World Series of Boxing Scores a KO!

Just one night after the Oscars were handed out, there was an extra dose of “Lights, Camera, Action!” taking place between the Los Angeles Matadors and the Memphis Force at a showdown held at the Avalon Hollywood, just down the street from the star-studded Academy Awards stage.

But let’s forget the movie stars for a minute and aim all the focus on the boxers. While the actors received gold statuettes of their own, these highly-ranked athletes are goin’ for the gold themselves. With each victory earned and each point awarded, the fighters inch closer and closer to that coveted goal in this unique competition: a spot on London 2012 Olympic roster. This World Series of Boxing (WSB) Americas’ event featured plenty of shining stars on the canvas with ten tough amateurs given their chance to take the spotlight on Monday night.

For those of you who thumb their noses at “amateur boxing,” these guys are no “Rock ’em, Sock ’em Robots.” I always enjoy covering both amateur and pro fights, and I can tell you that the talented teams in the WSB league are the real deal.

Fighting five rounds that will help better prepare them for the pressure of the Olympics, the decorated amateurs wear no headgear and no tank tops and are scored pro style–an interesting concept that seems to be gaining some new mainstream attention to the sweet science. And for the hometown heroes, the L.A. Matadors scored a major shutout–racking up five wins in all five bouts. You can catch the action on the Versus network, airing at a later date.

But there’s nothing like taking in the fights live. Before, during and after the bouts there was also a non-stop palpable excitement floating in the air. One of the hosts kept the audience engaged and energized with a loud home team Matadors chant rumbling through the room: “When I say MATA…You say DORS!”

I have previously covered the Matadors’ events at the Nokia Theatre but this was my first time at the Avalon. At their current venue, the WSB continues to do a bang-job in making the night an entertaining one for the fans. With the tunes blaring, souvenir T-shirts were tossed out to some lucky audience members while large screens above the floor projected fight highlights; the onslaught of action never ceased. And during breaks, the lovely female troupe of the Matador “Knockouts” kept the patrons dazzled with some fancy footwork of their own in the squared circle.

Before the bouts began, I was happy to run into two familiar faces in boxing. Reno brothers Terry and Tommy Lane came down to L.A. with their pro fighter “Lightning” Lonnie Smith to check out the WSB happenings. The sons of legendary referee Mills Lane are also fight promoters with their own stable including Kassim Ouma, Brandon “Flawless” Gonzales and Jesse Brinkley. Catching up with the siblings, the two said they were both looking forward to seeing a WSB card in person at the Avalon.

This famed club-styled theater was the same building where The Rolling Stones, the Beastie Boys and Prince, among countless other artists have all rocked the house. Last night, it was the boxers’ turn to rock the house in the historic theater.

As the color poster proclaimed that the evening would be for the “Battle for the Americas: The Brawl To Settle It All!” the local Matadors with marquee names of “Explosive Jo Jo,” “Fearless,” “Sweet Pea,” The Ukraine Pain Train” and “The Dream Catcher” were ready for business.

With pro fighters Andre Ward, Paulie Malignaggi, Shawn Estrada, Danny Jacobs, and Sal Jasso also looking on, all the amateur boxers were hoping to make this installment of “Hollywood Fight Night” something special. The age range of the Matador squad that battled last night is 18-23; these WSB boxers really are the young guns–and Olympic hopefuls–of the future with great opportunities ahead of them.

And with this being Tinseltown and all, there was a healthy dose of Hollywood glam at the fights too. Taking in the action at ringside was the two-time “Dancing With The Stars” Champion Cheryl Burke, actress/author/autism activist Jenny McCarthy (with a percentage of the night’s ticket sales going to her charity Generation Rescue), just two of the famous faces among many other actors and celebrity guests.

But the hot glare of the lights were kept on the boxers. It was their time to shine–and they were ready for their “close up.” The five Matadors (including a trio of hard-hitting southpaws) all won their bouts last night; it was a good time for the home team. With almost 600 bouts amongst the five young gladiators, their skill, will and wealth of experience bested their foes on this night. While the fans from the balconies cheered loudly, each Matador had their hand raised in victory. After exiting the dressing room, each fighter was given a rousing reception as the fans celebrated their wins. Local Long Beach fighter David Imoesiri is always a crowd fave and he was all smiles–and wearing his bright red Matador gear–after his big win.

So what’s next for the “Mighty Matadors”?

They are ready for their “Hollywood Fight Night” sequel on March 14 as they gear up to take on their neck-in-neck rivals and fellow top-seed team, the gritty Mexico City Guerreros.

See you in a couple of weeks as the Matadors and Guerreros get ready for more “Lights, Camera, Action!”–inside the ropes!

FIGHT RESULTS:

Bantamweights:
Joseph Diaz vs. Ronny Beblik: DIAZ wins by unanimous decision with scores of 50-45 and 49-46 twice.

Lightweights:
Eric Fowler vs. Elian Dimitrov: FOWLER scores a KO after two rounds.

Middleweights:
Chris Pearson vs. Chris Jones: PEARSON adds a KO to his record as bout ends after four rounds when Jones corner elects to keep him on his stool.

Light Heavyweights:
Vyacheslav Shabranskyy vs. Anthony Mack: SHABRANSKYY the winner after referee Tom Taylor stops the contest at 1:42 in the fourth.

Heavyweights:
David Imoesiri vs. Javonta Charles: IMOESIRI gets the victory with judges’ cards reading 50-45, 48-47 twice.

Photos by Michele Chong