Tony Jeter Edges Jimmy Lange In An Upset
Photos by Trey Pollard for StiffJab.com
by Gautham Nagesh
FAIRFAX, Va.–Jimmy Lange (below) has done more for boxing in the D.C. area than just about anyone since Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson hung up his gloves.
Lange may not have the accomplishments of Tony Thompson or the Peterson Brothers, but he has almost single-handedly kept professional boxing relevant in the DMV over the past few years. His Patriot Center cards are an anomaly, suburban boxing shows that regularly draw thousands to watch local fighters. Those shows have given many fans their first chance to attend a fight, dozens of local pros a place to ply their trade, and have even provided a few boxing writers with their first chance to sit on press row.
Most importantly, Jimmy Lange shows are a lot of fun. Lange’s brief stint on The Contender might have made him a name, but it’s his entertaining give-and-take style that keeps the fans coming back for more. Unfortunately, Lange’s taste for slugfests has taken a toll. The results have been on display at the Patriot Center, where shrinking crowds have watched Lange struggle recently with opponents he would have once dismissed.
That worrying trend saw its inflection point on Saturday night, as Stevensville, Md. middleweight Tony “Mo Better” Jeter managed to beat Lange by split decision despite having four points deducted for infractions. Worse than the result for Lange is how Jeter dominated the fight, aside from the fouls and a 2nd-round flash knockdown. Lange’s inability to pull the trigger was on full display, and his trademark late-round rally went missing at the most inopportune time.
Jeter, on the other hand, was aggressive to the point of vacuity from the start. He paid the price early for his unbridled attack, but his persistent effort helped him win over two out of three judges. Jeter came out aggressively, looking to take advantage of Lange, traditionally a slow starter. Jeter appeared determine to stay busier than his opponent, a great strategy when a fighter lacks the power to score the early stoppage. Lange came back in the second with a flush right hand over the top, which prompted a standing eight count from referee Steve Smoger and look of consternation from Jeter.
Jeter responded poorly, roughing Lange up inside and forcing Smoger to deduct two points for low blows. A stern warning followed, and it looked like Jeter would be in danger of being disqualified. To his credit, Smoger managed to regain control without ending the night early, the sign of a veteran referee. But Lange’s people are probably wishing they hadn’t sprung for the big ref, and instead opted for a local that might have ended the fight after Jeter lost another point for low blows in the 3rd.
Despite that foul, Jeter looked to have gotten the best of the 3rd, landing a big overhand right and several other power punches cleanly. Jeter tends to slap at times but his punches were landing, while Lange was responding only intermittently. The fight began to move inside, where Lange is usually comfortable. But on this night he was strangely reticent, leaving Jeter free to pelt him with hard uppercuts that appeared to do damage.
Before the fight I predicted that Lange’s superior chin would carry him to victory, and Jimmy looked taller in the ring as well. But Jeter weighed in four pounds heavier and seemed able to stand up to the punch of Lange, who fought the middleweight bout at 154 lbs. Lange turned up the pressure in round 4, one of the few he won on my card. The fight remained in a phone booth and Lange landed a number of hard shots. Jeter looked to be fading, unable to keep up his furious pace from the first 3 rounds.
Yet Lange relaxed in the 5th, spending much of it on the ropes, giving Jeter the opportunity to rally and re-take control. Jeter was firmly the boss by the 6th, chasing Lange around the ring while Jimmy looked to time the left hook inside Jeter’s punches. Jimmy landed a few of those shots, but they didn’t appear to hurt Jeter as expected.
Lange came out harder in the 7th, but a good right hand from Jeter appeared to back him off. The fight stayed inside into the 8th, and Jeter continued to out-work his opponent as the pro-Lange crowd grew increasingly anxious. Smoger took another point from Jeter, apparently for low blows, but Tony continued to stalk his opponent, undeterred. A cut on Lange’s hairline forced a temporary stoppage in the 9th; Jeter pounced all over Lange as soon as the fight was re-started.
Tony said afterward that he knew he was in fantastic shape and it showed, as he was able to maintain a terrific work rate for the full 10 rounds. Lange, in contrast, fought only in spurts, and spent most of the night blocking Jeter’s relentless assault. Lange mounted an attack in the 10th, but it was too little, too late. Jeter probably edged that round as well, punching consistently for a full three minutes. Staying busy and in your opponent’s face for the entire fight is no guarantee of victory, but it’s a pretty good start when you’re looking to pull off the upset on the road.
After the final bell, the talk on press row was almost unanimous: Jeter had clearly out-worked Lange, who looked strangely out of sorts. Nevertheless, four point deductions and one knockdown appeared to seal the decision in Lange’s favor. Especially in his backyard. But never underestimate boxing fans, who consistently have shown themselves to be more fair-minded than crowds in any other sport I have covered. Lange’s partisans shockingly booed the announcement of the first scorecard, which was 94-91 in his favor. The final two cards, which read 94-91 and 93-92 for Jeter brought well-deserved cheers. Their hero had lost, but Jeter had been the better man on this night.
Like almost all fighters, Jeter has an interesting story of his own. My press row colleague Michael Walters recently gave me the rough outline: once a promising amateur in his own right, Jeter was viewed as a potential cash cow like Lange until he suffered an early loss by knockout in a four-round bout. He apparently returned that night to an empty dressing room, and has been plugging away at the fight game for little reward ever since. The win won’t catapult Jeter far beyond his current level, but it’s a nice win for a fighter that deserves a long-awaited break.
Whether Lange is done as a fighter is not clear, but one last meaningful fight now appears a horizon too far to cross. Pennsylvania junior middleweight Harry Joe Yorgey, who scored a quick win the co-feature, has been chomping at the bit for a fight against Lange in recent years. Unfortunately, that matchup probably doesn’t look so appealing after their divergent showings on Saturday. Lange is scheduled to return to the Patriot Center in March; whether that will be as the headliner or the promoter remains to be seen.
If this the end for Jimmy Lange, he has nothing to be ashamed of. As Lange has said, in his prime he was a damn good fighter, one admired by his neighbors and supported by his hometown. Not every fighter can be a world champion, but even fewer can fight more than 40 times professionally and still leave the fight game with their finances and faculties intact. If Jimmy Lange is able to go home to his family and move on with his life in good health, then his career has undoubtedly been a success.