John Leonardo Tops Atlantic City Card

NYC promoter Larry Goldberg expanded to Atlantic City’s Tropicana, once the site of weekly cards back in the 20^th century and drew around a thousand excited fans who enjoyed plenty of action, with only one bout going the distance. Eric Bottjer was matchmaker, Matt Competello ring announcer, and Fred Blumstein kept time.

The show was available live on Facebook. Red corner went 7-0.

In the main event eight, John Leonardo, 122, Manalapan Twp, NJ, 11-1 (5), faced Frank Gonzalez, 122, Hialeah, FL, 12-6 (6). The favorite was notably bigger and stronger, steadily wearing his opponent down. The fight lacked individual fireworks but was still a riveting contest with steady action. The problem for the underdog was that he just threw peppery punches but lacked steam to turn the fight around. Leonardo was constantly on him in short range mixing, wearing Gonzalez down. Leonardo’s punches had some jolt while Gonzalez was just flailing. The relentless punishment crested in the sixth. An inside left hook hurt the underdog and that was the signal for the favorite to go into high gear. John poured it on until the game underdog collapsed and referee Brown stopped the fight, a TKO at 1:14.   

Popular Justin Figueroa, 153 ½, Atlantic City, 9-0 (7), managed a TKO win over Antoni Armas, 158 ¼, Maracay, Ven., 13-8 (8), in an anti-climactic six. Figueroa stalked as the southpaw visitor just ran in the first.

Apparently with little opposition, Justin picked up his attack in the second and had Antoni on the run until he walked into a short right uppercut and went down just before the bell. With the favorite a bit chastened, action tamed with Armas looking for the sneak right uppercut again. Figueroa gathered steam late and rallied to the bell. Action picked up in the fourth but was still cautious, with Justin setting the pace. After the bell, Armas quit in his corner, claiming an injured left shoulder, for a TKO win for Figueroa. Ref, Brown.

Avious Griffin, 146, Chattanooga, 14-0 (13), won an all-out pitched battle over Lesther Espino, 145, Managua, 8-6 (6), in a scheduled eight. Griffin started fast with an aggressive attack, hands held in a tight defence while rocking Espino early with a short right. The second was torrid! Griffin was rocked by a sneak right early in the round and battered throughout the round. But Avious rallied dramatically by forcing the action in tight and had Espino hurt at the bell. As might be expected, action tamed in the third, with Griffin boxing and picking his punches. But the tempo picked up in the fourth with Griffin forcing the action while Espino scored sneak counters. This pattern continued in a close fifth until Griffin doubled the right to drop Espino, the really drilled him with a finishing right for a second knockdown and a KO at 2:57. Franciosi refereed.  

Dwyke Flemmings Jr., 157, Paterson, 7-1 (7), stopped Jonathon Hampton, 158, Gary, IN, 3-5 (1), at 2:55 of the 4^th of 6. Flemmings took control immediately as the underdog merely circled away. Dwyke showed both poise and solid punching with both hands, especially the left hook. Hampton finally tried to show some offence in the third but only got more punishment, with Flemmings digging left hook to body, right to head combinations. In fourth, this combo was clicking steadily as Hampton took a relentless beating until ref Eddie Claudio stopped it.  The victor told the fans that he let the fight go on a little longer so that they would see more of him.

In a good heavyweight four, Pryce Taylor, 270, Bklyn, 4-0 (2), won a unanimous decision over Lawrence King Jr., 237, Rochester, 2-2 (1). King circled away and worked a good jab while Taylor steadily walked him down using size and strength that soon turned King’s fight into a rear guard action. Lawrence was out of gas by the fourth, with Mark Consentino scoring 39-37 and Anthony Lundy and Paul Wallace 40-36 in the evening’s only decision, unanimous for Taylor. Ref, Claudio.

Jacob Riley Solis, 164, NYC, 4-0 (4), was impressive belting out Brandon Martinez, 164, Tucson, 1-4 (1), in 2:15 of the second of four. The underdog was tall and lanky, appearing to have a physical advantage. But the sturdy favorite took it right to him with three knockdowns in the first round. A left hook was followed by a double right to start the string, then long rights dropped Martinez twice more before he made it out of the first round. Jacob didn’t rest on the lead in the second but instead kept up the attack until a perfect one-two sprawled Martinez flat on his back and out. Referee, Earl Brown. 

In an all-southpaw four, debuting Koby Khalil Williams,135, Brooklyn, stopped hapless Kevin Hicks, 135, Tazewell, VA, 1-3 (1), in 1:05 of the 2^nd. Williams started cautiously but put snap on his punches while the underdog backed up and only threw pawing attempts at offense. After Hicks landed his only clean punch in the second, Khalil dug a left to the body which appeared to be low or close to it, and Hicks went down, struggled up, and stumbled to his corner, as referee David Franciosi stopped it, at 1:05.