Estrada, Andrade Win in Rhode Island
By Stephen Tobey (Nov 30, 2008)
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LINCOLN, R.I. – As lopsided unanimous decisions go, it was pretty close.
Heavyweight Jason Estrada of Providence, R.I. out-pointed Philadelphia’s Derek Bryant over eight rounds Saturday at the Twin River Events Center.
Robert Paolino and Walter Stone scored it 80-72 and Robert Taylor scored it 79-73 for Estrada, the U.S. Olympic team’s super heavyweight in 2004. Estrada is now 15-1 with three knockouts and Bryant is 20-5-1 with 17 KO s.
Estrada, who will be 28 on Sunday, controlled the action through the first half of the fight, , landing hard uppercuts with both hands and opening a cut alongside Bryant’s eye by the start of the third round.
In the final four rounds, Estrada faced a more aggressive Bryant. At the beginning of the seventh, Bryant landed a hard right hand with Estrada against the ropes. A cut also opened up along Estrada’s right eye. The two continued to trade throughout the final two rounds with the fairly even exchanges.
“I was a little more rough,” said Estrada. “I was rough because people questioned me. When it gets rough, I have to show people what I’m made of.”
This was Bryant’s first fight since January of 2007.
“I couldn’t get off in the first four rounds,” Bryant said. “I blame myself. I could have done better, but I’ve been off for two years.”
Fighting as a professional for the first time in his home state, 2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade of Providence stopped Eric Marriott of Kansas City, Mo. in the fourth and final round of a junior middleweight bout.
Andrade (2-0, 2 KO s) was in control throughout the fight, forcing Marriott to hold frequently after landing body shots. Referee Joey Lupino stopped the bout 50 seconds into the final round after Andrade forced Marriott into the ropes with a straight left hand.
“I could have done more,” Andrade said. “He was blocking some shots with his elbows.”
Marriott (0-2) was aggressive early in the third and fourth rounds, but Andrade responded with just enough speed and power to put Marriott back on the defensive.
“He didn’t want to throw more punches,” Andrade said. “He took a lot of shots. My job is to let him know he can’t hang with me mentally or physically. My power from one shot or my power and speed with two shots was going to be too much.”
In his first fight since his 2003 loss to Rocky Juarez, Jason Pires of New Bedford, Mass. won a six-round unanimous decision over Frank Houghtaling of Albany, N.Y. The scores were 58-55 and 58-56 (twice).
Pires, who fought most of his career as a featherweight and junior featherweight, weighed 147 pounds to Houghtaling’s 147 ½. Houghtaling dropped Pires with a right hand early in the first round, but Pires was in control for the rest of the fight, causing Houghtaling to bleed from the nose and around his left eye by the fourth round. Pires is now 21-3 (9 KO s); Houghtaling is 19-15-5 (4 K Os).
Light heavyweight Joe McCreedy of Lowell, Mass. won a six-round unanimous decision over James Johnson of Shreveport, La. The scores were 60-54 (twice) and 60-53. McCreedy is 9-2-1 (5 K Os); Johnson is 23-30-3 (13 KO s).
Eddie Soto of Pawtucket, R.I. won a four-round unanimous decision against Blake Franklin of Shreveport, La. at junior welterweight. The scores were 39-37 (twice) and 40-36. Soto is 10-0 (4 KO s); Franklin is 1-2.
Junior lightweight Omar Pena of Providence out-pointed Lindberg Freeman of Coram, N.Y. over four rounds. All three judges scored it 40-36. Pena is 1-0-1; Freeman is 0-2.
Keith Kozlin of Warwick, R.I. stopped Vincent Robbins of York, S.C. in the first round of a scheduled four-round super middleweight contest. Lupino stopped the fight at 2:30. Kozlin is 2-0; Robbins is 3-8-2.
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