On Saturday night US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio played host to a Showtime Boxing event for hometown boxer Adrien Broner. The attendance at US Bank Arena was 5,932 which isn’t bad at all for a boxing match.
I personally didn’t get to the arena until before ShoExtreme started, but from the notes I got from my other media members I heard Luis Rosario KO’d Aaron Hollis, Danny Calhoun beat Jamal Woods and Raynell Williams beat Eduardo R. Reyes.
The first fight I got to fully watch was the battle between Jamel Herring and Yakubu Amidu. Herring was very active throughout the fight throwing a lot of jabs even at only landing at a 7% clip. Herring dominated the fight and seemed very calculated with his attack. It was his first time under the bright lights so he might not have been as explosive as he wanted to be, but he will be able to build on his 10 round unanimous decision against Amidu. Herring improved to 14-0 with 8 KO’s.
A few quotes from Herring:
“I knew he was good. I respected what his experience and what he was putting down.
“He made a lot of fights closer than they needed to be. I showed my skill and went the distance with a veteran that had never been down.
“It’s a blessing to showcase my talent on a world stage. I’ve worked hard to get here and good things come to those who wait.”
Robert Easter, Jr. faced Juan R. Solis. This fight was a pure mismatch as Easter threw a lot of combinations to the head and body to get the overmatch Solis out of the ring in the 3rd round. Easter looked good in front of the Ohio crowd as he improved to 16-0 with 13 KO’s. Easter is a guy lightweights need to keep an eye on because he seems to have the tools to be a major factor.
A few quotes from Easter, Jr.:
“I’m so proud to perform in front of my mom. So many fans and friends from Michigan, Northern Ohio, Cincinnati – it’s just a great thing.
“You prepare for the worst in the gym, with these kinds of fights you never know.“With a performance like this, you know you’re onto the next level. I showed that tonight.”
JOSE PEDRAZA
“I won the fight. It was a very tight fight and very hard fight, but I definitely won the fight.
“I was very calm when they were reading the scores because I knew I won. He held me a lot during the fight.
“I started the fight well. In the middle rounds, Cherry connected well and started getting his distance and that worked in his favor.
“I’m very happy. We did a great job and started strong, but Edner had his moments. With my team, we used our intelligence to get the victory. I was able to change my style, switch to southpaw, and Cherry couldn’t handle the left hand.
“If he wants a rematch we’ll give it to him, but he has to wait. I’m the champion so he has to wait. I’m going to stay at 130 and we’ll be off until January.”
EDNER CHERRY
“It was a good fight. I just left it to the judges’ hands. If I knocked him out it wouldn’t be up to the judges. It’s them. That’s the judges. That’s what happens when you leave it to the judges.
“It went 12 rounds so it was up to the judges. I’m not taking anything away from him. It was a good fight.
“I feel I did enough to win, but I wish I had knocked him out and not left it in the hands of the judges.
“He wasn’t as slick as I thought he’d be. I think I hurt him quite a few times.
“It was a good fight I did my best I can do and I’m happy with my performance.
“I would love a rematch. I would love to.”
The main event featured Cincinnati’s own Adrien “The Problem” Broner and Russia’s Khabib Allakhverdiev. Early in the fight we saw a much more active Broner and his speed and defense proved to be too much for Allakhverdiev. Counter punching with straight rights, good body work, a lot of uppercuts were the recipe for success for Broner as Khabib didn’t have an answer for “The Problem”. Broner won via TKO in the 12th round to become a 4x champion. If Broner stays as active against better competition he should get be successful for a while.
A few Broner quotes:
“Honestly, a young guy like me and they just threw me a lot of cash at a young age. It was hard to adjust to the fame, to the lights. After my last fight I said I wasn’t putting my all into it.
“It’s definitely all up to me. After that bell right no one can help me.
“I’m still AB, but this next half of my career I’m going to be about boxing and about billions
“Nothing has changed. I’m comfortable at whatever weight my opponent is comfortable at. But I’m getting wiser, I’m getting older.”