Battle Star XX September 22 2004

Battle Star XX September 22 2004

Event was held at Ameristar Casino in Kansas City.

Review by Mark Graves

A nice return to boxing at Ameristar as the Battle Star series returned after a sixth month layoff. There were two TKO's and three decisions along with a TKO kickboxing bout on the card.

Aaron Drake (2-0) vs. Isiac Nelson (1-1)

Aaron easily won the first round. He dictated the action and landed a good Left/Right combination to the body. Both fighters landed a clean power shot in the first. The second round saw the end of the fight as Drake got Nelson against the ropes and hit him until he went down for an eight count. After the count, Drake again pummeled Nelson until he went down and his corner waived the white towel. Aaron Drake with a TKO victory at 0:54 of the second round.

Jeremy Shuey (0-0) vs. Isaiah Henderson (7-2)

A slow first round as Isaiah switched from a conventional stance to lefty. Jeremy was unable to reach Isaiah in the first. Round two was slow again as Isaiah chose to keep his distance. More action in the third as Henderson turned up the heat. The fourth was a bit slow until the last thirty seconds of the round when Henderson landed a good body punch. It hurt Jeremy and Isaiah noticed it. Isaiah moved in and began throwing punches to the body. A Left Hook to the body followed by a Straight Right to the stomach knocked Shuey down for an eight count as the bell sounded. Jeremy did beat the eight count so to the scorecards: 40-35, 40-34, and 40-36 all going to Henderson.

Nate Zeikle (11-4) vs. Justice Brown (0-2)

This fight looked to be a mismatch on paper with an 11-2 vs. 0-2. Well, that is why they make them fight. Very close first round as Justice was able to land a good Left Jab and some combinations while Nate landed some power shots and Jabs as well. It was an action packed second round as Justice unloaded body shots that hurt Nate. Nate never went down but was obviously troubled. The second round easily goes to Justice. Brown came out cautious in the third round until he landed a beautiful Left Hook to the body (I don't think it was low) that really hurt Nate. Justice saw this and began a barrage that did not stop until the ref stepped in to stop the fight for a TKO victory at 1:29. I think if Nate had taken a knee for an eight count, he might have been able regroup.

Josh Luteran (1-0) vs. John Vaughan (1-0)

Both fighter attempted to establish their jab in the first with John doing a better job. Josh controlled the early part of the second round but John landed a good Straight Right late. I gave the round to Josh because he controlled more of the round. Major power by both in the third round with John getting the better of it. What was happening was that John would hit and move while Josh would hit and be there to be hit back. The fourth round was dominated by Vaughan as he landed heavy shot after heavy shot. The first knockdown of the round came as Josh was coming in off balance and got hit by a short left. He was not hurt at this point. This gave John more confidence and this time a legitimate Right Cross landed for another eight count. The ref stopped the fight after John knocked Josh down for a third time at 2:04 of the fourth round. Even as Josh was getting hit hard, he continue to try to land his power. Unfortunately for him, not enough of them did land while many of John's did.

Mary Ortega. (24-1-1) vs. Leslie McNamara (0-3)

This was a surprisingly interesting fight. An active first round with Mary controlling throughout. It was a close second round with Leslie landing many Over Hand Rights and Mary landed a Left/Right to the body followed by a Left Hook to the head. Another action packed round in the third with Leslie landing early and Mary lading late. I gave the round to Mary. It was a fantastic fourth round as both fighters traded blows this time Mary used a Right Upper Cut to gain control of the round. Now to the scorecards: 40-36, 40-36, and 39-37 to Mary Ortega.

Priest Smalls (16-7-1) vs. Alvin Brown (23-6)

This was for the NABO Featherweight Title. It was a feeling out period in the first as both fighters attempted to land haymakers with none of them landing. Alvin had a nice attack with Priest against the ropes to earn a close first round. A close second round with Smalls earning it with a strong Over Hand Right. The third was a toss-up for me with not too many punched landed despite plenty being thrown. A quality fourth round going to Priest due to three Straight Right Hands one of which slightly buckled Brown. Alvin came back in the fifth round and earned the round with a short Right Upper Cut. Another close round in the sixth with Alvin landing an Over Hand Right to earn the round. It was toss-up seventh round for me as most punches were blocked or missed. Priest definitely gets eighth round due to three Over Hand Rights, one Right Upper Cut, and one short Right Hand all of which scored. I had the ninth a toss-up as the flurry at the end did nothing to decide the round in my eyes. Priest earned the tenth round with a late Over Hard Right. Priest definitely gets the eleventh round with with more Over Hand Rights. I felt the twelfth was again a toss-up. For me, that makes it five rounds for Priest, three rounds for Alvin, and four toss-up rounds. Here is what the real judges thought: 118-110, 119-109, and 118-110 for an unpopular unanimous decision for Priest Smalls.