Iron Mike Tyson offers Redemption on “Judgement Day”

“Iron” Mike Tyson offers Redemption on “Judgement Day”
By Matt Benoliel

July 10, 2014.

Miami, FL.  In November of 1986, a sensational and violent second-round TKO heralded in a new era in the world of boxing. A twenty-year old phenom from Brownsville, NY tore his way through the heavyweight ranks and made short change of then-champion Trevor Berbick to be crowned the youngest heavyweight title holder of all time. The name of the event, “Judgement Day.”

Fast forward twenty-eight years and now “Iron” Mike Tyson has his own promotional company called Iron Mike Productions. He has a gym in Deerfield Beach, FL and provides housing and guidance for young fighters. Mike intends to groom champions and provide up and comers with all they need to succeed. This includes promoting fight cards such as this one, appropriately dubbed, “Judgement Day.”

In the first bout, one of Iron Mike’s young prospects took a big leap by completing his first eight round fight and winning an unanimous decision against a seasoned veteran. The eighteen year-old Erickson “Hammer” Lubin (5-0, 5 KOs) managed to outbox his opponent Noe Bolanos (26-9-1), using a long reach to jab and frustrate Bolanos seemingly at will. Lubin showed a good ability to throw punches from different angles and control the pace of the fight. All judges scored the bout 80-72.

But the Redemption on Judgement Day belonged to Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (20-0, 12 KOs) whose previous defeat over IBF Super Featherweight Champion Argenis “La Tormenta” Mendez (21-3-1, 11 KOs) fell under scrutiny. The two met last January in a bout that ended with Barthelemy scoring a KO victory in the second round. The decision was appealed by the Mendez camp as the knockout punch was thrown clearly after the bell ended the second round. The IBF stepped in and mandated tonight’s rematch. The fight saw the challenger, and hometown crowd favorite Barthelemy pressing the action and keeping the champ on the run. It was a conservative strategy, but enough to rack up points on the scorecards. Despite losing two points for low blows, all judges scores the fight 115-111 for the new champion Barthelemy.

Also on the card was former Olympian Jeff Lacy (26-5, 18 KOs) vs. Humberto Savigne (13-1, 9 KOs). Lacy, a former super middleweight champ, coming out of retirement, was simply not up to the task of taking on the hometown favorite and Cuban native. After signaling to the ref in the first round that an overhand right caught the back of his head, Lacy ate a few extra punches as the ref let the action continue. Protect yourself at all times. Lacy never recovered and the fight ended with a TKO in the second round.

Two Miami locals fought on the undercard, Ramon Nicholas and WBC Latino Cruiserweight champion Yuniel Dorticos. In a four-round cruiserweight contest, Ramon Nicholas, making his pro debut, was dominating his opponent Dakota Dawson (2-0) but was disqualified for hitting Dawson after a knockdown.

Next, undefeated cruiserweight Yuniel Dorticos (17-0, 17 KOs) entered the ring against journeyman Edison Miranda (35-10). Dorticos had the superior reach and power to control the pace of the fight, scoring with stiff jabs and combinations. Miranda fought back in the middle rounds and denied Dorticos the knockout he was looking for to satisfy his hometown crowd. At the end, judges scored the fight 100-90, 99-91, 100-90, a unanimous decision for Yuniel Dorticos, as this fight puts him one step closer to a world title.