by Fox Doucette
There is a verse in the Bible. Habakkuk 1:5. It states “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” After watching tonight’s Friday Night Fights card on ESPN2, one could be forgiven for thinking the judges at ringside were having a religious experience if the scorecards on the main even were to be believed.
Kenny Galarza (15-1, 14 KO) should be down on his knees thanking God for the rescue he got tonight. Ten lackluster rounds against Irving Garcia (17-7-3, 8 KO), during which Galarza, previously regarded as a knockout puncher and slugger, moved his hands like he had cinder blocks on them, but with none of the attendant power that simile implies. Garcia was brutally efficient, sticking his jab in Galarza’s face, landing well-chosen power shots that snapped the prospect’s head back repeatedly, and generally having a merry old time of it keeping his opponent, by all appearances, afraid.
Which is what this comes down to. Kenny Galarza hasn’t been the same since he got exposed on FNF last year against Brad Solomon. Under the TV lights he now has one wide unanimous decision loss and one questionable split decision win. The judges at ringside had it 94-96, 96-94, 97-94 for Galarza, but Teddy Atlas had it 95-95 and The Boxing Tribune had it 97-94 in favor of Garcia. The reaction of the fans at the arena pretty clearly shows the wisdom of scoring this fight for Galarza; the boos were many and merciless when Tom Treiber announced the decision in the ring. Galarza’s camp needs to teach him how to fight on television, because right now he looks like a shrinking violet rather than a power puncher.
In the co-feature, we got to see a prime example of another Bible verse in action, namely 2 Samuel 1:27: “How the mighty have fallen! How the weapons of war have perished!” DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley (37-18-1, 22 KO) may have been a champion at one point in his career, his fists dangerous weapons of war, but the once-mighty fighter has fallen to the level of an opponent for up-and-coming fighters, his weapons of war mere shadows of their former selves.
The Amalekite on Mount Gilboa tonight? None other than Thomas Dulorme (12-0, 10 KO), who is Exhibit A of how best to manage a prospect’s career when he is on the rise. Dulorme already knocked out journeyman litmus test Harrison Cuello on the Berto/Ortiz undercard, and today he took down another litmus test in easy fashion. After a straight-and-true counter punch dropped Corley in the third round, all it took was for the Puerto Rico native to keep the former champion on his back foot for the remaining seven rounds. All three judges at ringside had the bout 99-90, as did Teddy Atlas; this writer had it 100-89, the point of contention being the first round. At any rate, it was an impressive win for the up-and-comer, who may yet be struck down by a Biblical David, but not on this night.
Galarza’s stage fright was an unfortunate turn of events for the would-be swing fighters tonight, leading to our final Bible verse of the night, a paraphrase of Matthew 27:46: About eleven in the evening the swing fighters cried out in a loud voice, “My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Friday Night Fights heads to Austin, Texas next week as undefeated junior middleweight Fernando Guerrero takes on veteran Grady Brewer in the main event, while the co-feature shows another once-great fighter, Steve Forbes, in against unbeaten prospect Karim Mayfield. That card airs on ESPN2 at 9PM Eastern on Friday, June 17; The Boxing Tribune will bring you a full recap of the night’s action.
Fox Doucette covers Friday Night Fights for The Boxing Tribune. Make him mad and he’ll go Old Testament on you. Got an up-and-coming young amateur prospect training for next year’s Olympic Games in London? Live on the West Coast? Want some feature coverage? If you’re not afraid to have the straight, unvarnished truth told about your fighter, send an email to beatcap@gmail.com and get the word out.
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