DiBella Entertainment
​B.B. King's Fight Card March 31, 2010
By Mike Natalino

​DiBella Entertainment added another impressive night of boxing to its portfolio on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010, at BB King’s Night Club in New York City.  Founder, Lou DiBella, is a prevalent New York promoter pioneering to escalate boxing back to its pinnacle in the Empire state.  Mr. DiBella is like no other.  He has an approach that gives his fights the aura of Vegas with the action of old school club fights.  Mr. DiBella joins the press ringside during coverage of the event and gives you up to date news about his fighters and future plans for the world of boxing.  I, for one, find covering his fights extremely exciting, and this night, once again, would not disappoint me.  The stellar card that was put together for this night would provide the fans with explosive, action-packed entertainment.

“Fire” Keisha McLead Wells would improve her record to 3-1 with a masterful boxing exhibition that handed Laura “La Maravilla” Gomez her first pro loss.  McLead would start out with impressive jabs and great ring generalship, while Gomez would demonstrate effective aggressiveness towards the end of round one.

Although landing heavy shots, Gomez was forced to turn the bout in to a street fight in the following round.  McLead would not oblige, fanning off the attack, using her effective measuring stick to pinpoint precise uppercuts and one-two combinations.  Gomez definitely received a fundamental boxing lesson by the final round.  It was clear that she needed a KO to win, but did not succeed; rather, McLead finished strong, staggering Gomez by the end of the bout.In middleweight action, Phillip Jackson Benson would make an easy work of Victor Pazz, dominating him to win a unanimous decision.

Gabriel “Tito” Bracero would take on Winston Mathis, “The Rochester Reaper”, in a fight billed as Somebody’s O Must Go! The crowd was filled with Bracero’s supporters chanting “Tito, Tito, Tito”.  Energy filled the air, and these fighters felt it.  They would start the fight at the opening bell as if it was the final round…non-stop action…demonstrating why both of these men were undefeated.  Bracero would soon become the victim of a cut due to a butt that would infuriate him.  He would retaliate by tattooing Mathis with bombs, proceeding to hit him, even after the bell.  At the middle of the match, these contestants were dead even, and Bracero sensed that Mathis wasn’t going anywhere.  It was at this point that he decided to resort to his boxing craft, which would impress the judges and give Bracero the edge.  Mathis, persistent, would press until the final bell, forcing the two fighters to finish toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring.  Bracero would come out the victor, with a six-round unanimous decision, upping his record 9-0.The next bout, also middleweight division, would lead “Mama’s Boy” Denis Doughlin to punch out early by stopping Chad “Taz” Greenleaf in the first round extending his record to 9-0 with six KOs.

Heavyweight hopeful Tor Hammer would win a unanimous decision against Alexis Mejias. Hammer dominated the match, but found himself learning some valuable lessons for his young career.  Mejias, much larger, would not fold, frustrating Hammer with unorthodox methods.  Hammer would show signs of maturity with a sound body attack to bring down the head.  He would floor Mejias in the third, but not be able to finish the job.  Mejias would try to kick start action for himself in the later rounds, only to witness Hammer put together masterful combinations.  He would time Mijias’ left hooks with effective right hand counters.  Hammer would regroup his stamina for a strong finish, once again demonstrating why he is a suitable prospect.

The main event would find undefeated Joel “Joelo” Torres against journeyman, Leo Martinez.   Torres would start the first two rounds out boxing Martinez, but only to see a total reversal by round three, when Martinez pulled every veteran tactic he knew, periodically breaking down the green Torres, round by round.  He would feint and continuously beat Torres to the punch.  He even shoe-shined Torres when he tried to clinch.  Torres, finding himself in unfamiliar territory, began acting out of desperation, causing him to fight amateurishly, making many mistakes for Martinez to capitalize on.   By round six, Torres was a purely beaten fighter, with only his will and courage keeping him up.  By round eight, that wasn’t even enough anymore.  Martinez laid in with a right to the body, and a left hook to the head, which knocked Torres out cold.  This knockout punch was a carbon copy of the knockout of the third fight between Graziano and Zale.  Torres would exit on a stretcher, and be taken to a nearby hospital. This fight is a prime example of how deceiving records can be.  Martinez is a cagey veteran who knows how to use the ring, and I’m sure we will see more of him.

​As I packed up and headed to the door, I couldn’t help but witness a familiar face on his cell phone, after everyone had left.  It was no other than Lou DiBella, voicing concern about Torres in the hospital.  This reflected what I have stated before…DiBella sticks out for reasons such as these.  It’s not just about the fight, but the health of his fighters.  Others should take notice.