At Ringside
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/2699/1/At-Ringside/Page1.html
Frank Garza
By Frank Garza
Published on 05/15/2008
Clip Productions, Greg Ahrens Promotions and Heavy Hitter Promotions have been a good thing for Detroit boxing. The three have joined forces in the kitchen concocting a surefire recipe to sate the Detroit boxing fan’s appetite. Using local talent fresh from the amateur garden, they’ve been tossing them in a sauté pan with fine-seasoned veterans, then serving them up as an array of appetizers for a hungry crowd. Not the fast food genre either.
DARRYL "PEOPLE'S CHOICE" CUNNINGHAM raises his hands following his second-round TKO victory over Matthew Short. -Dray Abramski photo
Clip Productions, Greg Ahrens Promotions and Heavy Hitter Promotions have been a good thing for Detroit boxing. The three have joined forces in the kitchen concocting a surefire recipe to sate the Detroit boxing fan’s appetite. Using local talent fresh from the amateur garden, they’ve been tossing them in a sauté pan with fine-seasoned veterans, then serving them up as an array of appetizers for a hungry crowd. Not the fast food genre either.
The majority of the crowd has been relatively younger from past boxing crowds, and whether it’s my imagination or not, it seems as though every ethnic group in Detroit is represented at ringside. Although the most recent show was a little more on the casual side as dress attire goes, the prior shows done this year by the above mentioned promoters brought out some of Detroit’s finest fashions. This, for now, may be a problem for the promoters as they search for a venue that provides the atmosphere and room for an upscale clientele (without sacrificing seats for the peanut gallery).
What remains to be seen, however, is how these fighters will fare when they become the main course and how many people come out to dine when they are served up.
They all did well on April 24 as the aforementioned promoters presented “Rumble by the River” at Detroit’s famed Roostertail. Headlining the five professional and two amateur bout card was Detroit light-heavyweight Darryl “The People’s Choice” Cunningham (8-2, 4 KOs), who was looking to get back on track after dropping an eight-round decision last December to Kevin Engel on a St. Charles, Mo., fight card. Cunningham took on veteran Matthew Short (4-11, 3 KOs) of Indiana. Despite Short’s losing record, it took some work on the part of Cunningham to find his niche before stopping his opponent at 2:42 of the second round. Now that Cunningham has had his “after a loss” fight, it would be to his advantage to crank the competition up a notch – especially in a division that is wide open for new talent. The division is so open that former two-time heavyweight champ and Flint native Chris Byrd has dropped down to 175 pounds to pursue the light-heavyweight crown. Byrd will face Shaun George in a non-title 10-rounder on May 16 in Las Vegas.
The undercard on the April 24 show, like the main event, was an array of quick stir-fry’s as Sterling Heights welterweight Luigi Gjokaj (2-1, 2 KOs) needed only 48 seconds to finish Jeremy Peterson (pro debut) of Indiana for a KO-1 win. Monroe Jr. middleweight Wade Tolle Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) rang the dinner bell on Muskegon’s Cameron Allen (1-1, 1 KO), winning via TKO at 1:52 of the second round. Fan-favorite Alexis Hloros (3-2-2, 3 KOs) of Dearborn surprisingly stopped rugged trail horse Guy Packer of Battle Creek, tenderizing him for a TKO win 36 seconds into the second round in a battle of Jr. middleweights. Heavyweight Brandon Arsenault (3-0, 3 KOs) of Grand Rapids made his Detroit debut with a KO at 1:08 of the first round over Andy Cornado of Muskegon. Cornado, known to take a punch, got caught with a half uppercut-half hook that dropped him for the full 10 count.
At ringside for the festivities were two of Detroit’s newest-rated fighters, Jr. middleweights Cornelius “K9” Bundrage and Ronnie Hearns. Bundrage is rated No. 11 in the IBF following his win over former world champion Kasim Ouma, and Hearns is rated No. 12 by the WBC and WBA. When asked about breaking into the rankings, Bundrage, the former star of the “Contender” television series, said, “I think I’m due for a title shot. I’m hoping that my next fight will be for the title.” Bundrage added that he would like to face IBF champ Verno Philllips before the end of the summer (although no talks or negotiations are ongoing).
Although Bundrage and Hearns are in the same division and at the same level in their careers, don’t look for either one to step in the ring against the other. There is no animosity or jealousy between the two, and both expressed the highest regard and respect for one another. Both also agreed that should their big money fight come, it likely will not happen in Detroit. When asked why, Hearns responded, “If you don’t have the championship like the Pistons, Tigers and Red Wings, the people don’t come out.”
Hearns added, “When the Kronk closed down, that had a very negative impact and it hurt (boxing in Detroit) bad.”
According to Bundrage, “We don’t have big fights in Detroit anymore like we used to and it’s probably because of the economy. There’s a lot a reasons why and I would love to fight a big fight here, but I had to leave Detroit to get my big break. ‘The Contender’ was in California; it wasn’t here, and I had to go out of town. I believe my big fight will be out of town, too.”
There’s only one answer to their dilemma and I believe it is the casinos. Hopefully, once the permanent sites are up and running, local boxers like K9 Bundrage, Ronnie Hearns and Jonathon Banks can enjoy some “home cooking” Detroit-style.
In memory: A sad farewell and final 10 count to friend and former Detroit Free Press sports writer George Puscas. I remember Puscas fondly for his Love Letters column and as a regular ringside staple during the monthly fight cards at Cobo Arena. May St. Peter welcome you with a “yard of kielbasa” upon your arrival.
Clip Productions, Greg Ahrens Promotions and Heavy Hitter Promotions have been a good thing for Detroit boxing. The three have joined forces in the kitchen concocting a surefire recipe to sate the Detroit boxing fan’s appetite. Using local talent fresh from the amateur garden, they’ve been tossing them in a sauté pan with fine-seasoned veterans, then serving them up as an array of appetizers for a hungry crowd. Not the fast food genre either. Detroit boxing: What’s cooking?
DARRYL "PEOPLE'S CHOICE" CUNNINGHAM raises his hands following his second-round TKO victory over Matthew Short. -Dray Abramski photo
Clip Productions, Greg Ahrens Promotions and Heavy Hitter Promotions have been a good thing for Detroit boxing. The three have joined forces in the kitchen concocting a surefire recipe to sate the Detroit boxing fan’s appetite. Using local talent fresh from the amateur garden, they’ve been tossing them in a sauté pan with fine-seasoned veterans, then serving them up as an array of appetizers for a hungry crowd. Not the fast food genre either.
The majority of the crowd has been relatively younger from past boxing crowds, and whether it’s my imagination or not, it seems as though every ethnic group in Detroit is represented at ringside. Although the most recent show was a little more on the casual side as dress attire goes, the prior shows done this year by the above mentioned promoters brought out some of Detroit’s finest fashions. This, for now, may be a problem for the promoters as they search for a venue that provides the atmosphere and room for an upscale clientele (without sacrificing seats for the peanut gallery).
What remains to be seen, however, is how these fighters will fare when they become the main course and how many people come out to dine when they are served up.
They all did well on April 24 as the aforementioned promoters presented “Rumble by the River” at Detroit’s famed Roostertail. Headlining the five professional and two amateur bout card was Detroit light-heavyweight Darryl “The People’s Choice” Cunningham (8-2, 4 KOs), who was looking to get back on track after dropping an eight-round decision last December to Kevin Engel on a St. Charles, Mo., fight card. Cunningham took on veteran Matthew Short (4-11, 3 KOs) of Indiana. Despite Short’s losing record, it took some work on the part of Cunningham to find his niche before stopping his opponent at 2:42 of the second round. Now that Cunningham has had his “after a loss” fight, it would be to his advantage to crank the competition up a notch – especially in a division that is wide open for new talent. The division is so open that former two-time heavyweight champ and Flint native Chris Byrd has dropped down to 175 pounds to pursue the light-heavyweight crown. Byrd will face Shaun George in a non-title 10-rounder on May 16 in Las Vegas.
The undercard on the April 24 show, like the main event, was an array of quick stir-fry’s as Sterling Heights welterweight Luigi Gjokaj (2-1, 2 KOs) needed only 48 seconds to finish Jeremy Peterson (pro debut) of Indiana for a KO-1 win. Monroe Jr. middleweight Wade Tolle Jr. (3-0, 2 KOs) rang the dinner bell on Muskegon’s Cameron Allen (1-1, 1 KO), winning via TKO at 1:52 of the second round. Fan-favorite Alexis Hloros (3-2-2, 3 KOs) of Dearborn surprisingly stopped rugged trail horse Guy Packer of Battle Creek, tenderizing him for a TKO win 36 seconds into the second round in a battle of Jr. middleweights. Heavyweight Brandon Arsenault (3-0, 3 KOs) of Grand Rapids made his Detroit debut with a KO at 1:08 of the first round over Andy Cornado of Muskegon. Cornado, known to take a punch, got caught with a half uppercut-half hook that dropped him for the full 10 count.
At ringside for the festivities were two of Detroit’s newest-rated fighters, Jr. middleweights Cornelius “K9” Bundrage and Ronnie Hearns. Bundrage is rated No. 11 in the IBF following his win over former world champion Kasim Ouma, and Hearns is rated No. 12 by the WBC and WBA. When asked about breaking into the rankings, Bundrage, the former star of the “Contender” television series, said, “I think I’m due for a title shot. I’m hoping that my next fight will be for the title.” Bundrage added that he would like to face IBF champ Verno Philllips before the end of the summer (although no talks or negotiations are ongoing).
Although Bundrage and Hearns are in the same division and at the same level in their careers, don’t look for either one to step in the ring against the other. There is no animosity or jealousy between the two, and both expressed the highest regard and respect for one another. Both also agreed that should their big money fight come, it likely will not happen in Detroit. When asked why, Hearns responded, “If you don’t have the championship like the Pistons, Tigers and Red Wings, the people don’t come out.”
Hearns added, “When the Kronk closed down, that had a very negative impact and it hurt (boxing in Detroit) bad.”
According to Bundrage, “We don’t have big fights in Detroit anymore like we used to and it’s probably because of the economy. There’s a lot a reasons why and I would love to fight a big fight here, but I had to leave Detroit to get my big break. ‘The Contender’ was in California; it wasn’t here, and I had to go out of town. I believe my big fight will be out of town, too.”
There’s only one answer to their dilemma and I believe it is the casinos. Hopefully, once the permanent sites are up and running, local boxers like K9 Bundrage, Ronnie Hearns and Jonathon Banks can enjoy some “home cooking” Detroit-style.
In memory: A sad farewell and final 10 count to friend and former Detroit Free Press sports writer George Puscas. I remember Puscas fondly for his Love Letters column and as a regular ringside staple during the monthly fight cards at Cobo Arena. May St. Peter welcome you with a “yard of kielbasa” upon your arrival.