GM Ross – There were two professional boxing shows staged in Canada over the weekend. In Brampton, Ontario, United Promotions brought together Canadian Boxing Federation (CBF) bantamweight champion Andrew Singh Kooner of Mississauga and Jose Silveira of Merida, Mexico, in a ten round showdown for the NABA bantamweight title. I had the pleasure of attending this event, witnessing some excellent displays of boxing skill, determination and crowd appeal. Upon entering the Brampton Powerade Centre, the overwhelming support for Kooner was immediately apparent as dozens of fans strode by adorned in black and orange “Team Kooner” shirts. Silveira came to the ring first and was showered with hostility by the vocal, pro-Kooner crowd.
Nonetheless, the foreigner was very respectful, acknowledging the audience by bowing to all four sides of the ring. Then, amidst the banging of drums and deafening adulation of his admirers, Andrew Singh Kooner made his way to the ring. As the announcer attempted to read out the names and records of the participants, he was drowned out by chants of “Andy! Andy! Andy!” The first round was close, with neither fighter showing a clear cut advantage.. Round two, however, was quite a different story. Silveira – who in my opinion looked like the slower puncher of the two – rocked Kooner, backing him into the ropes. After taking another big shot, Kooner’s legs buckled and the hometown hero seemed destined for the canvas. He laid low and heavy on the ropes, which may very well have kept him up. According to Rick McLean of theboxingexaminer.com, who had a better view of the contest than I did, a clash of heads occurred late in the round opening a cut near Kooner’s right eye. As the bell rang to end the second, Silveira seemed thoroughly in control of the contest.
In round three a visibly wounded but determined Kooner began landing with more regularity, feeding off the energy of his numerous supporters. This stanza belonged to Kooner, and the momentum seemed to be shifting in his favour as the two men prepared for round four. Unfortunately, another unintentional head butt resulted in a more serious cut to Kooner’s forehead, leading the doctor to halt the contest after four rounds of action. The judges’ scorecards were collected to render a technical decision, which was given to Silveira by scores of 39-37, 39-37 and 38-38, crowning him the new NABA bantamweight champion. After some initial disorder, including some debris being thrown into the ring, the Kooner faithful let out a roar of appreciation for Silveira and his accomplishment.
The undercard in Brampton was first class, with two six rounders and three four rounders to prime the crowd for the main event. Beginning with the rookies, Winston “The Show” Dan of Kitchener, Ontario, earned an exciting unanimous decision over Horace Hunter of Toronto in their four round light heavyweight contest. Hunter landed one big shot in round one, which was otherwise uneventful. Hunter landed with authority again in round two, but Dan picked up the tempo in the closing seconds, putting together impressive combinations. Over the final two rounds Dan was able to put punches together, racking up points, while Hunter struggled to find his quicker opponent with counter shots. Dan was awarded the decision, the judges scoring the fight 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37.
In the evening’s other clash of rookies, Ryan Wagner of Orangeville defeated Rene Rivest of Toronto via a four round unanimous decision in light middleweight action. Wagner’s awkward style and willingness to initiate the exchanges seemed to cause problems for Rivest who struggled to connect. The latter did his best work in round two when his Tyson-esque style of head movement and hooks began to find the target. Wagner, however, got back on track in rounds three and four, taking a unanimous decision victory 39-37, 39-37 and 40-36. I agreed with the latter score, giving Wagner the fight 40-36 on my unofficial scorecard.
In one of the most impressive displays of perseverance I’ve witnessed in some time, “Mighty” Tebor Brosch battled through a grotesque swollen eye to defeat the always game Frankie Abbiw of London, Ontario. These two went six rounds in the welterweight division, as did the fans whose chants of “Frankie! Frankie! Frankie!” and “Tebor! Tebor! Tebor” could be heard vying for supremacy throughout the entirety of the contest. Brosch won the first three rounds in my opinion by continually coming forward and out landing Abbiw. Round four was too close to call and was highlighted by an absolutely furious exchange of punches in the closing twenty seconds. Brosch’s eye was virtually closed as the two answered the bell for round five and Brosch ran into further trouble as Abbiw began consistently landing power shots. Nonetheless, Brosch continued to press forward and out punch his opponent showing the grit and determination that has earned him an impressive following in Ontario.
Both fighters looked tired in the sixth, but Brosch’s work rate continued to exceed that of Abbiw, leading the judges to give him the unanimous decision 59-55, 58-56 and 59-55. My unofficial scorecard coincided with the judges, giving the bout to Brosch 59-55.
In a contest that could very well have been the fight of the night, Jorge Banos of Montreal, Quebec, defeated Harrison McBain via a majority decision in their six round lightweight contest. This bout was a rematch, with these two having fought to a draw back in 2008. I felt Banos left no doubt this time around, landing the cleaner punches throughout the fight. Banos’ effective work was not lost on the judges who gave him the decision 58-56, 59-57 and 58-58. Finally, in a battle of undefeated heavy men, “Dangerous” Denton Daley defeated Taffo Asongweed via unanimous decision in their four round heavyweight contest. Daley controlled the fight from the outset, containing his larger opponent with speed and superior ring generalship. I scored the contest 40-36 for Daley, while the judges had it 40-36, 39-37 and 39-37, all in favour of Daley. There is no doubt in my mind that “Dangerous” Denton will challenge for a Canadian title not too far down the road.
In other action Saturday night, Teofista Promotions gave undefeated lightweight prospect Steve Claggett his most serious test to date, matching him against thirty-nine fight veteran Martin Armenta of Los Mochis, Mexico, at the Bowness Sports Plex in Calgary, Alberta. In the first round the fighters exchanged back and forth, with Claggett landing several big lead right hands. Claggett’s jab also landed with consistency. Armenta, on the other hand, struggled to penetrate Claggett’s impeccable, traditional style of defence. Virtually every shot Armenta unloaded Claggett was able to block, keeping his elbows tight and hands up, in a manner that immediately reminded me of Arthur Abraham’s tank-like shell. In round two, Armenta increased his work rate and was considerably more successful. In doing so, however, he regularly leaned forward, allowing Claggett to rip uppercuts through his guard. Just as it seemed Armenta may claw his way back into the fight, Claggett landed a devastating body shot that dropped his opponent to his knees. The Mexican gathered himself and continued, but was promptly overwhelmed by Claggett, forcing the referee to call a halt to the contest. With the TKO Claggett moves 8-0-1 and seems poised to challenge for a Canadian title in the near future.
On the Teofista undercard Ken Frank of Lethbridge, Alberta, won via unanimous decision over Sandy Pembroke of Kamloops, British Columbia, in their four round heavyweight contest. With the win Frank remains undefeated with a record of 3-0-1, while Pembroke moves to 1-1-0. Last but not least, Stuart McLellan of Williams Lake, British Columbia, improved to 7-0-1, scoring a TKO over Darcy Boizard in the third round of their scheduled four round super middleweight affair.
Canada’s national senior amateur squad was also in action over the weekend, travelling to Regina, Saskatchewan, to take on Team Ireland in a double-header at the Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic May 14 and 16 for the Mayor’s Cup. On Friday the Canadians won six of the eight bouts, with Tyler Asselstine, Alejandro Rynn, Custio Clayton, Colin Fish, Samir El Mais, and Didier Bence all emerging victorious. On Sunday, Tyler Asselstine, Yves Ulysse Jr. Colin Fish and Samir El Mais, won their contests, making Canada the Mayor’s Cup champions for 2010. Several local fighters were also in action on the Sunday card, with Quinn Ellsworth of the Regina Boxing Club and Kyle Oliver and Reece and Brian Settee of Winnipeg winning their matches. Congratulations to all involved for the successful, seventeenth edition of this annual tournament.
Send information regarding your Canadian amateurs and/or professionals to GM.Ross.Eastsideboxing@gmail.com.