By: Sean Crose
Showtime’s ShoBox fight broadcast returned Wednesday night, airing a live card of of up and coming fighters from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. First off was a scheduled 8 round lightweight affair between the 8-0 Victor Padilla and the 10-0-1 Thomas Velasquez. Padilla suffered a flash knockdown in the first, though he quickly got back to his feet. Velasquez tried to maintain range throughout the second. The third was interesting in that both men had their moments, though Velasquez looked as if he may have edged it by virtue of landing more clean punches.
Still, it was a close affair. Padilla appeared to be the more effective fighter in the fourth. He continued progressing in the fifth, actually dropping his man close to the midway point of the round. Velasquez beat the count, but didn’t look great. Padulla banged away hard, and landed hard – hard enough for the referee to stop the fight.
Next up was another scheduled eight rounder in the lightweight division. The 11-0 Steven Ortiz was talking on the 14-0 Jeremy Hill. The first round showed that Hill wasn’t afraid to throw. The second round showed the same, though Ortiz attempted to move in with his jab. Ortiz continued to put that jab to good use in the third. Hill, however, landed effectively himself at the end of the round. By the fourth it was clear Ortiz was simply landing well and more often than Hill.
The fifth saw Hill pursue his man. Hill continued to fight aggressively in the sixth. Ortiz appeared to be a bit gassed in the seventh. That didn’t mean he was incapable of landing effectively, however. The eighth and final chapter saw Hill continuing to pursue Ortiz, who didn’t throw much while attempting to keep his man from mounting an effective offense. The judges ended up ruling in favor of Ortiz by scores of 79-73, 77-75, and 77-75.
The third fight of the evening featured a scheduled 8 round super featherweight affair between the 10-1 Jordan White and the 11-0 Misael Lopez. The first and second chapters probably couldn’t be considered boring. Both men continued to trade leather in the third. It was shaping up to be an interesting affair. White, however, looked to be the stronger fighter landing the harder blows. By the bell, Lopez looked as if he was in trouble.
Lopez fought hard in the fourth. The fifth saw Lopez continuing with his attack, much of it to the body. After being mocked by his opponent, White rattled, then dropped his man in the sixth. Lopez got up, but was dropped again seconds later. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
It was time for the main event, a scheduled 10 rounder in the super lightweight division. The 21 year old Brandun Lee stepped into the ring with a record of 21-0. His opponent, the 33 year old Samuel Teah, slipped between the ropes with a record of 17-3-1. The opening round was an interesting three minutes of boxing. Lee was throwing, but so was Teah. Likewise, the second round was a close, fast paced affair. A series of shots sent Teah down in the third. Teah got up, but Lee went straight in for the finish. A right hand – devastating is an understatement here – then put Teah out before he hit the mat. The bout was instantly stopped.