TOP RANK BOXING

BY JOHN MASTALIR jmastalir@yahoo.com

I HAVE COVERED BOXING IN LAS VEGAS SINCE 9 NOVEMBER 1984.....RIVERIA....LARRY HOLMES AND JAMES BONECRUSHER SMITH....28 YEARS NOW....I HAVE SEEN THEM ALL FIGHT AND STILL ENJOY GOOD BOXING....NOW ITS JUST NOT WHAT IT WAS AND NOT ALWAYS FIRST CLASS.

BACK TO THE TOP !

THIS THANKS TO TOP RANK AND WYNN LAS VEGAS FOR A NICE CARD SATURDAY...AND THIS WITH ALL THE FIRST CLASS TOUCHES.

WITH MY TRACK RECORD OF COVERING BOXING AT 52 VENUES IT WAS A GREAT PLEASURE TO WORK  WITH THESE WORLD CLASS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PROMOTION OF BOXING.....WYNN AND TOP RANK'S BOB ARUM HAVE ALWAYS FLEW AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS AND THIS NO DIFFERENT... A JOY FOR LAS VEGAS ENTERTAINMENT NEWS TO BE TREATED IN SUCH A FIRST CLASS MANNER.

WE COVER ALL AREAS OF ENTERTAINMENT AND I LEAN TO THE OLD DAYS OF CLASS BOXING  PROMOTIONS...

IMAGINE EVERYONE ON THE WYNN STAFF GREETING YOU AS YOU COVERED THE VENUE....THE TOP RANK STAFF AVAILABLE WITH A SMILE AND A HELPING HAND FOR YOUR EVERY NEED.   THIS SHOULD BE THE OUTLINE FOR ALL BUSINESS BUT IT'S NOT......ON THIS NIGHT THE PROTOTYPE EXAMPLE OF HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE....HOW TO MANAGE....HOW TO RUN AN ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE !

OH YA....THERE WAS BOXING.....AND IT STARTED ON TIME AND THE PROGRAM WAS TIGHT....AT MY OLD AGE I AM MOST IRRITABLE AND THE WAITS BETWEEN EVENTS CAN SEND ME TO THE FUNNY FARM OR ....HOME......NOT THIS NIGHT .....WE ALL KNOW TV PAYS THE BILLS AND SOME OF THIS IS UNAVOIDABLE....TONIGHT TOP RANK PUT IT ALL ON ONE PAGE WITH 7 BOUTS IN LESS THEN TWO HOURS FOLLOWED BY TWO MAIN EVENTS......FIVE FAN FRIENDLY TKO'S AND TWO FOUR ROUND DECISIONS.....LOCALS  DID WELL ......SUPER BANTAMWEIGHT JESSIE MAGDALENO 12-0 A FIRST ROUND KNOCKOUT.....BRETT RATHER 2-0..... HEAVYWEIGHT ....TOUGH 4 ROUND UNANIMOUS DECISION.
SO THIS WAS NOT THE GREATEST BOXING OF ALL TIME BUT THAT IS UNCONTROLABLE AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAM OVERCAME ANY LACK OF BRILLIANT BOXING.

THEN THERE WAS THE CO MAIN EVENT....SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT MIKEY GARCIA 30-0 NOW.... AN EIGHTH ROUND TKO AT 2.24 OVER JOSE SILVEIRA 12-9....GARCIA DOMINATED IN WINNING EVERY ROUND.

THE MAIN EVENT HERE THE BEST MATCH WITH THE  USUAL....DIFFERENT JUDGES SEEING DIFFERENT FIGHTS......IT WAS A TECHNICAL DRAW WITH THREE DIFFERENT CALLS....JUDGE DAVE MORETTI HAD IT 84 FOR ERISLANDY LARA 17-1-2 AND 84 FOR VANES MARTIROSYAN 32-0-1....A DRAW....JUDGE RICARDO OCASIO HAD IT 87-84 LARA AND JUDGE JERRY ROTH HAD IT 86-85 FOR MARTIROSYAN.....A TECHNICAL DRAW....LOOKED LIKE JUDGE OCASIO BEING THE ODD MAN OUT....ANYWAY THIS 12 ROUND QUASI TITLE MATCH STOPPED  26 SECONDS INTO THE NINTH ROUND AFTER AN ACCIDENTAL HEAD BUTT OPENED A DEEP GASH OVER MARTIROSYAN'S LEFT EYE....UNDER NEVADA RULES THEY WENT TO THE SCORECARDS AFTER EIGHT AND CAME UP WITH NOTHING......LETS FIGHT AGAIN...BOTH BOXERS WANT THE MATCH AND I WANT WYNN AND TOP RANK TO DO IT AGAIN.

THE PERFECT FINALE....LEAVING YOU WITH WANTING MORE.... ! ! !

LAS VEGAS ENTERTAINMENT NEWS HAD A GREAT TIME COVERING THIS CARD AND WE THANK WYNN AND TOP RANK FOR THE EVENING.....THE WYNN CASHIERS EVEN SAID THEY SOLD SOME OF THOSE $9.50 HOT DOGS......

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