BOXING Lifted to main event, Niles' Lyell triumphs

Billy Lyell improved to 6-1 while Darnell Boone also won to climb to 3-0.
MERRIONETTE PARK, Ill. -- Wednesday night's boxing card at the Bourbon Street Arena was labeled "The Bourbon Street Brawl" with Chicago heavyweight Thomas Hayes scheduled for the main event.
However, Hayes was in an automobile accident Wednesday morning and Niles' Billy Lyell was moved up to a six-round main event.
It was a middleweight clash that Lyell won in a unanimous decision over Aundalen Sloan. Two judges gave Lyell the edge 59-55 and one had it 58-56. Lyell, idle since May 21st survived a solid left hook by Sloan in the first round to take over the fight to improve his pro record to 6-1.
Coming out of the first round, which had several good exchanges, Lyell worked his left jab and fired one-two combinations that stopped the aggressive Sloan.
Lyell, who came in at 154 pounds to 158 for Sloan, was stronger with his attack that included solid left hooks to the body in the middle rounds as he took the ring away from Sloan. A left hook staggered Sloan in the final round.
"[After] I was caught early with a left hook ... I made it a one-round fight for six rounds," said Lyell.
Sloan, who has been in the ring with several ranked fighters, is 4-9-2.
Boone triumphs
Southside Boxing Club's Darnell Boone improved to 3-0 by stopping Chicago's Michael Rush at 2:56 of the first round.
It was the first knockout as a pro for Boone, a super middleweight who came out fast, staggering Rush with a big left hook and working solid rights up and down in a series of barrages in a scheduled four-rounder.
Jack Loew and Tank DiCioccio from Southside are co-managers for both Lyell and Boone.