16.05.07 – By Wray Edwards: Photos © Wray Edwards/ESB. This is great! ESPN2 Wednesday Night Fights is back in Hollywood, Florida at the Seminole Hard Rock Live for a Seminole Warriors Boxing main event featuring Glen (Gentleman) Johnson versus Montell (Ice) Griffin. ESB presented Glengoffe with the memento book of photos from his contest with Richard Hall for the vacant title February 24, 2006. Subsequently Johnson lost his belt to Clinton Woods in England on September second ’06.
Griffin ‘s camp was stoked regarding Montell’s eight week training camp, and were very confident for his encounter with Johnson tomorrow night. ESB spoke with Johnson, who was in great shape (see photos) and was very upbeat. The two boxers showed respect and met their weight goals for the contest. The main event and under-card weights were as follows:
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT, 12 ROUNDS:
Glen Johnson, Clarendon, Jamaica, 44-11-2 (29 KO’s)…173.5 lbs.
Montell Griffin, Chicago, IL, 48-6 (30 KO’s)…174.75 lbs.
MIDDLEWEIGHT, 10 ROUNDS:
Joel Julio, Monteria, Columbia, 29-1 (27 KO’s)…152.75 lbs.
Mauro Lucero, Juarez, Mexico, 42-11-1 (11 KO’s)…151 lbs.
MIDDLEWEIGHT, 8/10 ROUNDS:
Joe Green, Brooklyn, NY, 14-0 (11 KO’s)…160 lbs.
Jose Spearman, Indianapolis, IN, 27-12-4 (11 KO’s)…162
LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT, 4 ROUNDS:
Khabib Alakhverdiev, Kurush, Russia, 2-0 (1 KO)…141 lbs.
Damian Tinker, Nassau, Bahamas, 3-0 (1 KO)…139 lbs.
LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT, 4 ROUNDS:
Kenny Galarza, Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico, Pro Debut…142.25 lbs.
Jesse Francisco, Cristal River, FL, 1-5…141 lbs.
CRUISERWEIGHT, 6 ROUNDS:
Alfredo Escalera, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 14-0 (11 KO’s)…200.75 lbs.
Derrick Brown, Orlando, FL, 13-2-2 (11 KO’s)…200.75 lbs.
LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT, 6 ROUNDS:
Damian Frias, Miami, FL, 11-1 (4 KO’s)…140.25 lbs.
Travis Hartman, St. Joseph, MO, 8-5-1 (6 KO’s)…138.75 lbs.
SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT, 4 ROUNDS:
Jean Palacio, Hollywood, FL, Pro Debut…168.50 lbs.
Eric Clinton, Tallahassee, FL, Pro Debut…167 lbs.
As you can see, a few guys were a bit over. They were given two hours to trim a bit and make weight.
East Side Boxing was given the honor of a sit down interview with Sultan Ibragimov who was generous enough to travel to the weigh-in just to speak with us. We will publish the interview in a week or so. Sultan, who is a gentleman sportsman, discussed his camp and other issues leading up to his championship contest with Shannon Briggs in Atlantic City on June 2nd. See you at the fights.