UNCASVILLE, Conn. (Feb. 4, 2011) – Starring in just the second main event of his young, professional career, Vladine Biosse of Providence, R.I, kicked off the new year in style with a dazzling, third-round TKO victory over former world champion Santiago Samaniego on Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Utilizing his powerful right hook, Biosse sent Samaniego to the canvas early in round three and finished the job at the 2:27 mark to record his 10th professional victory and fifth knockout – his first KO since November of 2009 when he broke his hand in a win over Jeffrey Osborne (an injury that ultimately required surgery).
The knockout for Biosse highlighted an action-packed event at “Block Party,” the first professional boxing card of 2011 for Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports. CES’ newest acquisition, New Haven’s Elvin Ayala, middleweight Thomas Falowo of Pawtucket, R.I., and Sean Eklund of Lowell, Mass. – the nephew of trainers Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund – also scored impressive victories.
“Hard work pays off,” Biosse said. “I go get ‘em. That was my mentality growing up. Nothing was handed to me. I had to earn everything. The way I live my life is the way I fight in the ring. I go get ‘em, and tonight I got after it.”
Samaniego, 37, entered Friday with a 30-12-1 record that included 30 knockouts and a win over Mamadou Thiam in 2002 for the WBA light middleweight title, but Biosse dominated Friday’s bout from the start and showed no signs of rust despite this being his first fight since in more than five months.
“That right hook did the trick,” said Biosse, a former football standout at the University of Rhode Island. “That’s what ultimately finished him off. This was a great win. The entire city of Providence came out to support me tonight and I’m thankful for the win. I’m glad I could send the crowd home happy.”
Returning to the ring for the first time since suffering a brutal, knockout loss to David Lemieux in June, Ayala (21-5) out-classed and out-boxed cagey veteran Mustafah Johnson (8-10-1) of Indianapolis, Ind., to earn a clean, 60-54, 60-54, 60-54 unanimous decision victory. Johnson never buckled, but Ayala showed remarkable poise in his first win in nearly two years (June of 2009 against Eddie Caminero).
“I felt a little rusty, but I felt good, too,” Ayala said. “I was prepared for this fight. I knew he was a little craftier than people gave him credit for, so I had to be prepared. I’m happy for the victory and I’m thankful for my new management team, which believed in me when no one else would give me a chance, and I really want to send a great, big thank you to CES for the opportunity.
“I’m real happy with the win tonight. I was rusty, but I’m thankful for the victory.”
New Haven super bantamweight Luis Rosa Jr. (5-0, 4 KOs) kicked off “Block Party” with a bang, dominating the first two rounds against Justin Goodall (1-2) before finishing off the Cape Coral, Fla., native at the 1:14 mark of the third round with a vicious left hook that sent Goodall to the canvas in a heap.
The action picked up in the second bout of the evening as previously-winless middleweight J.C. Peterson (1-8) of Fort Myers, Fla., edged Ledyard’s Brian Macy (5-2), 38-37, 37-38, 38-37, in a controversial split decision in Macy’s first fight in almost two years. Peterson, who has never been stopped in nine professional fights, dropped Macy in the opening round with a stiff, left jab and Macy never recovered. Macy hadn’t fought since February of 2009 (a TKO loss to Anthony Pietrantonio) after taking a leave of absence to serve in the U.S. Military in Iraq and has now lost back-to-back bouts.
Also making a long-awaited comeback, heavyweight Billy Mofford (9-2-2) of Randolph, Mass., struggled mightily in his first fight in almost seven years, dropping a 60-54, 59-55, 59-55 unanimous decision to slugger Theron Johnson (5-3) of Chicago. Armed with a deadly, overhand right, Johnson caught Mofford off balance throughout most of the fight and staggered the veteran heavyweight in each of the first two rounds before Mofford eventually found his footing. Mofford finished strong in the third and fourth, but ultimately couldn’t get inside consistently to do any damage against the taller Johnson.
With his unbeaten record at stake, New Haven junior welterweight Edwin Soto (6-0-1) dominated James Ventry (7-13) of Niagara Falls, N.Y., over the course of six rounds to score a perfect 60-54, 60-54, 60-54 unanimous decision victory. Ventry managed to withstand Soto’s flurries, but lost each round decisively.
In a four-round welterweight feature, Eklund (8-4) scored a hard-earned, 39-37, 39-37, 39-37 unanimous decision win over Noel Garcia (2-7-1) of Springfield, Mass. Garcia’s speed and ability to distant himself from the center of ring kept Eklund off balance early, but Eklund struck back toward the end of the third and controlled the pace in the fourth to earn the decision on the judges’ scorecards.
“I felt a bit rusty, and it wasn’t my best performance, but I’m glad I got the win,” said Eklund, who hadn’t fought since March when he beat Eddie Soto for the Eastern Boxing Association (EBA) New England welterweight title.
Making his United States debut, Puerto Rican prospect Javier Flores (now training in Hartford) brought the crowd to its feet with a vicious body blow that wiped out Rochester, N.Y., welterweight Marcus Hall at the 2:05 mark of the second round. Flores improved to 5-0 with his fifth career knockout.
Continuing the pace set by Flores, Falowo and McCoy stole the show with an electrifying battle in a special, four-round middleweight attraction. As expected, both fighters came out swinging, but Falowo’s superior balance and hand speed eventually proved to be too much for McCoy to handle as Falowo earned the TKO victory at the 1:17 mark of the fourth and final round.
Falowo staggered McCoy early in the opening round with a powerful overhand right and – after two rounds of exchanging uppercuts and body blows at a dizzying pace – ultimately finished his opponent for good in the closing minutes with a hearty flurry that left McCoy defenseless in his own corner.
“I expected a lot from him tonight,” Falowo said. “I knew he was a good fighter; he doesn’t stop. I put in a lot of hard, hard work at the gym and it paid off.”
“He was strong and well-conditioned,” said Falowo’s trainer, Peter Manfredo Sr. “We’ll fight anyone in Thomas’ weight class. We’re looking for guys like (undefeated Hartford prospect David) Bauza – anyone who’s 7-0. Stop running. Tell your manager to come to us.”
CES returns to action Feb. 25 at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., for “Rhode Rage,” its first mixed martial arts show of the year. For more information on “Rhode Rage,” or any of CES’ upcoming shows, visit www.cesboxing.com