Lee destroys Cunningham in one!

B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grille played host to another Broadway Boxing event put together by Dibella Entertainment. The event generated a buzz, as Andy Lee was set to continue his comeback after suffering a loss to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. eleven months ago.

Lee (29-2, 20 KO’s) squared off against Darryl Cunningham (28-4, 11 KO’s) in a middleweight matchup. Cunningham was set to upset Lee, as going up against a solid young middleweight is nothing new to him. In Cunningham’s losses, his opponent’s records combined for 44-1. So he was no stranger to going up against a good looking record.

Things didn’t go as planned for Cunningham. Lee entered the ring with a fierce look on his face. As the first bell rang, his shoulders were a bit more square than usual; showing that he was prepared to make an early statement. A fast left hand found it’s way through Cunningham’s guard, staggering him into a corner. Lee immediately jumped on the opportunity to send Cunningham down, and unleashed a flurry of punches. Cunningham had nothing in response, and the referee jumped in to call the fight off. The stoppage came a bit early, but it would have only prolonged the inevitable. Andy Lee came away victorious with a TKO victory at the 1:27 point of the first round.

The co-feature of the evening showcased an exciting clash of styles between middleweights Delen Parsley 10-0, 3 KO’s) against Louis Rose (5-1, 1 KO). Parsley is a tall and athletic fighter who works behind his rangy punches, while Rose was much shorter and worked behind a slightly unorthodox style of having squared shoulders and threw punches in flurries. The action was close throughout the first half of the fight. Both fighters were able to generate success. Parsley was able to land from a distance, and when his punches came, and the distance closed, Rose would counter with hooks. Parsley was the hometown fighter, and there was a tension in the air over the possibility of an upset.

In the fourth round, Louis was able to position Parsley near the ropes, and as Parsley tried angling himself away and toward the center of the ring, Louis threw a barrage of punches that sent Parsley down. Parsley did not seem badly hurt, and was able to make it to his feet.

The remainder of the fight saw more close action, with both fighters looking strong. The venue went silent as the scorecards were announced. 77-74 for Parsley, 76-75 for Rose, and 76-75 for Rose. The deciding factor was the knockdown in the fourth round, giving Rose a split decision victory.

Tor Hamer (19-2, 12 KO’s) had his first fight after an embarrassing defeat six months earlier. He had a good test on paper in Maurenzo Smith (11-5-2, 8 KO’s); a solid fighter with a decent record, and who possesses a punching threat. Hamer started the fight tentatively. He is most known for his aggressive style, but he seemed to take a more calculated approach, landing numerous well timed left hooks. Towards the end of the second round, it became obvious that Smith was completely outclassed. As the third round opened, Hamer left his corner aggressively and began throwing combinations. After Hamer landed a right hand, Smith turned away and seemed to complain that he had injured his hand. He hadn’t landed a punch for a round and a half, so it wasn’t clear how exactly he hurt the hand. Either way, Hamer was credited with a TKO victory at 1:31 of the third round.

Super Middleweight Lamar Russ (12-0, 7 KO’s) took a step up when he faced Russell Jordan (15-9, 10 KO’s) in a bout scheduled for eight rounds. The bout saw both fighters being active, but it was Russ who landed the better punches and at a higher rate. As the bout headed into the middle rounds, Russ hand landed dozens of powerful blows that would only stagger Jordan slightly. It seemed clear at this point that a knockout wasn’t coming. Jordan, on the other hand forced russ to show him respect by landing hard counter punches of his own. They came few and far between. In the final round, Russ made a statement by staggering Jordan seconds before the final bell rang. The final scores read 79-73, 79, 73, and 78-74.

Neuky Santelises (4-0, 3 KO’s) continued his winning ways. This time it was against the over-matched Aaron Chavez (2-2-1, 1 KO). Santelises is a strong puncher at the Jr. Lighweight division, and came out swinging. He hurt Chavez badly very early on, and Chavez slumped onto the ropes, forcing the referee to rule it a knockdown. After Chavez made it to his feet, Santelises seized the opportunity and landed a barrage of left hooks that sent Chavez down and out. The time of the stoppage was 2:15 of the first round, giving Santelises a TKO victory.

Cruiserweights Jay Rodriguez (debut) and Andre Ward (1-1-2, 1 KO) fought to an exciting four round draw. They both wowed the crowd with their powerful punches and strong chins. The final scorecards read 38-38, 38-38, and one card reading 39-37 for Ward, officially making it a majority draw.

Eliezer Agosto (1-2, 1 KO) knocked out Angel Suarez(debut) cold in the second round of their bout. The time of the knockout was 2:59.

Louis Cruz (2-0, 2 KO’s) defeated Michael Carreras (debut) over the course of four rounds. Cruz couldn’t add another knockout to his record, but boxed wonderfully en route to a victory with scorecards reading 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37 for the unanimous decision victory.