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With the summer almost over and the number of professional fight cards being hosted in this area nearing an all time low, there hasn't been much of an opportunity to do a monthly top 10 list. Since the last one put together back in March, some fighters have made the most of limited opportunities while others dropped the ball . At the moment, Philly's local circuit seems to have quite a few young fighters who are on the verge of, or, are already stepping out into some deeper waters. Some are traveling into others backyards and winning, some are cleaning house locally and need to move further to help expand their game, others are very talented but the performance has been sub-par. The best point of this is that the ones who are stepping up are doing it against others who are around the same stages of their career and not being thrown to the wolves for fights they are not ready for. While the names on this list might be more recognizable at the moment, there is a nice crop of new guys who have recently arrived on the scene and have goals of getting their name in the mix. Though they haven't reached the 5 fight requirement just yet, many are on the doorstep and ready to brody their way in. This month, top has stayed the same but we could have big changes in the near future. The bottom half has changed dramatically. For those of you who are new to this list, the rules are simple. THIS IS NOT A LIST OF PHILLY BORN FIGHTERS WHO COMPETE AROUND THE WORLD!!! I occasionally put out national top 10's that include our world class fighters like Bernard Hopkins, Steve Cunningham's etc etc. This is for the fighters who regularly compete at venues that reside in the city of Philadelphia or surrounding areas. These are the guys that Big Al from the auto shop or Pete from the water department will end up seeing fight live after they buy a ticket to the fights after a long week of work. This list is for the fighters who keep the sport alive on a local level and keep Philly's name on the map as a city that produces "a fighters' fighter". Also this isn't exactly based on who is the most talented overall or who has the most potential in the long run. This is more based on recent work which factors in activity, professionalism, quality of fights and more. To gain consideration, a fight must have a minimum of 5 professional bouts with the majority of them within the Philly area. Without further ado, I give you my opinion on Philly's top 10 for August of 2008! |
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| 1. |
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The time has come and on August 29th at The New Alhambra, Mt. Airy's Mike
Jones will get his first crack at championship gold when he takes on
Brazil's Juliano Ramos for the NABA Welterweight title. This title shot
comes on the heels for a tremendous one sided hyding he gave to
Chicago's Gilbert Venegas over 8 rounds. The track has been a bit
streamlined for the crown jewel of Peltz Boxing Promotions stable and
Jones has responded well when put in against much more experienced
competition. There have been concerns about Jones having hand problems
but Jones personally informed me that they feel great and he is ready
for this fight. Since turning pro in 2005, Jones has been thrilling
crowd with his hard knockout wins and rapid development into a complete
fighter which in turn has made him quite possibly the areas biggest
draw. So go buy your ticket now, Philly's top prospect making that next
big step in a career that many hope will reach world class status.
Last Month Ranking #1 |
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| 2. |
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Following up on a January return to the ring from a two year layoff due to
promotional issues, South Philly's Rasheem Brown went on to the the PA
State Super Middleweight title in an April fight against Jameel Wilson
in what was a candidate for fight of the year. Brown has been idle since
then for unknown reasons but not too long ago all indications pointed
towards Brown staying active after signing the deal with Power
Productions. So will the state title sit on the shelf and collect dust
and will Commissioner Sirb step in to keep it in rotation? His last two
opponents have suffered very bad losses in matches following their bout
with Brown. Did The Untouchable ruin their careers or did he face them
at the right time when their skills were already declining? When Brown
is in the ring, he is a hard hitting crowd pleaser. His experience is
better than most as he has traveled the country, fought and left a
winner. Now he is back in Philly where he have some really tough
fighters campaigning at the 168 lb mark. He could set a new standard by
defending the title against other local tough fighters like Omar
Pittman, Dhafir Smith or even down the line, possibly Dennis Hasson. Last Month Ranking - # 2 |
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| 3. |
"Hammerin'" Hank
Lundy |
Hammerin' Hank is quickly becoming must see TV as his last two fights were
televised live on ESPN 2 Friday Night Fights and both times being the best two-way action bout of the evening. Both fights had a touch
of controversy around them as one ended in a draw and the other was a
slim win for Lundy despite suffering two knockdowns, though he did
return the favor in that fight. Some say he clearly won both, other
disagree in the other direction on both decisions. Regardless of your
stance, he is always in a good fight and the TV networks have seemed to
take a liking to the South Philly fighter which could lead to more
opportunities. His next fight has not been announced yet, there was
chatter of a rematch on ESPN or a possible ShoBox date though it hasn't
seemed to have gone through yet. Stay posted because Hammer Time could
some to a station in your TV soon! Last Month Ranking # 3 |
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| 4. |
Teon "The Technician" Kennedy |
Teon Kennedy stamped his name in the book of world featherweight prospect
in July when he blew through the previously undefeated Thomas Snow of
Baltimore with a 2nd round KO. This seems to mark a steady rise in the
competition for the North Philly representative after a few early gimmes as in his previous bout he convincingly beat
solid journeyman Castulo Gonzalez
at The New Alhambra in an 8 round decision. Rumors are swirling that
Kennedy could be in the mix for a USBA title shot in the very near
future. Locally the debate what started to rage, who is the best smaller
guy in town, Teon Kennedy or Eric
"Outlaw" Hunter? Now that could make for a VERY good main event
somewhere down the line. Last Month Ranking # 4
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| 5. |
"King" Gabriel Rosado Middleweight 10-2, 6ko's
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What a run it has been for the Badlands Gabby Rosado. After 8 months on the
promotional bench, he
became a free agent then returned for a torrid 6 week stretch which saw him avenge a loss by quick knockout,
easily decision a solid journeyman and travel to NYC to beat the
previously undefeated big ticket seller James Moore live on ESPN2's
Wednesday Night Fights. This is one of the best runs for a local
prospect in recent memory and has earned his his first slot on the
Philly top 10. Unfortunately, word is that after this hot streak the
phones have gotten kind of quiet since no one seems to want to risk a
fight against Rosado. That's the situation now but things change fast in
this game so something could come up very soon. The way Rosado has been
fighting, you can bet on him being ready to put the past behind him and
fulfill the potential many talked about since he turned pro just over 2
years ago. Last Month Ranking # unranked
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| 6. |
Tyric "Too Sweet" Robinson |
After a major slip up at The Legendary Blue Horizon in January, Tyric
"Too Sweet" Robinson, who doubles as a correctional officer
inside the Philly prisons, bounced back in a big way in April by taking a hard
fought and very entertaining unanimous decision win over Lenny DeVictoria to take a regional portion of
the USBA Junior Welterweight title. It's a classic case of rising up to
the level of your competition. Prior to his goof up against the
anonymous Jason Jordan, Robinson won a 2007 fight of the year finalist
against Utah's Chris Fernandez, a fighter who has recently done some
very good work on recent ESPN broadcasts. When Too Sweet is in with someone who can
fight, it is always worth watching. It is getting close to the time for
Robinson to do some traveling and get a bit of TV exposure. No word
just yet on when his first title defense will be. Hopefully from here on
out the level of competition will be at a higher standard than at times
in the past. Reminder: Too Sweet vs. someone good = a good fight. Too
Sweet vs. bum = danger.
Last Month Ranking # unranked
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| 7. |
Eric "Outlaw" Hunter
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The Outlaw is slick, he can be cocky in the ring and now, he is back in
town and looking sharp. Many have taken notice, especially after his
masterful display in a 3rd round KO win over the previously undefeated
Jules Blackwell at The Legendary Blue Horizon back in June. Considered
by some to be a world class talent, inactivity has been a problem in his
young career since turning pro after a long and successful amateur
career. It looks like that is about to change as Hunter wasted no time
returning to action when he beat traveled veteran Robert Deluz in a very
one sided 8 round decision on August 1st. So, as mentioned earlier, the
rage debates who is the best of the smaller guys in our town, Eric
Hunter or Teon Kennedy? The first order of business for the Outlaw
might be to settle the score of being out dueled by a ruffian named
Carlos Vinan last January at The New Alhambra. Regardless, West Philly's
Hunter is definitely a fighter to keep an eye on.
Last Month Ranking # unranked |
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| 8. |
Mark "Oaktree" Brown |
Through no fault of his own, Salem, NJ's Mark "Oaktree" Brown slides down the rankings a little bit due to others getting hot. Call it a victim of circumstance. Oaktree's last fought in May where he knocked out veteran Ralph West in two rounds in his hometown of Salem, NJ. He has become a fan favorite with his wrestler like antics outside of the ring and his big punch inside of it. That flogging right hand was on display big time two fights ago when Oaktree battered Kevin Hood scoring three huge knockdowns in the 1st scoring a knockout win back in January. At 39 years old with a very good record, it is getting close to the time to step up the competition. Oaktree probably still needs a few more warm up bouts before seeing what he has against the rest of the world. A lot of fans are saying that a match up against John Poore would be a great start. | ||||||||||||
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| 9. |
Gee Cullmer |
North Philly's Gee Cullmer retains his slot in the top ten list with a
narrow split decision win over known spoiler Mustapha Johnson at the
Blue Horizon in his last outing. It wasn't pretty but once again Gee got
the job done in his usual workman like manner. It looks like we can see
Cullmer jumping up to co-feature status on the September card at The
Legendary Blue Horizon. No opponent has been announced just yet and
there are soem rumors of Gee dropping down to around the 154 lb division
so it will be interesting to see what happens. Might not be a bad move,
while he holds his own at the 160 lb mark, if dropping the weight
doesn;t sap too much energy we could see an increase in power which in
turn could result in an increase in rating. Last Month Rank - #7
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| 10. |
 Latif Mundy Jr. Middleweight 8 - 0 (3ko's) |
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On August 28th North Philly's Latif Mundy has a real fight on his hands
and it could be one that rockets him up the rankings if he gets a
convincing win. It is also a fight that he could lose. The 2005 Golden
Gloves champs next assignment is will be his first opportunity to
co-feature on his promoter Russell Peltz
home turf, The New Alhambra as he takes on former participant of The
Contender series Rudy Cisneros who is a former Olympian and has won
his last three fights by KO.
It's been a little while since we have seen Latif Mundy in the ring as he
has only fought one in the past 9 months but that one was fight enough
to save his spot on this list. In May, he took on the well regarded
George Rivera in Monroeville, PA for a fight televised around the world on Telefutura
and looked very sharp, leaving Rivera unable to answer the bell after
the 4th round. It is a very interesting fight and will
serve as a nice test for Mundy who many have high hopes for in the
future. Last Month Ranking # 9
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Honorable mentions – Steve Chambers, Ran Nakash, Larry Robinson, Derek Ennis, Jules Blackwell, Lenny DeVictoria, |
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Copyright © 2004 Philly Keith Sports
