By Anthony Ivey
By the time Keith Thurman steps in the ring on April 5 at the Bayfront Hilton in St. Petersburg, it will have been just 21 days since his previous bout.
While most would think this looks like too intense of a schedule, to Thurman it's practically the opposite.
"It's different," says Thurman, 3-0 with 3 KOs. "I'm actually used to fighting five days in a row. I feel like the way it is now it's just stop and go, stop and go. It makes it harder to hold down the weight when there is too much time between fights."
The venue is different this time around as well, as this will mark the first time in Thurman's pro career he will be fighting off the grounds of the Al La Carte Pavilion. One thing that hasn't changed is the consistent difficulty of locking down an opponent by fight night.
"It's always up to the last week," explains Ben Getty, Thurman's trainer. "Starfight gives us a few names to start contacting, but even then it's still hard just to find one guy to fight Keith."
For Thurman the opponent is irrelevant. "I fight whoever I see across the ring," he says. "I have confidence that the people behind me have my best interests in mind."
While sorting out future foes may be a dilemma, Thurman's lack of sparring partners has become less of one. "We'd like to thank 4th Street Gym for the sparring they've been giving us. It's so crucial to us, so we'd like to thank them very much for it," says Getty.
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By Anthony Ivey
The last time Jason Barnett stepped into the squared circle, he did so against 31-fight veteran Vinny Maddalone.
Maddalone had been in the ring with former world champions Al Cole and Evander Holyfield as well as solid pro Brian Minto. While Barnett came out on the losing side in that bout, he seems to understand what went wrong and what needs to be done in future fights to produce a more positive result.
"That was my toughest fight and I learned the most from that one, but I don't think he is a better fighter than me," says St. Pete's Barnett. "Since that fight I've started seeing a sports psychologist and using plyometrics as part of my training."
Barnett, 9-6 with 4 KOs, hopes these changes will pay off on April 5 at the Bayfront Hilton in downtown St. Petersburg. Barnett is scheduled to fight in a four-round heavyweight bout that evening on the Starfight Productions-promoted card.
While Barnett realizes that the main objective that evening will be to come out on top, he is also aware of the fans' expectations.
"I need to be impressive, but I also need to keep the crowd interested. I don't do this for the hell of it. I do this because I love it, and I love to entertain," explains Barnett.
Barnett first began undertaking the sport he loves in St. Louis, but in the last few years the 4th Street Gym in St. Petersburg has been the place where he has plied his trade. When Barnett is not at the gym, he works full time as a fitness facility manager at Morton Plant.
Barnett closes by making a statement that he believes will be the key to gaining victory in this fight, and future ones. "I've realized it's what I don't do, rather than what my opponent does, that makes the difference in a fight," he says.
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By Anthony Ivey
The punches were flying on March 14 at the Al La Carte Pavilion in Tampa as Starfight Productions Inc. put on a card that saw only one bout make it to the scheduled distance.
In the evening's opening contest between light heavyweights, Jacksonville's Marcus Upshaw defeated former Kelly Pavlik opponent Rico Cason.
In the opening stanza, Upshaw effectively landed left-right combinations and then capped off the round with a left hook to the body that dropped Cason to his knees. Cason rose off the canvas to survive the round only to be dropped by the same blow in the second. After another left hook downstairs produced a third knockdown in round three, the referee waved off the action and Upshaw was awarded a TKO victory. Upshaw raises his mark to 8-1 with 3 KOs.
In the evening's most competitive fight, Orlando's Jean Baptiste and Miami's Alex Quiroga battled to a highly entertaining four-round draw. The two junior middleweights fought toe-to-toe, winging hard hooks and overhand rights at a breakneck pace for the entire contest. Neither fighter was willing to give ground as each passing round featured the same intense action. When the brawl ended, scoring read 40-36 Quiroga, 39-37 Baptiste and 38-38.
"I think the decision was fair," stated Jim McGlaughlin, Baptiste's trainer/manager. "Jean was sick a few days before the fight and then had to lose 11 pounds for the fight."
Baptiste's record now reads 7-2-5.
The next bout saw Tampa heavyweight Nick Iannuzzi score a first-round knockout over Greg McWhirter. Iannuzzi landed hard and often against an opponent whose only responses were to drop his hands to his sides after getting nailed flush or fire a right hand that repeatedly fell short of the mark. Iannuzzi now stands at 5-0 with 3 KOs.
Bout No. 4 saw St. Petersburg featherweight Dwayne Larry Jr. make a big impression in his pro debut, stopping Tampa's Charlie Serrano in the second round. The first round was fairly even as Serrano found success with his hook, while Larry Jr. returned the favor by tagging him with uppercuts. Midway through the second, Larry unleashed a wicked left that found Serrano's jaw, causing him to sink to the canvas. Serrano beat the count, but the referee decided to end the contest, feeling Serrano was unable to continue.
Serrano carried an impressive 6-1 record into the bout, but Larry Jr. wasn't intimidated by his opponent's pro experience. "I didn't let his record affect me. I just knew it was time to bring it," stated Larry Jr.
Welterweight Keith Thurman continued his string of highlight-reel knockouts, this one courtesy of a straight right hand that crashed flush on opponent Brandon Buchanon's chin in the first round, making the Clearwater native's pro ledger read 3-0 with 3 KOs.
Buchanon did make an attempt to stick and move, but when he stopped to exchange, Thurman simply beat him to the punch. The referee didn't even bother to count and stopped the fight as Buchanon was in mid fall. Buchanon lay prone on the canvas for several minutes until he was able to get up with assistance.
"He had a lot more experience than the other guys. He tried to box and use his jab, but once I set mine up you saw what happened. I actually tried to hit him with a hook too, but he fell down before it could land," explained Thurman.
St. Pete's Jenna Shiver took center stage in the following bout as she wore down opponent Melinda Woody en route to an impressive third-round TKO victory. In the opening stanza, Shiver found the target with her right hand, also known as the "Shiver Driver," which drove her opponent into the ropes for a standing eight count.
Woody survived the round, but Shiver continued to press the action in round two and once again hammered her opponent into the ropes with combinations. The end came in round three, as Shiver was able to deliver a picture-perfect cross, which sent Woody crashing to the canvas.
"Nothing she landed bothered me so I felt comfortable staying right in front of her, and my punches were landing really crisp tonight," said Shiver, who improved to 6-2-1 with 2 KOs.
In the main event, Irving Garcia scored an eight-round technical decision over Miami's Sergio Garcia for the WBC welterweight Latino title. Irving Garcia controlled most of the fight's action with right-hand leads, while Sergio Garcia consistently had trouble finding a rhythm throughout the bout and was cut open early.
The decision was originally announced as a TKO, but that was soon changed as the cut over Sergio Garcia's eye was ruled to have been from a butt, not a punch. Scores read 79-72 twice and 78-73.
Irving Garcia moves to 16-3-1 with 8 KOs, while Sergio Garcia falls to 7-6.
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By Anthony Ivey
Light middleweight Jean Baptiste is one of those fighters who has a true passion for the sport.
"I like everything about boxing and I love competition," said Baptiste. "I started with Derrick Samuels and we are still doing it today."
Baptiste, 7-2-4, plans on displaying his love of competition March 14 at the Al La Carte Pavilion in Tampa.
Baptiste has been on a roll, having gone undefeated in his last seven starts. However, that streak hasn't made him overconfident.
"Every fight is tough and every opponent is different. There is no such thing as an easy fight, even if it's an early knockout," he said.
Baptiste is an Orlando resident, but makes the haul to the 4th Street Gym in St. Petersburg to prepare for his opponents. Along with the sizable commute between the two cities, Baptiste puts in long hours as a fulltime steel worker. Between the training schedule and work, Baptiste appears to be in top shape as evidenced by the conditioning he displays during workouts.
"I'm always ready to fight and I'm always in shape. I don't care who my opponent is, he just better be ready to fight," Baptiste said.
Baptiste is encouraging everyone to attend the Starfight Productions Inc. promoted card this Friday. "Just be there and you'll have a good time watching these fighters do their thing," Baptiste said.
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By Anthony Ivey
In a grueling 12-round battle for the lightweight championship of the world, Tampa's Nate Campbell wrested the title away from previously undefeated Juan Diaz on the undercard of the Maskaev-Peter heavyweight championship March 8 in Cancun, Mexico.
The pace was set from the opening bell as the two fighters met in center ring whipping hard shots at each another, especially to the body. A superbly conditioned Campbell outpunched Diaz, normally the volume puncher, in every round.
The first eight rounds were pretty much give-and-take as both fighters had their moments.
In round two Diaz ripped Campbell along the ropes with combinations only to have Campbell bounce back and give just as good as he received. Round five saw more action as Campbell dug shots into Diaz's midsection, while Diaz landed effectively to the head. In round six a point was deducted from Campbell for a headbutt that caused a cut over Diaz's left eye. Replays showed, however, that the cut was opened by a punch, not a headbutt.
By the end of round eight Diaz began to fade from the bout's action as Campbell continued to fight at an intense pace. Rounds nine through 12 were all Campbell as Diaz, although trying his hardest despite obvious fatigue, simply couldn't derail Campbell from taking his first world title.
When the scores were finally read after a long delay, Campbell was awarded a split decision and crowned the new WBO, WBA and IBF lightweight champion of the world. Scores read 114-113 for Diaz and 115-112, 116-111 for Campbell.
"I feel great. I told ya'll he wasn't the best lightweight in the world. I'm the best lightweight in the world," said Campbell.
With the victory Campbell rises to 32-5-1 with 25 KOs, while Diaz suffers his first pro defeat and falls to 33-1.
In the heavyweight title fight, Nigerian Samuel Peter (30-1, 23 KOs) took the WBC belt from Oleg Maskaev (34-6, 26 KOs) with a TKO at 2:56 of the sixth round.
"Who's next?" Peter yelled after the fight.
Some wonder whether Wladimir Klitschko would be next. The IBF and WBO belt holder is the only one to have beaten Peter.
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By Anthony Ivey
Before Dwayne Larry Jr. sets foot in the prize ring for his first professional fight, on March 14 at The Ala Carte Pavilion in Tampa, he has probably already learned a valuable lesson about boxing.
When Larry Jr. lost in the first round of the National PAL Tournament in 2004, he received a "wake-up call."
"I lost to the guy who was ranked fourth in the world in that weight class. Before the fight people were telling me to be prepared, but I wasn't listening. I realized afterwards you gotta do a lot of work if you wanna stay in this sport. I watched the tape of that fight over and over again to look for ways to improve," explains Larry Jr.
He has also credited his employment with Hubbard Construction as another turning point in his life.
"I was having some family problems for a while, but I would like to thank them for getting me focused," says Larry Jr.
The featherweight describes himself as a "versatile fighter." He also plans on staying as active as possible in the pro ranks.
"I want to fight more than four times a year, and I am willing to go wherever to get those fights. But I also want to make sure my skills are to the point where I can compete on that next level," states Larry Jr.
He sharpens those skills with intense sparring sessions at the 4th Street Gym in St. Petersburg. When asked what keeps him motivated, Larry Jr. responded by showing the tattoos on his right and left arm. One arm displayed the birth date of his father; the other arm showed the date of his passing. Larry Jr. then said, "I'm trying to make my daddy proud."
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By Anthony Ivey
St. Petersburg's Jenna Shiver already has a lot of things going for her. She is ranked as the 10th super featherweight in the world, according to www.boxrec.com; spars at the 4th Street Gym in St. Petersburg with accomplished pros such as Shirvelle Williams; and is a second-generation fighter.
The one thing that Shiver wants that isn't on her resume is a world championship.
"We're only two or three fights away from it at this point," says Shiver.
Jenna "Cowgirl" Shiver is on Starfight Productions' March 14 card at the Al La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, fighting in a scheduled four-rounder. Shiver is the daughter of the late light middleweight Don "Cowboy" Shiver.
"I've always wanted to be a pro athlete. I started with kickboxing and martial arts, and then moved into boxing. I went 1-0 as an amateur, but I really had trouble finding opponents after that so I decided to turn pro," explains Shiver.
Shiver's decision to turn pro was a good one, as her record currently stands at a solid 5-2-1 with one knockout. That one knockout occurred in her last fight, in November, against a physically bigger opponent.
"I always want the knockout," explains Shiver, when asked about her fight plan.
She hopes to produce those knockouts via her right hand, which is nicknamed the "Shiver Driver." While Shiver, 22, has high aspirations for her fighting career, she also has plans for life after boxing.
"I am getting my personal trainer's license as well as doing some stunt coordinating. I plan on retiring before 30," says Shiver.
Shiver's plan to retire before 30 sounds good, but surely the rest of the division wishes it would be a lot sooner.
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By Anthony Ivey
The mark of a great fighter is having the ability to adapt and make sacrifices that are necessary to excel in the sport. It's having that certain inner intangible quality to push himself to want to be better.
Inka Laleye (3-0, 1 KO) is that kind of fighter. He intends to show that quality again in a scheduled four-round middleweight bout on March 14 at the Al La Carte Pavilion in Tampa.
"My last opponent was a strong, game guy, but I wasn't gonna let him win," says Laleye.
His last opponent was on the losing end of a four-round decision to Laleye back in January at the Al La Carte. While it was a dominant performance by Laleye, he still saw room for improvement.
"I learned I should try to use my footwork more and try not to burn up energy," explains Laleye. "I try to add something new after every fight and fix what went wrong so I can become the best fighter I know I can be."
Laleye's work ethic is also the stuff that champions are made of.
"I am in the gym every day, even if I don't have a fight, and when I know I do have one I take the training to the next level," explains Laleye.
The next level includes sparring and cardio in the morning with strength training at night. During one particular training session at the 49th Street Gym in St. Petersburg, Laleye was told by his sparring partner that he was going to "push him hard in this round."
Laleye welcomed that remark as just another opportunity to improve himself as a fighter and came out to work hard for the entire round. Laleye has demonstrated that he will do whatever it takes to win, but is his opponent willing to do the same on March 14?
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By Anthony Ivey
Some people would assume that being extremely talented in your chosen profession would be a good thing and make your job that much easier. That's not the case for top local welterweight prospect Keith Thurman.
Being extremely talented has gotten the 19-year-old fighter nothing but cancelled opponent after cancelled opponent for his March 14 fight at the Al La Carte Pavilion in Tampa. No less than four fighters have pulled out as a possible challenger for Thurman on the Starfight Productions promoted card, and that trend doesn't seem to be changing anytime soon.
"We really have trouble getting opponents for Keith; nobody wants to get in the ring with him," states Ben Getty, Thurman's trainer.
Maybe those opponents got the news about the devastating 22-second knockout Thurman produced in his last start, at the very same venue he'll be fighting March 14.
"Hey, if you're not ready to fight, you're not gonna hang with me for one round," states Thurman. "I saw the fear in his eyes before the bell rang."
Training also has presented a dilemma for the Thurman camp as the availability of willing sparring partners has vanished. Even some of the state's top prizefighters have been contacted regarding sparring with Thurman - with no response.
"We contacted Vernon Forrest's training camp down in Vero Beach, and they don't seem to have an interest in sparring with Keith," says Getty.
For right now, Thurman gets his sparring in from the other promising young fighters at Dan Birmingham's 49th Street Gym in St. Petersburg, such as middleweight Inka Laleye and heavyweight Lenroy Thomas.
With an early professional mark of 2-0 (2 KOs), Keith Thurman is already making waves around the Florida boxing scene that will give his future opponents a real dilemma.
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