There was a little bit of MMA flavor thrown in at the RISE Fighting 1 boxing event, as multiple fighters who have made their names in 4 ounce gloves tried their hand at wearing the bigger gloves inside the ring rather than the cage.
It was a packed and raucous crowd at the Grand Plaza Hotel Ballroom in Toledo, and some celebrities were in attendance to witness the action, including former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion and Ohio native James “Buster” Douglas.
Rozewski gains respect
Many people in the crowd didn’t expect “some MMA fighter” to come in and be impressive against an established full-time pro boxer, but that’s exactly what Kyle “Kyote” Rozweski (0-1 boxing, 4-4 MMA) did against Toledo native Wesley Tucker (3-0, 2 KO). Rozewski came in and got booed, but the fans were all standing and cheering after an exciting four-round battle between the two welterweight boxers.
While it was Tucker who was landing early in the fight and controlling the action, Rozewski held his own in the later rounds and really stayed in the fight with toughness and cardio. Rozewski got a little overzealous in the final round, which he started by jazzing up the crowd in between frames. Tucker caught him with a jab going backwards, throwing Rozewski off of balance and landing a knockdown. Rozewski quickly bounced back to his feet, egging on more action from the shorter fighter. The final minute was a whirlwind, with both fighters trading shots to the bell.
Other MMA fighters in action
It wasn’t exactly a banner night for the other MMA fighters in action, as Jordan Espinosa (0-1 boxing, 5-4 MMA) and Brandon Davis (0-1 boxing, 0-1 MMA) suffered defeats. And MMA veterans Matt Montalvo (0-0-1 boxing, 6-11 MMA) and Steve Smith (0-0-1 boxing, 5-8 MMA) fought to an exciting draw in the night’s opening bout.
Nieves stays perfect
Unbeaten fighter Antonio Nieves (8-0, 4 KO) is well-known to many in the MMA circle, as he trains at a top MMA gym in Strong Style Fight Team near Cleveland. But the junior featherweight is one of the top rising stars in boxing, and he continued his march to the top on Friday night with a hard fought victory over Michigan’s Justin Lopez (5-1, 5 KO).
Nieves won the fight with his speed and never-ending combinations, and he was able to land a knockdown in the second round with a straight right hand. Lopez, who kept coming forward with an iron chin despite the knockdown in the second, was a good test for the rising star in Nieves.
Toledo talent
One thing that was evident throughout the night is that there is a lot of young talent in Toledo, which has a very rich boxing history. The Glass City Boxing gym put six fighters in the ring on the night, and many were impressive. Sonny Frederickson (4-0, 4 KO) ended the main event early, dropping David Nelson (2-2, 1 KO) with a wicked left hook to the body in the first round to earn the knockout. His teammates Angelo Snow (2-0, 2 KO) and Elias Moreno (1-0, 1 KO) also picked up knockout victories. Snow finished Davis with a body shot in the second round, and Moreno stopped Espinosa in the third.