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Fuller overwhelms Cooper; Sets up potential title shot
TUE October 25, BRIAN SKJOLD, Ringside - On Saturday night, Kalamazoo fans were treated to the world class skills of Damian “Damo” Fuller. The slick southpaw from Detroit gave Jerry Cooper a brutal clinic while it lasted.
Cooper, from St. Charles Missouri, came out a little tentative and was quickly met by the blazing guns of Fuller. After a couple of fierce combo’s Fuller landed a right hook that dropped Cooper to the canvas for the first time of the evening. Cooper was on his feet by the count of 8 and once again Damian was all over him. Near the end of the first round, Fuller landed another crisp combo that put Cooper down for the second time.
Round two was more of the same, with Fuller landing smooth upper cuts and hooks so often that Cooper’s head seemed to be permanently snapped back. In the third, Fuller could smell blood and played the matador with the charging Jerry Cooper. By the mid-point of the round Fuller was landing big shots at will and Cooper would taste the canvas once again. Finally he was saved by his corner and referee Frank Garza stopped the fight at 2:43 of round 3, a TKO for Fuller.
After a dominating performance, what’s next for the now 25-4-1 Fuller?
”Edner Cherry for the USBA title here in Kalamazoo, on ESPN. After that, we want Chavez for the IBF title.”
The undercard was highlighted by easily the most entertaining fight of the night, between Detroit’s Harvey “Candyman” Jolly and Cleveland’s “Mighty” Mike Word. This 4 round heavyweight bout saw Word move to 2-0, showing tremendous heart and resilience after climbing off the canvas in the second round and coming back to stop Jolly in the third. Both fighters were raw, but showed tons of potential. Jolly was throwing and landing some of the best uppercuts that I’ve seen, one of which dropped Word to his knees. After the knockdown, Jolly went after Word, but only managed to punch himself out, leading to his own eventual knockout at 2:43 of round 3. Word’s willingness to take a shot in order to land one helped make the fight so entertaining. His straightforward, aggressive style allowed him to capitalize on many counter-punching opportunities. Don’t be surprised two see these two fighters squaring off against each other again, in the near future.
Another entertaining fight of the evening was Corey Gregory vs. Demetrius King. This heavyweight match up lasted only one round, with the very patient King stopping the much more aggressive Gregory with a flurry of punches along the ropes, which nearly knocked Gregory out of the ring. By the time Gregory was able to climb back into the ring, it was clear he was in no shape to continue.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Mid-West Professional Boxing Series, not only in Kalamazoo, but throughout the Mid-West as well. For more information visit, www.besideproductions.com.
Questions? Comments? Email me at bskjold@talkingboxing.com
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