Last nite’s ESPN FNF offering from Boston, MA coughed up a busy, non-stop welterweight club fight affair that saw Jesse Feliciano claiming a majority decision win over 42 year old warhorse Vince Phillips.

Took no more than three stanzas to uncover the respective game plans - for the younger age 23 Feliciano, armed with small bore weaponry, it would be an all out attempt to smother the bigger punching Phillips - for the past prime former belt owner Phillips, it would come down to finding breathing room for his more potent payload.

Feliciano quickly brought the action to Phillips while grabbing the opening two stanzas - nothing text-book as he pumped away at close quarters with short on clout point scorers -  Phillips had trouble finding needed space for his combinations.

Round three belonged to Phillips as the Feliciano pace slowed just enough for the veteran to get some combos off - but other than a candle five with Phillips scoring with big right hands this battle would translate to beauty in the eyes of the beholder come the official scoring game.

The choices would be clear - Phillips with the here and there sharp and concise text book scoring vs. Feliciano the mauler with both hands in action albeit missing the target as much as finding the mark.

My unofficial saw it Phillips 96-95 in points and 5-4-1 under the round by round method. The numbers that count went Feliciano 97-93, 97-93, 96-96.

Post Scripts: Jessie Feliciano ~ good news is young at age 23 - goes to 14-5-2, 8 KOs. Bad news entered this one off four losses in last five outings. The brain trust, along with Feliciano have no fear - thus recent KO losses to Demetrius Hopkins, Mike Arnaoutis, Mohamad Abdulaev. Needs tutoring in boxing basics. Clearly a career club fight talent - tough but limited in skills.
                       Vince Phillips ~ age 42 and drops to 48-10-1, 34 KOs - showed he can still hold his own against non-lethal opposition in a fast paced affair. Age may not have stolen the punching power, but has damaged the ability to get the punches off. The yesterday jab was MIA … the needed range finder for the two punch combinations. Still, came out alive and well, and still able to compete at the small club circuit.
                       Teddy Atlas-Brian No-Clue ~ for no other reason than sanity the silly strategy sessions with respective props must go. Teddy had the Feliciano game strategy laid out pretty like - as in using the young legs and make it an outside fight - suggested not going into the trenches with the bigger puncher. Then the opening bell and Feliciano opts for an encounter of a whole different kind - was hug-n-mug and flail on the inside from start to finis.         
                        Brian No Clue studio gig a total waste.

Televised prelim eight rounder between Teddy Muller (17-5-2, 7 KOs) and Derrick Whitely (23-24-3, 11 KOs) went the distance with Whitely scoring a unanimous decision win that upped his resumé to 24-24-3 and 11 stoppages.
Whitely a now age 38 and Muller at age 33 might heed the words of Horace Greeley and leave the east coast and go west. Both accidents waiting to happen.

Referee report: Michael Marvelle worked the prelim … likable sort that went with the flow - definitely earns passing grades. Ref. Richard Flaherty surprisingly kept his distance after one early round caution to Phillips for low blow - happily, a light went off in the attic and rowdy Richard took a back seat stance.

GEL