BOXING Whitaker, Hanshaw are ready for bout

Both fighters hope a victory will open doors to bigger money.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WARREN -- On July 16 at Canton's Civic Auditorium, Etianne Whitaker (25-5-2, 14 KOs) will take on Tony Hanshaw (14-0, 10 KOs) in a long awaited 10-round super-middleweight battle.
The 12-round feature bout has Vivian Harris (20-1-1, 15 KOs) from Brooklyn, N.Y., defending his IBA junior welterweight title against Ubaldo Hernandez (18-8-2, nine KOs) of Mexico City.
These two fights, which will be televised by ESPN, top a six-bout card presented by L & amp;M Productions.
Hanshaw, 24, and Whitaker, 30, hail from here and were once sparring partners. They have one common opponent (Dana Rucker). Hanshaw decisioned Rucker while Whitaker stopped him in the seventh round.
But it is the contrast in styles between these two and what the fight means for both of them, that should have a lot of traffic moving from the Mahoning Valley to Canton.
For both, this fight can be a steppingstone to what each hopes will be more lucrative paydays and exposure.
Intense training
Whitaker has stepped up in training for this fight. His sparring partners, both at the Buckeye Elks Youth Center and at the Southside Boxing Club, are Kelly Pavlik and Lenzie Morgan.
"You can tell E.T. really wants this one," trainer Frank West said. "We work every day and he is staying in the gym longer than he ever did."
Following a sparring session, Morgan said, "I know he wants this one bad, because when I try to work him hard he works me harder."
West said, "There are times [Whitaker] seems to be holding his own, but too many punches are getting through and E.T. isn't where I want him to be yet.
"We are working on different things for the Hanshaw fight," West said. "I want Whitaker to be more aggressive like he used to be. He needs to get his left jab and left hook working to be ready for this fight. The jab will establish him in the ring and make him the boss of the fight."
Whitaker's weight is between 172-174 pounds.
"Tony [Hanshaw] has good legs and he can move, so I will have to cut off the ring on him and catch him with combinations," Whitaker said.
"My right is my power shot and my left hook is coming on, but my key to winning this fight is to throw a lot of shots, punches in bunches, so I just have to let my hands do the work," Whitaker said.
Determination
For Hanshaw and his trainer, John Russell, there is a clockwork-like daily regimen, beginning at 1 p.m. daily at the Rubber City Boxing Club in Akron.
Russell brought Rico Hoyt and Demetrius Jenkins from Detroit to spar with Hanshaw.
"This kid has a ton of talent and is a pleasure to work with," Russell said. "He knows how to fight and I have added things to his arsenal.
"He will have better combinations than in the past. And make no mistake about it, we know what we are doing and we have a definite plan of action for this fight," Russell said.
Added Hanshaw, "I will let my work in the ring the night of the fight do my talking for me.
"Whitaker can fight and he has all the tools to do a lot of things right in the ring, so I have known since this fight was made that if I want to win, I better be in the best shape I can be in," Hanshaw said.
Tickets for the fight cost $50 and $25 and may be purchased locally at Duke's Car Wash, 641 W. Market St. in Warren.