Last night at the Mohegan Sun Arena, CES Boxing unleashed a ‘stacked’ card—so they say. But, let’s be real, it was just another night of predictable bouts, with a couple of decent moments and a lot of fluff. Love and War—sounds great, but was it though?
The headliner? “Speedy” Rashidi Ellis (26-1, 17 KOs), apparently avoiding welterweight contenders like the plague, finally faced Jose Angulo (16-10, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBC US Silver Welterweight title. Sure, Ellis was fast, but when you’re fighting someone like Angulo—who’s probably better off at home than in the ring—what else would you expect? Ellis cruised through rounds 1-3, barely breaking a sweat, until Angulo started to remember he was supposed to box. Unfortunately for the Ecuadorian, it was too little, too late. Ellis dropped him in the 7th, and his corner tossed in the towel after declaring a perforated eardrum. Great fight, right? Sure.
Ellis, with all the confidence in the world, said, “I’m ready for my shot at the world title.” Yeah, good luck with that. Call me when he faces someone who actually has a chance.
In the co-main event, Carlos Gonzalez (14-0-1, 13 KOs) just about managed to scrape through a draw against Alex Espinoza (23-6-3, 8 KOs). They battled for 10 rounds, and despite Gonzalez being slightly less lost than his opponent, the fight ended with a draw—because why not? You could feel the effort of both fighters, trying their hardest to make the night interesting, but the reality is, the judges probably had to flip a coin.
Now, let’s talk about the big drama: ‘King’ Kevin Walsh (16-0, 9 KOs) taking on Ricky de los Santos (12-2, 3 KOs). Both of them guaranteed victory, which—spoiler alert—wasn’t exactly a guarantee. Walsh, ever the fighter who actually followed through on his promises, knocked de los Santos out in round 8, after a wild back-and-forth. Kudos, Walsh, for making the fight a little more exciting than the others, but, again, this wasn’t exactly a world-class fight—more like a local rivalry that needed a definitive winner.
Then we’ve got the undercard. Where should we start? Mike Fontanez (11-0, 7 KOs) dominated Ray Oliveira Jr. (10-4, 2 KOs)—a fight that felt like a sparring session. Ali Feliz (5-0, 4 KOs) got his KO in a single round, and honestly, that felt like it could’ve been over in less time. Amelia Moore (2-0, 1 KO) kept the buzz going by knocking out Michelle Cook (3-6-2)—which, I guess, is impressive if you’re into one-sided fights.
This fight was a total waste of time! Gonzalez got lucky with that draw, no way he deserved it! They both sucked so bad, judges flipping coins is just as valid as their scoring. Boxing is dying if this is what we see!
I disagree wit the article. You just dont get the skill of boxers like Ellis. He was quick and made Angulo look bad. Just because it was predictable dont mean it wasent good. You need to apreciate the sport better.
I don’t get why everyone is so hyped about this event. Just because they call it ‘stacked’ doesn’t mean it was good. Ellis fighting a guy like Angulo? Come on, that’s just embarrassing. And the draw in the co-main? Ridiculous! It’s like they didn’t even try to find a winner. Walsh’s fight was the only one that had some action, but still, it’s not enough to save the night. Boxing needs better matchups, not this predictable stuff.