Windy City Fight Night 21

Last night, I went to the UIC Pavillon to see boxing matches sponsored by 8 Count Productions.  There were seven fights on the card.  JJ's fight (in the light heavyweight category) was the third; Paul L.'s fight (in the super middleweight category) was the fifth bout.  Many of the familiar faces of the Chicago boxing scene, including Antonio, Rick, and Barry, were present.

All of the bouts moved along quickly.  The first bout, between heavyweights Curtis Tate and Alejandro Otero, ended in a knockout.  I believe Tate was the one who ended up on the canvas.  The second fight ended fast too, with Juan Bustamante taking out Ryan Strickland.  Strickland laid on the canvas near the ropes for awhile before getting up -- that was a super featherweight fight -- and still needed help to get back to the locker room area when he was on his feet. 

(P.S.) There is a correction:  Tate won the heavyweight fight.  Otero was knocked out.  Thanks to Boxer Girl for the information!

JJ's opponent walked to the ring brimming with confidence.  Covan Graham looked a little bigger than JJ in size, but JJ has bulked up.  The announcer stated JJ's weight was at 183 pounds.  I knew that I'd better pay attention and stay in my seat, because I had a feeling the match wasn't going to last long.  JJ's backed Graham near the ropes with straight punches.  Graham was hitting back, but throwing wildly.  Graham's right side was wide open.  JJ stepped around and dug a left hook into Graham's side.  Graham's crumbled to the ground, and did not beat the referree's eight count.  The bout was over in the first round.

Dimar Ortiz, a cruiserweight, had a lot of fans in the crowd on his side when he steamrolled over Emmanuel Wright, yet another fight that did not go the distance. 

I noticed that Paul L. had a tattoo on his chest that I hadn't seen previously.  It looked new.  He fought Cesar Martinez.  Martinez looked older than Paul L. from where I was sitting, but I couldn't be sure.  Martinez tried to hang in there, but was eventually overwhelmed by the bombs that Paul L. was throwing.  I learned later that was Paul L.'s second professional fight. 

Edner Cherry was the big name at the show Friday night.  The 29 year old was named Boxer of the Year in 2006 by ESPN, and had previously won the NABA and NABF lightweight titles.  Cherry fought Guillermo Sanchez in a super featherweight match scheduled for eight rounds.  After somewhat of a slow start in the few few rounds, "Cherry Bomb" unleashed his energy on Sanchez.  When Cherry won, he fell to the canvas on his knees and gave honor to God. 

The most exciting fight was between two hungry guys, Adrian Granados and Jamie Herrera, both of whom had a large crowd of supporters in the audience.  During their eight round welterweight bout, the two fighters took it to each other in a major way.  A guy sitting behind me told his friend that he thought the fight would end in a draw.  I couldn't guess who would be the victor, because the fight seemed very close to me.  When the eighth round ended, most of the spectators gave the boxers a standing ovation.  The referee raised Granados' hand as the winner.