Derek Ennis Defeats Jose Adelaydo Gonzalez in War at Blue Horizon! Ken Hissner at ringside (April 4, 2010) Doghouse Boxing
The Legendary Blue Horizon lived up to its reputation as the best club show facility in America Friday night! USBA light middleweight champion Derek “Pooh” Ennis, 21-2-1 (13), out of Philly’s Germantown section was forced into a war with Jose Adelaydo Gonzalez, 13-7-1 (11), Garden City, KS, taking a majority decision before an almost packed house of screaming fans from the opening bell!
Blue Horizon Boxing Promotions, Inc., with Vernoca L. Michael as promoter and legendary Don Elbaum as matchmaker, gave the Philly fans their monies worth bringing in Gonzalez as a late replacement for Ennis. Fireworks started at the weigh-in after the Gonzalez people asked for a couple extra pounds prior and when Ennis came in ½ pound over nothing was said until he drank his energy drink and was then asked to take off the ½ pound or put up $300.00. Co-manager and a man of principals, former boxer Eddie Woods almost made a comeback with the Gonzalez people.
Ennis fought like a man possessed unlike his usual boxer-puncher style that the Philly fans have love him for. There was no “feeling out” 1st round as Gonzalez went on the attack at the bell. A left-right combination had Gonzalez on his heals early. That was the pattern for the remainder of the fight as Ennis tried to take a “breather” and box, Gonzalez was on him. The trainer/father of Ennis, Derrick “Bozy” Ennis was visibly yelling to his son to box his opponent. “I couldn’t box him because he was throwing too many punches,” said Ennis.
After the fight Gonzalez reported he hurt his right hand in the 2nd round. This is the round he had Ennis out on his feet holding on at the midway point of the round. By the end of the round it was Ennis who was delivering the combinations rocking Gonzalez. In the 3rd round the fans were on their feet more than in their seats with Ennis edging out Gonzalez. The only thing better than the 3rd round, was the 4th round with both fighters exchanging punches. Ennis, certainly the more skilled of the two was working the body knowing how hard the head of Gonzalez was. Gonzalez kept coming forward with non-stop punches taking the round. In the 5th Gonzalez was outpunching Ennis with a half a minute to go when Ennis landed 7 unanswered punches with the last one driving Gonzalez into the ropes pulling out the round.
In the 6th round Ennis was loading up and Gonzalez kept up his attack in a battle of nutrition costing Ennis the round. In the 7th an accidental head butt caused a cut on the outside of the right eye of Ennis. He came back with lighting fast combinations but too few as Gonzalez seemed to be the first to win 2 rounds in a row in this see saw battle. In the 8th though Gonzalez was still landing punches Ennis rocked him on several occasions only to have him fighting back with Ennis taking the round. In the 9th like the 6th round Ennis slowed down and was outworked by Gonzalez. In the 10th and final round with blood coming down the side of the face of Ennis and splattered all over Gonzalez the latter landed 6 unanswered punches to start the round. Ennis came back with 3 punch combinations that had the fans going wild. A left hook by Ennis buckled the knees of Gonzalez just prior to the bell giving Ennis the round. The referee was Gary Rosado. Both fighters went to the hospital afterwards for Ennis to repair his cut and Gonzalez who complained of dizziness during the fight. No wonder taking all those punches.
Ring announcer Larry Tournabe read Lynne Carters 95-95 agreeing with this writer as there was some scattered booing. Judges Robert Grasso and Dewey LaRosa surprisingly had it 98-92 for the winner by majority decision, Derek “Pooh” Ennis. Matchmaker Elbaum in the dressing room told Gonzalez he had Ennis by 1 point. As Gonzalez was getting paid he told the glove man “I’m keeping these gloves and I’ll pay for them because this was my last fight.” Elbaum obviously thinking rematch questioned him along with this writer. “I have had 481 amateur fights and can only fight like the Mexican I am and not box,” said Gonzalez. Only Ronald Hearns was able to punch harder and win by a technical stoppage of Gonzalez.
Co-manager Moz Gonzalez had approached every USBA contender who either didn’t want to fight or asked for too much money to fight Ennis causing the non-title fight status. Ennis showed his versatility but doesn’t need these kinds of wars. In October Ennis won the vacant title over Eromosele Albert in a real barn burner. Ennis is ready to step in with the top contenders and his promoter Fingerman Promotions is ready to back him.
Several weeks before the event was scheduled Frankie Santos, 17-9-4 (8), of Salinas, PR, who was to be in the main event claimed he could not make 154 so he was put in with the brother of Ennis, Farah Ennis, 13-0 (7), who came in at 169. The younger Ennis is lean and mean having the defense minded Santos almost out of there in the 1st round. He drove his opponent across the ring into the ropes for an easy 10-8 round. As Santos tried to fight back in the 2nd round he was met with 2 overhand rights and 2 uppercuts with the last one dropping him to a knee where he took the full count of referee Blair Talmadge. This will teach Santos not to make weight.
The undercard started off slow for several rounds until Jose Ortiz, 3-2 (1)of Jersey City, motioned to Philly’s southpaw Luis Esquilin, 1-3-1 (0), to stop running and meet him in the middle of the ring. Esquliin obliged him and got the worst of it. The fans finally got into it as Ortiz brought a small group with him who stood the whole 4 rounds of this super featherweight match. Ortiz out worked his opponent and won by scores of 40-36 (2) and 39-37 with the latter agreeing with this writer.
Heavyweights Bryant “By-By” Jennings, 2-0 (1), of Philly and John Bolden, 1-1 (1`), of New York, took turns winning rounds going into the 3rd round. At that point Jennings seemed warmed up enough to start opening up on Bolden with both hands. An uppercut minutes as referee Talmadge could have counted to 100. Jennings is another product of professional ranks than any other over the years out of the ABC Gym. Jennings came in at a solid 221 to the 237 ½ of Bolden’s.
In a light welterweight match-up southpaw Jason Sia, 0-2 (0), of the Philippines, now out of Philly, dropped Clemente “Strictly Business” Bethea, 2-0 (0), of Camden, NJ, in the 1st round but failed to capitalize on it. Bethea lived up to his nickname and went to work in the 2nd round and by the end of the 3rd round had the nose and mouth of Sia bloodied. In the 4th round Sia dropped to a knee from exhaustion losing the fight 38-36 on all scorecards.
In only an Elbaum move North Carolina’s Duane King, 1-1 (0), and Kamel Al-Olabi, 0-3 (0), of Saudi Arabia, fighting out of Jersey City, were both looking for a first win. Former title challenger Mustafa Hamsho was in Al-Olabi’s corner. King seemed to take the 1st and 4th rounds with Al-Olabi using an effective jab taking the middle rounds of this middleweight 4 rounder. Carter seemed to have it right 38-38 while being overruled by LaRosa and Grossi at 39-37 for the winner by majority decision King to the booing of the fans.
It was another exciting night of boxing at the legendary Blue Horizon with GoFightLive and the Blue’s public relations director Marc Abrams receiving a birthday cake for his April 1st celebration. The promoter plans to return June 4th for their next show.
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