By John DiSanto – PhillyBoxingHistory.com
Photos: Darryl Cobb Jr. – dcobbjr.com

Rising Upper Darby super middleweight Brandon Robinson scored a rousing TKO over Ernest Amuzu in the main event Friday night at the 2300 Arena in South Philly. The end came in round three of the scheduled eight-rounder. It was a sloppy brawl, filled with hard punches and aggressive action.

Robinson mounted an early body attack which drew the fight into close quarters right off the bat. Amuzu, a heavily muscled Ghanaian fighting out of Prichard, AL, was willing to battle Robinson, but fell short when it came to trading blows.

Robinson appeared more comfortable in the trenches, and won the first two rounds with more activity and a more effective assault. Amuzu landed too, but he could not get things going. In round three, the battle continued until Robinson backed Amuzu into a neutral corner and blasted away. Brandon tagged his opponent several times, but just when it looked like the African might fall, he fought back hard and even turned his way out of the corner. However, Robinson kept swinging and once again pinned Amuzu back in the same corner.

Robinson threw a series of looping shots intended to end the right. Suddenly, he caught Amuzu with a wild right, and the punch staggered him and sent him reeling backward. Robinson charged forward and landed a second aching right that slammed against Amuzu’s jaw and sent him reeling backward again. The force of the punch left Amuzu rubbery and referee Blair Talmadge jumped in to save him from further punishment. The time was 2:04 of round three.

The showy stoppage raised Robinson’s record to 11-1, 8 KOs. This was his eleventh straight victory. From ring center, Robinson called out Glassboro, NJ super middleweight Derrick Webster, saying that it was the fight he wanted next. That might be a good match, but I’d be surprised if Webster accepts the challenge. Robinson might offer too much risk for the big-fight-seeking Webster. But make no mistake, that pairing would be a toss-up. Amuzu’s record fell to 24-4, 22 KOs. This was the first time he was stopped.

In the co-feature bout, LA welterweight Terrell Williams remained undefeated with a unanimous decision over DC’s David Grayton. The DC southpaw almost didn’t make it out of the first round when a hard right by Williams sent Grayton to the canvas mid-way through the opening round. However, Grayton proved to be a tough customer. He climbed to his feet and remained the aggressor throughout the entire bout.

But Williams made Grayton pay for his aggression most of the night. In round two, Williams nailed Grayton with another right that sent him down again. Hopelessly behind on the cards after two rounds, Grayton kept charging, doing his best to turn the fight in his direction. However, Williams was an effective sharp shooter, and continued to hit Grayton cleanly as he rushed in. Exclusively using right hands, Williams built a massive lead on my card. He continued to string together winning rounds, then scored another knockdown in round six, again with a sharp right.

Grayton refused to quit, but the amount of punishment he was taking began to look excessive. Most hoped that Grayton’s corner would stop the fight after round six, but when they didn’t, hope shifted to referee Eric Dali to do the smart thing beginning in the seventh. But the DC fighter made it difficult for anyone to deny him more time, because he was so willing to fight and never took a backward step.

Then in round eight, Williams began running out of gas. Suddenly, Grayton was back in the fight, and although he was far from fresh, David began abusing the fading Williams. Grayton won the last three rounds on my card. He never came close to stopping Williams, but it was a bona fide rally and made the competitive, but one-sided bout suddenly thrilling.

After ten full rounds, I had Williams up by a score of 97-90. The official scorers also saw the fight clearly for Williams. Dewey LaRosa had the bout 98-90. Lynn Carter saw it 97-92. And James Kinney scored the fight 98-89.

Williams, 17-0, 13 KOs, looked impressive for seven solid rounds, but was seriously tested down the stretch. He struggled, but passed this tough trial. Grayton left with a record of 15-3-1, 11 KOs. He was soundly beaten, but left with tough guy bragging rights.

Southpaw Anvar Yunusov, 5-0, 2 KOs, blew out Mexican Angel Monreal, 10-11-1, 3 KOs, with two knockdowns in round one that compelled referee Eric Dali to halt the fight at 2:39 of the opening round. The first knockdown came courtesy of a right hook-left hand combo. Monreal survived, but it was clear that the end was imminent.

The three-time Olympic fighter from Tajikistan, now based in Philly, did not hesitate. He continued his attack. Monreal fell to the canvas again, but the trip was ruled a slip. Moments later Yunusov cracked the Mexican with a straight left that momentarily tangled him in the ropes. He nearly tipped out of the ring, but instead his body sagged downward to the canvas, and Dali waved the fight to an end.

In a four-round bantamweight fight, Alejandro Jimenez of New Hope, PA, 3-0, 1 KO, scored a shutout unanimous decision over Philly’s Jerrod Miner, 1-2-2, 1 KO. The fight was filled with good action, and although Jimenez won each of the messy-but-entertaining rounds, Miner made it difficult for him. Round two was the closest of the fight, but still Jimenez had the edge. All three judges, James Kinney, Justin Rubenstein and Lynn Carter, scored the fight 40-36.

DC junior welterweight Keeshawn Williams defeated tough but over-matched Farhad Fatulla of Philadelphia by unanimous decision over four rounds. Fatulla tried charging in, but never managed to get close enough to Williams to make a difference. All three judges (LaRosa, Rubenstein and Carter) all saw the fight 40-36.

Philly’s Daiyann Butt, 2-0, topped Californian Anthony Smith in their four-round welterweight contest. Smith started fast and won a close first round on my card. However the lanky Butt used his rangy form and seven inch height advantage to carve out a solid points victory. The three judges (LaRosa, Kinney and Carter) all gave the bout to Butt by perfect scores of 40-36.

Dominican Yueri Andujar made a very impressive professional debut with his third round TKO upset of previously undefeated Chrystian Peguero of Philadelphia. Going in, it appeared that Andujar was being fed to the wolves. In his two previous bouts, Peguero looked like a serious young prospect, and I though he was poised to win his third straight. However, it turned out to be the opposite. Peguero, off for more than one year, had his hands full from the first bell, and it was Andujar who mugged the Philadelphian for the first two rounds. Finally in the third, Andujar trapped Peguero on the ropes and landed numerous lefts and rights. Peguero was staggered and nearly went down, but before he did, referee Eric Dali saved him by stopping the fight at the 2:06 mark of the third. Peguero lost for the first time (2-1, 1 KO), and Andujar, 1-0, 1 KO, made a loud statement.

Lancaster’s James Bernadin also made a notable pro debut with a two-round drubbing of Christopher Burgos, 1-3-1, in a scheduled four-round junior lightweight fight. Burgos started well in the first, but Bernadin stole the round by staggering Burgos during the final minute. Beginning in the second, Bernadin was in total control. Burgos tried to press the action, but Bernadin thwarted every rush with power shots that stopped Burgos in his tracks. The Philly fighter could not find a way past Bernadin’s power punches, and they continued to take their toll. Burgos made one final rush in the third, but a sharp series of punches by Bernadin floored Burgos. He got to his feet but appeared groggy, and referee Blair Talmadge stopped the fight. The time was 2:19 of the third.

In the opening bout of the night, DC-based Shyngyskhan Tazhibay, 7-0, 3 KOs, beat Pittsburgh’s Justin Johnson, 6-18-6, by four-round unanimous decision. Tazhibay landed freely, and scored his best shot, a hard right, in the third. Johnson had his best round in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to win the round, let alone the fight. Two of the three judges, LaRosa and Rubenstein, scored it 40-36, while Lynn Carter had it 39-37, probably giving the fourth to Johnson. My score was a perfect 40-36 for Tazhibay.

The nine-bout card was promoted by Marshall Kauffman’s Kings Promotions and drew a full house of about 1,000 fans. Kauffman returns on September 25th with a show in Bethlehem, PA.

To read more about the Philly fight scene – past and present – visit www.phillyboxinghistory.com.