[kenyan_cheena]

The New York Age

WEDNESDAY, 13 DECEMBER, 2006

PLUNKETT COMPLETES
TITLE CHARGE IN ENEMY TERRITORY

Story by James Reynolds

Last night Bronx lightweight Richie Plunkett concluded an outstanding start to his time in the International Boxing League by winning the Americas Championship with a 7th round knockout of hometown favourite Vicente Santana at the Ginasio CBBP in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Plunkett was knocked through the ropes early in the opening round but fought back brilliantly to defeat Santana, dropping him with a crunching uppercut midway through round six and then finishing him off with a single left hook just after the one minute mark of the 7th. 3rd-seeded Plunkett came into the evening as a warm favourite having won two of his three preliminary bouts by knockout, including a scintilating one-punch stoppage of the talented New Jersey native Ike Williams in round one of their semi-final bout. However Santana was a much tougher proposition, especially in front of his fellow countrymen and with the inaugural Americas Championship on the line.

By the time the main event kicked off the crowd had worked themselves up into something akin to religious fervour and when Santana sent Plunkett through the ropes with a two-fisted barrage just 42 seconds into round one they erupted as one. Plunkett was up at five and struggled to find his bearings as the round progressed, Santana picking him off with a series of combinations and penetrating jabs. But late in the frame the New Yorker unloaded with a left hook to the body and then wobbled Santana with a left to the head, both shots bringing a concerned look to the 5th seed's face. Plunkett controlled round two, hurting Santana with another stinging body shot near the two minute mark before once again shaking him up with a flush left hook late in the piece. The 3rd was an even, exciting affair with both men having their moments, although Plunkett produced the highlight when he drove home a wicked right to Santana's midsection some forty seconds from the bell.

In round four the competition shifted entirely in Plunkett's favour and stayed there until its conclusion. He found the mark with a pair of left hooks and peppered Santana with left-right salvos throughout the frame. A hard, straight right from Santana late in the round was not enought to cancel out Plunkett's brilliant work and things only got worse for the Brazilian in the 5th. The bout was almost stopped after Plunkett had him in all sorts of trouble shortly before the bell, Santana having to grab onto the ropes to avoid a knockdown. But in round six he couldn't keep the inevitable at bay, Plunkett dropping him on his backside with that perfect uppercut. He couldn't quite finish the job but one minute into the 7th Plunkett came up with his best punch of the fight, a left hook that snapped Santana's head around and had him face down on the canvas. Santana was still prone when the count reached eight, the fight over at the 1:17 mark.

Plunkett's corner crew flooded the ring and celebrated with him, many in the crowd offering begrudging applause to their hero's conqueror. At the time of the stoppage Plunkett had connected with 206 of 677 punches (30.7%), Santana 136 of 575 (23.7%). Doning a Yankees cap the new IBL Americas Lightweight Champion was ecstatic, taking time to say hello to his family and friends back in New York and saying how excited he already was about defending the belt in his hometown. That first title defense will be against the man he KO'd in the semi-finals, Trenton's Ike Williams. Fighting in the co-feature elimination bout Williams defeated Mexico's Olympic bronze medallist Rafael Martinez on cuts in round seven. Having lost a heartbreaker to Santana in the semis Martinez was hoping to get back on track against Williams but only found more frustration. He was cut on the right eyebrow in round two and as the bout progressed the injury worsened, with the ringside doctor examining it in rounds four and five before eventually advising the referee to stop the fight in the 7th.

Even if Martinez hadn't suffered the injury he would not have faired much better. Williams fought a brilliant fight, landing over two-and-a-half times as many punches as the former Americas tournament #1 seed and being simply too aggressive and quick for him to handle. Besides cutting Martinez Williams' lightning fists also produced a nasty mouse under that same right eye. Williams said afterwards that he was humbled and embarrassed by his semi-final defeat to Plunkett and was not only out for redemption but also another shot at him. He'll get exactly that and there seems to be no doubt that the Plunkett-Williams rematch will not only be more competitive but also last longer than their first clash. Plunkett will bring a perfect 13-0(10) record into the February bout, Williams a mark of 7-1(6). Considering their combined stoppage percentage it should be an explosive encounter.

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IBL Lightweight Americas Championship tournament final

(#3) Richie Plunkett (12-0(9)) KO7 (#5) Vicente Santana (10-1-1(6))

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