Fight Night in Brooklyn: Judah Dominates, Adamek is Tested, and Jennings Emerges
By Trey Pollard
BROOKLYN, NY - Going to see boxing in Brooklyn is an overwhelming sensory experience. And, if you catch it on the right night, that might even be because of the fights themselves.[[MORE]]
It is an intense undertaking for the non-native – and, if you are like me, it starts in transit. It starts when you are going north on the Jersey Turnpike. As the rusting infrastructure, industry, and spaghetti off-ramps jutting out of the ground get more condensed, you can feel the city getting closer. And then there is the smell – the one that you think is the rubber of your tire going flat, until you remember that, no, that’s just the smell of the Jersey Turnpike. Keep going, across the Verrazano, through Staten Island, and 30 dollars in tolls later you are on the narrow lanes of Brooklyn’s expressways, perpetually under construction and frantic all day and all night.
Take the exit and a few wrong turns later, you’re at the spot. It’s a converted basketball gym with the ring dead-center. Around it are rows of seats strapped together to – I’m guessing – prevent them from being thrown. The place is packed. Standing room only. Men with New York accents so thick you think they have to be kidding. Legions of Polish guys and their gorgeous girlfriends supporting a fighter from their home country.
Old guys who know more about boxing than you know about your family. Someone screaming the name “Joey” over and over again. Fashionable teenagers that look like they fell out of Fader Magazine, repping their city by yelling its name constantly. Short skirts, fresh sneakers, iPhones glowing everywhere. There’s Don King. There’s Riddick Bowe. There’s Paulie Malignaggi. Is that Papoose?
And, of course, it only makes sense that the night ends with a man in the parking lot brazenly smashing someone else’s windshield with a tire iron for unexplained reasons.
It is all part of the pitch-perfect caricature of fight night, plucked from the silver screen and brought to life in the place where Biggie dwelled. And – to top it all off– the action inside the ring is just as good as the chaos outside of it, with new plot twists, new stars emerging and old ones reminding us why we paid attention in the first place.
It’s a narrative you wouldn’t have expected when NBC Sports Network announced the line-up for the second installation of its Fight Night program. But the card at the Aviator Sports Complex in southern Brooklyn, which looked questionable on paper, caught fire between the ropes.
Zab Judah mobbed by well-wishers after his win
Bout 7 – Zab Judah v. Vernon Paris
Judah TKO-9 Paris
The story of Zab Judah’s (41-7) flirtations with boxing glory is tortuous, with the last volume ending in an embarassing KO loss to Amir Khan last July. But this is Brooklyn - Zab wears the name of the borough in ink on his back. And whatever pressure came from his career being seemingly on the line for this one was multiplied by having hundreds of his friends, family, and neighbors in the crowd.
The few objective voices ringside seemed to give Zab middling odds going into 12 rounds against Detroit’s undefeated Vernon Paris. The younger man by 12 years, Paris (26-1) staked his claim on the night early by parading through the gym with his entourage, waving belts and draped in Detroit Lions colors during the undercard bouts. That would be the last sign of strength by the youngster.
In the ring, Judah seized on what he didn’t have against the quicker-handed Khan – a speed advantage. From the start Judah put together sharp combinations that rocked Paris, whose cockiness was quickly shattered as he was left struggling to respond.
Judah dominated the early rounds, punctuating his success with powerful left hands as he controlled the center of the ring, boxing at will around Paris’ sloppy defense. His progress whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and they made sure Paris didn’t forget what part of town he was in (Hint: “BROOOOOOOOKLYYYYN”).
The accumlated punishment derailed Paris’ strategy entirely, and gave Judah free will to pick apart his opponent. He started Paris’ problems with his combinations and sharp lefts, and then only made them worse with his close-quarters grappling and grinding.
Still, after forcing Paris to flounder mightily for six rounds, Judah began to fall behind his jab in the seventh. Sharp as the jab was, with nothing to accompany it, Paris had the chance to reassert himself. And he did so in the 7thand 8thwith a modicum of success, putting his own punches together and landing a handful.
It turned out it was the calm before the storm. Just as Paris began to build confidence in the 9th, Judah caught him in the corner and nailed him with the kitchen sink. Whether this was an intentional trap set by Judah or just the manifestation of his difference in class over Paris, Judah stomped out Paris’ hopes as the crowd erupted.
After a torrent of punches, the referee stepped in and waved off the fight while Paris wobbled on his feet. As soon as it was official, Paris crumbled to the ground in a heap. The punishment was enough to send ringside doctors scrambling while the pro-Brooklyn, pro-Judah crowd began taunting the downed man with a mocking chant of his name. (“VERRRRNOOOOON”)
It was perhaps not the most sporting moment of the evening (but not the least either - see “tire iron to windshield”), but one that didn’t detract from Judah’s performance. For all of his erratic fights of the past, this victory is a sign the stuff that made Judah a legitimate contender in years past can still possibly be harnessed. While Paris is not of the caliber of men that have beaten Judah – not Mayweather, Cotto, Khan or even Clottey – the win is a quality one over an opponent that could have given Judah real trouble. It is to his credit that he didn’t let that happen.
Bout 6 –Tomasz Adamek v. Nagy Aguilera
Adamek UD 10 Aguilera
The unspoken contest in the crowd for the evening was surely over which fans were rowdiest – Zab’s Brooklyn zoo or Tomasz Adamek’s (42-7) Polish contingent. Unlike the fights in the ring, however, this one will have to be called a draw: considerable amounts of alcohol were imbibed by both sides, both were dressed to the nines, and both were excellent with chants. Beyond that, I wouldn’t want to have to make a choice.
To the Poles’ credit, however, they didn’t ruthlessly mock their man’s opponent at his weakest moments. In fact, they only offered encouragment for Nagy Aguilera’s (17-7) surprising resilience in the ring, helping make what could have been the night’s biggest mismatch into an all-action brawl.
While Aguilera entered the ring with a rought recent track record and more pudge around the waist than preferred, his chin was unquestionable. In fact, of he and Adamek, he was the first to sting his opponent, impressing the crowd in the 2nd with a big shot on the Pole’s cheek.
Having been in with a Klitschko, however, Adamek has faced harder shots and he responded in kind, nearly crumbling Aguilera in the third, buckling his knees with a hard left head-shot.
The game plans throughout the fight for both men appeared simple, if not completely opposite of each other. Adamek preferred to box, relying on his lateral movement to stay away from the Aguilera’s slow plod forward.
With faster hands and impressive accuracy, Adamek took advantage of this strategic imbalance. He was able to punch and land in bunches, damaging Aguilera’s face considerably before moving away. Aguilera, meanwhile, would counter with single punches. That so many of these landed made the fight an exciting one, testing Adamek’s mettle.
Aguilera was not able to put together combinations, however, meaning the result was ultimately not in doubt. Adamek proved too tough to be felled by just one of the New Yorker’s big shots. At the same time, Aguilera’s power was seemingly effective enough to stymie any effort by Adamek to seek a knockout. Instead, Adamek relied on his boxing skills to out-point his opponent, which he did at will.
Because of the numerical imbalance in punches landed, Adamek had an argument for winning on the cards with the large margins he did, though Aguilera’s surprising toughness made this a worthwhile bout amplified by the raucous crowd.
JUDGES: 99-91, 100-90, 100-90
STIFF JAB: 99-91
BOUT 5 – Bryant Jennings v. Siarhei Liakhovich
Jennings TKO 10 Liakhovich
NBC Sports Network can now officially lay claim to their first home-grown talent in Bryant Jennings.
After getting a last-minute chance to appear on the network’s first Fight Night program earlier this year, Bryant Jennings proved he was deserving of that limelight with an eye-opening performance in Brooklyn on Saturday night.
Last time around, Siarhei Liakhovich’s (25-5) scheduled bout with Eddie Chambers was scrapped becasuse of injury, sending NBC scrambling for a replacement fight. Along with Maurice Byarm, Jennings (13-0) was plucked from the ranks of Philadelphia heavyweights to fill-in during a rare national TV appearance for two then-unheralded fighters with regional reputations.
In that bout, Jennings was victorious over a sluggish Byarm who proved to be not ready for primetime.
But, Jennings was not done. To his credit, he lept at the chance to take another major step-up when a second NBC Sports appearance was offered, this time against the seemingly formidable Liakhovich. But, Jennings fought like a man who’d been here before, dismantling Liakhovich and answering many questions left open from his earlier appearance.
With a tight defense, excellent manueverability, and punches that were consistently crisp, Jennings shocked Liakhovich from the start. The Belarussian seemed to think that early body punches would be the key to a victory, but Jennings’ superior fitness helped him shrug those efforts off while he left Liakhovich’s face reddening after just the first round.
Liakhovich simply could not find a way around Jennings’ guard, finding elbows and wrists where he hoped there would be targets. Jennings, meanwhile, could hardly miss. He beat Liakhovich into lethargy and by the fourth round Liakhovich looked more like a tomato can set up before an up-and-coming prospect, rather than a heavyweight contender.
Liakhovich seemed to expect Jennings to stand still in front of him, but quick footwork by the Philadelphian proved that would not be the case. So, Jennings was able to snipe from the outside or pair his punches together to damage his opponent at little risk to himself.
The accumulated punishment turned down the viciousness of Liakhovich’s punches, and he was left telegraphing any attempt he made to resist. What looked to be a stay-busy fight for Liakhovich had turned into his nightmare - and a dream come true for Jennings.
On the stool in his corner in the ninth round dazed and puffy, Liakhovich could take no more according to the State of New York, as the doctor and referee collaborated to wave the fight off.
The upset raises serious questions about Liakhovich’s future, as he looked beaten out of this level of competition. Jennings, meanwhile, secured a surprise upset and looked sharp enough to be a relevant force in the division. If another NBC Sports apperance isn’t in his future, a sizeable pay day elsewhere probably is.