A Night of Boxing at the Bonaventure!
It was a night of fisticuffs Saturday evening at the legendary Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles as All Star Promotions and Big Troy Productions presented “Combat United 3.”
In my special report, check out some snapshots from the event which featured a whopping 15 fights. Yes, 15 fights including three title fights (a WBF boxing belt and two Muay Thai titles). Southland fight fans really got more bang for their buck as the estimated crowd of 1,200 were treated to nine pro boxing bouts and six amateur Muay Thai matches. Promoter Ed Holmes and matchmaker Pete Hironaka are known for their local cards (boxing, MMA, Muay Thai) at the Quiet Cannon and are now building a huge following at this Bonaventure site.
Besides the competition in the ring, there was plenty of added attractions to entertain the audience. There were vendor booths set up around the large California Ballroom, sexy ring card girls strolling the venue, and many familiar faces introduced by ring announcer Jim FitzGerald.
And during the boxing and kickboxing scuffles, there were many scintillating moments on the canvas. There were several knockdowns and knockouts that kept the fans applauding. Besides all the combat, there was also the unveiling of the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental Light Heavyweight championship strap and a surprise performance by renowned singer Brian McKnight.
The famous crooner pulled double duty on Saturday. First he sang the National Anthem before stepping in as cornerman to headliner Anatoliy Dudchenko. The Ukrainian power puncher faced off against Tyrell Hendrix in the main event. Up for grabs was that blue and gold WBF belt.
Scheduled for 12 rounds, the two warriors put on a great show. Full of heart, Hendrix (with Freddie Roach in his corner) kept coming forward, pounding away to the body of his taller rival. Dudchenko showcased his athleticism as he proved swift and slick in the ring. If you appreciate the style of Argentinean Sergio Martinez, you will love watching the blonde Russian version of “Maravilla.”
With a wily defense, Anatoliy (trained by Phil Paolina) was a sharpshooter in the ring, choosing to aim for the right eye of his former sparring partner Hendrix. Tyrell never backed down, giving his all–and giving as good as he got. The hardworking Hendrix (9-2-2, 3 KOs) employed his jab and body shots and never gave in even as his foe showed his slick, slippery skills. Both boxers had their moments, but Anatoliy (17-2, 12 KOs) connected with quick looping uppercuts as his speed proved to be the final key to his victory. After the seventh stanza, the doctor took a good long look at the cut and swollen eye of Hendrix.
Before heading into Round 8, the bout was stopped with ring emcee Jim FitzGerald announcing “the fighter was unable to continue.”
After seven rounds, the official scores all favored Dudchenko. However the tallies varied between a close match to a shutout with Sergio Caiz seeing it 67-66, Nelson Hamilton having it 70-63, and Ralph McKnight scoring it 68-65 for the Ukraine victor.
Immediately after the win, the two gladiators received a huge ovation from the ticket holders for really giving it their all. With the victory, Anatoliy Dudchenko becomes the new titleholder of this vacant WBF belt presented by WBF Supervisor Alan Santana.
Another notable boxing bout was a nonstop slugfest between heavyweights Jonathan Hamm and Anthony Hinson. This four-rounder threatened to steal the show and you can hear more about it in my profile piece about Jon “Beauty Salon” Hamm.
A couple of other standouts were two imports: British boxer Liam Vaughan (trained by Freddie Roach) and Moscow’s Alexander Filichkin, who were also featured in their respective bouts. Both Vaughan and Filichkin were victorious in their fights.
For boxing fans at the Bonaventure, they really got their money’s worth in the nine fights that took place. And for pure fight fans who normally don’t watch other combat sports, fans got a chance to check out Muay Thai kickboxing. If you’ve never seen it, you may find it interesting. If you’re a purist and solely a boxing fan, the music played during bouts, the ceremonies, prayers and punching and kicking may not be for you, but the fans in the ballroom were riveted by all the action.
I also had a chance to chat and visit with many from the local fight scene. In attendance were boxing trainers including Hall of Fame trainer and former fighter Freddie Roach, Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Tillman, heavyweight Joe Hanks, ex-boxer Frankie Duarte, fighters Lateef Kayode, Steve Forbes, Holly Lawson, Kronk Gym veteran Prentiss Byrd, All-American Heavyweights founder Michael King (King World Productions), Muay Thai Kickboxing’s George Valdez, actor David James Elliott (“JAG”), singer Brian McKnight (“Back at One”) and many more.
Here’s a look at an evening of “Combat United 3”!
Photos by Michele Chong
