Stamina and conditioning proved to be a valuable ally for Light Middleweight Janks Trotter in his 8th round TKO victory over highly regarded Richard Reittie who came to the fight as a slight favorite. The win upped Trotter’s record to 7-0-1, with all of his victories coming by way of knockout.
The loss dropped the Toronto based boxer’s record to a 8-2-1 record and more importantly; postponed a guaranteed Canadian Title Shot awaiting him if he defeated Janks Trotter. Their ring encounter was held at Desperado’s Night Club before a capacity crowd on a chilly night in Calgary, Alberta on Saturday, November 19.
In total , the “Duel at Desperados” Event rewarded the energetic crowd with a 5 exciting fights…..there were NO slackers on this card.
Main Event: It was a war of attrition throughout the bout as Trotter threw a staggering amount of punches and his premeditated aggression was countered by a deft and cunning Reittie who used his long reach and altering boxing style to frustrate and confuse his aggressive foe. At times the strategy was some what effective.
Most effective for Reittie was his peekaboo defense which seemed to annoy Trotter at times but the former oil field worker penetrated Reittie’s solid defense with hooks and uppercuts until his Jamaica born opponent began to drop his hands ever so slightly. In the eighth and final round, a confident Janks Trotter went ballistic throwing bomb after bomb until Referee Wes Melton wisely stopped the action at 1:57 of the 8th round.
Both fighters received, and deservedly so, a standing ovation at the end of their thrilling bout. Trotter is scheduled to fight in Edmonton on December 9. His opponent remains unnamed.
In the CO-Main Event: Calgary’s Native Son, Dustin “Sandman” Sutley entered the ring to a warm and rousing ovation. Sutley has built an almost cult following in Calgary. His popularity resonates in both the disciples of MMA and professional boxing. His boxing record, 4-0-4 knockouts can be attributed to a vaunted right hand that he throws often…it’s his money punch. His opponent was Andrew “The Pride of Phoenix” Hernandez from where else but Phoenix, Arizona.
Until Saturday night, Hernandez was a bit of a conundrum in boxing circles because his last fight was two years ago and his 2-0 record included no knockouts; so, fans of Dustin Sutley were reasonably confident that their man would walk all over this super middleweight from Arizona. Someone forgot to tell Hernandez that he was a sitting duck, easy mark.
What transpired was a spontaneous brawl commencing with the opening bell and concluding with a separation of the two spent warriors at the end of their 4 round of Armageddon . It was hard to tell which fighter was having the most fun hitting each other.
Fans loved the bout, purists could argue that there was no defense in the duel but in a bar room setting, brawls have the power to create a unique ambiance that is contagious…especially brawls that are sanctioned. If it wasn’t for a questionable decision made by the ring referee, the bout could have ended early and disappointed a lot of pumped up fans.
When Hernandez wobbled Sutley with a series of serious bombs in the first round , the ring referee stepped in and gave Sutley a standing 8 count. In doing so, the ring official probably saved Sutley from being knocked out which infuriated Hernandez’s corner because they felt referee’s conduct violated standard boxing etiquette.
As a result,” Sandman” got a reprieve and Hernandez was nearing fatigues ville with nothing to show for it. Sutley won the second round by outworking an exhausted Hernandez who admitted after the fight that the high altitude in Calgary may have adversely affected his performance. To his credit, Hernandez sucked it up came back strong to capture the third fourth rounds.
At the end of the battle, the crowd that was rooting for their home town boy knew that the American fighter, who was away from boxing for two years, had made a triumphant return to the ring despite a little rust. Two judges had Hernandez ahead by scores of 40-35 and 38-37 while the remaining official scored the bout a draw at 38-38 and his woeful pronouncement drew more than a spattering of boos from a partisan Dustin Sutley fans. As a result of the decision, Hernandez improved his record to 3-0 while Sutley’s record stands at 4-1 It was a brawl to remember.
Light Welterweights Steve “The Dragon” Claggett and Antonio Dos Santos were late additions to the card after Light Heavyweight Steve Franjic canceled due to personal reasons. Claggett wanted in because he needed the work and he wanted to prove that he was physically sound after injuring his neck during a fight in the Philippines which resulted in his only loss.
His record entering the ring was 11-1-1. Dos Santos,, fighting out of Vancouver BC , started his professional boxing career without the benefit of an amateur career. He wanted to fight Claggett because he thought his style and height would give the much shorter Claggett, major problems. It was a miracle this fight came to fruition because Dos Santos weighed more than 20 pounds over the light weight requirement 17 days before the fight.
Ironically, he made weight, passed his physical and promised a victory over the popular Clagget who hails from Calgary while Dos Santos fights out of Vancouver, BC. His record entering the Duel at
Desperados contest was 2-3-1.
In the first round,it was evident that Dos Santos would have to score a huge upset to beat the slick and smooth Claggett who holds a minor title belt. From the onset, Dos Santos chose to be the agressor and rely on haymakers that might catch Claggett’s chin and make him think twice about coming inside.
Claggett was able to slip most of the punches and do some damage inside. Dos Santos was game but had a difficult time tagging the elusive Claggett. At 2 minutes and 5 seconds into the 4th round, Clagget got inside and hit Dos Santos with a tremendous liver shot that ended the dream of Antonio Dos Santos.
The crowd went wild…Claggett is the “Man” in Calgary. The win improved Claggett’s record to 12-1-1 while Dos Santos went home with a 2-4-1 record.
In winning, Clagget proved he is back and healthy enough to resume his boxing career. Is he ready for American Phenom Jose Benavides? His camp wants to make that fight but a word to the wise…Benavides isn’t Dos Santos.
Also on the under card, former middleweight contender Albert “The Punisher” Onolunose and Martin Desjardins banged for six rounds with Onolunose getting the nod on all three scorecards:60-54, 58-56, 58-56. Onolunose record now stands at 19-1 while the loss puts Desjardins record at 7-21-4.
Peggy Maerz, Salmon Arm BC, won for the first time (1-2-1) as she proved to be too experienced for Calgary’s Jennifer Walker (0-1) who lost in her professional debut.Recorded scores were: 40-36-40-37. Walker is trained by former Canadian boxing Champion Dale “Cowboy” Brown.
