By Jason Marchetti at ringside
Photos: Emily Harney

In the main event at Foxwoods Resort and Casino, “Marvelous” Mykquan Williams (15-0, 7 KO’s) defeated Rickey Edwards (12-3, 3 KO’s) by unanimous decision to earn the WBC USNBC Super Lightweight Championship. The final scores from the judges were 96-94, 97-93, and 100-90.

The event was promoted by DiBella Entertainment and televised on UFC Fight Pass.

Williams controlled the early part of the bout with his missile-like jab, followed by combinations that displayed his power and poise. By the 2nd and 3rd rounds, Williams would set the blueprint of backing Edwards into the ropes or corner and scoring at a close distance. There, he would often attempt three-punch combinations before Edwards’ dodging, holding, and bailing out to the next corner. Very little of the content occurred in the center of the ring. Edwards backpedaled nearly the entire night while taking punishment to head and body.

Williams, just 21 years of age, has been with DiBella since his debut, just days after his 18th birthday. Tonight, facing perhaps the toughest and longest test of his young career, overcame a taller opponent with a longer reach and tough chin. Edwards had some success down the stretch as WIlliams’ face swelled and tired a bit, but it was clear in the Fox Theater which young ‘Marvelous’ contender has a bright future at 140 lbs.

In a stunning upset, Elijah Pierce (9-1, 8 KO’s) TKO’d Irvin Gonzalez (12-1, 9 KO’s) in the 3rd round to earn the WBC USNBC Silver Featherweight Championship. Pierce’s domination never let Gonzalez settle in as he pressured him from the opening moments of the bout until the referee waved the bout at 2:12 in the 3rd.

In the 1st, Pierce wobbled Gonzalez against the ropes and connected on a wide, crushing left and right hands resulting in two knockdowns. Gonzalez rose on both occasions, and remained flat-footed during the 2nd where he also took punishment. Gonzalez seemed to begin to recover in the 3rd, but Pierce delivered another barrage of punches on the ropes ending with a sweeping left hand to the head on Gonzalez and the referee nearly tackled Gonzalez as he fell to the canvas, stopping the fight.

Featherweight contender Toka Kahn Clary (22-2, 18 KO’s) TKO’d Carlos Reyes (33-6-1, 23 KO’s) in the 5th in a scheduled 8 rounder at 130 lbs.. Kahn Clary impressively bounced back from his last fight in which he lost an IBF eliminator to Kid Galahad in Boston last October.

Kahn Clary, a southpaw, dropped Reyes in the 3rd and landed major power shots in the 4th. Coming forward, he used every punch in his arsenal to weaken and tire Reyes who suffered cuts over his right brow and bleeding from his nostrils. In the 5th, with Kahn Clary gaining confidence, he closed the distance and the show with and overhand left at 39 seconds into round 5. Kahn Clary, sporting a DiBella shirt after the bout, continues to train in California at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Gym.

On the undercard bout at heavyweight George Arias (14-0, 7 KO’s) defeated Keith Barr (19-12-1, 8 KO’s) by unanimous decision in an 8 round fight in an excellent back and forth contest. The card is promoted by Dibella Entertainment and televised on UFC FightPass.

Arias, from Dominican Republic is known for his upper body movement, footwork and fast hands for a heavyweight. However a game Barr from Glenville, WV likely won the 1st round and dropped Arias to the canvas in the 2nd. However, despite Arias suffering a nasty cut, he was able to compose himself and stay busy throughout the rest of the fight, winning most of the rounds.

In the 4th, Arias unloaded a fury of uppercuts with Barr on the ropes. Barr turned the tide in the 5th and landed his own power shots with Arias on the ropes. In the 7th and 8th, Barr controlled the pace and rightfully was awarded the bout on the scorecards, 78-73 (twice) and 77-74.

In a strange brief event, heavyweight Marco Huck knocked down Nick Guivas with his first punch of the fight. Guivas rose, and huck threw two more punches to end the fight. However, referee Shada Murdaugh called “break” between Huck’s two punches. Guivas fell and Murdaugh called timeout. Clearly, Guivas could not continue and the ref waved the fight. The final call was a “TKO due to a doctor stoppage off an accidental foul”.

The boxing commission later changed the result to a no contest. Huck remains at 41-5-1, 28 KO’s, in his quest to fight again at heavyweight.

Adrian Sosa (11-0, 9 KO’s) knocked out super lightweight Ben Borteye (4-7, 4 KO’s) at 1:39 in round 1. Sosa, crafty and speedy as usual, made quick work out of Borteye by closing the distance and landing early combinations, ending with a body shot. In the final punch, Borteye took a knee after a delayed response to a right hook to the head. Sosa, from Lawrence, Massachusetts, was in and out of the ring in less than 5 minutes including introductions and the reading of the scorecard.

In the opening bout at jr. lightweight, Jacob Marrero (3-0, 2 KO’s) defeated Hugo Aguilar (0-8) by unanimous decision in a 4 round bout. Marrero, a southpaw, controlled the distance the entire fight with his long jab, followed by fast two and three-punch combinations. In the 3rd, Marrero softened his opponent with solid body work and dropped in in the 4th by connecting with right and left hooks. Aguilar survived the bout but lost on all three scorecards 40-35.

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