By Michael Amakor at Ringside
This boxing event was scheduled to start at about 6pm. The gates remained unopened at 6.30pm, by which time a long queue of people like an army of ants ringed the entrance of the Bowie Baysox arena spilling out into the parking lot.
One highlight was the unheralded entrance of a determined looking Nikki Eplion, a few curious onlookers shouted her name and she raised a clinched fist and disappeared with her 3 man entourage into the arena through the media entrance. One of them carried a belt – which belt I asked, the IBA Super Middleweight title someone told me.
The gate finally opened at about 7pm, no sooner had the fans taken their seats before another aggravation. It began to rain at first lightly until it could not be ignored and the fans ran for cover grabbing food and beer until about 10.30pm.
And then the festivities began straight to the main event, the delay seemed to have incensed an intense Laila into chasing Nikki at the opening bell. But Nikki came to fight and the exchanged wildly sometimes with Nikki getting the most of it, but then the savvier Laila began maneuvering Nikki into the corner for a flurry of combinations and a dazed Kermia had to be saved by the bell in the next couple of rounds.
Nikki’s corner feverishly tried to invigorate her but it was useless. Ali put her down on the canvas repeatedly as the spectators roared Ali Ali Ali, after several such episodes and after the third knockdown in the 4th round the judge had seen enough and halted the bout for Laila Ali.
The arena emptied after that, those who remained saw Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson, put up an entertaining display against a motivated Paulino Villalobos for 12 round of fast paced action.
The bout was highlighted by Johnson’s accurate combinations and weaving under punches as a highly animated Paulino Villalobos tried to catch him occasionally connecting hard and beckoning for “Too Sharp” to come forward and fight.
His machismo failed to impress the judges who scored it for Johnson, but you could not tell by Paulino Villalobos demeanor as he carried himself out of the ring like the winner attired in his Mexican bull fighter green garb. Better luck next time.
Middleweight Henry “Sugar Pooh” invigorated by his home crowd and chants of Pooh forced Keith Lawrence’s corner to throw in the towel late in the 1st round.
Perhaps a future prospect. We shall see.
Boxing Celebreties at the event featured a bald dommed Antonio Tarver, a tall Winky Wright and a currently beltless Keith Holmes.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
