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JoJo Aiken (After Victory)
All Photos © Benny Henderson Jr
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Last Saturday night a lot of the boxing world forked out their hard earned cash for the McBride-Tyson debacle on pay-per-view, while others tuned in to HBO to watch junior welterweight sensation Miguel Cotto stop rugged Uzbeki Mohamad Abdullaev, but I was ringside at a small local show that was one of the most entertaining bouts I have ever attended. I made the hour and a half drive to Bossier City, Louisiana to cover the six fight card for Prize Fight Boxing and what I got out of this was a whole lot more than just a boxing match. I was completely stunned with the excitement the small show had to offer.
For starters the NABO junior lightweight champion Antonio Davis, 18-1 (9), gave his veteran opponent Michael Moss, 10-28-2 (7), a serious boxing lesson, and that only took three rounds. From the beginning of round one it was apparent Moss was outclassed and overmatched when Davis utilized the jab to keep Moss at bay and then administered his power, dropping his opponent with a massive body shot.
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Antonio Davis in action
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Round two Davis came out tacking on the hurt that prompted Moss to continuously hold and eventually cost him a point, by round three the ref had witnessed enough of the punishment and stopped the bout after Davis landed pretty much everything he threw out there; it was entertaining. Davis stepped in the pro ranks three years back and after losing to Edner Cherry his third fight in Antonio revamped his career and since then has gone on a fourteen fight win streak stopping seven via knockout. The thirty-two year old contender who is trained by Ronnie Shields and is ranked #9 in the WBO looks to continue his domination in the near future.
Also on the card was my good friend and Fighter of Faith, Doug ‘Preacher Man’ Robertson, 1-1-1, a heavyweight prospect out of Texas that really knows how to put on a show! Sporting his one of a kind sleeveless preachers robe, we made our way to the ring and let me tell you something, even though I wasn’t the one stepping in the ring that night the walk to the ring is one of the most nerve wrecking experiences I have ever faced when it comes to a sport. I can’t express in words how hyped up you are with the music blaring and the screaming fans in your face making the walk, all I can say is that I am glad I am a writer and not a fighter.
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Preacher Man battles Andrew Greeley
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Across the ring in the blue corner was his opponent Andrew Greeley, 9-8-1 (6), and although his record isn’t tiptop he has faced the likes of Rydell Booker and Malcolm Tann. Round one the two sized one another up with Robertson establishing his jab and used his 6’3” frame and reach advantage to keep Greeley on the outside. Round two Greeley was administering his power working over Robertson on the inside landing solid uppercuts while the ‘Preacher Man’ was on the ropes and in the third round Robertson, once again on the ropes, found himself in trouble when Greeley landed a massive right hand that rocked the preaching pugilist, but portraying his warrior side Doug stayed on his feet and battled out the round. Round four Robertson went into a frenzy, landing solid body shots that sent Andrew to the ropes in defensive mode and by the end the crowd was on their feet while the two finished up the fight trading until the bell rang to end the fight. In the end the judges scored the close bout with the scores of 40-36 Greeley, 39-37 Robertson and 38-38 that made the battle a draw. After the fight Robertson told the Doghouse, “This fight was a great experience for me, he has a good amateur background and has fought some good fighters as a pro, so with me being able to battle it out to a draw against him with no amateur experience and just in my third professional bout I think this was really a great learning experience for me, I’m ready for more.” This heavyweight match-up was a great one for the ringside crowd.
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JoJo Aiken out of the ropes
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Even though the main event wasn’t for a major title and half the readers reading this may not even know these fighters, it was one of the most intense fights a small show could offer. The thousand on hand packed into the Isle of Capri ballroom to support their local Shreveport pugilist James Johnson, 18-14-2 (11), while he faced off against the Alabamian JoJo Aiken, 9-4-1 (7), for the Louisiana Light Heavyweight Title. The ecstatic crowd erupted at the beginning of round one as the two boxers went toe-to-toe with no regard for one another’s power. Johnson established his dominance early backing Aiken up with wild shots that seemed to take their toll on JoJo from the start. Round one and two was pretty much the same, the two trading with one another with Johnson landing the most punishing shots that were continuously scoring but the third round was the kicker. Johnson landed a powerful shot that rocked Aiken and sent him literally out of the ring; the ref began counting while Aiken crawled back through the ropes and reached his wobbly feet.
As soon as the fight continued Johnson went into attack mode and began to punish Aiken once more and again knocked Aiken through the ropes, this time on my table, and the crowd went nuts! JoJo once again made it back in the ring and to his feet and the bell sounded to end round three. Round four everyone was expecting more of the same and I was actually expecting the ref to stop the bout but Aiken refused to give up.
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Aiken drops Johnson
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To the astonishment of Johnson and the crowd at hand, Aiken floored Johnson with a lightening fast right hand. The place shook as the two went back at it and once again Johnson hit the canvas and in the process sprained his ankle and could not continue the fight, giving the hard fought W and the Louisiana title to Joseph Aiken. The crowd went crazy when their hometown hero fell to defeat, but it was entertaining!
During the celebration Aiken took the time and gave his thoughts to the Doghouse on the fight. Aiken explained the he didn’t even remember being knocked through the ropes but he did remember Johnson’s showboating and in his words, “I know he started showboating and it pissed me off, he tried to make me look bad and I’m coming in here to try to have a legitimate professional fight and I can’t stand that showboating.” And despite record of 9-4-1 (7), Aiken declared that nobody could beat him and he looked forward to going back and fighting against Will McIntyre, whom he already has one win over.
After the bout Johnson explained to the Doghouse that Aiken continually stepped on his feet and during the last exchange Johnson tried to spin out of the clutch and with Aiken on his foot it twisted and the pain was excruciating. Two days after the bout Johnson informed the Doghouse once again that his ankle was bruised but he was expecting the sprain to be a speedy recovery so he could return quickly and hopefully get a rematch with Aiken. Trust me, the Louisiana crowd would love to see that fight once more.
Also on the card
Dion Nash 3-0 defeated Mikel Williams 2-9-4 (1) by four round UD
Leon Bobo 8-0 (1) defeated Chris Tamayo 1-1 (1) by sixth round UD
Pete Johnson 5-3 (2) defeated Donald Jenkins 4-22-3 (1) by sixth round UD
As I stated before, this fight was a local show and small compared to what else was being offered the same night, but one thing is for sure: Prize Fight Boxing can put on a show and this card was well worth the article. So in saying this support your smaller shows, because you never know when the next big thing will debut on a smaller card. This weekend Prize Fight will be bringing the fight fans Tarver-Johnson II. For more information on Prize Fight Boxing, please visit: www.prizefightpromoters.com.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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From Ringside with Photo Layout by "Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr. (June 15, 2005)
