Keys Wins in Main Event

August 3, 2019

Steve Forbes and 2 Pound Sports in Portland, Oregon

Antonio Neal and Andres Keys met in 2016 in a bout in which Keys walked away with the unanimous decision win. Since then Keys has gone on to win eight bouts while Neal has suffered a sting of losses interrupted by a solitary win and a draw. That might lead a causal fight fan to figure that Keys would have an easy go with Neal. that was certainly not the case.

The opening round was what a fight fan hopes to see in an evenly contested bout. Both men fought well. Neal attacked Keys' body; Keys patiently waited to land a heavy shot. Neal moved about the ring in order to create angles advantageous to his body assault. Neal had a solid second round as he was the busier of the two. He threw a number of body shots while Keys was able to find openings to throw some heavy shots that caught Neal as he moved forward.

Keys opened up his attack in the third and early in the round he caught Neal with a solid right to the head that stunned Neal. Keys then backed Neal across the ring and landed a thundering right to the body that dropped Neal to the canvas. Neal rose, and though a bit tenuous after the shot, finished the round strong. Neal showed that he had recovered in the fourth round as he went back to work throwing punches at Keys' body. As the round drew to a close, Keys landed heavy shots to Neal's head and body.

The fifth round was also close. Neal kept Keys moving about the ring and that made it more difficult for Keys to land solid shots. Each man worked the other's body, but it was keys that landed the more solid shots. The sixth round was also close. Neal kept walking towards Keys, applying pressure and targeting Keys' body. Keys was able to land shots to Neal's head, but they only slowed Neal's attack.

After six rounds two judges scored the bout 59-54, the third scored it 58-55, all in favor of Andre Keys, who would again capture the unanimous decision win over Antonio Neal.

Body work was the dominant factor in the fight

Keys' right caught Neal's chin

Johnson lands a left to Fernandez's body.

Chris Johnson brought his unbeaten record in to the ring to face William Fernandez, a man looking for his first win. Fernandez had been in against some tough competition, and though he has improved with each fight, his opponents have not been easy marks.

Johnson used the opening round to establish a pattern for the four round fight. That was that he would throw more punches and out quick Fernandez. Fernandez covered well to avoid suffering any early damage, and he moved to create distance, making Johnson's assault more difficult. Johnson landed his jab quite often to establish the difference in the round. In the second round Johnson added his right to the jab and in so doing he was able to land with both hands. Fernandez fought well in close, firing body shots that caught the lanky Johnson.

Johnson continued to out punch Fernandez in the third. He moved Fernandez across the ring, threw shots with both hands and blocked what Fernandez threw. While Fernandez did show the ability to block punches, he cloud not block everything Johnson threw. The final round was a good round for Fernandez as he was able to land some punches to Johnson's body. However, Johnson was still throwing at a much higher rate and many of his punches landed solidly.

After four rounds all three judges scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Chris Johnson who would remain unbeaten behind the unanimous decision.

There are times when the matchmaker probably knows more about the fight and the way a decision could go than the fan looking at records and past performances. Daquan Wyatt entered the ring to face Andres Abarca sporting a run of three wins by TKO. Abarca came in with a record of one win and two losses, and his last loss was to a fighter that had not won a fight.

The first round was one that saw a few shifts in momentum. It was close because each man was able to land shots behind his jab. Abarca kept his left hand in Wyatt's face, and that created just enough distance for Abarca to control moments of action. Wyatt picked his moments to attack, and when he stepped in tight he was able to land some heavy shots. The second round was close as both men chose to fight in tight. Abarca gained an edge early in close quarters as threw shots to the body, then Wyatt closed the round landing body shots and occasionally throwing to Abarca's head.

The third round saw the men doing a lot of holding. The referee talked to them about it and warned them, telling them to box out of the close fighting. Wyatt was more aggressive in the round as he was able to keep pressure on Abarca and land more punches. In the final round, as Wyatt lost his mouthpiece for the third time, the referee called time and took a point from Wyatt. The men returned to doing a lot of holding, and as such there were fewer punches that were thrown or landed. While Wyatt threw more punches in the round, he did not connect as solidly as he had earlier. Abarca also found it more difficult to land in close.

After four round one judge scored the fight 38-37for Wyatt, the other two scored the bout 38-37 for Abarca who would jubilantly claim the split decision win.

Abarca's overhand right would catch Wyatt

Gomez would land a left that dropped King

William Hernandez Gomez had a quite solid amateur career, so it was no surprise when he decided to step up to the professional ranks. Ian King splits his time between boxing and MMA, though he has had a tough time as a boxer.

The action was good and closely contested in the opening moments of the first round. Both men threw solid shots, and both men connected with those shots. Then, nearing the forty second mark, the tide began to shift. Gomez landed a hard right hand to King's head that stunned King. Gomez followed that up by pushing King towards the ropes where he landed a solid right to King's body and followed that with a left that landed heavy to King's head and dropped him to the canvas. King rose, though his legs were wobbling, and the referee, after administering the count, allowed the fight to continue. Gomez jumped on King, battering him to the corner behind a flurry of punches, forcing the referee to step in and call an end to the bout.

Gomez would claim the TKO win at 1:01 of the first round in his professional debut. And at the end of the evening, Gomez would be named the Fighter of the Night.

Michael Fernandez and DeJon Corley opened the night in a four round welterweight bout. Corley was making his professional debut. Fernandez entered the ring with a loss in his only other professional bout, and that came three years ago.

There appeared to be little ring rust around Fernandez in the opening round. He was quite busy behind his right hand and he kept the pressure on Corley through the round. Corley showed an ability to counter punch early in the round but he did not maintain that throughout. Fernandez kept up the pressure attack in the second round, throwing a lot of rights at Corley's body. Corley moved well to avoid getting tagged with solid shots, he did not throw enough punches to slow Fernandez's attack.

Fernandez continued to apply pressure in the third round as he threw a number of punches at Corley's body. Early in the round Corley was able to answer, but too often he threw only single shots. Corley had a solid final round as he was able to create some distance and land his right. However, Fernandez continued to come forward, and that pressure proved to make a difference in the round.

After four rounds all four judges agreed and score the bout 40-36 in favor of Fernandez who would tally his first win as a professional.

Fernandez lands the left to Corley's chin

Steve '2Pound' Forbes and Demarcus 'Chop Chop' Corley faced each other in an exhibition bout - a return to the old days of boxing

There was a time when exhibition bouts offered the crowd a chance to see how fighters trained, and how they honed their skills. Forbes and Corley treated the crowd to such an event.

A young Corley son showed some boxing skill shadow boxing and the working the mitts with his father

Keeping it classy and involving the crowd: the Ring Card Girl

2Pound Sports and Entertainment staged their fourth successful event. At left, Steve '2Pound' Forbes, Christina Lunzman and Demarcus 'Chop Chop' Corley.

Look for 2Pound Sports and Entertainment to return to action in February of 2020 - mark your calendars and keep track of what they plan by following them on Facebook and Instagram at 2Pound Sports and Entertainment.