Granite Chin Promotions successfully kicked-off its 2022 campaign last night with “Showcase,” featuring many of New England’s best and most popular professional boxers, at Sheraton Hotel in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Only the second pro boxing event ever held in Framingham, “Showcase” was streamed live on bxngtv.com. Granite Chin Promotions’ next event will be March 19 in Derry, New Hampshire.
“This was the club show of all club shows,” promoter Chris Traietti said. “We had three fighters get their first pro wins. Then, we saw the cream rise. We asked Denzel (Whitley) and Carlos (Castillo) to step up and they did their jobs. The difference between Denzel and his father (Derrick) and uncle (Darren) is that Denzel has somebody to look out for him. (Denzel’s father and uncle are his coaches and both former pro fighters.) They (father and uncle) had people who exploited their toughness. I’m going to capitalize on his talent. He will be in his first scheduled 8-rounder in his next fight this June.”
In the main event, Puerto Rico-native Jeffrey Torres (10-1, 6 KOs) used his height, length and skill advantages against his Mexican opponent, Israel “Filipino” Rojas (14-26, 5 KOs), who was unable to withstand Torres’ assault right from the opening bell. Rojas was dropped early by an overhand right, and he immediately got on his bicycle, but the change in strategy didn’t work. Rojas went down again, this time from a right cross, and the fight ended when the referee didn’t like the way Rojas responded after he beat the count.
Rising welterweight prospect Denzel “Double Impact” Whitley (8-0, 6 KOs) stopped converted MMA fighter Alfred “Keenan” Raymond (1-1, 0 KOs) in the third round. Whitley started putting his punches together in round two and in the third, he dropped Raymond with an overhand right and the fight was stopped because Raymond injured his right shoulder when he landed awkwardly, and he was unable to continue.
“I give myself a C+ because I should have started faster,” Whitley harshly graded himself. “He was a good opponent who brought it to me and that’s what I needed. I’m still undefeated! I’m working my way up to eight rounds and fighting better competition. I’m going to push it to the limit.”
Rising welterweight prospect Josniel “TG” Castro 8-0-1, 6 KOs) suffered a cut over his left eye from an unintentional clash of heads versus Jesus Rivera Garces (18-27-1, 12 KOs), the former WBC Youth World Super Lightweight Champion from Mexico. The fight was stopped in round three on the advice of the ring doctor and declared a no contest.
In a fight that could have been held in the proverbial phone booth, light heavyweight Stephen “Clubber” Langlais (4-1, 3 KOs) out-slugged Scott “Scotty Bombs” Lampert (2-4, 2 KOs), who lived up to his nickname early in the fight. Langlais went downstairs in the second round, in which Lampert took a knee, and a straight right to the stomach dropped Lampert, leading to the referee stopping the fight.
Super middleweight Laurent Humes (4-0, 4 KOs) knocked down a game Juan Celin Zapata (6-21-2, 4 KOs) four times in the opening round en route to a first-round technical knockout. Humes used a left hook to the head for the first two knockdowns, then went downstairs with a left hook to the body for Zapata’s third trip to the canvas, followed by another left hook to the body that ended the show with two seconds remaining in round one.
Young junior middleweight Carlos Castillo (5-0, 3 KOs) needed rounds and he got six from Antonio Chaves Fernandez (9-42-4, 3 KOs) to win a 6-round majority decision. Castillo, 23, fought in his first scheduled six-round and was taken the distance by the always difficult Fernandez.
Undefeated southpaw prospect Steve Sumpter (4-0, 4 KOs) needed only 1:03 to dismiss super middleweight David Rohn (0-12-1). Sumpter dropped Rohn on the seat of his trunks with a straight right and soon after he closed the show with a left hook that led the referee to stop the fight.
Brazilian junior middleweight Maycon Oller (1-3, 1 KO) upset Jamer Jones (2-1, 2 KOs) in the second round. Jones used his jab as a range seeker, moved inside, and battered Oller throughout the opening round. But Oller came back strong in the second, catching Jones with a couple of head-snapping punches. One sent Jones flying onto the ropes that was ruled a knockdown, but he was hurt and when Oller connected on a few more solid shots and he was out on his feet, when the referee wisely halted the action.
Framingham rivals Saul “The Spider” Almeida (1-14-4, 1 KO) and Kevin “Lucky” Lewis were in a grudge match. Lewis’ pro debut was anything but lucky for him as he was unable to continue after three rounds against cruiserweight Almeida, a Brazilian MMA fighter of note in New England. The two were supposed to fight each other last October, but Almeida came in overweight and their fight was scrapped. Almeida recorded his first pro boxing win in his 19th fight.
In a battle of previously winless junior middleweights, Anthony “Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (1-2, 1 KO) and Robert Bricks (0-9) came out throwing bombs. The action didn’t slow as Andreozzi landed much more often, mostly with powerhouse exchanges in an all-out brawl. The end came in the second round, when Andreozzi closed the show with a right uppercut from which Bricks never recovered for a second-round technical knockout victory.
Highly decorated amateur Felix Parrilla (4-0, 4 KOs), fighting out of New Haven (CT), completely outclassed his opponent, Ecuadorian junior lightweight Ronny Arana (0-5), who was unable to beat the referee’s count after getting hammered and dropped with a vicious left hook to the body in the opening round. Parrilla was a 4-time New England Golden Gloves Champion, as well as a silver medalist at the 2018 National Golden Gloves Tournament.
Florida junior middleweight prospect Eric Tudor (2-0, 2 KOs) unleashed his fury on Rynell Griffin (8-51-2, 2 KOs), unloading a dozen unanswered punches on Griffin, who was trapped in a neutral corner, until the referee waved off the fight midway through round two.
Journeymen Larry “Slo Mo” Smith (13-50-4, 9 KOs) and Manny “Shake Em’ Up” Woods (17-16-1, 6 KOs) opened the nighty in a competitive fight between veteran middleweights. Smith was the aggressor from the opening round, cutting off the ring and throwing combinations, while Wood relied too often on one big punch, The fight was stopped on the advice of the ring doctor in the ninth round because of cut over Woods’ left eye and awarded a technical knockout to Smith.