#SlugfestAtTheSun Results from Ringside #Boxing

Constantin Bejenaru scored a 10rd UD over Thabiso Mchunu in the main Event

Bejenaru defends title in tedious win over Mchunu, O'Connor makes quick work of Gonzalez & more

Results from Ringside at Mohegan Sun

By Alex Pierpaoli

Photos by Sean laydon

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Bout 1

Wendy Toussaint of Huntington, NY, made his twenty-seventeen debut, his first bout in almost 3 years, and didn't need long against Daniel Castro of Yonkers, NY. Toussaint used speedy power shots to control the action and opened up on Castro in the final seconds of the first, slamming him with

Toussaint blasts away at Castro just before the stoppage

lefts and rights through his guard. The end came at :38 of Round 2, when referee Danny Schiavone called a halt to the action with Wendy Toussaint blasting away at Daniel Castro with both hands. Toussaint returns to action, now 7-0 (1) while Castro falls to 2-2 (1).

Bout 2

Dan Murray, 138.2lbs, of Lanoka Harbor, NJ, defeated Valerio Nocera, 139.2lbs, of Rome, Italy, by 4 round split decision. Fighting for the first time in the United States, Nocera looked to have landed the heavier and more accurate blows through four hard-slugging rounds. But when the scorecards were read the decision was split, with one judge seeing it 38-37 for Nocera, overruled by the other two who had it for Murray by the same score. In victory, Murray improved to 3-1 while Nocera loses for the first time, in his first fight outside his native Italy, now 3-1-1.

Bout 3

Sequan Felton, 130.2lbs, of Rochester, NY, defeated debuting Carlos Marrero, 129.7lbs of Hartford, CT. Despite a large and supportive section of the crowd, Hartford's Marrero spent too much time

Sequan Felton & his team celebrate the win

looking for openings and falling for feints from his clever opponent. Felton was able to speed his own jab through the guard of Marrero, striking him on the chin repeatedly. In the third Felton scored a knockdown off of a sizzling left hook Marrero never saw coming. At the end of four the judges saw it 39-36 and 40-35 x2 all in favor of Sequan Felton. Felton improved his record to 2-2 while Marrero debuted at 0-2.

Bout 4

Kali Reis, 158.2lbs, of Providence, RI defeated Tiffany Woodard, 159.5lbs, of Wilson, NC by unanimous decision. Fighting for the third time since her November 5th, 2016, loss to Champion Christina Hammer, Reis looked sharp in pressing the action and keeping the fight right in the face of Tiffany Woodard throughout the six rounder. Reis connected repeated with heavy left hooks and straight rights to the face of the North Carolinian.

Kali Reis jabs at Tiffany Woodard

Normally more of a counterpuncher, Reis never held back on this night and appeared close to scoring a knockdown on more than one occasion. But to her credit, Woodard gave as good as she got and one judge thought she landed frequently enough to win a round. At the end of six two-minute rounds the scores were 59-55, 60-53, 60-54 all in favor of Kali Reis, now 13-6-1 (3). Tiffany Woodard fell to 4-9-3 (3).

Bout 5

Anthony Laureano, 139lbs, of East Hartford, CT, remained undefeated, notching a six round majority decision win over Johnny Hernandez, 137.2lbs, of Huntington, NY. Laureano seemed to control much of the close, toe-to-toe action, landing multi-punch combinations and reddening the face of Hernandez. To his credit, Hernandez

Laureano cracks Hernandez with a right

stayed right in the chest of Laureano, exchanging and making the CT fighter work each moment of the bout. At no point did either man hurt the other but it was Laureano who seemed to be landing heavier throughout. At the end of six the scorecards revealed a closer fight than this observer had witnessed. One judge saw it even at 57 a piece, overruled by two scores of 58-56 in favor of Anthony Laureano. Twenty two year old Laureano improved to 6-0 (3) while Hernandez fell to 8-3 (1).


Bout 6

Danny O'Connor, 139.7lbs, of Framingham, MA, scored a stunning third round TKO over Daniel "El Gallo" Gonzalez, 139.2lbs, of Woodhaven, NY. Starting fast, O'Connor established his southpaw jab in the first and repeatedly went to the ribs of Gonzalez with a nasty right hook. At some point in the first a cut opened over the left eye of O'Connor and it was unclear whether it was caused by a butt o

Danny O'Connor after his TKO victory

r a punch. Either way, O'Connor amped up the pressure especially after a visit from ringside physician Anthony Alessi after round two. In the third O'Connor slammed Gonzalez with a well-timed overhand left Gonzalez moved right into. El Gallo fell forward, face-first, tried to rise only to reel back into the ropes, unable to gain his balance where referee Steve Willis waved-off the bout at :39 of round number 3. O'Connor improved to 29-3 (11) while Gonzalez dropped to 14-1 (5).

Bout 7

Constantin Bejenaru, 199.5lbs, originally from Moldova, fighting out of Brooklyn, NY, defended his WBC International & Continental Cruiserweight Championship over Thabiso Mchunu, 200lbs, of Ximba, South Africa in a barely watchable 10 round Main Event. Bejenaru scored a knockdown with a right jab in round seven but it was one of few cleanly landed punches in the bout. Both southpaws, the fighters feinted at each other repeatedly, hesitating, firing and missing, then setting up and doing it again. Bejenaru had a number of supporters in the crowd and even they were booing but they hung in there to the final bell and cheered their champion when he notched a unanimous decision at the end of ten. The scores were 98-91 and 97-92 x2 all in favor of Bejenaru who improved to 13-0 (3). Mchunu dropped to 18-4 (11).

Bout 8

Charles Foster, 179lbs, of New Haven, CT defeated Quinton Rankin, 179lbs, of Charlotte, NC, by 6th

Charles The Truth Foster after his stoppage win

round TKO when referee Steve Willis halted the action just as the sixth got underway. Willis stopped the bout after being advised by ringside doctor Anthony Alessi, who felt Rankin had absorbed too much punishment. It was at the end of round five when the southpaw, Foster, really started landing heavy shots with little to no resistance from Quinton Rankin. With the victory Foster improved to 14-0 (7) while Rankin dropped to 12-5-2 (9).