Results from Huntington, New York (Star Boxing)
In a night that highlighted loss of ‘club shows’ in NY, Joe DeGuardia became the first promoter to run a such a professional boxing show in NY since August of last year. DeGuardia did so in spite of the tremendous increase in costs due to the law passed at the end of the summer which crippled NY boxing for the past 7 months. DeGuardia was out to make a point how vital these types of shows are in providing starving New York fighters and local fans with activity. It was like DeGuardia put back on the gloves he used when he became a NY Golden Gloves champion in 1988 as DeGuardia took on the new outrageous Insurance rules and costs that were implemented by the State of New York. DeGuardia scored a knockout by delivering a show to remember.
After 3 rounds the fight was still up for grabs but that all changed at the 2:00mark of round 4 when Karperis landed a clean right left combination which clearly had Burrell wobbled. Burrell stood his ground and fought back bravely but Karperis seized the moment and went for the knockout pinning Burrell against the ropes. At this point the crowd was in a frenzy as the 2 warriors exchanged fiercely. Then Karperis landed a monstrous right hand followed by a blistering barrage of punches on Burrell which caused referee Pat Sullivan to step in at 2:58 of the 4th round. It was a thrilling finish. Burrell and his corner, to their credit wanted to continue the fight, exhibiting the warrior desire that all fighters had in this thrilling show. Karperis improves to 14-2-1 5KO’s while Burrell drops to 12-3 8KO’s.
The sold out crowd also saw a star-studded audience including conqueror of the legend Bernard Hopkins, Joe Smith Jr. who was there to support his Star Boxing team and home base. Joe Smith Jr., who is becoming a celebrity in NY, even though embracing the ‘Common Man’ moniker, received a special watch from Star Boxing and Icelink for his tremendous 2016 where he was considered by many to be Fighter of Year. The Hebrew Hammer, Cletus Seldin, another Star Boxing banger and Paramount favorite was also in attendance.
Doing the commentary was former Golden Gloves champion and star of ‘the biggest loser’ tv show Cara Castronuova and Showtime commentator and former world champion Paulie Malignaggi and Hall of Fame HBO commentator, the lovable Harold Lederman.
The semi final 8 round Jr. Welterweight matchup saw Woodhaven’s Danny Gonzalez keep his undefeated record intact by defeating a tough Jerome Rodriguez who hails from Allentown, PA. Gonzalez fought his usual non stop action fight and dominated the tough Allentown fighter. Gonzalez swept the scorecards of all 3 judges by margins of 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 and improved to 13-0-1 5KO’S while Rodriguez drops to 7-6-3 2KO’s.
Promoter Joe DeGuardia had this to say about the evening’s events: “This was our 26th show at The Paramount and despite the virtually impossible restrictions placed on all of us because of these new laws in NY, we pulled it off. This was a thrilling night of action, with an electric atmosphere and sensational matches. Every single fighter on the show came in tremendous shape and every one of them fought their hearts outs. I applaud every fighter that was on the show and they are all welcome back. I also thank our fans at The Paramount, who are the greatest fans anywhere and turned out in record numbers for this show. I love their enthusiasm. I made my point how important these types of shows are to our great sport and NYS. I am hopeful that Albany has taken notice and does something about this crippling and illogical law so that other promoters throughout New York will be able to also resume doing these types of shows. I am also glad we had the support of many of our fighters, including Paramount stars such as Joe Smith Jr and Cletus Seldin and other boxing luminaries including Paulie and Harold, both of whom contributed their sensational broadcasting skills to our taped show”.
