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Clash of the Titans III March 25 2005 Event was held at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. The fans got a total of 27 rounds out of a 6-bout card. There were surprises and match-ups that went as were predictable. This was a high quality card from top to bottom. No one should have left the venue feeling they did not get their money's worth - and that is all you can ask for from any event. Doug Florence (240) vs.
Glen Cusimano (239) Doug Florence(0-1) vs. Glen Cusimano (3-0) In what should have been a blow-out victory for Glen Cusimano, fans were treated to four full rounds and the horror of seeing the local favorite meet the canvas. About a minute into round one, Doug Florence caught Glen Cusimano with an Over-Hand Right to the temple that sent Glen to the canvas. There was a glazed look in his eye on the mat but he managed to get up at the eight count. Glen spent the rest of the round trying to survive. Glen managed to smother Doug enough or hold when necessary to make it to the end of round one. Doug Florence gets a 10-8 round in the first. Glen was able to regain his wits inbetween rounds and make the second round close. I felt however that Doug landed the better shots including another Over-Hand Right. This time though, Glen simply shrugged it off. I gave the second round to Florence. Both fighters were tired in the third and each were warned for holding. Doug spent a lot of time leaning on Glen and Glen attempted to push back but it was draining his strength. Glen was able to close the round out with two good combinations - enough so that I gave the third round to Cusimano. I felt at this point it would take a knock-out or at least two knockdowns for Glen to get a win. Unfortunately for Glen, he did not enough stamina to throw many meaningful punches in the fourth where Doug did land some punches. I gave the fourth round to Doug Florence. Now to the scorecards: 38-37, 38-38, and 39-36 for a Majority Decision to Doug Florence. I am not sure about the closeness of the scores but at least the correct fighter got the hard earned win. Josh Stonebreaker (2-3) vs. Jesse Shewmaker (3-0) One would think by looking simply at the names that a Stonebreaker could beat a Shewmaker - Not so fast. Both fighters came out punching. Josh landed some good jabs while Jesse was missing with haymakers until Jesse landed a Straight Left just as Josh was stepping in and it was system shutdown for Josh Stonebreaker. Jesse Shewmaker with an impressive KO victory at 1:07 of the first round. Mary Ortega (26-2-1) vs. Stephanie Dobbs (12-17-1) Dobbs showed a chin and unwillingness to fall but Ortega was more powerful and more pinpoint with her punches. Action packed first round that really got the crowd going. Mary landed many heavy shots. Stephanie showed good hand speed but no where near the power of Ortega. Mary worked both to the body and to the head. It was Right Hook to the Body, Right Hook to the Head, and Left Hook to the Head with power on each punch. Stephanie withstood the attack but Mary easily got the first round. Dobbs began the second round using movement and Upper Cuts to control the round. This stopped about 0:45 into the round when Mary began to land incredibly heavy/unblocked shots to the Head. There was stuff flying from Stephanie on impact. After two flurries in which Ortega was landing these shots at will, referee Danny Campbell stepped in and called and end to the fight at 1:36 of the 2nd round for a TKO victory to Mary Ortega. It was three successive Right Hands that caused the ref to step in. Dobbs was visibly upset at the stoppage as she had not been knocked down and did not show signs of being seriously hurt. It probably was too quick but the shots were heavy and unblocked. Donovan Castaneda (7-2) vs. Josh Smith (12-17-3) Castaneda used this fight to gain experience against a journeyman. Early jabs by both fighters missed and Donovan also missed with some wild Left and Right Hooks. It wasn't until the last thirty seconds of the round that Donovan found his range. He was able to land Hooks and an occasional Upper Cut to earn the first round. Donovan found more success in the second round as both Right and Left Upper Cuts were landing. Josh was able to move before the big Left Hooks could land. Josh was attempting to use jabs to keep Donovan at bay but was too far away for the jabs to be effective. Castaneda gets the second round. The third round was closer as both fighters worked Double Jabs followed by Right Hands or periodic Left Hooks. Donovan again got the better of it and what really set him apart was a Lead Right Upper Cut followed by a Left Hook. He would use the Right Upper Cut to the body to lower the hands of Smith and then land his good Left Hook. The third round to Castaneda. Donovan continued his dominance in the fight in the fourth round. This round Donovan would wait for Smith to step in for a punch and counter with a Left Hook. When Castaneda was not counter punching, he chose to land Left Hooks to the Body followed up by Right Hooks over the top. Donovan showed an array of skill as he dominated through four rounds. Smith's fortunes changed in the fifth round in my estimation. Josh forced the action and landed three good Right Hands right on the chin of Castaneda. I don't think Castaneda was hurt but I did feel Smith earned the fifth round. Donovan spent the sixth round circling the ring and beating Josh to the punch. When Josh got too close, Donovan wisely tied him up. I gave the sixth round to Castaneda. Now to the scorecards: all three judges saw the fight 60-54 for a shutout unanimous victory to Donovan Castaneda. IBC Lightweight Americas Title Josh Sosa (6-0) vs. Aaron Drake (7-0) This was a fight for the ages. Two fighters who had never been scheduled for a fight longer than six rounds fought like champions for twelve tough rounds. The first round was close as it was a feeling out round. Sosa kept his hands low and moved extensively from the hips to avoid punches while Drake kept his hands up in a classic defensive position. Both fighters tried to establish their jab. Aaron did land a few more punches to get the first round. Josh was able to land a nice three punch combination in the second - Right Hook to the Body, Left Hook to the Head, and Right Hook to the Head. This did not hurt Drake but did get his attention which allowed Sosa to force the action the rest of the second round and earn the round. What a fantastic third round. Both fighters landed good shots but it was Sosa that landed many Right Hands to the Face and body of Drake. It appeared that Drake was staggered a couple of times but he did not go down. Sosa had Drake against the ropes and was unloading and all Drake knew to do was punch back and he did. Late in the round, Drake landed two Straight Right Hands to the Face of Sosa to regain his respect. The second round goes to Sosa due to amount of punishment he dished out but Drake let him know at the end of the round he was still in their and going to pose a threat. Aaron continued his power in the fourth round and landed more than Sosa to get the round. So far through four rounds, I have it two rounds apiece and both men are giving it their all. Aaron went into a counter-attack approach in the fifth round. Josh was able to beat Drake to the punch. Drake did land two Straight Right Hands to the Chest of Sosa but Josh did more work to earn the fifth round. Sosa continued to force the action in the sixth round and landed a beautiful One/Two pinpoint on the Nose of Drake. Sosa easily gets the sixth round due to the pressure and success of his attack. Drake came out with more force in the seventh round. He forced Sosa against the ropes and landed effective punches. This lasted about the first minute of round until Sosa landed two Left Hooks clean to the Chin of Drake. Aaron showed a good chin to take those punches but Sosa was able to control the rest of the round to earn the seventh round. Drake makes a comeback in the eighth round by dominating the first and third minutes of the round. The perception of the punches were enhanced due to the way Sosa was moving to reduce the effectiveness of the punches. He was stepping back during impact which really excited the fans but reduced the impact of the punches. Nonetheless, Drake earned the eighth round. The ninth round was action packed and close. The first two minutes of the round were tight as each fighter landed his attack. It was two power Right Hands in the last thirty seconds of the round that earned the ninth for Josh Sosa. Sosa showed better hand speed in the tenth round to control the action. Drake seemed to be slowing as the fight continued. The eleventh is similar to the tenth. Sosa quicker and beating Drake to the punch. Drake did close out the round with two heavy Right Hands but it was too late as Sosa earned the tenth and eleventh round. Drake unloaded everything he had left in the twelfth. Drake landed good Right Hands up the middle. Sosa did not take the round off but Drake was able to find the inner strength to out work Sosa in the twelfth. I have the fight 116-112 for Sosa. Sosa was able to force the action more than Drake. He appeared to inflict more punishment than Drake as well. Now to the official scorecards: 115-113, 116-112, and 115-113 all for Josh Sosa. Marcos Ramirez (19-0) vs. Jeremy Drapal (6-0) The three fight advantage for Ramirez dwarfed in comparison to the skill differential. Marcos controlled the first round showing better hand speed and skill. The second round had Ramirez land a punch right below Drapal's ear for an eight count. It was shortly after the eight count that Marcos landed a heavy body shot and punch to the head that sent Jeremy down for good at 1:01 of the second round for a KO victory.
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