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NEW YORKERS STEAL THE SHOW IN WEST VIRGINIA
Friday 20 September 2002
Virginia's World Championship favourite Pernell Whitaker made a victorious start to his pro boxing career tonight but he may not have counted on a pair of ambitious New Yorkers stealing his thunder with debuts every bit as impressive, if not moreso. Fighting in the main event at Chester's Mountaineer Race Track & Resort Whitaker defeated Philadelphia's Tyrone Everett, taking a comfortable unanimous decision verdict (59-54, 60-53, 58-56) while never really needing to push himself out of second gear. Earlier on the card Bronx native Richie Plunkett produced an eye-catching performance in dominating Portland's Ray Lampkin while Louisiana-born New Yorker Tony Canzoneri overwhelmed the Canadian Arthur King with a brilliant display of boxing.
Plunkett was the first of them to step in the ring, winning by unanimous decision (60-52, 59-54, 60-52) in the evening's fourth contest. The 27 year-old employed an aggressive disposition throughout the bout, a strategy that never allowed the more measured Lampkin to get into the fight. He was constantly on the backfoot, Plunkett pressing forward and throwing an average of 120 punches per round. The most admirable aspect of his effort was the way in which he increased his workrate as the fight progressed, to the point where he dominated the final three rounds in comprehensive fashion. Lampkin tasted the canvas for the first and only time late in round six, a wild overhand right catching him flush and depositing him on his backside. Plunkett connected with 52 shots during the final round, his offensive onslaught bringing the crowd to their feet. He landed 168 of 720 punches (.233), Lampkin 85 of 227 (.374).
"Pretty simple plan," said Plunkett, smiling. "The guy is an analytical type of fighter so we knew if we pressed him and stayed aggressive he'd have a tough time doing much of anything and it worked. His power is pretty limited so I wasn't that worried about getting caught by any hard shots and that allowed me to keep my foot to the floor throughout the fight."
"It went better than we were expecting," Plunkett admitted when quizzed on the outcome. "We thought he'd be a bit more competitive and that it'd be closer. But, hey, we ain't complaining."
Canzoneri was up next and despite pitching a near shutout was only awarded a majority decision against King (58-57, 57-57, 59-55). It was an effort that clearly threw the gauntlet down to Whitaker, with many believing that Canzoneri is capable of defeating the gold medallist during these regional qualifiers. He may be just seventeen years old but the New Yorker has shown the talent of someone five years his senior, his hand speed and aggression something to behold. Against King he was never troubled and save for the 5th controlled each round with assuredness and confidence. Canzoneri landed twice as many punches as his opponent (229-100), and at an accuracy rate of 40%.
(to be continued)
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