On Wednesday night DiBella Entertainment, Broadway Boxing presented an exciting night of boxing at BB King Blues Club in Manhattan.

Gabriel Bracero vs Hector Alatorre – Light-welterweight

The main event of the night was crowd favorite Gabriel Bracero (12-0) of Brooklyn, NY, who scored an eight round unanimous decision over tough Hector Alatorre (16-11) of Tulare, CA, this was a Light-welterweight bout. “Tito”, as Bracero is known, brought his usual all action style to the ring and landed with various combination shots throughout the fight, including a good number of right hands which seemed to catch Alatorre`s attention. The rugged Alatorre gave a good account of himself and both fighters showed the marks of a tough battle, with Bracero cut to the left eye, caused by a head butt and Alatorre a nasty gash on the left side of his head.

All three judges scored the fight 80-72 to Bracero  (13-0) and Alatorre drops to 16-12.

Javier Fortuna vs Victor Valenzuela – Super -featherweight

The most exciting fight of the night which didn’t even make it out of the first round was between explosive punching Dominican Republic native Javier Fortuna (12-0) and Victor Valenzuela (8-ll0) of Passaic, NJ at Super-featherweight. From the bell both fighters came out blasting, throwing bombs to the pleasure of the crowd. Southpaw Fortuna managed to back Valenzuela up against the ropes and landed a right hook which had Valenzuela out cold on his feet, Fortuna then followed up with a powerful left hook and Valenzuela crashED to the canvas. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr immediately waved the fight off at 1:10 of the first round.Fortuna now marches to 13-0 and Valenzuela falls to 8-1.

Tor Hamer vs Demetrice King – Heavyweight

In a heavyweight contest, New York’s Tor Hamer (12-1) scored a systematic eight round unanimous decision over game trial horse Demetrice King (14-19) of Flint, MI. Hamer boxed and moved well during the bout, using his jab to set up a variety of combinations. In round three, Hamer appeared to hurt King against the ropes but was unable to get the stoppage. At the end of the contest Kings swollen face showed the amount of punishment he took throughout.

All three judges scored the fight 80-72 to Hamer, now 13-1.

Sonya Lamonakis vs Tiffany Woodard – Heavyweight

New York’s Sonya Lamonakis (2-0) by way of Greece returned to BB Kings once again to excite her fans with a six round unanimous decision over Tiffany Woodward (3-3) of Wilson, North Carolina. Woodard came out boxing and landed some clean jab right hands on the face of Lamonakis, however, it was the overall strength and harder shots of Lamonakis which proved the difference between the two fighters. Woodard was not at all fazed by the stronger Lamonakis and gave all she could to the final bell with some great exchanges and inside work by both. Judges  scored the fight 58-56, and Mc 58-57. Lamonakis now improves to 3-0 and Woodard falls to 3-4.

Alex Perez vs Doel Carrasquillo – Welterweight

Southpaw Alex “The Brick City Bullet” Perez (12-0) of Newark, New Jersey made a hard fought and very entertaining debut under DiBella Entertainment with an eight round unanimous decision over extremely tough and durable Doel Carrasquillo (14-16-1) of Lancaster PA. Perez came out throwing some heavy artillery, landing with numerous straight rights, left hands and hooks. Carrasquillo kept walking forward with a very high guard, soaking up everything Perez had to offer. On many occasions Carrasquillo seemed to mock Perez by lowering his hands and taking deep breathes. This continued up until round five when Perez seemed tired from his own constant movement and the heavy punches he had been throwing. Carrasquillo still marching forward took advantage of the tired Perez and caught him flush with a left hook, Perez went down but arose at around seven and finished the round. From round six onwards Perez regrouped and boxed his way to the final bell. Judges scored the fight 72-78 73-78. Perez now improves to 13-0 and Carrasquillo drops to 14-17-1.

Steven Martinez vs David Lopez – Light-middleweight

Steven Martinez (6-0) of the Bronx, New York had won all of his previous six fights by KO, however, he was extended for the first time in his young career when he won a six round unanimous decision over the crafty and durable David Lopez (3-2-3) of Caldwell, ID. Martinez came out holding the center of the ring throwing an abundant number of left and right hooks to the body of Lopez, which had him clinging on. This pretty much continued up until the end of round five, although round six saw the southpaw Lopez come out firing, throwing clusters of shots to the predictable Martinez having some success. Martinez fought fire with fire and retaliated back with his own shots which brought an end to a decent contest. All three judges scored the fight 55-59 to Martinez. Martinez now goes to 7-0 and Lopez to 3-3-3.

Delen Parsley vs Eberto Medina – Light-middleweight

Delen Parsley (3-0) of Brooklyn, NY, scored a four round unanimous decision over rugged Eberto Medina (5-4) of Newark, NJ. The taller Parsley trying to establish his jab by using his height and reach advantage over his opponent, this was met by strong hooks from Medina as he waded forward under the reach of Parsley forcing him backwards. Parsley figured this out and worked to the body of Medina forcing him to spit/lose his mouth piece twice in the first round. Medina did have some success in the second round as he worked on the inside of Parsley. However, by round three Parsley had found his range and worked well behind the jab, also connecting with solid straight right hands as Medina jumped in. Parsley hurt and staggered Medina into the corner at the end of the fourth and looked on the verge of a stoppage, but Medina hung on and made it to the bell. All three judges scored the fight 39-37 to Parsley. Parsley now improves to 4-0 and Medina falls to 5-5.

Angel Gonzalez vs Borngod Washington – Light-heavyweight

Angel Gonzalez (1-2) of Yonkers, NY, disposed of Borngod Washington (0-6) in 43 seconds of the first round. Washington came out swinging for the fences, hitting and backing up Gonzalez. Gonzalez furiously retaliated with a series of wild punches, he then backed Washington up against the ropes and landed a left hook which sent Borngod numb on the ropes, forcing referee Arthur Mercante Jr to stop the contest. Gonzalez moves to 2-2 and Washington sinks to 0-7.



What must be done to turn the tide in Flushing? After two consecutive losing seasons and questions about who will be where in the lineup, Collins certainly has a huge task. Expectations for the Mets to contend in 2011 are very slim with limited payroll flexibility, and probably no significant additions to the roster.

The new manager immediately said he wants to win. He emphasized speed on the bases and mentioned how important it was for Carlos Beltran and Jason Bay to stay healthy.  Previous manager Jerry Manuel knew how important that was, but for Collins to see success it will require more than Beltran and Bay playing at full strength.

“I want to win, and there is no doubt in my mind we have the talent to win,” said the 61-year old Collins, an intense and competitive individual who expects nothing more than winning. He reminds you of a general leading his troops to war. A veteran baseball man with expertise coming back to the dugout after an 11-year hiatus should not be an issue.

Collins knows the game, so adjusting to a new situation, in the big city will be the question. Can he handle a losing situation?  Time will tell because Collins will always have a skeptical past to his resume after dismissing himself from his managerial duties with the California Angels with 29 games remaining in 1999.

But that had no bearing on the decision to bring him on board. He beat out Mets homegrown favorite Wally Backman, third base coach Chip Hale, and minor league instructor Bob Melvin who had the previous managerial background to lead.

“We believe Terry’s knowledge of our players, intensity and direct approach will make an immediate, positive impact both in the clubhouse and on the field,” said new General Manager Sandy Alderson.

There is also intensity that comes with Collins. An emotional man in the dugout when he piloted the Houston Astros before the Angels, and perhaps what his predecessor Jerry Manuel could not do, Collins will be able to. That is bringing the intensity and fire to the Mets clubhouse.

Though we can’t put the entire blame on Manuel’s personality and Collins will inherit most of the mess that Manuel had to work with. Luis Castillo with the big contract, probably no way Oliver Perez gets traded, and if the Mets can’t eat the remaining $36 million of his contract, Collins may have to put him back on the mound. And he has to deal with a controversial closer Francisco Rodriguez who is coming off thumb surgery and a legal issue of assault.

An immediate impact will be on the youngsters that Collins knows well. He served as the Mets minor league field coordinator this past season and is familiar with Ruben Tejada, Ike Davis and Josh Thole.  No doubt Alderson and the new Mets regime, all familiar with Alderson, took that into consideration when they hired their new manager.

What Mets fans will see is a more intense and feisty individual, something Manuel lacked. There will be no laugh in the pre and post game meetings with members of the media that symbolized Manuel during his tenure as manager. Collins is straight to the point and on a mission to try and turn things around at Citi Field.

“I really hope that when we get together as a team in spring training that the lines of communication open up,” stated Collins. “They have to be open on a daily basis and the players have to realize my passion for the game and my passion for excellence.”

Time will tell how the Terry Collins managerial reign will unfold. “We want to be the last team standing net October,” said Collins who definitely has proved to have a passion for the game.

A bold statement for sure, and an experienced leader who immediately took charge as a new era has officially started at Citi Field.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

That statement alone described what Martinez has now achieved. A 35-year old champion that HBO Sports believed had potential, and a crafty fighter that Dibella felt could be better than former champions under his wing such as Bernard Hopkins and Kelly Pavlik.

And now Martinez, who earned a career high $1.5 million against Williams, is ready for the culmination of a successful career. Three fights left in him, probably at 154 and maybe a matchup with either Miguel Cotto or even eight-time division champion Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“I was mentally prepared for this,” said a jubilant Martinez about the KO, described now as knockout of the year. Hours later at a post fight victory dinner, upstairs at the Caesars Atlantic City Café Roma, Martinez was congratulated  by family, friends, members of his stable and of course Dibella who organized the gathering.

It was a rematch of their first bout that took place at Boardwalk Hall last December. Then Martinez moved up in weight. In that anticipated bout both fighters hit the canvas in the first round with Martinez losing a controversial and close 12-round decision.

But the only knockdown in this fight was the knockout of the year in boxing delivered by Martinez. It had the Boardwalk Hall crowd stunned when Martinez delivered a quick left hook to the jaw of Williams with the stoppage coming at 1:10 of round 2.

“We had it prepared and went through a lot of hard work to do that,” said Martinez in the ring wearing a customary victory crown.”I did not what the judges’ to rob me this time,” referring to the decision last December that many thought he should have had.

“One of the top three fighters in the world,” claimed Dibella about his champion. And there will be no argument about that putting Martinez in a category with Pacquiao and Mayweather.  Those could be possible future opponents for the middleweight champion, or a unification bout with Dmitry Pirog.

Martinez seeking redemption came out strong in the first round and used a good left to the body of Williams. “I was waiting for him to make a mistake,” he said about the knockout that put Williams on the canvas. The round and a half of boxing saw 56 combined connected punches of which 52 were power shots.

“We’ll fight anyone,” commented Dibella. “Let’s face it, it’s about the money.” Fights with either Mayweather or Pacquiao will guarantee big money, though the boxing fans still anticipates Pacquiao facing Mayweather that would determine who indeed is the best pound-for-pound fighter.

If there were doubts about Martinez they are now over. Before the fight he was once again the underdog, and as champion the respect was not granted when he entered the ring before the challenger Williams. His commanding win over Pavlik earlier this year and the big knockout punch Saturday night will earn him fighter of the year honors.

“I want to listen to all offers and see what comes my way, but for now I will go home and rest,” said Martinez (46-2-2, 25KO’s) of Quilmes Argentina and residing in Oxnard California. “

And now the offers will come in, because the boxing world with this stunning knockout knows that Sergio Martinez is one of the best. He also has the right guy in his corner, Dibella.

“Martinez’s speed and power in a middleweight, one of the best I ever saw,” said Dibella who has seen his share over the years as a boxing executive with HBO and as a successful promoter.

Indeed Sergio Martinez has proved he is one of the best three fighters in the world with more to come.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

Pacquiao out punched Cotto from the fourth round on, and like he has done with previous opponents he used speed and power to his advantage/. Pacquiao also becomes the first seven-time division champion and up next is a potential lucrative pay day with the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr.

“The strategy of the fight was to take time and not hurry,” said Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38KO’s). “We were very careful in the early rounds,” he said as Cotto tried all he could to use his devastating left hook that had little impact on Pacquiao.  “Im trying to test his power in the early rounds that’s why I wanted to get hit in the body and the head,” he said.

Pacquiao also used good strategy against Cotto that his trainer Freddie Roach preached in their intense training camp. “I was looking for a knockdown shot, he said. “That’s why I didn’t throw a lot of punches. That’s why in the last seconds, I threw the good right hook.   I kept pressuring him and was very careful of his counter.”

But the counter never seemed to work for Cotto. After the fourth round it was all Pacquiao who knocked down Cotto with a left hook in the third round, and he knocked Cotto down again late in the fourth round as Cotto advanced to him.

The first four rounds reminded many about the Hagler-Hearns wars of the 1980’s with Cotto and Pacquiao trading and taking some punches, but Pacquiao was able to do more and took command of the fight after that. It was all Pacquiao, who led on all of the judges scorecards as it appeared Cotto took the first round and he barely won the fifth with some good counter punching.

“We were trying our best to try and knock him out because that is what my trainer said,” commented Pacquiao. But Cotto with a swollen face and blood flowing form his nose, with cuts showed his pride and determination by refusing to quit. His trainer Joe Santiago thought about stopping the fight earlier but saw that his fighter had the ability to continue,

“I thought in the 11th round they were going to stop the fight.  I was surprised,” said Pacquiao about the fight not being stopped sooner. Pacquiao also said that he would not consider moving up in weight class again. “154 is too big for me,” he said.

On a possible fight with Mayweather, a name the sold old crowd at the MGM Arena started to chant, Pacquiao said “My job is to fight in the ring and that depends on my promoter Arum (Bob) to negotiate that fight.”It was a hard fight. Cotto is a tough opponent,” he said.,

A battered and defeated Cotto (34-2 27 Ko’s) will take some time and think about his options. His last fight back in June he barley defeated Joshua Clottey at Madison Square Garden in New York City. “You don’t have to tell me anything,” he said, “Its part of my job. I’m pretty proud of what I have done in the ring.”

He added, “ I did not protect myself from the punches   I fought everybody  Miguel Cotto came to fight all the big names and Manny is one of the best of all time.”   And about his trainer stopping the fight earlier, Cotto said, “I told Joe to stop the right when the round was over,,” he commented about the 11^th,” but I think better it was my decision.   I will continue fighting.”

Now fight fans await the negotiations. Roach wants Mayweather and Arum will have a rough time at the table because Mayweather is an adversary. “I said we were going to break him down and we did,” said Roach about Cotto.” Manny put pressure down and early in the fight he was assessing Miguel’s power.”

MORE TO COME     e-mail Rich Mancuso Ring786@aol.com

Main Events, promoter of Gatti, had an appropriate tribute to their late champion staging a six-bout boxing card, video tributes and proclamations including a street in Atlantic City now named Arturo Gatti,   His last nine fights were at Convention Hall on the boardwalk and Gatti fights hold a record of drawing over 100,000 fans.

“When he went to war he went to war,” said Steve Martinez about Gatti. The resident of Castle Hill, a New York City Golden Gloves champion, opened the evening with a second round TKO over Stanley Harvey and set the tone for a great evening in honor of Gatti, the champion who had some of his legendary fights on the boardwalk.

Martinez, a light middleweight is now 2-0 as a professional after his latest win. He quickly disposed his opponent with a left hook. “It was an honor to open the show and have a knockout,” said Martinez who saw the three Gatti-Mickey Ward fights on video.

The Gatti-Ward fights became a historic trilogy in the sport and cemented Gatti’s legacy that will eventually be rewarded with Hall of Fame status.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com .