Results from Foxwoods-- 50's Birthday Basharoo Blow-Up

Farenas batters Davis; Dib out-toughs Garza at Promoter 50 Cent's Boxing Birthday Basharoo

By Alex Pierpaoli
Photos by Sean Laydon
more photos here
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Last night promoter Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson returned to Connecticut to celebrate his second annual birthday bash with professional boxing in the Grand Theater at The Fox Tower in an ESPN Friday Night Fights special Wednesday night attraction. Eight bouts of professional prize-fighting in the Connecticut woods were capped by an undefeated boxer trying to take too big a step-up versus a dangerous veteran.

Michael Farenas,130lbs, of Gubat, the Philippines, stopped Mark "Too Sharp" Davis,

130lbs of Baton Rouge, LA, at :59 seconds of round number 8 of an entertaining but mostly one-sided fight. Returning to the ring for the first time since a ten round win over Carlos Vinan in September, Davis was making a bold step-up in quality of opposition with a foe like Farenas and thanks to the mercy of Ref. Steve Smoger, who is rarely quite so merciful, it's likely the beating suffered will not have lasting effects on the cocky prospect.

Despite his quick reflexes and speedy combos, Mark Davis had little else but attitude to rely on versus the toolbox and mean corkscrewing shots to the belly and head

Farenas brought to the ring on this night. Davis' best work was in rounds one and two when he did land hard blasts on the pressuring Farenas. But it was clear Davis was absorbing far more punishment than he should be and had no way to defend against it nor slow its application. Too Sharp haughtily engaged his supporters in conversation early but by the third and fourth that had stopped, his team quieted by the many left hooks they saw farenas slam into Davis face. But whatever enemies--they call `em "haters" these days--Davis might have with his cockiness, he went some distance in winning them back in the guts he showed in fighting back even when it was clear he was not going to see the final bell. That seemed obvious in the sixth, when Farenas battered and bloodied Davis and sent him to his corner with mouth agape at the bell. In the seventh Davis fought on instinct mostly, clutching, flurrying, surviving and he made it into the eighth despite close attention to the corner-work by ringside physician Dr. Michael Schwartz. But early in the eighth Farenas cracked Davis with a blunt left hook that sent him reeling back into the ropes and Ref. Steve Smoger leaped in to save "Too Sharp" from too much punishment. The official time of the stoppage was :59 of round 8, and the defeat in the second for a high profile fighter under promoter 50 Cent's banner. 

With the upset with the Filipino veteran, Michael Farenas, raised his record to 37-4-4 (30) while Davis gets his first taste of defeat as a pro, now 18-1 (5).

In the co-featured clash of one hundred thirty one pounders, Billy "The Kid" Dib of

Sydney, Australia, returning from the ring for the first time since a November TKO rematch loss to Evgeny "The Mexican Russian" Gradovich, bested Alberto Garza of Mexico City, over 10 rough and tumble rounds of gouging, jarring action the likes of which Johnny Cash once sang.

Dib improved to 37-3 (21) while Garza dipped to 26-8-1 (21).

Jimmy Williams, 149lbs of New Haven, CT, got the better of Stephen Owusu, 150lbs of Bronx New York, over 6 rounds. Despite head-hunting and tiring in the

second half of the bout, the undefeated Elm City boxer scored a second round knockdown with a sweeping straight right-left hook combination to seal the deal on a good, solid learning experience.

Williams rose to 7-0-1 (3) while Owusu, fighting for the first time since 2011, looked far better than his 8­7 (4).

Shelito Vincent, 123lbs of Providence, RI, fresh off her 6 round win over Lakeysha Williams on May 31, brawled her way to victory over talented Nydia Feliciano, Bronx, NY. Feliciano, 123lbs, last seen in the ring in March when she

dropped an 8 rounder to Heather Hardy, the fighter Shelito Vincent has hoped to lure into a bout, posed a difficult test for Vincent especially at long range in the first and second rounds where she scored with quick, accurate, stinging punches. But by the end of the second Vincent was closing the distance and crowding Feliciano. The remainder of the bout was action packed, with both women slugging at close-quarters where Vincent's flurries were a little faster and a bit more plentiful. After six the scores were 59-55, 58-56 and 57-57 in favor of Shelito Vincent by majority decision.

Vincent improved to 12-0 (1) while Feliciano dipped to 7-6-3.

The walk-out bout was a regional thriller that saw Nick De Lomba, 144lbs, of Providence, RI, defeat Edwin Soto, 145lbs, of New Haven, CT by 6 round majority decision. Soto landed the harder punches, especially early, but it was De Lomba who landed smarter and more often and never faded despite suffering a bad

cut over his left eye. It was unfortunate so few saw this bout as it was a good one, but being the swing it was held till after ESPN went off the air and much of the assembled had already shuffled off to 50 Cent's after-party. Meanwhile, De Lomba and Soto hammered away at each other in a contest that was competitive enough to merit a rematch considering the closeness of the cards and the fact that Soto's heavier blows made him dangerous to the last. At the end of 6 the officials saw it 57-57, 59-57 and 58-56 in favor of Nick De Lomba.

De Lomba raised his record to 4-0 while Soto fell to 9-2-2 (4). 

In the first TV bout of the night Ryan "Blue Chip" Martin, 135lbs, of Chatanooga, TN, bested Matthew Baca, 135lbs, of Albuquerque, NM, by 4-round unanimous decision. Martin lived up to his moniker in a one-sided display of speedy, solid combinations and clever movement. In the third, Martin tested the chin of Baca, ripping him with uppercuts. It looked as though Baca was hurt in the final round but to his credit he lasted to the final gong. 

In victory Martin rose to 7-0 (3) while Baca dipped to 4-2-1 (2).

In perhaps the most memorable fight of the night, Junior Younan, 168lbs, of Brooklyn, NY, defeated Azamat Umarzoda, 169lbs, of Las Vegas, NV by 4-round unanimous decision. Junior "Sugar Boy" Younan blasted away with both

hands from the opening bell. Umarzoda covered up when he could and caught when he couldn't and his durability was tested. In the last round Younan had Umarzoda hurt to the body and was a little too gassed out to make the most of it. Aside from that this fleshy but hard-punching, cocky but charismatic, purple-haired, super-middle is an action fighter this observer looks forward to seeing again. After four there could only be one result, the scores were 40-36, three times.

Younan is now 5-0 (4) and Umarzoda remains without a victory at 0-4-1.

In the first fight of the night Louis Cruz, 139lbs, defeated Ryan Picou, 139lbs, Las Vegas, NV, by 6-round unanimous decision in what looked mostly like a non-effort from a talented prospect. Cruz boxed a cautious but impressive first, stinging Picou with bolts to body and head. But as the rounds ticked by Picou made the fight and it was hard not to want to punish Cruz for a lack of action as he waited on opportunities to counter. With his team and supporters shouting from the crowd: "You thinking too much!" Cruz let his hands go in the final round and the judges rewarded him with scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56. This observer saw it 59-57 for Cruz, or 3-1-2 in rounds for the counter-puncher who needs to pick up the pace in future fights.

Cruz improved to 8-0 (4) and Picou dropped to 1-3.