Top fighters, newcomers meet in lightweight semifinals
By BRIAN BURKE
Sports Writer
The lightweight classes in the Tueday semifinal round of Bengal Bouts feature both top returning contenders looking to take the final step towards a championship bout and several newcomers vying for a shot at a title.
120 Pound Division
The 120-pound division appears to be wide open with four freshmen remaining, three of whom are yet to make their debuts.
One of the boxers making his first appearance is top ranked James "Piranha" Fishburne who takes on Mike "Mr. Bubbles" Dixey.
Dixey advanced to the semifinals by winning a split decision over Reggie "The Ugly Stick" Robles. Dixey has a slight experience advantage over Fishburne coming into the fight, which may be a factor if he can get ahead early.
The other 120 pound bout pits Dan "San" Buonadonna against Shawn "Knockout The Old And Bring In The" Newberg.
Both fighters step under the ropes for the first time at the Bengal Bouts.
130 Pound Division
Last year's 125 pound champion Jason "The Sweet Sensation" McMahon moves up to 130 pounds and faces Matt "The Don" Fumagalli in the semifinals.
Although McMahon is the favorite following a bye in the quarterfinals, Fumagalli is coming off a strong performance in the quarterfinals.
In that contest, Fumagalli had no trouble landing combinations en route to a win by unanimous decision.
The other semifinal bout pairs second seed Camilo "Rollin" Rueda with Michael Kontz in Rueda's first test of the Bouts.
Kontz is coming off a close split decision victory in which he started slow but managed to land enough punches in the third round to pull out the win.
Kontz will likely need to establish himself earlier when he faces Rueda to make the finals.
140 Pound Division
The first card in the 140-pound weight class matches No. 1 seed Kurt Wilson against the surprise of the division, freshman Josh Coleman.
Wilson survived a bit of a scare in the quarterfinals, overcoming Dominic "Little Italy" Angiollo in a hard hitting split decision. Coleman, who upset Bill "The Polish Hammer" Uniowski, advanced with a split decision by staying low, letting his opponent come to him, and countering.
That same strategy could work again against Wilson's aggressive style. In the other bout at 140 Pounds, second ranked Anton "Ton of Bricks Poundin' Down On Yo Face" Kemps meets Michael "The Motor City Madman" Waldo.
Kemps reached the semifinals winning a unanimous decision in which he controlled much of the fight. Meanwhile, Mike Waldo enters the semifinals expecting the fight to be much like his bloody unanimous decision victory in the quarterfinal round.
"Anton is ranked pretty high," Waldo said. "I guess I'm going in there with the mindset of fighting him rather then boxing him because he's the better boxer."
Look for Kemps and Waldo to go toe to toe in this one.
150 Pound Division
The 150-pound division is shaping up as one as a doozie with three knockout artists and a disciplined tactician.
In the first fight, the odds on favorite J.R. "Maddog" Mellin looks to advance to the finals when he takes on Tom "T.K." Owens.
Mellin won a unanimous decision over Brock "Landers" Heckmann in which he controlled the fight from start to finish, moving in and out, landing quick uppercuts, and seldom taking any hard shots.
Owens displayed power in his second round TKO of Kevin "Layin' The Smack Down" Downs, but the open hooks to the face will probably be tougher to come by against the elusive Mellin.
The other semifinal card at 150 pounds features "Cool Hand" Luke Stanton against Dennis "The Natural Disaster" Abdelnour.
Stanton won by way of a second round Technical Knockout over John Sarson in the quarterfinals. Abdelnour overwhelmed Joseph "What's Up Ladies!" Biggs in even less time, earning a TKO one minute and 17 seconds into his quarterfinal bout.
This fight should be interesting, as Stanton and Abdelnour are both strong fighters that appear to be evenly matched.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, February 29, 2000
