Fight Night: Taylor Ready for Return on Prospect Loaded Show at Pittsburgh's Historical Priory Grand Hall

There is a saying in the boxing business that "a fighters gotta fight" and Anthony Taylor will be doing just that tonight in Pittsburgh as he will try to play spoiler and win on the road in a backyard brawl.

Stepping into the ring for the first time in over a year, the 4-2 Taylor is set to take on undefeated Ukrainian native who now trains and fights out of Pittsburgh, Oleg Dovhun in a six-round matchup between two hard hitters with solid amateur backgrounds. 

Dovhun, 24, is currently 5-0 and steadily climbing the super bantamweight rankings while the 27-year-old Taylor is looking to stop a two-bout losing skid and pull off an upset in the co-main event that could open the door to bigger fights for the Youngstown native.

In the evening's main event, Lyubomyr Pinchuk will take on Lamont Capers of Hawley, Pennsylvania by way of Brooklyn, New York for the vacant American Boxing Federation USA Cruiserweight title in a scheduled 8-round bout.

Pinchuk, 22, came to Pittsburgh alongside Dovhun for his native Ukraine is currently 5-1 while his 27-year-old opponent brings a wealth of pro experience into the ring with his 9-14-4 record.

Super middleweight prospect Maidel Sando (5-0, 3 KOs) of Tennessee will look to remain perfect as the 28-year-old steps into the ring against 26-year-old South Carolina native Javier Frazier (8-4-1) in what has the makings of an action-packed 4-round contest. 

Rounding out the card will be a pair of matches involving Pittsburgh natives as Jarrell Brackett (0-1) will seek his first win as he takes on Jordan Zlacki in a 4-round super middleweight contest and Michael Manna will make his debut when he takes on Marcus Williams who is also making his debut in a 4-round cruiserweight matchup.

Conway All the Way: Sweet Child Scores TKO Victory to Retain Belt

Matt Conway is starting to develop a solid body of work for his young professorial career and after last nights 9th round TKO victory, the 23-year-old Pittsburgh native can now add successful title defense to his resume.

Though Conway was in control all match long, he had his hands full with 34-year-old Dominican Republic native, Adriano Ramirez in the main event of Rivers Rumble X put on by Made Men Promotions on a perfect night under the stars at the Rivers Casino outdoor amphitheater.

Ramirez tried to assert himself as the aggressor early on but he eventually started finding himself as the recipient of hard body blows from the fists of Conway.

The work Conway did to the body in the early rounds started opening up holes in the defense of Ramirez, who was eventually put on the canvas in the fifth round sending the packed house into a frenzy. 

Ramirez, who kept fighting hard, would find the canvas again in the 9th round after eating a solid right from Conway.

Though Ramirez beat the count, the referee in charge made the right decision and waved off the bout giving Conway the 6th knockout victory of his career and a successful defense of his IBA Intercontinental lightweight title that he won in June.

With the victory, Conway improved his record to a perfect 14-0 while Ramirez saw his record fall to 10-2.

Youngstown native Danny Rosenberger dropped a tough decision to Wheeling, WV native Eric Bledsoe in the evening's co-main event.

Rosenberger was never to get off his combinations in the battle of two very solid defensive fighters.

Though Rosenberger caught Bledsoe with a few hard shots, especially in the opening two rounds, the 28-year-old fighter trained by Tommy Cordell at Downtown Boxing Club found himself on the wrong side of the judge's scorecards at the end of the 6-round super welterweight matchup by scores of 60-54, 59-55, 59-55. 

"It feels good to get the win," said Bledsoe from the ring to the crowd after the fight.  "Danny gave me a good fight and the push that I needed".

Rosenberger, 28, saw his record slip to 3-5-3 while the 29-year-old Bledsoe now sports a 5-1-1 record.

Pittsburgh super welterweight Richie Cantolina found himself on the right side of the judge's scorecards as he defeated former Iraqi war veteran Cody Wilson of Fairmont, West Virginia in a four round affair.

The 28-year-old Cantolina who came to the ring to Toto's Africa improved to 2-0.

"Hats off to Cody Wilson," said Cantolina after the fight.  "He's jacked and hits hard".

In what might have been the knockout of the night, Pittsburgh middleweight Larry Blakey (5-11-2) was caught with a hard right hand by Houston, Texas native Donald Reed (6-0) in the 1:53 mark of the 3rd round as Blakey was unable to beat the referees count.

Full Results

Super welterweight amateurs - Jerome Baxter (Pittsburgh) SD over Corey Lopez (Highland Park, NJ)

Super welterweight - Fred Wilson (Cleveland) and James Robinson (York, PA) fought to a split draw

Middleweight - Donald Reed (Houston, TX) KO3 over Larry Blakey (Pittsburgh, PA)

Super welterweight - Eric Palmer (Fairchance, PA) UD over Ivan Hernandez (Buffalo, NY)

Super welterweight - Richie Cantolina (Pittsburgh, PA) UD over Cody Wilson (Fairmont, WV)

Super welterweight - Eric Bledsoe (Wheeling, WV) UD over Danny Rosenberger (Youngstown, OH)

Lightweight - Matt Conway (Pittsburgh) TKO9 over Adriano Ramirez (Dominican Republic)

Fight Week: Conway Set for Title Defense at Rivers Rumble X

Matt Conway will look to close out his summer like he started it, with a belt around his waist as the Pittsburgh native who recently turned 23-years-old will be defending the title he won in early June.

Conway (13-0, 5 KOs), won the then-vacant IBA Intercontinental Lightweight title with a split decision victory over Arturo Santos Reyes of Mexico in a highly entertaining contest at The Rivers Casino on June 8.

Trained by his dad, Jack with the help of trainers Sammy Vasquez and Steve "Skeetz" Levandowsky at the Bronson House Gym in Washington, PA, Conway knows defending the belt will be as tough as winning it.

"It means a lot to defend this belt," said Conway.  "The training camp leading up the fight was long and hard so I'm putting just much effort if not more into this title defense".

Standing in the way between Conway and a successful title defense this upcoming Saturday in the scheduled 10-round main event of the Made Men Promotions show billed as Rivers Rumble X will 34-year-old Adriano Ramirez (10-1, 6 KOs) of the Dominican Republic.

Though Ramirez will present a solid challenge to Conway and his steady climb towards the lightweight rankings, the hometown favorite who is known as "Sweet Child" will have plenty of fans in his corner at the Rivers Casino outdoor amphitheater located in his hometown of Pittsburgh.

"I'll go out and people will see me and just be like hey you're that boxer so I love it," said Conway with a laugh of his rising popularity and becoming a role model.  "I do my best to always do the right thing and work hard and be a role model for the kids in the gym and everyone else".

Tickets for the event can be purchased here through Thursday.

First bell is slated for 7:00 PM with the doors opening at 5:00 PM.

Fight Week: Rosenberger Set for Clash at Rivers Casino

A few Saturday's ago Danny Rosenberger sat ringside like he does at most amateur boxing shows around the Youngstown area.  

This show, however, was special for the 28-year-old professional fighter trained by Tommy Cordell at Downtown Boxing Club as his father Rusty was honored prior to the event in their hometown of Niles.

"My dad being honored was truly a great experience and an inspiration to me," said Rosenberger on watching the former New Jersey middleweight state titleholder being recognized by Trumbull County Commissioner, Frank Fuda. 

"He deserves it and never receives the credit he truly deserves sometimes.  It shows that some people still care about his career and the accomplishments he achieved both in and out of the ring".

Now Rosenberger, who has only one blemish in his previous five fights, has a chance to further honor his father who just celebrated a birthday this past Saturday with the gift of a victory.

Rosenberger (3-4-3) is slated to take on 29-year-old Eric Bledsoe (4-1-1) in a 6-round super welterweight matchup at the Rivers Casino this upcoming Saturday in what might be the biggest fight of his career to date.

While Rosenberger will be coming into the fight on a high note following his dominating performance in a one-sided decision victory over the previously undefeated Mark Daley in May, he's put that fight behind him already while training for this fight knowing what is at stake.  

"A win will open some doors for me and my career" stated Rosenberger.  "Training has been great and I feel both physically and mentally in shape".  

Like Rosenberger, Bledsoe is currently fighting at a high level as the Wheeling, WV native recently fought the always tough Roque Zapata to a draw in June ending his run of three-straight victories.

"Eric Bledsoe is a great fighter and this will be a tough and action-packed fight.  He comes to fight and has a nice following behind him," said Rosenberger speaking of his opponent.

Tickets for the event being put on by Made Men Promotions can be purchased through Thursday here.

Different Rules, Same Result: Rosta Victorious in Pittsburgh, Again

Less than a month ago New Castle native Dalton Rosta picked up a huge TKO victory in the cage at the Rivers Casino.  

Last night he picked up a TKO victory in the boxing ring during the amateur portion of a Pro-Am card promoted by World Fight Championships at The Meadows Casino.

Rosta is now a perfect 5-0 following his destruction of John Demus as an amateur heavyweight boxer while also maintaining an unblemished 6-0 as one of the top light heavyweight MMA fighters in the nation.

Trained by Sammy Calderone at Downtown Boxing Club in his striking game, the 22-year-old Rosta remains one of the most active and successful fighters on the local scene in both the cage and ring.

Stay tuned to Youngstown Boxing News as we will let everyone know the next time Rosta will be in action and in which sport.

Full Results from The Meadows:

Pro:

138 LBS - Bill Hutchinson (Pittsburgh) TKO5 over Justin Savi (Cotonou, Benin)

153 LBS - Dan Karpency (Adah, PA) TKO2 over Roger Blakenship (Cleveland)

150 LBS - Deon Goodlow (Pittsburgh) UD over Shawn Rall (Cleveland)

Amateur:

201+ LBS - Dalton Rosta (New Castle) TKO over John Demus

185 LBS - Lucas Adams SD over Keith Coles

160 LBS - Eric Quarles SD over Paul Palumbo

145 LBS - Laron Rockymore SD over Vinnie Kirkley

165 LBS - Carlos Johnson SD over Eric Lomax

145 LBS - Ryan Flora UD over Justin Riley

Unleash the Tiger: Taylor Set for Ring Return in Backyard Brawl

Though Anthony "Tiger" Taylor has been at Southside Boxing Club training steadily over the past year with trainer Jack Loew, the 27-year-old is about to enter the ring for the first time since suffering a TKO loss to Santos Vasquez in Reno, NV in May 2017.

Taylor, who will be looking to end a two-match losing streak, is slated to take on Ukrainian native Oleg "The Ukrainian Pitbull" Dovhun on August 18 in a pro-am card being promoted by Integrity Fighter Management at the historical Priory Grand Hall in Pittsburgh.

Dovhun, 24, who now resides and trains in Pittsburgh at the Conn-Greb gym under the watchful eye of his promoter and trainer, Michael McSorley is currently 5-0 with two of his victories coming by way of knockout while Taylor will come into the scheduled 6-round bout being fought at super bantamweight with a 4-2 record.

"My guys go up to Youngstown for sparring for a reason.  It's a tough town with great people and fighters" said McSorley about Dovhun fighting an opponent from nearby Youngstown.  "Youngstown fighters don't duck anyone and neither do guys in my stable, this is an old-school backyard brawl and we need more of these in the area".

Michael McSorley
and Oleg Dovhun

Despite Dovhun only having 5 professional bouts on his resume, ring experience is not lacking for the five-time Ukrainian national champion who amassed 347 amateur bouts in his native country and fought for the famed elite Ukraine Ottoman boxing team in the World Series of Boxing.

"Taylor has a great amateur pedigree and so does Oleg" McSorley said about the upcoming co-feature bout.  "Oleg's the meanest, most intense fighter I have ever worked with and has a very fitting nickname".

While Dovhun has been a pleasure to work with for McSorley, the trainer/promoter also had praise for Team Taylor and manager John Loew in making this bout happen.

"John [Loew] is extremely professional and has been great to work with.  We have a ton of respect for both their gym [Southside Boxing Club] and Downtown Boxing Club." stated McSorley.  "We know we are in for a fight".

Tickets for the event start at $30 and can be purchased here.

Stay tuned to Youngstown Boxing News for more information as the fight date approaches as we will be interviewing Anthony Taylor in the near future.

Nailing it Down: Joey Nail Finishes Strong to Secure Victory on Night Honoring Rusty Rosenberger

Joey Nail

Body language can tell you a lot about an athletes demeanor during a sporting event.

In the case of 10-year-old Joey Nail, his body language told his trainer everything he needed to know about his young fighter during his 90-pound contest last night at Johnny K's Powersports in Niles.

"Joey would come to the corner after every round pounding his gloves ready to go", said trainer Vinny O'Neill of Southside Boxing Club.  

"You could tell he wanted to be in that ring fighting," he continued. 

Nail, who improved to 2-0 in his young career, struggled a little in the opening round but would control the next two rounds wearing down and out throwing and landing his opponent, Javor Santiago of Boards Boxing in Toronto, OH.

Unfortunately for the hometown fans that packed the outdoor event, Nail was the lone victorious fighter for the local Youngstown boxing scene on a beautiful evening under the stars put on by Johnny K's in conjunction with Lights Out Management billed as Boxing, Beers, and Bikes.

Jabrill Scott (R) connects a punch on Justin Bermudez

In what was possibly the most entertaining fight of the night, Jabrill Scott of Southside Boxing Club lost by split decision to Justin Bermudez of Pittsburgh in a 140-pound rematch from a month ago which saw Bermudez win by stoppage.

Scott appeared to control most of the opening two rounds as both fighters traded hard blows but in the end, Bermudes scored a knockdown in the third and final round that may have sealed the victory on some of the judges' scorecards.

A pair of Southside Boxing Club fighters rounded out the evening for Youngstown fighters as Boardman High School student Jackson Behun showed plenty of heart but had troubles solving hard-hitting southpaw Hassam Almanhadi of Detroit in a 150-pound matchup and Juan Jauregui was slow out of the gate in dropping a unanimous decision defeat to David Webb from The Bunny Team out of Toledo in a 70-pound bout.

Rusty Rosenberger (L) being honored by Frank Fuda

While the local fighters may not have walked away as many victories as they wanted, one former local fighter walked away with a well-deserved honor from the Trumbull County Commissioners Board.

Niles native and Trumbull County Commissioner, Frank Fuda was on hand to honor former pro boxer and fellow Niles native Rusty Rosenberger.

A  multiple Youngstown Golden Glove champion as an amateur, Rosenberger reached the pinnacle of his professional career in 1979 when he claimed the New Jersey State Middleweight title.

Rosenberger, who finished his pro career with a 20-8 record, was inducted into the New Jersey State Boxing Hall of Fame in November of 2010.

Full Results

65 LBS - Lamauri Grays (Cleveland) Dec over Souwah Cook (Pittsburgh)

95 LBS - Lamar Stewart (Detroit) Dec over Hadi Almanhadi (Detroit)

140 LBS - Justin Bermudez (Pittsburgh) Dec over Jabrill Scott (Youngstown/Southside Boxing Club)

70 LBS - David Webb (Toledo) Dec over Juan Jauregui (Youngstown/Southside Boxing Club)

80 LBS - Ibrahim Mason (Cleveland) Dec over Daren Webb (Toledo)

60 LBS - Maximus Ruiz (Pittsburgh) Dec over Jabarion Grays (Cleveland)

150 LBS - Hassam Almanhadi (Detroit) Dec over Jackson Behun (Youngstown/Southside Boxing Club)

130 LBS - Gram Royal (Columbus) TKO3 over Billy Ray Turner (Pittsburgh)

165 LBS - Brock McClelland (Pittsburgh) Dec over Travis Charles (Canton)

90 LBS - Joey Nail (Youngstown/Southside Boxing Club) Dec over Javor Santiago (Toronto, OH)

150 LBS - Nate Willingham (Pittsburgh) Dec over Brian Crockett (Ashtabula)

141 LBS - Corey Lopez (Pittsburgh) Dec over Frank Brown (Pittsburgh)