Pemberton Scores Repeat KO over Easley
by Stephen Tobey (March 22, 2003)
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MASHANTUCKET, Conn. – March 21 – Scott Pemberton fought twice as many rounds
against Levan Easley as he did in the first meeting between the two fighters
and overcame twice as much adversity.
The New Bedford, Mass native knocked out Easley in the sixth round to win the
vacant International Boxing Union super middleweight title Friday at Foxwoods
Resort Casino.
In September of 2000, Pemberton stopped Easley in the third round to win the
vacant North American Boxing Federation super middleweight title, but not
before Easley knocked him down in the first round.
Friday, Pemberton took heavy punishment throughout the sixth round before he
landed an overhand right that dropped Easley to a knee. Referee Joe Cusano
reached the count of 10 at 2 minutes, 59 seconds.
Easley (14-7, 3 K Os) repeatedly hurt Pemberton with looping right hands in
the sixth, opening a cut along Pemberton's left eye to go along with a bloody
nose. Pemberton started to work his way back into the fight in the final
minute of the round before he landed the punch that put Easley on the mat.
"I can always get a second wind or a third wind," said Pemberton, who is now
25-3-1, with 21 knockouts. "I don't care what kind of trouble I'm in, I feel
I can knock anybody out with the right punch."
The first five rounds were fairly even, with Easley landing the harder
punches, but Pemberton landing more often. Pemberton started to bleed from
the nose in the third round.
"He was catching my jab pretty well," said Pemberton. "When I doubled up on
the jab, he caught the first one, but not the second."
It was Pembertons' first fight since Aug. 2, when he was stopped in the sixth
round by Charles Brewer. He was scheduled to fight Antwun Echols in November,
but the fight fell through.
"I think there are two fights out there for Scott now," said his promoter,
Jimmy Burchfield. "There's Omar Sheika and then one of the champions."
Providence, RI's Gary Balletto captured the vacant IBU lightweight title,
knocking out Johnny Walker of Ft. Lauderdale in the first round of a
scheduled 12. Balletto (25-3-1, 21 K Os) initially hurt walker with a left
hand, then landed several unanswered punches before putting Walker through
the ropes at 2:49. Walker dropped to 18-7 with 12 K Os.
"Anybody I hit, I'm going to take out," said Balletto. "I didn't plan on
landing so many shots in the first round. The plan was to set him up with my
jab, left hook and right.
"I felt it clean, the impact on my glove. It's a great feeling being a world
champ. I can fight anybody in the world because of my punching power. I'll
have a chance against anybody."
Chad Dawson of New Haven, Conn survived a first-round knockdown to stop
fellow southpaw Willie Lee in the third round of a scheduled six-round
middleweight bout. Lee dropped Dawson in the first minute of the opening
round with a right hook. Dawson (11-0, 7 KO s) hurt Lee with a straight left
in the final minute of the third round and trapped Lee in the corner where he
continued to tee off on him until Lee fell through the ropes. The ringside
physicians went into the ring and attended to Lee before referee John Callas
could administer a count. Lee, of Gulfport, Miss., dropped to 10-2 (7 KO s).
Featherweight Angel Torres of Manchester, Conn won an eight-round unanimous
decision over Greg Piper of Portland, Ore. All three judges scored it 80-72
for Torres, who is now 11-2 with 4 K Os. Piper dropped to 6-2 with 2 K Os.
Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Jevon Langford registered his
fifth knockout in as many pro fights, stopping 6-foot, 11-inch Caleb Patrick
of Oklahoma City in the first round of a scheduled four. Langford, who
weighed 330 pounds to Patrick's 273, dropped Patrick with a hard right hand,
then drilled him with two other rights with Patrick on the ropes before
referee Joe Cusano stopped the fight at 2:13. For the 18-year-old Patrick, it
was his professional debut.
In a four-round super lightweight bout, Jamar Carter of Newark, NJ
out-pointed Shakha Moore of Norwalk, Conn. All three judges scored it 39-37.
Carter is 15-6 (3 KO s) Moore dropped to 9-7-2 (1 K O).
For Questions or Comments
E-mail Stephen Tobey
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