Minto crushes Poore in first

By Brady Crytzer
Photography by Gary Sarti
- FightWireImages.com

On Wednesday night in Butler, PA, WBO No. 12 heavyweight Brian “The Beast” Minto successfully defended his WBA Fedecentro championship by stopping “Big” John Poore in the first round of their scheduled ten-round contest. 

Butler’s Pullman Park once played host to some of the most beloved baseball players of all time, andWednesday night’s heavyweight prizefight once again brought national attention to the historic landmark. With over three thousand dedicated fight fans in attendance, the atmosphere was that of an era gone by in professional boxing.

With a cool breeze escorting him into the ring, “Big” John Poore stepped into the lights with a face of granite. Following his solemn entrance, fans erupted at the sight of their hometown hero, Minto. Draped in a jersey decorated with the logo of a local cable provider, there was no doubt that Wednesday’s main event was as much an advertising opportunity as a heavyweight headliner for the city of Butler, Penn.

Minto, who has stopped his last three opponents in the opening round, forced Poore to the ropes with hard jabs. Using head movement to stay out of danger, Minto dug shots to the body of his rope-a-doping opponent. Once in the center of the ring, Minto used a quick combination of short punches to sneak an overhand right into the chin of the taller Poore.

“Big” John crumpled to the canvas upon impact.

After beating the count, Poore was met with an onslaught of punches forcing him into a neutral corner. Firmly in control, Minto sent his larger opponent to the canvas yet again, with a ripping uppercut. Rising from his knees, Poore showed great heart beating the count for a second time. Much to the delight of his hometown fans, “The Beast” floored Poore for a third and final time at 2:33 with a thunderous combination.

“I knew that he was a big puncher,” Minto said. “I used my uppercut and left hook on the inside. He needs distance to be dangerous so I kept it close.”

“I fit right into the heavyweight division,” Minto explained. “I am ready to fight anybody and everybody. I need to use my size to my advantage. I work inside and land short, quick punches.”

With this victory, Minto retains his title, improving to 31-2 (19 KOs) while Poore falls to 20-3 (18 KOs).

Karpency no longer unbeaten; Sanders wins “War”

In a major upset, the night’s co-feature saw 16-11-2 light heavyweight Rayco “War” Sanders scored an eight-round unanimous decision over the heavily-favored and previously unbeaten, 17-0-1, Tom Karpency.

The fighters wasted no time engaging in round one, as they came out swinging. Following the first exchange, the unbeaten southpaw Karpency was momentarily staggered by Sanders. Karpency recovered quickly and began to land hard punches to the head and body of “War.” The always game Sanders refused to back down and continued to fire back as the round expired.

Karpency attempted a looping jab to start out round two and ate a stiff cross for his trouble. Sanders appeared the more seasoned boxer but had a difficult time with Karpency’s bullying tactics. Appearing overanxious, Sanders was hit with a variety of short, thudding blows throughout the period.

Round three saw a more patient Karpency using a more relaxed and effective jab to keep his opponent away. The momentum appeared to be swinging in the way of the unbeaten, until a ripping low blow forced Sanders to the mat in agony. Following a restart, a second shot below the belt prompted Sanders back to his corner to adjust his protective cup. Karpency delivered a more cautious and controlled attack following the fouls. The halfway point of the fight was highlighted by a phone booth battle with the stronger Karpency landing the more telling blows.

The undefeated Karpency began to measure his scrappy opponent in round five and connected with crisp, clean punches. Sanders quickly kept his younger opposition honest with a right cross to the forehead. Karpency chose his punches and kept his distance through six, allowing the busier Sanders to possibly steal the round. Sanders repeatedly sunk a number of hard punches to the ribs to close out the round.

The rounds saw Karpency come alive, delivering hard shots to the still competitive Sanders.  Having scored with harder punches throughout the fight, it was no surprise that Karpency continued to damage his opponent. The final round saw the undefeated southpaw land time and again with hard punches to the head and body.

Much to the surprise of everyone in attendance, judges’ scorecards were announced as a unanimous decision in favor of a jubilant Sanders.

Tom Karpency now falls to undefeated at 11-1-1 while the valiant Rayco Sanders improves to 15-12-2.

Lubash inspirational in victory

In a battle of two young super middleweights, Pittsburgh’s James Lubash scored a six-round unanimous decision over Butler’s Dave Cook. A true inspiration in the sport of boxing, Lubash has been deaf since birth.

Round one saw Lubash push the action with a stiff jab. Despite the fact that Cook was less experienced, he handled the pressure well with patient countershots. Unlike the two previous bouts, Lubash and Cook showed tremendous professionalism in their polished brawl.

The second round set the tone for the rest of the fight as Lubash controlled the outside with hard jabs and right hands. After the closing the distance, he was met with hard uppercuts and slick counter lefts by Cook. The third round started off with a bang as Lubash landed a crushing right cross below the belt that dropped his opponent instantly. After a curtailed recovery period, Cook fought with a new fire as he blasted Lubash with hard, straight punches to close out the round.

Throughout the fight, trainer Tom Yankello was forced to maintain eye contact with his fighter to deliver instructions through hand signals. Despite the fact that his fighter could not hear his instructions, Yankello leapt into the air, overcome with excitement of Lubash’s success.

Round four saw Lubash begin to land the more telling blows and bloody the mouth of Cook with a hard jab. Though he was far from overwhelmed, Cook was beaten to the punch and blasted with two chin checking straight rights. Lubash would eventually negate his 10-9 round with another illegal blow to the groin for which he was penalized one point.

Rounds six and seven drew the appreciative crowd into a frenzy as the men exchanged toe-to-toe. In round six, Lubash blasted Cook with another haymaker right and was answered with a sneaky left hook. In the final round, Lubash unloaded with a number of overhand rights that allowed him to edge out the round.

Not to be impeded by his disability, Lubash was awarded a six round unanimous decision for his efforts. Scorecards read 58-55, and 57-56 twice in favor of Lubash. Lubash improves to 8-1 while Cook suffers his first professional defeat, falling to 3-1.

Undercard Results

In an exciting heavyweight bout, Butler, PA’s Ryan Covert made his professional debut a successful one, stopping Youngstown’s Bill Greenawalt in the third round. Despite being knocked down by the first punch of the night, Covert recovered in style stopping Greenawalt at: 44 of round three with a twelve punch flurry. The hometown crowd went wild for their newest addition to the world of professional boxing.

In a heavyweight bout, Butler, PA’s Jim Emrick won a spirited four-round split decision over Anthony Gatt. Emrick dropped Gatt early in the first round. Rising from the canvas, Gatt went on to control rounds two and three with hard punches in bunches. In the final round, Emrick connected with a solid left hook. As the round came to an end, Gatt away with thudding punches to the head of his mostly defensive opponent. Scorecards were split but all read the same at 38-27, 38-37, 38-37 giving Emrick the split nod.

Welterweight Tim Joseph improves to 3-1 scoring a three-round unanimous decision over Cliff Gregory. Scores all read the same, 39-37.