The ESPN Tuesday show traveled down Tampa way for a busy night of club fight action - and when the flailing ceased, it was split draws in the feature bouts.

The main event saw a younger, quicker, southpaw slinging Damian Fuller looking good over the early stanzas, as he enjoyed the five inch height advantage while scoring from the outside with combinations off the jab.

Looked almost as good as the babbling duo, Joey and Teddy, had painted him to be prior to the opening bell - but no sooner the ludicrous hot prospect branding cooled, here comes old bones making it a fight.

Yes, Fuller had the better moments early on, and did manage to hurt Brown in stanza three with a wicked double hook that went body to head … but come stanza five it would be Brown pressure slowing the front runner hot tamale, with nothing more than pressure.

This unofficial saw Brown running a string over candles seven thru nine and finishing with a round ten standoff - still, my math had the final tabulations for Fuller 96-95 in points and 5-4-1 in rounds.

Official numbers resulted in split decision draw, Brown 96-94, Fuller 96-94, 95-95.

Post Scripts: Damian Fuller ( 24-4-1, 11 KOs) ~ At age 28 is time to face the music - is where he’s at, as in ESPN level. Advice is try avoiding the taped pre-fite bait trap. As in, "yes, after this one maybe a tune up and then a title shot." Looked very decent early on but then not so hot once the pressure arrived.

                      John Brown (23-12-2, 11 KOs) ~ Try age 36 for starters. Only 5-3 in height and can no longer give all the advantages of the tale of the tape. Quickness long gone and lacks potent punching power. All the ugliness of pro-boxing at senior age, with no better option than tora, tora, tora, can only translate to a final banzai ending in playing of taps.
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Semi-final cruiserweight pairing saw unbeaten Shauna George (11-0-1, 5) and expected "opponent" in Willie Herring (11-3-2, 2) battling to a split decision draw that went George 96-94, Herring 97-93, even at 95-95.

Could be the pre-fite hype for George out of the Duva stable had a bearing on this one - the viewer sure got enough pro-George rhetoric early on from the Tessie-Atlas chatter bugs.

Tessitore actually saw this guy as a promising boxer puncher, after a single opening round when Shauna baby outmaneuvered the shorter, plodding Herring - wasn’t all that long we hear questions replacing plaudits, as it becomes clear George works best when no resistance is in sight.

Herring earned the nod from this unofficial, more on toughness than boxing ability - once claiming the inside, it was a blanking down to the wire - my numbers went Herring 98-92 in points and 8-2 in rounds.

The scoring that counts had it George 96-94, Herring 97-93 and even at 95-95.

Closing comments: George ~ guess here is Shauna has been aided and abetted by the Duva stable connection. Problem is, after the gimmes, the inevitable is a serious foe in the other corner. Herring was made to order on paper and technical skills but had one intangible that the connected one lacks - intestinal fortitude when the going gets tough.

                                  Herring ~ Word is the overly bulked body is short on clout as attested to 2 stoppages in a now 11-3-3, 2 rap sheet. Is not sure what weight class best suits him … maybe light heavy the better of the three choices.
                                                      
                                  None of the above mentioned are close to serious future title consideration. Brown the only past proven one on the card, but today is accident waiting to happen. Sad story but true one.

GEL

6-21-2005