By Jerry Glick at ringside- Broadway Boxing is alive and well and in New York City at the Manhattan Center. Lou DiBella continues to groom a group of talented young fighters who have the opportunity to shake up the boxing landscape.
The five fight card featured Israeli (via England) Heavyweight prospect Roman Greenberg (pictured right), who failed to impress. Instead of opening up and attacking slippery but talent free Marcus McGee, from Tuscaloosa, AL, Greenberg was content to plod along behind a jab and right cross that mostly missed their mark until the boos of the 1050 people who attended the otherwise exciting show, prompted him to do the right thing. That being dropping his 217 ¾ pound foe with a left hook in the fourth round of a scheduled eight. Greenberg decked Magee again after having him trapped along the ropes where he pounded him with both hands. The referee stopped counting after the second knockdown and waved the fight off. Time of the stoppage was 1:24 of round four. McGee had no offence as Greenberg stalked him from the opening bell.
The 22 year-old Greenberg, who fights out of Finchley, England, weighed 238 ¾ pounds. He improved to 18-0 (13), while McGee picked up his sixth loss against 12 wins with six knockouts.
After the fight Greenberg said, "He was difficult to hit. I took my time, because he wanted to counterpunch and so did I. As soon as the opportunity arose I caught him."
The fighter that bares the most watching is Jaidon Codrington, from Bridgeport, CT, but now living in Queens, NY. He too had a tough opponent. The difference here is that Codrington, 7-0 (7), did the only thing he could do, he got rid of him as fast as he could. Glen Rayburn, 168 ½, from Delaware, OH, put up as much fight as he could against the poised, slick boxing power puncher. Rayburn, 13-4-1 (8), tried to attack, but although he did manage to cut Codrington, 170, near the left eye, his punches fell short. By the middle of the first round Rayburn's right eye was swelling. Near the end of the round a left hook put Rayburn down. The round ended as soon as he got up.
After starting the second stanza carefully, circling to his left, Codrington opened up a two handed assault along the ropes that prompted referee Wayne Kelly to stop the fight at the 2:45 mark of the round.
Andre Berto, 150 ¼, may have only won his third fight (and third knockout) but the Winter Haven, FL resident looked like an experienced pro as he dismantled Edgar Galvan, 153, from Durango, Mexico, at 1:55 of the opening round. The wild swinging Galvan never had a chance against the hard and accurate hitting Berto. Galvan, 1-3-1 (1), came out slugging but was not very affective. After dropping Galvan early on, Berto opened up with both hands and slammed power shots onto his foe until referee Kelly stopped the fight at the 1:59 mark.
After the fight Berto's father and second, Dieuseul Berto said, "We didn't go looking to end it fast. We were going to feel him out in the first and box if there was a problem. We saw he had nothing so he went after him."
Gary Stark (pictured left), Jr., 122, remained unbeaten when he stopped Ubaldo Olivencia, 120, from New York, NY at 2:45 of the fifth round. After sizing up his foe, Stark got down to business and caught up to his fast moving opponent. Stark, from Staten Island, NY, is now 11- (6), and Olivencia falls 5-8-2 (0).
Sam Elashry, 192 ½, Brooklyn, NY, 5-3 (1), took a U6 over Mark Miller, 188, Wilson, NC, 4-6-1 (2).
Pictures by Neil Abramson
January 28, 2005.
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