"Cornflake" LaManna brings boxing to Carteret, NJ

Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (Rising Star Prom’ns) brought boxing to Carteret, NJ, for the first time in anyone’s memory. The hall was a beautiful venue for boxing, seating circa 1000, and approximately three-quarters full. But it proved a rough landing that taxed LaManna’s resources in holding it together, but that he did and everyone got a good show. If it weren’t for shows like this, there would be few, if any, Pay-Per-View blockbusters. Fred Blumstein and Ray Ryan kept time and Wilson Montero was ring announcer.

Fans didn’t get to see popular cruiserweight Paul Bamba when his opponent, Edgar Valenzuela, did a meltdown at the Commission pre-fight medical examination. Consequently, the main event was a scheduled four between two winless heavyweights. Chase Demoor, 245, Seattle, picked up his first win in three fights versus Terrick Maven, 258, Vineland, 0-4, in 1:32 of round one. Demoor swarmed him and Maven went down twice as a means of escape before referee Shada Murdaugh became fed up and stopped it. Maven got up complaining bitterly while Cornflake was in the ring, bawling him out.

Popular Daniel Gonzalez, 139, Iselin, NJ, 3-0 (3), excited his fans in stopping Zachary Davis, 139, Moss Point, MS, 0-3, in 0:54 of the third of four. Action was brisk from the start, with Davis exhibiting a lot of jittery motion while Gonzalez was purposeful and settled down on his punches. A sweeping left hook might have ended it in the first, but Gonzalez fell off balance and couldn’t put together a followup. Zachary was rocked repeatedly by similar sweeping lefts in round two. In the third, Davis was a beaten fighter and just not showing any signs of hope when Murdaugh stepped in and called a TKO, at 0:54.

In the only bout to go the distance, Ghandi Romain, 146 ½, Newark, 5-1 (4), battled Dashaun Johns, 146 ½, Brooklyn, 4-6 (3), over four punishing rounds. The southpaw underdog Johns established a retreating, countering style in the feel-out first. Romain tagged him with a sweeping right cross that had him hanging on as action became heated in round two. The vigorously attacking favorite, fighting out of a deep stance, had Johns grabbing and holding in the third. By the final round, Dashaun had nothing left but nerve and had to hang on to survive to the bell. Judges Paul Wallace, Mark Consentino, and Anthony Lundy all scored 40-36. Ref, Ricky Gonzalez.

Bruce Seldon, Jr., 237 ½, Atlantic City, 3-0 (3), had  a walk-over against Victor Hugo Costa, 254 ½, Nahant, MA, 1-4 (1), in a scheduled four. The big, bulky Costa didn’t show any offensive skills but rather tried to circle away and block. Ref Murdaugh quickly got wise to this tactic and stopped the fight in 1:16 of the first, before the underdog got creamed.

Dennis Thompson, 121 ½, Phila., 2-0 (1), didn’t get the opposition he deserved from Marco Dorame, 125 ½, Agua Prieta, MX, 0-5, in a scheduled four. The underdog circled away into the ropes, ducking away from a right that landed partly on the back of his right arm and partly on the shoulder. Dorame went down and ref Gonzalez waved it over, at 1:34. Thompson is well taught, with good fundamentals, and can handle better opposition.

The show opened with the best contest of the night, a scheduled six between Thomas Blumenfeld, 139, Montreal, 5-0 (4), and Edgar Efrain Macz Sagui, 139 ½, Stamford, CT, 1-1. The stocky Sagui, fighting out of a squared stance, trudged forward and banged rights to the body, taking the first round. But the rangy southpaw Canadian, fighting out of a deep stance, adjusted between rounds and began meeting Sagui’s charges with counter lefts. Action heated in the third, with Blumenfeld settling down on his punches and nailing his opponent with jarring rights. But Thomas ended the round with a bad swelling to his right eye, making the contest still in doubt. That was settled in the next round, though, as Blumenfeld came out ready and picked apart his opponent, who was slowing down from the rugged action. In the fifth, the game underdog had little left and was getting rocked repeatedly until ref Charlie Fitch stopped the bout, at 1:51.