Saturday, June 19, 2004
Durrell Richardson of Youngstown improved to 3-0.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CHESTER, W.Va. -- More than 3,500 fans were at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort's The Harv Friday night for a nine-bout boxing card that included a total of five championship fights.
Four of those title bouts were for West Virginia championships, with the fifth fight for the IBC America's heavyweight title.
That fight had "African Assassin" Abraham Okine (11-0), who fights out of Pittsburgh, win a unanimous decision in a dull 10-rounder over Billy Douglas (10-2) from Columbus.
This fight had the first of three Youngstown connections for the evening as Youngstowner Harry Meshel, former longtime Ohio State Senator, who is the representative of the IBC, present the organization's championship belt to Okine.
Richardson wins
The best Youngstown connection of the night came in the next fight, the seventh bout of the night, which had Youngstown's Durrell Richardson go to 3-0 in his young pro career by stopping Cincinnati's Donnell Humphrey at 2:44 of the second round.
For Richardson it was a scary beginning as Humphrey, making his pro debut, came out fast, landing several good shots to Richardson's head.
Durrell, a southpaw with a calm demeanor, then settled down effectively, using his right jab and good moves to tag Humphrey with several good combinations.
In the second round, Richardson turned the fight his way with excellent ring movement and quick combinations. A devastating body shot, followed by a three-punch combination with the finisher a right hook to the temple, sent Humphrey down.
Though Humphrey was up at the count of nine, the referee stopped the fight for a TKO win for Richardson.
"I wanted to get the rounds because I needed the work, but he came out strong and caught me with some shots," Richardson said. "I went to my jab to settle the fight down. I hurt him with a body shot and [hit] him real good with a right to the head, and that was it."
West Virginia titles
Three West Virginia championships were decided when Scott McCracken from Aliquippa, Pa., won by TKO at 2:48 of the sixth round over "Mountain Man" Brian Thacker from Gallipolis, Ohio to claim the junior welterweight crown.
Then Baltimore's Maxell Taylor (8-1) won a unanimous 10-round decision over Alphonso "Soldier" Williams from Pittsburgh to win the junior middleweight championship.
A third of the Mountaineer State crowns went to Pittsburgh's junior lightweight Monty Meza Clay, who in a pier-six battle won by TKO at 2:55 of the fourth round over Terrence Roy from Memphis.
Clay (11-0, 7 KOs), using a blistering attack, knocked Roy down three times in the fourth round. This set the stage for the final fight of the night, for the West Virginia welterweight championship.
John "Macho Midget" Bailey (23-12-2) from New Cumberland, W.Va., slugged it out with Jacy Kuhn (13-1-1) from Uniontown, Pa., for seven rounds before a cut under his right eye forced the ring physician to stop the fight.
Bailey trains at the Southside Boxing Club.