By: Sean Crose
Boxing Insider Promotions presented another fight card on Thursday evening. The event went down at the famous Sony Hall in the heart of midtown Manhattan. A junior welterweight affair scheduled for four opened the night as the 1-1 Jason Castanon battled the 0-2 Stephen Barbee. Both fighters moved to control the range in the first, though the considerably shorter Barbee pushed forward in the final minute of the round. Neither fighter was able to land particularly well in the second. The combatants were active though, each searching for an opening for a clear shot.
A sense of urgency pervaded the bout in the third. The fight was only scheduled for four, after all, which meant that time was a friend to neither man. With that being said, Barbee came across as the more active fighter in the round. The fourth and final chapter saw each man fight strategically – Barbee moved in while Castanon was able to fire his jab effectively. After the final bell had sounded, the judge’s ruled in favor of Castanon via majority decision.
Next up, the undefeated Koby Khalil Williams, 4-0, squared off against the 5-0 Nicholas Isaac in a scheduled six rounder in the lightweight division. Isaac had a very sharp first round for himself, maintaining range and tossing off a quick jab as well as body shots. The second saw Isaac edging it thanks to his longer reach and ability to control the distance. The action slowed a bit in the third, but Williams was able to land his own jab. In what must have been a frustrating fourth for Williams, who tried to find a way to get in on Isaac, with little success. With that in mind, Isaac himself wasn’t throwing consistently.
The fifth round had some decent action, with each man turning up the volume on the other. The sixth round appeared to be William’s final opportunity to effectively break through Isaac’s defense and make something happen. He went down, though it wasn’t considered a knockdown, and went on to have a decent round for himself. Was it enough to best Issac, though? It wasn’t. Isaac walked out of the ring with another win on his record, thanks to a UD ruling by the judges.
It was time for the main event. The 16-0 welterweight Avious Griffin faced the 14-4-1 Jose Luis Sanchez in a scheduled ten rounder. Trained by the legendary “Bomac” McIntyre, Griffin entered the ring the receiver of much good will and high expectations. Sanchez, however, was no doubt eager to upset the figurative applecart. Up for grabs was the WBC USA welterweight title.
Griffin started working the body right at the start of the fight. By the midpoint of the round, Sanchez went down courtesy of a beautiful Griffin combination. To his credit, the New Mexico native got to his feet and engaged with Griffin. A pitch perfect overhand right put Sanchez down in the second. Once again, Sanchez beat the count and bravely kept fighting. One had to wonder, though, how many more solid shots the man could take. Sanchez was down again at the end of the round. Once more, he beat the count.
Sanchez was able to land a few decent shots in the third, but Griffin was too strong, too accurate, and too focused for the gutsy competitor. Although Sanchez had a much better fourth, Griffin simply seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to knock his man out. Sanchez fought hard in the fifth, and had some success, as well. Griffin’s power shots, however, were almost hard to see land. The truth is that Sanchez had quite a good sixth for himself.
By the end of the seventh it was clear that Sanchez was about as tough as a fighter could possibly be. He could be knocked down and take power shot after power shot, but he would find a way to survive and keep pushing forward. Or so it seemed. Things finally came to an end in the eighth. Sanchez didn’t go down, nor did he stop fighting, but the referee wisely decided enough was enough. Sanchez was arguably just too tough for his own good.