LEWISTON — There were many hard-fought matches, but the fiercest came at the end of the evening when Ray Wood and Alexandre Bezerra took it to the mat during New England Fights 29 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Saturday night.
Bezerra was as fast as a jackrabbit on takedowns and it began to wear on Wood. Bezerra had Wood locked up most of the first and second round.
Bezerra’s daring takedowns and those fast moves allowed him to win by decision.
The first professional MMA fight featured Josh Parker and Andre Belcarris in a 145-pound donnybrook. Both fighters used legwork and a series of takedowns in the first and second round and ended up in a long pin before the bell rang.
The third round was highlighted by a takedown heard round the Colisee when Belcarris was dropped to the mat. Parker landed on top where he dished out a handful of punishing punches and elbows. Parker also came out on top with a victory by decision.
Speed was definitely at factor in a catchweight pro MMA bout. Dominic Jones and Matt Denning chased each other around the mat in the first round. But the victorious Denning put Jones in a rear-choke hold and Jones was forced to tap out.
Ras Hilton disptached Eric Ramsey with a series a blows and speed in an a pro 265-pound match. Hilton won the fight by TKO in the middle of the first round.
If you were looking down at your fight program, you missed Josh Jones’ lightning right-hander knock out Anthony Spires four seconds into the first round of an amateur 185-pound MMA match.
Jones’ right was that fast and devastating, leaving the crowd equally stunned as well.
“I set a record (fastest knockout),” Jones, 29, an Erskine Academy graduate, said. “I was waiting to see what he (Spires) was going to give me.”
Spires never got that chance after Jones’ sent to Spires to mat where a doctor and trainers worked on him for about 15 minutes before he could stand.
“I was ready to go again,” Jones said. “He is a great competitor. I am hoping he was alright.”
In an amateur MMA 155-pound title fight, Rafael Velado and Pat Kelly traded kicks and fists for two rounds before it really got rough in the third round. Velado had Kelly on the ground and pounded away for a few seconds. Velado wouldn’t stop and got Kelly on the ground and peppered him again.
Velado won the amateur title by decision.
John Tefft slammed Mike Williams in a NEF185-pound matchup in the first round before Williams locked up Tefft in the opening MMA bout.
But Tefft got free and dropped Williams, who injured his arm and couldn’t fight in the second round. Tefft won by TKO
Boxing opened the mixed venue, with Jason Quirk of the Portland Boxing Club going up against independent Borngod Washington.
It didn’t last long.
Quirk was all over Washington and knocked him down with a couple of seconds left in the first round. Washington got back up, but Quirk charged back as soon as the bell rang, backing Washington into a corner with a flurry of punches before the fight was stopped with 22 seconds left in the second round.
Quirk (6-8) was declared the winner by TKO in the 168-pound bout. Washington, who suffered a shoulder injury during the that second round, falls to 3-20.
In the second boxing bout, Bryan Goldsby kept probing, but Casey Kramlich (7-0-1) of the Portland Boxing was relentless in the first and second rounds of a 154-pound match.
Kramlich didn’t waste any time going after Goldsby as the fight moved all over the ring, where Goldsby (4-3) was forced into the corner (4-3) fell and was counted out of the match with a knockout going to Kramlich.
Before the third fight began, heavyweight fighter James “Buster “Douglas, 57, was introduced to fans during the break. Douglas surprised Mike Tyson to win the championship in 1990 in Tokyo.
Portland Boxing Club’s Russell Lamour Jr. traded blows with Bruce Boyington in a 160-pound bout. Lamour and Boyington got to know each other after one round before Lamour took control of the match.
But the fight was stopped with an accidental head butt that left a deep cut on Boyington’s head and no winner was declared after the match was called in the second round.
Bryan Goldsby, right, lands a punch on Casey Kramlich during the 154 pound boxing match at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston on Saturday. Kramlich of the Portland Boxing Club won the fight by knockout.
Josh Jones jumps up onto the cage after laying Anthony Spires out just after the opening bell during the 185 pound matchup at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston on Saturday. Jones won the fight.
James “Buster” Douglas visits with fans at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston on Saturday. Douglas is known worldwide for his 10th round knockout victory over Mike Tyson to claim the heavyweight championship in 1990.
Bruce Boyington knocks Russell Lamour Jr. against the ropes during the 160 pound boxing match in Lewiston on Saturday. The fight was ruled a no contest.
Mike Williams, right, and John Tefft fight during the 185 pound matchup in Lewiston on Saturday. Tefft won the match.
Russell Lamour Jr. of the Portland Boxing Club and his coach, Bob Russo, enter the rink area, where he fought Bruce Boyington in the 160 pound boxing match in Lewiston on Saturday. The fight was ruled a no contest.
Jason Quirk of the Portland Boxing Club completes a back flip after taking down Borngod Washington during the 168 pound boxing matchup in Lewiston on Saturday.
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