By Minnie Larry
March 17, 2016
The Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania set the stage for Premiere Boxing Champions: The Next Round. The event held Friday evening, on March 17, showcased lessor and well known artist as the night’s attraction. From young super welterweights battling it out, in attempt to grow their brands, to veteran heavyweights vying for supremacy of the ring, the Friday night of fights, were performances to remember.
The Main event of the night proved to be the one to watch. 224 pound Travis “My Time” Kaufman (31-2, 23KOs) confronted Amir Mansour (23-2-1, 16KOs). In the first round Kaufman’s commanding right, clipped Mansour, buckling his legs. Later in the 4th round, after a stream of back and forth action, Kaufman would be head-butted. As the fight progressed, the punches thrown by these above-average weight contenders, seemed to be more about survival than about winning. By the 6th, Mansour executed what appeared to be a below-the-belt blow, stunning a gassed Kaufman. In one of the strangest moves of the night, Mansour bent Kaufman to the mat, with a football tackle; that would make any NFL coach proud. The match would go the 12- round distance, with both boxers expensing as much boxing bravado as humanly possible. “The down to death” action ended with Mansour getting the Majority decision win: 114-114, 117-111, and 115-113.
In the most disappointing bout of the night, veteran boxer, Kermit Cintron (39-5-2, 30KOs) faced David Grayton (15-1, 11KOs) in an untamed matchup. While Grayton tried turning the match into a dog-fight, Cintron’s controlled confidence, kept those attempts (in the early rounds) at bay. Grayton tried scrapping in the middle, while 16- year boxing vet, Kermit Cintron, let go of his southpaw skill, evening the matchup. By the 5th round, Grayton’s display of several questionable boxing techniques, led to a 5th round stoppage of a scheduled 10-round matchup. Inside of 1-minute, within the 5th, Grayton would land a thundering blow behind the head of his opponent. Cintron, who had a nearly 2-year layoff, would forego the 5-minute time out, resulting in him not gaining his feet. Soon after the knockdown, Grayton accidently head-butts Cintron, who suffered cuts above both eyes, causing the ring doctor to call the bout. Scores were: 49-46 Cintron, 47-47 x2, Majority draw.
Two super- welterweights answer the call to platform their boxing proficiency, with just a weeks’ notice. Chordale “The Gift” (Booker (6-0, 3KOs) confronted Moshea Aleem (4-1-1 2KOs) in the first 6-rounder of both opponent’s careers. The Brooklyn boxer, by way of Stanford, CT., Booker maintained a strong hold on the bout, sticking to the body and keeping the battle inside. The fight would remain one-sided and Booker retains his undefeated status with a unanimous decision win: 58-56, 55×2
