Heavyweights Tussle in the Connecticut
Woods
By Alex Pierpaoli - All Photos:
Alex Pierpaoli
03.11.01
- On an unseasonably balmy November night at Foxwoods
casino, Heavyweights Lou Savarese and David Bostice
rumbled in a 12 rounder to settle the lightly regarded
Continental America’s Championship. Bostice,
fresh from the high altitude Big Bear, CA, training
camp of Heavyweight King Hasim Rahman, fought much
of the Main Event in sparring-partner mode, absorbing
blows from the more aggressive Savarese and rallying
with combinations on only a few occasions. Savarese,
still a powerful puncher at the advancing age of 36,
did damage with jabs and hard right hands, and scored
the only knockdown of the fight when he dropped Bostice
with an overhand right-left hook combination in round
6. Bostice, a gritty heavyweight who lost a close
decision to Frans Botha in June, landed some of his
best punches when he blasted back at Savarese after
the knockdown.
Both at six feet five inches tall,
and about two hundred fifty pounds apiece, Savarese
and Bostice amounted to a couple of large men engaged
in a give-and-take fistfight. Bostice’s best
moments in the fight were when he threw solid combinations
to the body and head of the aggressive Savarese. On
occasion, Bostice was able to snap back the head of
Big Lou with hard uppercuts but he was never able
to stun Savarese or win more than two or three rounds.
For Savarese the thumping left jab and overhand right
kept Bostice backing and on the defensive for most
of the exchanges. By the later rounds both men were
visibly tired but were still able to land hard punches
and thrill the crowd with spurts of heavyweight power
punching. After twelve, the fight was scored 118-109
for Savarese by all three ringside officials, including
All-time great referee Arthur Mercante working as
a judge, as his son, Arthur Mercante Jr., refereed
the contest.
In the co-featured bout, undefeated
Buffalo, NY, heavyweight Joe Mesi continued his unbeaten
streak when he rolled over Derrick Banks with a first
round TKO. Banks may have taken one shot too many
as he had clearly sunk against the rope just before
the last volley of Mesi hooks put him on the canvas.
At the moment Banks sunk to the ropes, Referee Eddie
Cotton could, and perhaps should, have ruled a knockdown
for Mesi and given Banks the benefit of an eight count.
But Cotton decided not to intercede until Banks was
floored. Though only one minute twenty-five seconds
had transpired, it was clear Mesi had brought his
dynamite, Banks was intimidated, and another kayo
win was in the works. Although a hard puncher, Mesi
truly needs to step up in class before he can be considered
as good as his blemish-free record of 21-0 with 19
kayos suggests.
In other action, Providence Rhode
Island super-middleweight Peter Manfredo Jr. had a
difficult time with southpaw, Ian Gardener. Manfredo,
clearly the stronger fighter, was bedeviled, and at
times bedazzled by the southpaw angles. But the harder
punching and the hometown spirit secured Manfredo
a 4 round split decision victory. This ringside observer
scored the match a draw, but reluctantly because nothing
more than pawing arm punches scored for Gardener throughout.
The southpaw stance of Gardener was clearly the thorn
in the side for the pursuing and frustrated Manfredo.
In the third Manfredo rocked Gardener with a double
left hook, first to the body and then to the head,
only to have Gardener clutch and grab his way to safety.
Both men struggled and shoved each other in the clinches
and drew a stern warning from the referee. Despite
a large fan base, Manfredo’s victory drew boos
from the assembled although it seemed mainly directed
at the cautious and quick, Ian Gardener.
Unbeaten 2000 Olympian Jermain Taylor
also appeared in an off-tv bout and scored a second
round TKO over David Hamilton. Referee Arthur Mercante
Jr. called a stop to the bout after a hard left hook
to the head wobbled Hamilton. Nice, snappy power in
the left hook was on display from the Sydney graduate
but it would have been nice to see the three to six
jabs in a row Taylor displayed frequently in his last
ring appearance this past August in his hometown of
Little Rock.
Also, local featherweight Angel Torres
suffered his first loss by four round decision to
Robert Maldonado. Torres started well in the first
but Maldonado took control and seized the next three
rounds winning on all three judges’ scorecards.
Maldonado crowded the boxer, Torres, and kept him
from moving while landing the harder punches throughout.
And finally, tough lightweight Angel
Manfreddy, wearing the hat of trainer for the night,
led his undefeated welterweight, David Estrada to
a 5th round TKO victory over Charles Clark
in the best and bloodiest bout of the night. Estrada,
unbeaten in nine bouts, went after an experienced
(13-9-1) Clark from the opening bell with two-fisted
ambidextrous aggression. Changing styles from orthodox
to southpaw with ease and equal success, Estrada hammered
away at Clark and dropped him with a sizzling left
hook that either cut a lip or knocked loss a tooth
of Charles Clark. The blood flowed from that point
on, turning Clark’s orange and white trunks to
orange and pink. Estrada put on a power-punching clinic
from the start with fast, hard combinations to the
body and head. Clark was durable and able to connect
with hard left hooks even under the pressure of Estrada’s
attack. This fight was stopped well by Referee Eddie
Cotton, when Clark did not go down but was clearly
stunned by a left-right by Estrada in the fifth.
Loe Savarese and David Bostice listen
to instructions from Ref Arthur Mercante Jr.
Loe Savarese and David Bostice in a
moment of pre-fight calm as they await the introductions
Savarese, in yellow and Bostice, in
green size each other up
Bostice and Savarese exchange power
punches in round 6 after Bostice rises from the knockdown
Though weary, Savarese and Bostice
fight on into the championship rounds
Heavyweight Joe Mesi poses for ringside
photographers after his first round TKO win over Derrick
Banks
Angel Manfredy, right, and his charge,
undefeated welter David Estrada
Estrada and Clarke rumble in close
druing the night´s bloodiest contest
Angel Torres covers up against Robert
Maldonado
Maldonado connects with a chopping
right to the head of local featherweight, Angel Torres
Jermaine Taylor, in red, picks his
shots against David Hamilton
Rhode Island´s Pete Manfreddo
Jr., right, struggles with southpaw Ian Gardener,
left.
Photos Copyright
(c) Alex Pierpaoli
also see: Saverese
and Mesi Interviews
