By Paul R Jones! On Saturday night, rising Super Featherweight, Jordan “Short Dog” White, (14-1, 10 KOs) pulled out all the stops in out pointing 34-year-old Derrick Murray (16-6-1, 5 KOs) at Live! Casino · Hotel® in Hanover, MD. Demond Nicholson (26-4-1, 22 KOs) beat down Christopher Brooker (16-12, 6 KOs) in the co-feature of this Jeter Promotions card, stopping the Philadelphia native in three rounds.
Here’s my quick recap of highlights from the card:
White Holds Off Murray in UD Win
Jordan White continued his quest to becoming a bona fide contender, taking on Derrick Murray, of St. Louis, in a 10-rounder. In Murray, White faced an aggressive, pressure fighter with good amateur pedigree (a reported record of 221-17) and a respectable pro ledger, including competitive fights against up-and-coming prospects and ranked opponents like Tramaine Williams (19-1, 1NC, 6 KOs) and Joet Gonzalez (25-3, 15 KOs), respectively.
But, make no mistake, this was the caliber of opponent that White had to beat convincingly to silence his doubters. Therefore, it came little surprise when White came in hot after the opening bell, swarming Murray with a barrage of punches.
The tactic paid off shortly thereafter, as White caught Murray cold and scored back-to-back knockdowns. The first, from a well-timed shot that capitalized on Murray’s carelessness. The second, from a punch that Murray didn’t see coming.
“The first knockdown was bulls***,” said Murray in a post-fight interview with East Side Boxing’s Paul R. Jones! “The second was a nice, clean a** f****** punch that put me down 3 [points],” Murray added.
Nevertheless, to most in attendance, it looked like Murray would be little more than food for “Short Dog” after a single round.
But, while most fighters might unravel after a 10 – 7 round, the St. Louis native remained composed.
As Murray put it, “I fought my a** off after that knockdown.”
Indeed, Murray stepped his game up in the 2nd and 3rd rounds, matching White’s ring IQ and poise with increased pressure and volume punching. Both of which helped Murray battle his way back into the fight.
Rounds 4 – 6 featured White and Murray trading heavy leather, with Murray pouring on the pressure, and White fighting off his back foot, mixing in double jabs, pull counters, and the occasional check-hook to keep Murray at bay. White also began targeting Murray’s body, in hopes of draining Murray’s gas tank.
Rounds 7 – 8 were punctuated with huge momentum shifts, with Murray’s pressure paying dividends by slowing White down in the 7th. Murray also caught White with several eye-catching shots that caused visible damage to White’s face, including a rapidly swelling right eye and blood trickling down the 24-year-old’s nose.
The eighth round was Round-of-the-Year caliber stuff, highlighted by Murray and White engaging in phone booth warfare that left Murray on wobbly legs at multiple points in the round.
The championship rounds featured a dig-deep stanza in round 9, highlighted by Murray’s consistent pressure, which forced White to box, parry, and counter-punch in response. And, both fighters ended the final round on a high note, with White and Murray teeing-off on each other for much of the round.
When the final scorecards were read, all three judges favored White: 100-88, 97-91, and 95-93 (UD10).
My unofficial scorecard was in line with the latter judge (95-93).
All in all, White offered a balanced self-assessment of his win over Murray:
“Tonight, I did good. I give my performance a C+,” said White. “I’m definitely my worst critic. I’m a perfectionist,” he added.
“I’m just perfecting [my] craft, and I could’ve did some things better. Made better adjustments. But it comes with the game.”
Nevertheless, White has his eyes set on bigger fish at Super Featherweight.
“We’re ready to call out some names. We gotta go back to the lab, but a name like Chris Colbert (16-1, 6 KOs), or something like that wouldn’t be too bad right now.”
“I know when [Colbert] hears this, it’s gonna ring his bell a little bit. But we have to talk. And it is what it is.”
The bottom line: Let’s hope Team Colbert is listening.
***
Nicholson Makes Quick Work of Brooker
There’s an old boxing axiom: “You don’t get paid for overtime.”
Demond Nicholson took that message to heart in the co-feature, pouncing on Christopher Brooker, and ultimately knocking out the Philly native in 3 rounds of their Super Middleweight bout.
Nicholson and Brooker started off feeling each other out, before Nicholson switched gears and began to press the action by establishing his jab, and applying intelligent pressure to Brooker. Brooker was primarily in reaction mode.
In Round 2, after Brooker momentarily cornered Nicholson, the Marylander flipped the script midway through the round, slipping out of harm’s way and returning the favor by cornering Brooker before the end of the round. Next, Nicholson unloaded on Brooker, landing thudding shots upstairs and downstairs before the close of the round.
In the 3rd round, Nicholson ratcheted up the pressure and forced Brooker into the ropes. Next, Nicholson landed a torrent of shots on Brooker, which spelled deep trouble for the Philadelphian.
A short time later, a final swarm of punches from Nicholson to Brooker’s body and head forced the referee to stop the bout.
The bottom line: Nicholson proved that he still has enough left in the tank to remain competitive Super Middleweight.
Final Result: Nicholson TKO3 Brooker
***
Other notable results from on the card:
Conde TKO3 Burrs: Mansaborie Conde (6-0, 5 KOs), of Laurel (MD), won his sixth consecutive fight, mowing down the over-matched, but game Jonathan Ryan Burrs (4-6, 1 KO) on Saturday’s undercard.
The bottom line: Conde remains a prospect watch with power, charisma, and tons of upside.
Chambers TKO4 Autry: Brandon Chambers (8-0-1, 5 KOs) stopped TayShawn Autry (4-10, 4 KOs) of Brooklyn, NY in the fourth round to keep his undefeated streak alive. <
About Paul R. Jones!
Paul R. Jones! is a longtime writer and photographer for East Side Boxing. His articles, photographs, and commentary have also appeared in outlets like Boxing News 24, Round by Round Boxing, Boxing Insider, Medium.com, and more.
You can keep up with more of what Paul R. Jones! is thinking about on Twitter @boxingepicenter. You can also e-mail him at prjones1@hotmail.com.
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