…vs…(L)John Marriott (3 round MMA)
This one went all three rounds. It was an exciting fight with lots of action. Both fighters spent a lot of time tangled in the ropes. I have to say while it was competitive Marcus LeVesseur was clearly in control for all three rounds. The judges were of the same opinion.
(W)Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell…vs…(L)Marcus Rhode (6 rounds heavyweights)
Joey brought the WOW and JAB. Abell was just too much for Rhode and ended it in the first. It seemed once Marcus Rhode felt Joey’s power, he was done.
(W)”Golden” Caleb Truax…vs…(L)Steve Walker (6 rounds super middleweights)
I loved this fight because of the crowd. The minute Caleb came out, Epic Nightclub went crazy. Chants of “Caleb, Caleb” rang throughout this short fight. The first round was actually a tough one for me to score, but that didn’t matter because shortly into the second Caleb landed a monster hook to the body of Steve Walker that in my opinion ended the fight. Walker got up but was out shortly after due to another flurry by Truax.
(W)Phil “The Drill” Williams…vs…(L)Issiah “The Prophet” Henderson ( 6 rounds light heavweights)
The pro Williams crowd was vocal from start to finish. This fight went the distance, but there truly wasn’t much to write about. One observer asked me in between rounds what I was going to write about this fight and then offered his thoughts. ” Snooze”, was what he stated for the headline. I can’t argue with that thought. Phil controlled the whole fight but in a not so fan friendly way. He spent pretty much the whole fight waiting to land one big punch, but it never really happened. The Drill has a ton of talent, but seems to want to wait and pick a time to drop a one punch combo. After Phill Williams was announced a unanimous winner he took the mike and stated he was deserving of being a constant headliner.
I feel I need to say I really like Phil Williams. I love his power and skill set, but in talking with the fans after the fight, his showing fell below the action witnessed through most of the evening. I have no doubt Williams has it in him to be the Man, but right now headliners, as I see it, were Joey Abell and Caleb Truax for boxing, and the MMA guys were great.
Todd
