Monroe and Petrov Hit It Big At Boxcino
Photos by Ed Diller for ESPN.com
by Sarah Deming
VERONA–Road trip! We filled a flask with mezcal, hopped in the car office, and headed to the Turning Stone Resort to check out ESPN Friday Night Fights “Boxcino” finale, the culmination of two eight-man, single-elimination tournaments courtesy of Banner Promotions.
The middleweight finalists were a lovely sight in the bright, misty ring. It was a classic pairing of southpaw boxer versus orthodox brawler. Brandon “Cannon” Adams (14-2, 9 KOs) (above left) of Watts, California had the puncher’s austerity and square physique. Willie Monroe, Jr. (18-1, 6 KOs) of Rochester flashed a boxer’s swag: tasseled red boots and faux fur trunks with a Cuban flag. His back was tatted with angel wings, and his dark calves shone with sweat.
I was already pulling for Monroe since my friend Robert Giles trained him in the amateurs, and any remaining objectivity disappeared when I learned his nickname was Mongoose, my spirit animal: a loyal, family-oriented mammal that hates snakes.[[MORE]]
The first three rounds were close. After that, Mongoose took control with his footwork and timing. He doesn’t have an extraordinary jab, but he led well with the lead left and did slick work with the check right hook off the pivot.
You can’t pick this up at the corner store. Monroe is no Mayweather, but he is heir to a unique Cuba-by-way-of-Rochester legacy: his father was a good middleweight contender, and his great uncle was Willie “the Worm” Monroe. He was showing Adams the kind of bone-deep boxing that only comes when you grow up in a gym.
The fifth had great action. Though Monroe was outlanding, Adams kept coming and dug hard to the body at round’s end. In the sixth, Adams seemed to momentarily wobble Monroe, but the replay showed the shot was blocked and it was merely a footwear issue. Monroe confessed in the post-fight presser that the tasseled red boots were new. Ah, vanity!
From the seventh round on, Mongoose dominated. The work he and trainer Tony Morgan had put into improving his infighting showed. He was doing so well with his back to the ropes, splitting Adams’ guard with the uppercuts, that he didn’t even need to keep moving. He cruised to a unanimous decision of 99-91 on all three cards, a score that does not reflect how competitive and entertaining this bout was.
“I have fun fighting,” Adams said afterward. “The whole time I didn’t stop smiling.”
Lightweight Petr Petrov (35-4-2, 17 KOs) (above left) emigrated to Spain at age sixteen. His fluent Spanish creates a pleasing cognitive dissonance with his Russian name and face. He was up against the younger and taller Fernando Carcamo (17-7, 13 KOs) of Mexico. Both had done a brisk business in ad sales and resembled battling billboards.
After a slow first, this one was was all Petrov, an intelligent puncher who compensates for average speed with good timing and excellent punch variety. Carcamo switched stances ineffectively. When he was orthodox, he was getting hit with Petrov’s excellent left hook. When he was southpaw, he was eating rights. The punches came at all angles: sometimes straight, sometimes looping, sometimes uppercuts or semi-uppercuts. Despite an attentive corner, Carcamo had no idea what to do.
After the fourth I placed a bet with my neighbor on press row – twenty bones – as to which of Petrov’s hands would close the show. I took the right. This gave a bit more zest to the lopsided remainder. I think I won, because the two thumping overhand rights in the sixth were what set up the stoppage at 0:40 of the seventh, but when we questioned Petrov later in the tavern, he said he couldn’t remember.
At this point I couldn’t remember much either. The tavern served martinis the size of a human head.
The brainchild of Banner Promotions’ President Artie Pelullo, “Boxcino” is a portmanteau formed by joining the words “Boxing” and “Casino.” In its 1997 incarnation, it launched the career of Acelino “Popo” Freitas. Perhaps there’s another Popo here. We were skeptical going in, but the evening had undeniable charisma, largely due to the excellent company.
In gratitude to our hosts at ESPN, Stiff Jab hereby offers these creative concepts for future Friday Night Fights promotions: Boxmitzvah (a tournament for Jewish teenagers), Boxzilla (Japanese movie monsters box to the death, possibly in outer space), The Boxchelor (winner gets to marry Ronda Rousey), and Boxgina (because there hasn’t been a televised women’s match on Friday Night Fights since 2007). Just go ahead and use these ideas, ESPN, no need to pay us or anything! You’re welcome.