CLICK TO ORDER THE FIGHT CARD
NORTH BERGEN, NJ — In a ten round middleweight bout, Ossie “The Ghanaian Gladiator” Duran (25-8-2, 9 KO) easily outpointed tough veteran, Matt “The Predator” Vanda (43-11, 25 KO). Working behind an electric jab, Duran was awarded a unanimous decisions by the scores of 99-91 and 100-90 twice.
From the opening bell Duran established an effective jab, consistently tagging Vanda at will. With his snapping jab, Duran was able to keep the usually combative Vanda at bay, never letting him fight on the inside.
After breezing through two rounds, Duran found himself trading with Vanda early in round three. “The Predator” came out aggressive, trying to turn the tide, but it was not meant to be. Every time Vanda enjoyed a bit of success, Duran would fire right back even the score.
By round four, Duran was peppering Vanda with a variety of punches. Besides throwing his unavoidable jab, “The Ghanaian Gladiator” was beginning to frequently land ill-intentioned body blows. Vanda’s suspect defense did little to stop the determined Duran as he began punching through or around “The Predator’s” gloves and to an exposed body.
In round seven, Vanda showed a sense of urgency by firing left hooks and straight rights Duran’s way. He tried to overwhelm Duran with power punches and backed the “Ghanaian Gladiator” up against the ropes, where he pounded away at a well-defended Duran.
Although this was Vanda’s most successful round, “The Predator” ran out of gas in the final minute, not throwing many punches and allowing the persistent Duran to steal the round.
Duran warded off a few more Vanda attacks before the final bell, but never found himself in any danger.
Juan “JZ” Zegarra vs. Bryan “The Brick” Abraham — 4 Rounds, Jr. Welterweight
In a bout that was explosive while it lasted, Juan “JZ” Zegarra stopped Bryan “The Brick” Abraham within two rounds to improve his already impressive record to 6-0, with 6 KOs.
The fight’s opening punch was a straight left hand courtesy of Zegarra that landed flush on the face of Abraham (2-4-2, 2 KO). To his credit, Abraham fired right back, connecting with wide but heavy punches. Zegarra seemingly respected Abraham’s power, but was willing to continue trading with him for the rest of the round.
Zegarra, a North Bergen import, via Lima, Peru, landed a huge straight left that rocked Abraham, sending him off balance. Abraham, although never falling to canvass, used his gloves to help keep him on his feet, resulting in a knockdown.
In the second round, Zegarra continued to trade with Abraham, seemingly willing to eat a punch or two in order to land his own shots. The Peruvian was clearly getting the better of the exchanges when his persistence paid off when he stunned Abraham with a huge left, sending him back into the ropes where Zegarra followed up and finished the job. Referee Eddie Cotten saw enough and called a halt to the bout at the 1:46 mark in round two.
Todd Erickson vs. Joe Dunn — 4 Rounds, Super Middleweights
In an impressive performance, Dover, New Jersey’s Todd Erickson (2-4-1, 1 KO) scored a unanimous decision victory of Philadelphia’s Joe Dunn.
Erickson used his height and reach advantage to keep Dunn from ever landing anything significant. The taller Erickson worked behind an effective jab in the early goings and gained more confidence as the bout progressed, as he rattled off more combinations in the last two rounds.
Dunn spent the first three rounds an arms length away from Erickson. In the final round, showing a little more urgency, Dunn attempted to get on the inside and fire off some punches, but he ended up paying a price for his efforts.
Erickson cruised to a unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring it 40-36 for the fan-favorite.
Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez vs. Salim “The Dream” Al Quaadir — 4 Rounds, Jr. Middleweight
Juan “The Beast” Rodriguez made quick of Salim “The Dream” Al Quaadir to improve his record to 5-0, 3 KOs. Rodriguez dropped Al Quaadir (1-3) twice in the first round, with the second one concluding the fight.
Al Quaadir, who was fighting for the first time in twelve years, must have wished he never returned, as he spent the 2:57 of the first round on the receiving end of “The Beast’s” vicious punches.
Midway through the inaugural round, Al Quaadir took a knee after Rodriguez rattled off a steady stream of punches while Al Quaadir was backed into a corner.
The second knockdown, which Al Quaadir never recovered from, came courtesy of a thudding right to the body. The fight was stopped at the 2:57 mark of the first round.
Deano “Bad Newz” Burrell vs. John Passantino — 4 Rounds, Lightweight
In his highly anticipated professional debut, Deano “Bad Newz” Burrell (1-0, 1 KO) did not disappoint the tens of fans who traveled from London to North Bergen to watch him fight. For the four minutes and forty-four seconds Burrell was in the ring, he was dishing out punishment to Selden, New York’s John Passantino (0-2).
Burrell, a southpaw, battered his smaller opponent in the opening round, dropping him with a huge overhand left at the end of the round.
In the second round, Burrell picked up right were he left off, punishing his opponent with crackling body shots, ultimately forcing Passantino the drop to one knee. After beating the referee’s count, the spent Passantino backed into the ropes, where he became prey for a predator. Burrell pummeled Passantino until the referee stopped the bout at the 1:44 mark of round two.
Donald “Stone Face” Bernard vs. Rogilio Sanchez — 4 Rounds, Jr. Middleweight
In the night’s opening bout, Paterson, New Jersey’s Donald Bernard (2-0) was awarded a split decision victory over Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Rogilio Sanchez.
Sanchez forced the action the entire fight, always coming forward and pressuring Bernard. In a fight that was anything but a defensive clinic, both fighter’s had their fare share of success, but also put their chins to the test.
In the end, Bernard was awarded the split decision victory.
Judges Tony Perez and Pierre Benoist scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Bernard, while judge Alan Rubenstein scored it 39-37 in favor of Sanchez.
