27 January: Tacoma, Washington, USA
Fred Boatwright (8-0-1(3)) UD8 Gene Wells (14-3-1(8))
(IBL middleweight division)
Making his IBL debut, Los Angeles native Fred Boatwright could not have been more impressive as he pitched a shutout against Miami's Gene Wells on the way to a unanimous decision win (80-72 on all three cards). After a series of eye-catching performances at the back end of '06 the league signed Boatwright to a two-year contract early in the new year and he looked outstanding in defeating Wells behind a potent right lead, which he landed at will. It's been remarkable to watch the improvement that Boatwright has made in the last four or five months, especially when you consider the passive, unwilling fighter he was in his opening professional outings. As a result of the win Boatwright will be ranked at #62 in the IBL's January month end middleweight world rankings, a jump of eight positions from where he was beforehand.
This is great news for the many Boatwright fans residing in California!
