Strikers hosts boxers from the New Jersey area

Mon, Jul 14th 2014, 11:50 PM

The Strikers Boxing Club hosted 'The Chosen Ones' Boxing Show on Saturday night at the Enoch Backford Auditorium. The fighters from Strikers went up against fighters from boxing clubs in the New Jersey area, as the fight card consisted of three fights, each lasting three rounds.
In the first bout, Strikers' fighter Kendric Stuart went up against Bayonne PAL Boxing Club fighter Brian Palz. It was a tough fight that lasted all three rounds, but in the end it was Palz who pulled out the victory.
Both fighters came out aggressive from the opening bell and landed big punches. Palz was the more experienced fighter and it showed throughout the fight. He spent a lot of time on the defensive end, allowing Stuart to punch himself out before he began his cerebral attack with stiff jabs and counter hooks. Although Stuart gave a valiant effort, Palz's experience was too much to overcome.
"It was a good experience, he was a tough kid. He kept coming forward and kept throwing punches. I just had a little more experience. I was just trying to block and let him tire himself out a little bit," said Palz.
"I improved a lot but there is still some things that I have to work on. My opponent was a great fighter and it was a good fight. If I could change anything, I would probably work a bit more on my conditioning and listen to my corner a little more," said Strachan.
The second bout featured two heavyweights, Amron Sands of Strikers taking on Nicoy Clarke from the Renegade Boxing Club in New Jersey. Sands prevailed.
Sands had the speed advantage over Clarke and used it to keep his opponent at a
distance. Clarke tried to corner Sands for most of the fight so that he could use his weight advantage to wear him down, but Sands kept his feet moving and threw short jabs on the run. The stiff punches eventually wore Clarke down and allowed Sands to escape with the win.
"The fight was very good. The guy I fought was very competitive and he put up a good fight. The crowd support that we got out here tonight is very encouraging as well," said Sands.
"This is one of the best experiences in my life. I'm originally from Jamaica and haven't been to the islands in a while, so to come here was great. I underestimated my opponent's strength. The boy was strong, but in all it was a good experience and I'll be back again," said Clarke.
The main event featured two middleweights, Daniel Murray from the Middleton Boxing Club taking on Bahamian boxer Tyrone Oliver. Murray won a three-round decision that had the crowd on its feet the entire time. Both fighters were extremely quick and agile. They chased each other around the ring throwing wild combinations and looking for openings to land big punches. Although they both threw their share of punches, Murray landed them at a higher rate of efficiency. He was under control throughout the exchanges and counter punched after a lot of Oliver's wild punches. That poise and control is what separated the two fighters, and it is what allowed Murray to emerge victorious.
"The fight was good, he was a tough opponent but I just jabbed him and fought him smarter. The first round was good. I won that completely because I jabbed and threw more right hands. He has good power, but he just needs to calm down and be a smarter fighter," said Murray.
Strikers Boxing brought in some of the top amateur fighters from the New Jersey area for the event, and long-time friend of the club and Head Coach at the Orlando Boxing Academy, Jose Cruz, played a major role in making it all possible. He and Strikers coach Ronn Rodgers realized the potential that the fighters on the island have, and want to try and give them some exposure to help in their development.
"Ronn Rodgers put this show together with heart and soul. He put this together with his own money and with his own people helping him. He needs support. These kids have the potential to be great, but if we don't nurture their skills and help them it's never going to happen. I'm here to help Ronn. I will be here all the time. The Orlando Boxing Academy is going to continue to help get the boxing program off the ground here, but if we don't do it with Ronn Rodgers, it's never going to happen. We need him to continue to do this type of work," said Cruz.
The show on Saturday night attracted a crowd that was energized all night. The size of the crowd could be impacted further if Rodgers gets backed by the right sponsors, which is something that both he and Cruz would like to see happen for the sport of boxing here in the country. Rodgers is also looking at a possible switch to an alternative venue.
"It took a lot of energy, effort, organizing and planning. We had three fights, but we scheduled for seven. We had some no-shows. I don't know why but it still came together pretty good. We got a chance to showcase the boxing talent here in the country," said Rodgers.
"Jose Cruz helped me when we went to the 2014 Florida Golden Gloves. He assisted me with some of my fighters over there. We came back with victories, and for the first time in the history of The Bahamas we won the Florida Golden Gloves event. He helps to teach them a new style of fighting so that they can compete at the world level."
As the month of July moves on, boxers in the Strikers Boxing Club are expected to participate in more shows.

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