News 2008
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December 5, 2008Oliveira On Target!!
Although a game Roy Hughes tried to dart in and out trouble and set his own rhythm for the fight, Marcus Oliveira quickly walked his man down and took care of business. Oliveira delivered a picture perfect right cross that sailed over the top of Hughes' jab and sent him straight back, down and out. Referee Frank Aguillar quickly signaled the end of the fight at 1 minute and 21 seconds of the very first round. Oliveira improved his record to 16-0 (13KOs) and is on the threshold of establishing himself as a formidable light heavyweight contender in 2009.
October 25th, 2008Oliveira Disposes of Former Cruiserweight Champion in Three
Rising Light Heavyweight prospect, Marcus Oliveira (15-0-1 with 12 KOs) cemented his position in the division with an exciting third round TKO stoppage over former IBF and USBA Cruiserweight Champion, Kelvin "Concrete" Davis (24-9-2).
Although the opening three minutes was more of a feeling-out round for the two fighters, things began to heat up in the second. Oliveira began to break down "Concrete" Davis with a powerful, sledgehammer jab that chipped away at the former champion, while Davis looked to unleash the type of knockout blows he had gained a reputation for. Oliveira proved to be too agile and countered well, often leaving Davis swinging at air. Oliveira soon found a home for his uppercut and shortly into the third round, split Davis' nose open wide open. As blood poured, Oliveira began opening up on the former champion and landed a series of uppercuts and solid head shots. Oliveira's punches gained steam, snapping his opponents head back and buckling his legs. Just as it looked like Davis was on his way down, his corner mercifully jumped in the ring to stop the fight and end the onslaught at 59 seconds of the third round. The scheduled 8 round light heavyweight bout was Davis' first fight after dropping down to the 175lb weight class...a move that proved to be a costly one. The fight was held at the Township Auditorium in Columbia, South Carolina and is scheduled to air on FOX Sports where most fans will get their first glance of this up-and-coming fighter.
Oliveira continues to rise up to meet each mounting challenge that is put in front of him...the sign of a warrior spirit and will of a future champion.
October 18th, 2008Bagan Bangs–Out a First Round TKO
It took UBC cruiserweight, Lee Bagan just 1:44 to get his first win as a professional by stopping Mark Bier in the opening round of their scheduled four round fight.
Bagan wasted no time in taking the fight right to his bigger opponent, landing an onslaught of straight jabs and powerful right hands that set Bier back on his heels from the moment the bell rang. After being dropped at about the 30 second mark of the opening round, Bier was back on his feet at the count of seven and hung in there tough, even countering with some big left hooks that kept Bagan from closing the show. Although his 276 lb. challenger was able to hold Bagan off some with an occasional counter-shot, Bagan seemed to gain momentum as the round progressed and put more and more power punches together. A final three punch combination ended with a perfectly placed uppercut that snapped Bier's head back and deposited him on the canvas for the second time. Bier got to his feet to continue, but the blood pouring from his mouth and nose, along with the obvious fact that he was outgunned, prompted the referee to stop the fight less than two minutes into the action-packed round.
Originally from Austin, Texas Bagan traveled to Bier's back yard and surprised at least a few fans in attendance with is mobility, quick hands and obvious power to spare.
August 29th, 2008Oliveira Unplugs "The Drill" With 7th Round Knockout
Just as you would expect from two undefeated fighters, neither Phil "The Drill" Williams or Marcus Oliveira were going to relinquish their unblemished records without a fight and it was all that and more.
Fans at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota were treated to an exciting match-up from start to finish as Marcus Oliveira (14-0-1 with 11 KOs) got up from the canvas twice before stopping Phil Williams (8-1- with 8 KOs) in the 7th round of their scheduled eight round bout Friday night.
The initial "feeling out" became a battle of jabs to establish tempo and territory, but Oliveira's seemed to hit it's mark a bit more frequently and forcefully as he walked Williams down throughout the round. By the end of the second round Oliveira had established both his power and presence and consistently backed Williams around the ring. Although round three started out much the same, with Oliveira gaining more momentum, three-quarters of the way into the third round Williams landed a double jab, right hand combination that deposited Oliveira on the seat of his trunks. It looked to many in the crowd that Williams' perfect knockout record was going to remain intact as they went crazy for their hometown hero. However, Oliveira was easily up by the count of seven and seemed to be unfazed as he went right back to work behind a jab and meaningful combination punching that prevented Williams from turning the tide of the fight in his direction. Aside from an early burst of energy from Williams, who sensed he may have Oliveira in trouble, the fourth round looked much like the previous four minutes of action with Oliveira stalking Williams around the ring, landing clean and landing often. He pressed the action and took the fight to Williams the next two rounds. Oliveira had seemed to take solid control of round five and six as he traded jabs with Williams around the ring and unloaded heavy blows each time he backed Williams into the corner or against the ropes. Then, early in that round, lightning struck for the second time when Williams came over the top of Oliveira’s jab and landed a right hand and left hook that sent Oliveira down and through the bottom two ropes. But again, Oliveira easily rose to his feet and was up by the count of seven. The knockdown appeared to spur Oliveira on even more as he traded with Williams to end the round strong. Oliveira then turned up the heat even more in the seventh round and began landing harder blows, more often and with a clear intent to end the fight. Just over a minute into the round, Oliveira backed Williams into his corner and lowered the boom. He landed a series of punches punctuated by a right uppercut that knocked Williams mouthpiece out, followed by a right hand that set the Minnesota fighter down. As soon as Williams was on his feet, Oliveira took it to him with a right hand, left hook, right hand combination that dropped Williams again. This time he went down in a neutral corner where he stayed as the referee counted to ten at 2:56 of the seventh round.
Phil Williams proved to be a valiant warrior with impressive power in both hands. He was undefeated and a fan favorite and was recognized as many as one of boxing's top rising prospects. He held a highly touted 100% knockout ratio and had what many insiders thought was the upperhand going into this fight and yet when the final punch was thrown it was Oliveira’s heart and fierce will to win that decided the outcome. No judges, no excuses…just good toe-to-toe action with two fighters who were willing to lay it all on the line and one who walked away UNDEFEATED!
June 20th, 2008Oliveira Hammers Out Fifth Round TKO
Coming off of a disappointing draw this past February, in a bout where Oliveira suffered a fractured hand midway through a scheduled 10 round USBC Light Heavyweight Title bout against Illinois favorite, Nick Cook (15-1), Oliveira proved to be more determined than ever in hammering Leo Pla en route to a 5th round TKO win.From the opening bell Oliveira showed no signs of being hesitant to throw his previously injured right hand or get in and press the action against his bigger opponent. In fact, his right hand played the most important role in dictating the action and eventually ending the fight. Oliveira landed vicious right uppercuts and long lead right hands that continually drove Pla back throughout the fight.
Oliveira bloodied Pla's nose in the first round and in the second really began to batter his opponent to the body and head. Although Pla fought back each stanza, his ineffective retaliation seemed to be born out of desperation more than any real hope he had of winning.
Action slowed a bit on the third round, but it was really the beginning of the end when Oliveira trapped Pla against the ropes midway through the fourth round and unloaded a powerful combination that sent Pla's mouthpiece flying into the first row and almost knocked him out of the ring. That incident bought Pla a bit of time to recover, as the referee and his own corner tried to find a replacement mouthpiece or search for the one that had flown out into the crowd, but Oliveira picked up the action right where he had left off. He continued to throw bombs that had Pla obviously hurt, as he blinked, winced in pain and struggled to cover up against Oliveira's spirited onslaught. Oliveira then picked up the pace and punch output heading into the fifth round. This attack kept Pla on his heels and looking for place to hide, until the referee mercifully stepped in and stopped the contest at 2:02 of the fifth round.
This return to action marks Oliveira's 13th win and another important step in the hunt for his first light heavyweight title.
June 12th, 2008Cooper Cuts Biggers Down to Size!!
Former IBA and WIBA Flyweight Champion Melinda Cooper (19-0) was nothing short of spectacular in her fourth round demolition of Donna Biggers (19-8-1) in what marked her first appearance on the East Coast Thursday night at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Coming off what was nearly a year and a half layoff from boxing, Cooper showed no hesitance to hit, no reluctance to get hit and no fear of taking the fight right to her bigger, more experienced opponent. And take it to her she did!
Only sixty seconds into the first round, it was obvious how this battle was going to unfold. From the onset, Copper began landing hard punches from all angles and even wobbled Biggers seconds into the action. Swelling began around Biggers eyes almost immediately as Cooper connected with accurate combinations to both the body and head. There was no one punch that dictated the fight or one moment that determined the outcome, but every exchange seemed to be punctuated by Coopers solid, more telling blows. Cooper's clean, controlled punching were effective whether she chose to lead or step back and counter and she seemed to have an answer for almost everything that Biggers threw. That consistent onslaught and consistent accumulation finally caught up with Biggers and was painfully apparent on her badly swollen and bloodied face. On the prompting of the ringside physician, referee Dick Flaherty stepped in and stopped the fight after a minute into the fourth round. Based on this performance, there is certainly no discounting Biggers heart or desire, but from the opening bell she was simply outgunned on every level.
In what was her first appearance on the East Coast, Cooper put on a stellar display of boxing skill and fighting heart, scoring the only knockout of the evening. This "return" marks her 19th win as a professional and puts a loud exclamation point on the end of the official announcement that Melinda Cooper is indeed back!
March 29th, 2008...And the 2008 Kansas City Golden Gloves Champion is...!
From the moment the first punch was thrown it became obvious that the battle to claim the 2008 Kansas City Golden Gloves 132lb Championship was going to be determined by test of will as much as skill and Spencer Ward proved to the entire crowd in attendance that he was not going to be denied that title.
This confrontation quickly turned into an all out war as both combatants unloaded all of their firepower.
Miller started out strong and was obviously determined to land something big to establish his dominance and presence, but Spencer was having no part of that and established a powerful jab early on. Spencer set the pace and landed heavily from long range throughout most of the round. In the second, Spencer was able to clearly get the upper hand and had Miller bleeding badly from the nose. After trapping him on the ropes midway through the round, the referee stopped the action and administered an eight count to Miller. Spencer continued to land often and consistently outworked Miller for the remaining minute which sealed the second round for him.
Round three proved to be more of the same give and take, with Spencer pressing the action and Miller content to lay back and counterpunch. Spencer's constant head and body attack had Miller bleeding badly from the nose and the furious pace prompted the referee to step in once again to give Miller his second standing eight count. The two fighters met center ring for the fourth and final round and action picked up right where it had left off. Only seconds and a couple of fast flurries into the round, the referee stepped in once again, only this time he brought the ringside physician in to look at Miller's badly bleeding nose. The doctor allowed the fight to continue and this seemed to spur Miller on who came on strong and landed a three punch combination that knocked Spencer back. The referee quickly jumped in and gave Spencer a standing eight of his own, but unhurt and unfazed, he came back strong and took the round with a determined and relentless display of superb conditioning, heart, skill and power.
At the end of four hard fought rounds, Spencer Ward was decisively crowned the 2008 Kansas City Golden Gloves Champion and advances to the Nationals in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he will represent the KC area in hopes of bringing home a national title.
March 28th, 2008Ward Wins Upset Over Rivera by 2nd Round Stoppage
In what was considered an upset by many, Spencer Ward stopped last years Kansas City Golden Gloves 132lb. Champion, Neiko Rivera, in the second round Friday night to advance to the Finals on Saturday night.
Spencer established a strong jab early on and set a fast pace for the fight. However, Rivera showed that he was there to fight and came on strong from the onset to land some good punches...until about hallfway through the first round, when Spencer landed several hard body shots and followed up with heavy blows to the body and head. A series of fast combinations seemed to take all of the steam out of Rivera, who ended the round pinned against the ropes.
Spencer continued to apply solid pressure and landed a steady onslaught of shots, both from the outside and in close. Shortly into the second round, Rivera had little to answer with as Spencer continued to deliver a punishing assortment of punches until the referee stepped-in and stopped the contest.
The dominating performance was a surprise to many of the fans in attendance and certainly left and impression.
February 9th, 2008Oliveira Doesn't Lose, but Doesn't Win Either
Although they say that a draw "is like kissing your sister", there was no love lost between Nick Cook and Marcus Oliveira on February 9th when the two fighters met to decide who would walk away with the vacant USBC light heavyweight title. Unfortunately the judges failed to declare a winner, so both fighters left the ring with their records in tact and without the title belt they both badly wanted.
In a highly anticipated match up between Indiana's own, Nick Cook (15-1) and Kansas' Marcus Oliveira (12-0), at the LaPorte Civic Auditorium Saturday night, the action was all that the crowd had hoped for, even if the decision was not.
Throughout the first half of the fight, hometown favorite Cook absorbed many hard punches and jarring combinations from Oliveira, who came out throwing from the opening bell. After a glancing blow to the top of his opponent's head towards the end of the sixth round, Oliveira noticeably hurt his right hand and the pace began to slow. Oliveira was able to still land effectively with left hooks and a strong jabs, but the Indiana judges couldn't seem to let the title leave their state wihtout a fight...at least a more decisive one.
Oliveira's unbeaten record remains at 12-0 , only he now has one draw as an additional footnote. After a short time to heal his broken fist, Oliveira will be back in winning form and next time has vowed to not give the judges the opportunity to be a factor in his quest to win a world title.