Gary Russell Jr, Guillermo Rigondeaux and Jaime Arboleda win in Allentown

Premier Boxing Champions (Al Haymon) presented a triple header in Allentown, with the local assistance of Marshall Kauffman (Kings Prom’ns), on 2/8/20. Showtime carried the telecast.

Despite the unlikely location, the card drew a full house estimated around 2500 to the curtained-off downtown Civic Center. The three features offered one good fight, one bad fight, and one mediocre. Can’t beat that for variety. Swanson Communications was assisted locally by Marc Abrams for PR, Jimmy Lennon, Jr and Miguel Flores were ring announcers, and Fred Blumstein issued a ten count for Kobe Bryant.

Gary Allen Russell, Jr., 125 ¼, Wash., DC, 31-1 (18), took on Tugstsogt Nyambayar, 125 ¾, Ulan Bator, Mongolia, via LA, 11-1 (9), for the WBC feather crown, 12. There was more action outside the ring than in, but fortunately it remained non-combative. Not like the old NYC days when ethnic battling spilled into the streets and threatened to close MSG. Amazingly, a considerable contingent of Mongolians showed up from goodness knows where…rumored to be New Jersey… to support their man. The excitement was palpable as both sides tried to cheer each other down, but it didn’t degenerate into brawling. The action in the ring didn’t quite match that outside, but there was a tense expectancy throughout that periodically erupted when someone…usually Nyambayar…appeared to land a punch.

Nyambayar stalked and applied pressure all night in a contest that was constantly on the move but didn’t provide a lot of sustained or clean punching. The southpaw Russell presented a moving target and judiciously avoided being trapped in corners or on the ropes as the Mongolian wished. His defensive efforts were skillful but several times he tripped and stumbled while spinning away. These always brought outbursts from the Mongolian fans thinking it was a knockdown but Russell was never seriously hurt. The first half was dominated by maneuvering while the second half had more close-in exchanging but was never a barnburner.

Many of the rounds were close, but Russell’s shorter, snappier punches consistently held the edge. Gary started the eighth with some serious combination punching but then chose to shut down and sit on his lead. The challenger pushed a lot of his punches and was never a major threat, but can’t be faulted for not trying. The later rounds were all close, but edged consistently to Russell. Gary won the unanimous verdict. Glen Feldman 116-112, John McKaie 117-111, and David Bilocerkowec 118-110. Gary Rosato refereed.

"The difference was ring generalship, hand speed and boxing IQ," said Russell. "He only had 11 pro fights, of course he was an Olympic silver medalist, but he only had those 11 pro fights. I’ve had over 30 and I think my experience was enough to overcome and win this fight."

The guy who made good boxing a bad word, Guillermo Rigondeaux, 117 ½, Miami, 20-1 (13), as usual won as he pleased in a listless, booed contest over Liborio Solis, 117 ¾, Maracay, Ven., via Panama City, Pan., 30-6-1 (14), for the vacant WBA bantamweight crown, 12.

This was a disgrace to the memory of George Dixon, Panama Al Brown, Terry McGovern, Eder Jofre, Ruben Olivares, Jeff Chandler…just to name a few who participated in GOOD fights. Solis couldn’t and Rigondeaux wouldn’t. The pattern wasn’t unlike that of the top bout, with the one huge difference that Russell threw PUNCHES as he was making his escapes. Guillermo didn’t bother. The lackluster affair was booed throughout. Most of the excitement was generated by Solis’ corner, where a handler mounted the apron at every break wearing a sweatsuit with his rear end hanging out. With nothing to cheer between bells, the crowd went wild, engendering observations like, “Somebody TELL him!”

Solis started by trying to mug Rigondeaux on the ropes, not a bad tactic. But Guillermo was having none and quickly managed to outmaneuver him and stay off the ropes. But there was little punching and no sustained action, as the affair was loudly booed throughout. It’s possible to win a fight on “aggression” without landing any punches, and for a while Solis was looking to pull that off. Halfway through, Liborio led on two cards! At times, the profiling Cuban would stop and tantalize Solis to come on in, and then run away. What was that all about? Style points?

In the seventh, the bout changed dramatically and showed why we can’t be rid of Rigondeaux. The southpaw Cuban caught Solis coming in with a left uppercut that rocked him, then two more that sent him careening along the ropes and down, where he bounced back up into a fourth shot before referee Benjy Esteves broke them. Action was better after that but not by much. Booing continued, as did the displays by the unaware cornerman. A left wobbled Solis in the tenth when Guillermo smoothly spun out of a corner trap and countered, but Rigondeaux failed to press the advantage. Guillermo closed the show with a mocking dance through the twelfth while throwing no punches. Oh where is Lomachenko? Two cards split at 115-112, Kevin Morgan for Guillermo and Don Ackerman crediting Solis for the attempt. Rigondeaux won by split decision as Ron McNair scored 116-111 for the Cuban.

Jaime Arboleda, 129 ½, Curundu, Panama, via Miami, 16-1 (13), faced Jayson Velez, 130, Caguas, PR, 29-6-1 (21), in a dramatic and crowd-pleasing 12 for what the WBA billed as a title eliminator. The busy Puerto Rican got off to an early start as Arboleda took time feeling him out, as well as getting hit with a sucker right in the second. Jaime started to lapse into a comfort zone in the third and get off with his punches as the two traded at medium range. Trading was brisk in the fourth with Arboleda coming out on top after jarring Velez with a left hook and then staying after him until another hook had Jayson on rubbery legs. He escaped the round but seemed to be unraveling in the next round as Jaime dominated, digging with short left hooks. Jayson missed a haymaker right and fell to the canvas near round’s end, seemingly coming apart. But the sixth was hard fought, Velez throwing push punches and overhands to Arboleda’s sharp, straight shots. A lead right rocked Velez late but he came back with two left hooks before round’s end.

Velez pushed Arboleda through the ropes early in the seventh and got bawled out by referee Eric Dali. Jaime dominated the round, snapping Jayson’s noggin with sharp lefts, and appeared to be coasting to a win. The pace slowed in the eighth, with Arboleda making the action. But Velez kept trying and forced the ninth even though Arboleda at this point was picking him apart. Then the fight turned dramatically in the final three. Velez just would not give up and kept applying crude pressure as Jaime’s slickness began to wear thin. There are more Puerto Ricans than Panamanians in Allentown, and the arena was rocking as Velez made a determined stand in the tenth. Jayson threw long, obvious punches, but the fading Arboleda was no longer so deft on defense. Jaime got rocked by a left hook and then a straight right as the crowd rose in excitement. The eleventh was hectic battle ng on the inside, where Jaime’s boxing skills were less a factor.

Finally in a heartstopper final round, with Velez going all out! Arboleda went down from a right behind his back, rightly ruled no knockdown, but it was a giveaway of his condition. With Velez taking full swings, a right collapsed Arboleda to the floor. He got up shaky and was rocked repeatedly to the bell but almost miraculously, on pure nerve, kept from going down or being stopped! Feldman scored for Velez 115-112 to the crowd’s delight, but Eric Marlinski and Bernard Bruni edged the split decision to Arboleda, both 114-113. Phew!

Gary Antuanne Russell, 137, Capitol Hgts, MD, 13-0 (13), won a short but sensational battle with Jose Marrufo, 137 ½, Agua Prieta, MX, via PHX, 12-10-2 (1), in a scheduled 10. The crude and muscular Mexican came out bombing and bulling the favorite around, having Russell appearing on way to upset loss in heavy physical action. That was until the lefty Gary Antuanne pulled out of an exchange with a crisp right hook that left Marrufo floundering on the canvas like a fish on a hook. Referee Ricky Gonzales counted him out at 2:12 of the opening round.

Jamontay Clark, 153 ½, Cinc., 15-1-1 (7), got a decent workout against Anthony Lenk, 153 ¾, Niagara Falls, NY, via Tarzana, CA, 16-7 (7), in an all southpaw eight. The rangy and long-armed favorite rocked Lenk in the first and second with lefts. In the third, he followed up with combos and had Lenk hurt, but then lost momentum when he dropped his mouthpiece. Anthony made it a contest and brought up the fans suddenly in the fourth when he rocked Clark with a surprise right lead while they were sizing each other up. Jamontay gave up on long lefts for awhile and got back in the fight behind short right hooks. Clark took the fifth picking punches from long range but when Lenk applied pressure in the sixth, Jamontay managed to shorten up and still outpunch him. Anthony kept on him and took a tame seventh, then got hit low and rested as well as losing his mouthpiece in the eighth. Jamontay picked enough clean shots to take the round and the unanimous decision. Ackerman scored 78-74, McKaie and McNair 79-73.

Gary Antonio Russell, 116 ¼, Capitol Hgts, 17-0 (12), cleaned up on Jesus Martinez, 117 ¾, Monteria, Col, via Hollywood, FL, 27-11 (13), in a scheduled eight. The bout was slow and cautious at the start then became something of a sloppy brawl. Russell began to effectively walk down Martinez in the fifth, until hit with a low blow. After landing another low blow in the sixth, Martinez had nothing left and was clutching desperately when referee Gonzales disqualified him at 1:31.

Jonathan Torres (Rodriguez), 119, Rio Piedras, PR, via Phoenixville, 8-0 (3), won a crowd pleasing and action packed battle over persistent Edson Eduardo Neri, MX City, 3-5 (2), six. The shifty Torres got an early lead with movement and quick combos out of a nearly square stance. A solid right nailed Torres/Rodriguez in an exciting second, as he more than paid it back. The rugged and persistent Neri began walking him down in middle rounds despite crisp, short counters. The visitor slowed up in the last two and Jonathan regrouped with flashy boxing to claim the late rounds and the unanimous decision, 58-56 from Marlinski and 60-54 twice, Bruni and Ackerman.

Marlon Bolen, 149 ¼, Bowie, MD, 4-0 (3), stopped game Larry Ventus, 148 ¾, Detroit, 9-15-1 (4), in a good scrap though one-sided while it lasted. Ventus stood in and traded briskly in close-in trading but was getting the worst of it and already by late in the first was giving ground and showing signs of wear. The second was all Bolen until referee Esteves stopped the scheduled four at 2:58.

Debuting Rajon Chance, 123 ¾, E. Orange, quickly got rid of overmatched Joseph Quintana, 124 ¼, La Junta, CO, 0-3, in a scheduled four. Chance showed good poise out of a shallow stance, and while the underdog gamely tried to fight back, he had nothing on his punches while Rajon was taking him apart. The southpaw Quintana went down once under a barrage and then was getting punished while sagging against the ropes when ref Rosato stopped it at 2:41 of the second.

And the only hometowner on the show, Martino Jules, 129 ¾, Allentown, 9-0 (2), made the most of it, sensationally taking out Pablo Cupul, 130 ½, Merida, MX, 10-31 (5), in 2:39 of the first of four. The stubby Cupul tried to step in on the rangy Jules but the southpaw floored him with a slick right-left one-two. Pablo then absorbed a two-handed scalding while trapped in a neutral corner until sinking to the canvas as referee Gonzales was moving in to stop it.