BY MIKE MASTOVICH
The Tribune-Democrat
JOHNSTOWN
May 03, 2009 12:22 am
—
Johnstown’s Andres Taylor had been accustomed to disposing of the opposition early throughout most of his previous fights.
On Saturday night, Taylor passed another test of stamina. “Taylor Made” wowed a crowd estimated at 1,200 at Cambria County War Memorial Arena by knocking out Simon Carr of Philadelphia 1:56 into the seventh round of a scheduled eight-round cruiserweight bout during Fists of Thunder II.
“I started off using a little bit of my own stuff, but I’ve been working with Tom Yankello (trainer) so he’s been really changing my style,” Taylor said after improving to 8-0-1 with four knockouts.
“In the later rounds I started feeling the stuff he’s been teaching me. It’s been flowing. The jab-right hand felt so good. Tom’s been working on my balance and it started feeling good in the later rounds.”
After the match, Carr (5-4-1, three knockouts) approached Taylor in the ring and put a gold crown on Taylor’s head. The boxers embraced, and Carr took the ring microphone and praised Taylor and his fans.
During the pre-fight press conference, Carr had presented Taylor with a pillow; a sign that he expected to put the local champ to sleep.
“This is the first time I went into the seventh round,” Taylor said. “Simon came out to fight. I give him all the props for coming out and fighting. He’s a big talker. But like I said, your mouth is not going to be punching for you. You might get punched in the mouth.”
Taylor entered the arena riding atop a U.S. Army humvee painted in camouflage colors. Fans chanted “Taylor Made” as he jogged to the ring wearing his bright gold robe and hood.
Taylor momentarily went to the canvas in the second round after Carr stepped on Taylor’s foot. But the local fighter carried the third round and then knocked down Carr twice, seconds apart, in the fourth.
Taylor was in command, drawing cheers from the partisan crowd with each big punch.
“He kept dipping,” Taylor said. “I was throwing my jab and then the uppercut. It was catching him. It just dropped him. He was hurt. I had hurt him earlier, so I knew I had him. I knew I had the better power than he did.
“He’s a good fighter. He came out to fight. I take nothing from him. He gave me seven rounds, the most I’ve had so far. I take my hat off to him.”
Pittsburgh’s Jesse Lubash remained undefeated via his knockout of Chad Greenleaf of Parkersburg, W.Va. Lubash won the welterweight fight 2:24 into the third with a devastating right that sent Greenleaf flat on his back to the canvas.
It took an extended period of time for three members of his corner to lift Greenleaf onto a stool before he exited the ring.
“When I would come down to the body for a body shot, he would drop his hands,” said Lubash, who is 11-0-0 with seven knockouts. “He didn’t like those (body shots), I could tell. I slowed the pace down, took some power off the punches and went to the body. The hands dropped and I came on top.”
Lubash left no doubt with the big right.
“I saw where I was positioned and where he was positioned,” said Lubash. “It connected very flush. I didn’t think he was going to get up. I saw his eyes roll back in his head. Hopefully he’s OK.”
Lubash said patience was key in his handling of Greenleaf (11-12-1, five knockouts).
“He was a lefty and that’s the first time I fought a lefty in about 21/2 years,” Lubash said. “A southpaw is very tricky and difficult to maneuver with. I came out at first and wanted to show him who’s boss. I was putting too much power in the punches. The third round came and I slowed it up.”
Lubash had plenty of vocal support among the fans at the War Memorial.
“I absolutely love it here,” he said. “This is my favorite place to box. The fans here are amazing. I love them. It’s just like they’re from my hometown. You can’t ask for a better fan base.”
Youngstown’s Jake Giuriceo (2-0-0, one knockout) won by unanimous decision over Aaron Anderson (0-6-0) of Knoxville, Tenn. All three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Giuriceo, who frequently brought the crowd to life with his quick moves and combinations during the event’s third bout.
Terri Blair ended a layoff of more than a year, winning a unanimous decision over Adelita Irizarry in a women’s junior welterweight bout.
“It’s been about 15 or 16 months since I’ve been in there,” Blair said. “I was trying to work all the angles. She’s a tough girl and she was heavier than I was. She was leaning a lot. I tried to get in and brawl a little bit. I tried to box a little bit. I tried to mix it up and put on a good show for the people.”
The Louisville, Ky., fighter improved to 11-13-2 with six knockouts. Irizarry, of Hartford, Conn., is 6-3-0 with two knockouts.
Blair was anxious to fight. The tough economy and a lack of opposition kept her away from the ring.
“I’ve been out unwillingly,” Blair said. “I jumped at this chance to come in here and fight. It felt great to get back in the ring. I love fighting here. The people are just really into it and they put a lot of energy into the fighters.”
Philadelphia junior middleweight Anthony Thompson quickly dispatched Luis Lopez of Pasco, Wash. Thompson knocked down Lopez three times in the first round before his corner threw in the towel.
The first knockdown came not even a minute into the fight. Lopez knelt on one knee, then got back on his feet only to be knocked down a second time. At 1:53 of the first round, Thompson ended it with his 18th knockout. Thompson is 24-3-0, while Lopez is 14-16-1.
The night opened with lightweight Terrance Crawford (8-0-0, five knockouts) of Omaha, Neb., winning by technical knockout over Miguel Delgado (3-12-0, three knockouts) of Dallas. Crawford was the aggressor from the outset, knocking down Delgado twice in the first round. Crawford took command, hammering Delgado with a solid left, then a right that was followed by a flurry of punches that prompted Delgado’s corner to throw in the white towel for a TKO at 1:02 of the third.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.
Photos
The Tribune-Democrat