Ferguson Claims WBCTitle
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Hard Knocks PromotionsKalispell, Montana |
Adding his tenth consecutive knockout win, undefeated Pacific Northwest cruiserweight Patrick Ferguson (10-0, 10 KOs) claimed his first title belt on Saturday night at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell, Montana, stopping journeyman Damon Reed (48-20, 32 KOs) to claim the vacant WBC US (USNBC) 200-pound championship. Ferguson controlled the fight throughout, scoring six knockdowns before the fight was called. The fight was the main event of a seven bout pro-am card organized by Hard Knocks Fight Promotions.
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Ferguson fires his leftWelliver and Ferguson celebrate the belt
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Uhde connects with the right |
In the semi-main event of the card, popular local fighter Jesse Uhde (9-4, 3 KOs) had to dig deep to pull out a six round decision win over Spokane’s Jacob Ruffin (1-11-2). Uhde set an aggressive pace early on, pressing forward with one-twos and landing the heavier punches in close. Ruffin used his lateral movement more effectively early in the second round, shooting from range and maneuvering away from much of Uhde’s offense. Late in the round, though, Uhde cut the distance and worked well in close with the heavier blows.
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Local Jr. welterweight Jaime Miranda (2-1, 2 KOs) claimed his second professional win, stopping Dennis Creason (0-1) in the second round. Miranda was the aggressor in the first round, landing the harder and cleaner shots. In the second, Miranda dropped Creason with a right hand-left hook pairing. Creason made it up, but was quickly sent back down with a left hook. Referee Ford Jones called it at 2:06 of the round. |
Miranda unloads on Creason |
Guzman unloads on Braxton |
Kalispell's Kenny Guzman (4-1, 1 KO) rebounded from his lone pro defeat suffered last month to former Olympian Michael Conlan, scoring a near shut-out win over Atlanta’s Gabriel Braxton (2-19, 1 KO) in a four round featherweight bout. Guzman took control from the start, working off his jab and moving in and out of the pocket with quick combinations. Braxton found some success in the first round with a few right-hand counters, but by the second Guzman was covering up well between flurries and picking up the tempo. Guzman appeared to be fully in his groove in the third and continued to dominate the fight into the fourth with well-timed barrages in the pocket. He pressed hard for the knockout late in the last round after buckling his opponent’s knees with a clean left hook, but Braxton proved to be tough competitor, hanging in and finishing the fight on his feet. Two judges scored all four rounds for Guzman at 40-36, with the last seeing it 39-37. |
Scoring his first win in eleven fights, Bakersfield, California's Tavorus Teague (4-17-2, 3 KOs) scored a mild upset over Spokane’s Sean Quinnett (3-3, 2 KOs), stoppng him in the second round. Quinnett had a good start in the first round, pushing his opponent back with one-twos out of a southpaw stance, but Teague slowly worked his way into the fight, finding success with lead straight rights. He stepped up his pace in the second round and began to consistently find his mark with hard and precise combinations. Mid-way through the round he pushed Quinnett back to the ropes with a heavy barrage, cornering him and sending him down with a series of vicious right hands. Teague continued his assault after the mandatory eight-count and, after a sustained rally went unanswered by Quinnett, referee Ford Jones stepped in and called it. The end came at 2:36 of the second round. The bout took place in the welterweight division. |
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Reed (left) loads up the right |
Two amateur fights kicked off the card. Kalispell's Taylor Reed shut-out Marshall Sutherland to take a decision win in a three round cruiserweight match-up. Reed proved to be the more skilled fighter, using an effective jab to set up his power punches. Late in the third Reed cornered Sutherland and unloaded with a barrage, prompting referee Ford Jones to issue a standing eight-count. The final tallies read 30-26 and 30-27 twice. |
In the first fight of the night, Mozi Gerber defeated Julian Bonbrest by split decision in a three round welterweight scrap. Bonbrest had a good first round, using his jab to set up effective power shots, but Gerber picked up his aggression in the second round and out-landed his opponent down the stretch. One judges scored the fight for Bonbrest at 30-27 with the other two seeing it 29-28 for Gerber. |
Gerber and Bonbrest trade in close |
No night would be complete without the Ring Card Girls |
Hard Knocks Fight Promotions’ had a good-sized crowd in attendance, with patrons showing up in full Halloween attire. The promotion is looking at holding their next show possibly in December. |