Jimmy Lange Cruises in Fairfax
Words and Pictures by Trey Pollard
Fairfax, VA – The Jimmy Lange franchise is something that might be hard to understand for fight fans outside of Northern Virginia. If you look at the numbers on paper, you’d be excused for wondering how the Lange brand has become such a local success. After all, how can a guy whose main claim to fame is getting knocked out of the first round of NBC’s The Contender series eight years ago headline 14 straight shows in a sizable college basketball arena – all while facing some suspect opposition?
Saturday night’s event at the Patriot Center in Fairfax provided a rebuttal to those doubters – like me – as Lange topped an action-packed card of well-matched fighters that aren’t superstars, but who know how to whip the crowd into a frenzy. And, as it turns out, the reason why Lange cards are such a success is because they are so damn fun.
Jimmy Lange, bloodied but not beaten.
This is one of those fights that was far more exciting than the scorecards would indicate. After two mellow rounds in which Lange (38-4-2) scored points by hanging behind a sharp jab, Ruben Galvan (27-20-4) revealed he’d come to play the villain to Lange’s hero.
Midway through the 3rd, as Lange was closing in on Galvan against the ropes, the visiting fighter tried to wrestle his assailant to the ground, hauling Lange over his knee. The offended crowd of Lange partisans booed Galvan while referee Joseph Cooper sent the fighters to neutral corners and re-started the fight. Lange apparently didn’t hear that, and stood facing the crowd. While Cooper and Lange’s backs were both turned, Galvan sprinted across the ring aiming a hook at Lange’s head. Cooper wised- up just in time - shouting “hey hey!” - and blunted the assault. Though I’m not sure it was illegal - “protect yourself at all times” is the #1 rule of boxing – it sent the crowd into a frenzy and flipped a switch in Galvan.
After referee Cooper yelled at Lange in the corner to “PAY ATTENTION!” the middle rounds were full of Galvan’s pitched showboating. Several times, Lange charged inside with stomping jabs or one-two combinations, Galvan would land a counter right, drop his hands, and whoop in admiration of his work. Or, when more pleased with himself, he’d throw his hands in the air in celebration, try theatrical bolo punches, or wave Lange in to hit him more against the ropes.
Galvan Taunting Lange
My personal favorite of Galvan’s antics were his multiple attempts to fool Lange by walking away from punches with his back turned only to abruptly jolt at Lange unexpectedly. Picture a dog on a leash being yanked backwards after all the slack was gone and you’ll have an idea of the motion. It was a schoolyard bully move, and it was hilarious. The first time he tried it, even Lange cracked a smile.
Whether these were psy-ops tactics to fluster the usually stoic Lange or mere performance art, Galvan had the crowd begging for his blood. But outside of creating drama and laughs, Galvan’s strategy was mostly ineffective. Lange did move inside on Galvan, but he would have done that anyway. When Galvan landed counter punches on those occasions, he didn’t have the power to halt Lange. Galvan may have been counting on his chin to give him a shot, hoping Lange would punch himself out and create an opening.
Joppy instructs Lange in the corner
But Lange had the edge, not only with a formidable ability to absorb punches himself, but a speed advantage he exploited to land five punches on Galvan’s head for every one he took. Coached from his corner by William Joppy – a DC native and former light heavyweight champ – Lange concentrated on jabs and quick combinations that piled up the points and left Galvan in a place where he couldn’t claw back into the fight.
The crowd, however, was convinced Lange could do better against Galvan’s soft physique, and viciously chanted “body! body!” throughout. Lange hardly listened, and it may have cost him the knockout. Regardless, Galvan was in no position to respond. While Lange’s somewhat sloppy defense allowed Galvan to do enough damage to swing one or two rounds his way on a forgiving scorecard, all three judges understandably and unanimously awarded Lange a sweep.
Galvan lands on an in-coming Lange
While some trinket belt was on the line in the main event, it was trivial. Instead the draw was the action itself, not some jewelry bought on commission. Lange’s fearless style may find him often bloodied, but he has the tools and the resiliency to respond and win against competition like Galvan. Most importantly for the Lange franchise, those are the ingredients for fun fights that will maintain the steady turnout at the Patriot Center shows.
To Lange’s credit, he is willing to schedule people like Galvan who can hurt him – though it remains to be seen if he is still willing to schedule people that can beat him. A name even moderately well-known in boxing circles could help fill the rest of the seats in Fairfax and give Lange an even better test. Harry Joe Yorgey – who has fought on HBO and Showtime – was on the undercard for this bout and could provide the perfect match.
JUDGES: 120-108, 120-108, 120-108 LANGE
Welterweight – 10 Rounds
Stewart (left) and Wyatt in inaction
Unfortunately, this bout is most memorable for being the dull exception in an otherwise fun card. Wyatt (23-3) and Stewart (49-6-3) were roundly booed throughout nine rounds for doing little more than sniping from the outside. To be fair, they entered the ring following a ten round slugfest (see Living v. Nelson below), so there were big shoes to fill. The crowd was not empathetic to these line-up woes, however, and cheered for the early ending when Wyatt was cut on an accidental headbutt in the 9th round.
Joe Wyatt’s ring rust is one possible explanation, as he last fought a year and a half ago against Lange in the Patriot Center. Then, Wyatt was easily ahead on my card, with Lange badly bloodied and seemingly exhausted before he found the energy to knock Wyatt out in the final minute of the fight.
Joe Wyatt Jabs at Stewart
But similar to that bout, Wyatt demonstrated an inability to finish what he started. The lone real highlight for him was hurting Stewart in the 3rd, but he took his foot off the gas pedal and couldn’t score the knockout. Neither fighter was willing to take any real risks in the ring at all. Instead, Stewart landed one-off jabs and straight rights for six more rounds and accumulated enough points to win on cards, once the doctor said it could go no longer.
JUDGES: 76-76, 79-73, 78-74 STEWART
Bout 5: 10 Rounds – Middleweight (Women’s)
Nelson (left) and Living after the brawl.
The high water mark for the evening was without question this ten-round slugfest. Forget a phone booth – this one could have been held inside a matchbox as Living (5-3-1) and local favorite Nelson (6-0-1) did not stop throwing punches for ten rounds, from bell to bell.
The soundtrack for this fight was the continuous thud of leather against gut, as both women focused on the body throughout. There were moments in the bout where Living and Nelson exchanged non-stop for what seemed like full minutes, bringing the crowd to its feet.
Nelson lands a body blow on Living.
The edge, however, belonged to Nelson as her power was the clear determining factor. Knocking Living to the canvas three times, Nelson constantly loaded up on her body blows and landed huge punches that winded a very game Living and took the steam off the visitor’s punches. Living deserves full credit for toughness, though, getting off the canvas and gritting through a tough fight, giving Nelson a real challenge in every single round.
Living gets instructions in the corner before the final round
JUDGES: 97-90, 97-90, 99-88 NELSON
Bout 4 – 6 Rounds – Jr. Welterweight
Wilson (right) and Basora
A constant presence on Lange cards, Todd Wilson (12-0) remains undefeated after getting more than he bargained for against Basora (8-8-1).
“He looks so soft,” was heard at ringside in the first round as Wilson entered looking slightly out-of-shape. That may be true, but it took little off of Wilson’s speed. Still, by the end of six, Basora had tested his physique to the fullest.
Basora lands on Wilson.
Like Lange, Wilson’s focus is purely on offense and he takes a lot of punches. Unlike Lange, he doesn’t seem to be able to shrug them off as well. Fortunately for Wilson, Basora is something of a light puncher. Most of what he landed as Wilson pressured him was not especially effective, until the later rounds when fatigue began to sink in.
But the same can largely be said of Wilson’s power. He landed consistently on Basora, but the Puerto Rican rarely seemed fazed until the exciting 5th round, when both fighters were hurt. Wilson was formidable enough to build on that success in the sixth, when he used his speed advantage to put precise combinations together that sent Basora to the canvas. It was a deciding knockdown that helped propel Wilson ahead on the cards.
Basora on the canvass in the 6th.
JUDGES: 59-54, 59-54, 58-53 WILSON
STIFF JAB: 58-55 WILSON
Yorgey (left) squares off with Jones
6 Rounds - Light Middleweight
Earlier this week, Chantilly’s Zain Shah pulled out of his scheduled fight with Harry Joe Yorgey (24-1-1) due to a flu - a bout that would have been a big step-up for Shah and an entertaining fight to boot. Instead, Yorgey got DC’s Lawrence Jones (4-6-2): like Shah, an older fighter (Jones is 39) who started boxing relatively late in life (in 2007).
Jones connects against Yorgey
Yorgey, who’s been on the rebound since getting viciously knocked out by Alfredo Angulo, still had his hands full. Alternating at times to a southpaw stance to match Jones (all credit to Yorgey for sticking with the fight when a lefty was the substitute), Yorgey was the aggressor, but Jones did well to fend him off early with well-timed counter-punching. That helped Jones hang tough for four rounds before Yorgey stepped it up and pressured his tiring opponent in the fifth with combinations that sealed the result.
Yorgey took a fair amount of what was probably unexpected damage, but showed he’s a different class of fighter, winning a unanimous decision in a bout that nicely added a fighter with national tv exposure to the card.
Yorgey announced as the winner.
JUDGES: 59-55, 59-55, 58-56 YORGEY
Mobley lands against Benson
4 Rounds - Heavyweight
Upper Marlboro, MD’s Duane Mobley wins in his pro-debut after a tentative performance from Dennis Benson (1-0). Though it involved about two rounds worth of holding, Mobley outpointed Benson, who was left reaching on many of his punches.
JUDGES: 40-36, 40-36, 40-36 MOBLEY
Womack in the first round
4 Rounds - Light Welterweight
A great opening bout full of action as Baltimore’s Womack (3-0) and Andrews (2-1-3) - of Stuarts’ Draft, VA - left much of their defense behind for four rounds. A sharper puncher, the quick-handed Womack handed Andrews his first loss, though both worked hard throughout the fight and look to have room to grow as prospects.