[mikehoudini]

Francesco Damiani (2-0) vs. Amos Lincoln (level 5) (6-2 4) – Damiani had upset Jim Braddock, while Lincoln had won a unanimous decision over Johnny Risko in a fight that was ended because of a cut occurring by an unintentional head butt. Damiani decided to slug it out with the Big Train. Would this prove to be a wise decision?

Francesco set the tone in an 11-4 Round 1. He caught a Lincoln hook, but hurt Amos with a dazzling uppercut. Damiani started off well in the 2^nd, a hard cross and another uppercut giving him the upper hand at the two minute mark. Lincoln rallied with a solid last minute, punctuated by a daunting straight right. His uppercuts notted the points at 11-11, and would go a long way to influencing the judges.

Damiani clinched a lot in the 3^rd, frustrating Lincoln. Francesco stayed active when he wasn’t clinching, pulling away to an 11-2 round. He stunned Amos with a gigantic right to start the 4^th, then sent him staggering with a titanium cranium-crusher! Way down, Lincoln again staged a great rally in the last minute, hooking like there was no tomorrow. He nearly floored Damiani with a deadly hook to the body, and ended up just a point behind, 15-14! Again, his rally might influence the judges.

Francesco was cut over the left eye early in the 5^th, and the fight was halted temporarily before Doctor Jekkel said it could proceed. They trades shots for the first 2 minutes, Damiani landing another solid uppercut, Amos a whistling combination. Francesco’s cut was now gushing, and he attacked with a savage vigor in the ladt minute, nearly flooring Lincoln from the effects of a thunderous hook and combination. Damiani won going away, 20-8, and Lincoln was a tired train who looked like he’d run out of coal.

Francesco was still bleeding coming out for the 6^th, and this gave Lincoln new life. He blasted a combination home, followed by a vicious left hook to the midsection. Damiani waited for him to slow down, then tagged him with a laser left and sharp combination, doing enough to steal the round, 13-11. Lincoln’s fatigue was in evidence.

Amos opened the 7^th nicely, but a sizzling cross took the steam out of his engine. Francesco was tiring as well, but had enough left in the tank to drop Lincoln with a nasty uppercut. Amos was back up at the count of 3, and weathered the storm, but had squandered another opportunity in a 13-8 round.

Damiani’s cut was reopened from a Lincoln jab in the 8^th, and again the fight was halted. Once things resumed, they traded hard shots, Lincoln’s booming hook causing Francesco to clinch. Damiani recuperated, then started landing leather. A fantastic straight right nearly ended the fight, and soon after Lincoln went down, but it was ruled a slip! It ended 13-7, another good round for Damiani.

He went after Amos in the 9^th, taking the lead with a crisp hook, then mixing hooks and uppercuts. Late in the round he threw a titanic uppercut, and Amos was down again! He staggered to his feet at the count of 4, clearly on Bink Street, and somehow again weathered the storm. Damiani dominated, 21-4!

In the 10^th, he nearly leveled Lincoln with a straight right, then dropped him with a bruising cross. Amos sprang back up at the count of 3, but there was no fight left in him. Damiani pulled away to an easy 16-6 round, protecting his eye, just in case.

There was no suspense in the verdict. Harold Lederman led the way in a 98-89, 97-90 & 98-89 unanimous decision for Francesco Damiani. The last of the Level 5 fighters had bit the dust, or perhaps more appropriately, tasted the canvas! Damiani had ruled from Round 5 on!