Thrilling main event tops Atlantic City card

On 5/20/23, promoter/matchmaker Alex Barbosa’s R&B Promotions presented a crowd-pleasing show with a thrilling main event before about 800 excited fans at Atlantic City’s Showboat Hotel. Nino Del Buono announced and Fred Blumstein kept time.

The top bout was a scheduled 10, of course for some herky jerk title not worth the mention, but a fine and earnest contest with a dramatic ending. Underdog Carlos Mujica, 117 ¼, Caracas, Ven., 8-2 (2), faced Emmanuel Rodriguez, 117 ¾, Quebradillas, PR, 13-2 (7), in a scheduled 10. Irrespective of the diminutive weight class, the Venezuelan was bigger and made the most of the advantage. In a feel-out first round, Carlos established the jab and controlled it until the closing seconds. Rodriguez then seemed to show why he was the favorite with a sneak inside right that suddenly dropped the attacking Mujica just before the bell.

Undeterred, Carlos regained control immediately in the second, forgoing the long jab in favor of a very physical contest on the inside. Emmanuel went with short counters and tying Mujica up to shut him down. Action was fierce and constant and continued the pattern with determined non-stop trading through the fifth. Mujica appeared to hold the edge on work rate while the crowd expected another eruption from Emmanuel like the close of round one. But in the sixth, the torrid pace and physical battering suddenly caught up to Rodriguez. He wilted notably, becoming more interested in avoiding punishment than in dishing it out. Not a recipe for victory. Mujica, fighting out of a squared stance, wisely began digging the body, and they were crushing shots that visibly hurt. By the seventh, the still game Rodriguez was bent over like a hairpin and under a relentless battering when his corner got up and signaled the end of the fight, at 2:20. An all-action thriller with a savvy show of ring generalship by Mujica and a game effort under heavy pressure by Rodriguez. David Fields refereed.

All the undercard bouts were scheduled fours. They were record builders in which the Red corner went 6 for 7 (6 for 8 including the main event), but the underdogs put up crowd-pleasing efforts in all but two. Miguel Garcia, 132 ½, Atlantic City, 2-0, and debuting Michael Ruiz, 131 ½, Toms River, put on a good contest that was stylistically something of a portend of the main event to come. But instead of fighting inside, the stocky and muscular Garcia kept his distance against the mobile Ruiz, blocked Michael’s long one-twos, then stepped in sharply with clean left hooks. Action mounted and became looser, with Garcia manhandling Ruiz by the third and having Michael merely hanging on for survival in the closing round. Marc Cosentino scored 40-36, Jacqueline Atkins and Joe Pasquale 39-37, unanimous for Garcia. Ref, Mary Glover.

Daniel Bean, 241 ½, Old Bridge, NJ, 2-0 (2), manhandled debuting Isaiah Cobbs, 231 ½, Kalamazoo, to a TKO at 1:35 of the first. The hapless southpaw visitor tried to make a fight of it but was overwhelmed by size and strength. This was hardly a boxing match, as the gigantic Bean vigorously muscled Cobbs into slumping to the canvas and surrendering out of pure self-preservation. Two other Kalamazoo entries quit without a fight but that can’t be said of Cobbs. Charlie Fitch refereed.

In a double southpaw contest, Michael Crain, 141 ½, Smyrna, DE, 5-6-2 (2), solidly outboxed Eliezer Olmeda, 143 ¾, Camden. Crain forged relentlessly forward and managed to score with mostly single shots while the tall and rangy Olmeda put more effort into footwork than use of his hands. Eliezer covered the ring in wide circles and threw sweeping punches that were generally blocked instead of taking advantage of his long reach with straight blows. This was an odd but interesting contest in which Cosentino managed to give Eliezer a draw while the other two judges rightly awarded the majority decision to Crain, 39-37. Eliezer dramatically posed in shock at the verdict but it was thoroughly correct. Ref, Fitch.

Deyshawn Williams, 146 ½, Queens, 3-0 (2), won the unanimous decision from Anthony Dill, 148 ¾, New Philadelphia, PA, 2-1 (2), in a good bout. The rangy Williams circled on his toes and pecked while the flat-footed Dill switched left to right and back again while trying to lure Deyshawn into a payoff punch. Dill landed some sneak counters in the second but Deyshawn was loosening up with long lefts and rights and would not be lured into trench warfare. Williams stuck to his game plan and dominated, scoring a flash standing eight at the start of the fourth when Dill missed a big swing and stumbled past him. Deyshawn threw a poke and the ropes held up Anthony, prompting referee Glover to give a count. Cosentino scored 39-36 and the others 40-35.

Francisco Rodriguez, 134 ¼, Atlantic City, 2-0 (2), stopped winless Jose Luis Fracica Baron, 135 ¼, El Vigia, Ven., 0-4, in 0:52 of the second. Even having Joey Eye in his corner wasn’t enough for the overwhelmed Venezuelan, who took a battering with thudding rights from the bigger Rodriguez. With Baron driven into a neutral corner, Francisco unleashed a four-punch battering finished off with a crushing right to the ribs that folded Fracica in pain, where he gave up. Ref, Fitch.

Two other bouts featured Kalamazoo bums who quit without a fight and prompted Commissioner Larry Hazzard to withhold their purses. Debuting Juan Marrero, 134 ¾, Phila., stopped Donquay White, 140 ¼, 0-2, in 41 seconds. White had no effective defense, was swarmed into a knockdown as a means of escape, then was covering up as Glover stopped it.

Worse, popular Justin Figueroa, 134 ¼, Atlantic City, 2-0 (2), a good fighter, had to endure a match with debuting Antwion McCollough, 149 ¾, who took a few wild swings, grabbed and wrestled, then stepped back and took a knee, telling ref Fields that he didn’t want to continue, at 1:02. Figueroa apologized to his fans, then compensated with a vigorous display of acrobatics.