The CyberBoxingZone News


Sandman Sends Easley to Dreamland

By JD Vena at Ringside

Friday, September 25, 2000

CRANSTON - Four years ago, Scott "The Sandman" Pemberton suffered two successive knockout defeats.  To this day, the 33-year old from New Bedford, Ma, is a firm believer that had the referee in both fights allowed Pemberton to continue after being knocked down, he would still be undefeated. 

    "Those losses irk the hell out of me," said Pemberton.  "I want to go out on my shield.  I was counted out while I was standing on my own two feet.  Both of my losses happened that way.  In those fights, I was hurt but I could still continue."

    This past Friday night at the Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston, RI, Pemberton showed that he could overcome such adversity, when he picked himself up from a first round knockdown and stopped Le' Van Easley in the third round.  In a bout contested for the vacant NABF super-middleweight title, Pemberton, 167, was staggered midway through the first round by a cracking right hand from the 28-year old Easley, 166 ½, from Queens, NY.  A rubbery-legged Pemberton immediately clutched Easley, but couldn't get away from Easley's right hand, which dropped Pemberton with only seconds remaining in the first round.  Pemberton collected himself during the rest period after the first round to later stagger, then drop Easley at the end of the second frame with a vicious left hook-right hand combination.

    Going into the third, it appeared that Easley didn't recover as well as Pemberton did after the first round.  Pemberton noticed that and jumped on Easley with a two fisted attack.  After hurting Easley, an overanxious Pemberton was stung with another right hand and wobbled into the ropes.  Sensing danger, Pemberton spun off the ropes and landed a mammoth right hand that sunk Easley face first.  Easley bravely grappled to his feet only to be sent face first again with another long right hand.  Referee Charlie Dwyer reached the count of ten at 1:16 of the third round.

    Pemberton is the first fighter from Massachusetts to win an NABF title since his friend and stablemate, Ray Oliveira accomplished the feat in April of 1997.

    "When I stepped into the ring tonight, I was looking at Ray and thinking to myself, 'I'm going to accomplish what you accomplished,'" said Pemberton.  "What I didn't know was that I was going to war tonight.  Easley was a really tough kid.  All I heard throughout training camp was that he couldn't punch, but I thought he could and he certainly came to fight."

    Pemberton, un-rated by the CBZ, is just outside the top ten of all three of the governing bodies.  His record moves to 22-2-1 with 18 knockouts while Easley's drops to 14-6-2 with 6 KO's.

    Pemberton wasn't the only hometown fighter promoted by Jimmy Burchfield that night to win by knockout after being floored.  One could only imagine how concerned Burchfield was while seeing all three of his prospects hitting the deck.

    "I was very nervous for all three fights.  We have the best fighters around.  They're true warriors, led by Vinny Pazienza all the way down.  I'm very proud of all of them, especially Scotty because he got off the canvas to win the title. That's something a lot of fighters can't do."

    One of those fighters wasn't Israel 'Pito' Cardona; a former USBA and NABF lightweight champion himself.  On the comeback trail from two disastrous defeats to IBF champion Paul Spadafora and Julio Alvarez, Cardona returned to the ring.  His opponent Friday night was the overmatched but game Matt Hill, 143 ¼, of Baltimore, MD.  If it were up to the CBZ, Hill would deserve the Tommy Attardo Tough Guy of the week award.  Hill was noticeably hurt the entire fight but wouldn't fold until being stretched underneath the ropes of Cardona's corner by a right hand.  Just after Hill hit the canvas, one of his cornerman hit Hill in the face with a beautiful three-point shot with a white towel.  Hill could have used that towel a few rounds earlier, not at 2:48 of the 5th round.  Cardona, 144, of Hartford, CT, raised his record to 33-4 with 25 KO's.

    Arthur "The Armenian Assassin" Saribekian, 199, of Cranston, played yo-yo with Jose Torres, 186, of Hartford, CT, dropping him twice in the first and twice in the second round  Referee Joe Lopino stopped the one-sided affair at 1:48 of the 2nd round.  The win for Saribekian improves his mark to 22-4-1 with 16 KO's.  Sadly to say, Torres, who has been knocked out four times this year is now 10-42-2 with 5 KO's.  Will someone tell Torres to stop already?  And while they're at it, please give Genaro Andujar of New York, NY his pink slip.  Andujar lost for the 25th time Friday night against Cumberland, Rhode Island's Brian "Drop 'Em" Dumas.  Dumas, 156, failed to drop Andujar, 149 ¼, but did manage to cut the beaten face of the New Yorker and win all 6 rounds (60-54).  Dumas' record is now 9-1-3 with 4 KO's while Andujar is 8-25-2 with 1 KO.

    Former model, Kathy Rivers, 167 ½, sporting an Ivan Drago haircut, easily defeated Karen Bill, 164, of Lawton, OK over four rounds.  Rivers won by scores of 40-37 twice and 40-36.  The win was Rivers' 10th against 2 defeats with 3 wins coming via knockout.  Ms. Bill slumps to 3-5 with 3 KO's.

    In back to back slugfests, local favorites, Dan Constantino of Warwick and Jeff Horan of Narragansett won their bouts after picking themselves off the canvas.  Constantino, 182, coming off a three-year ring absence was decked in the first and second rounds before rallying to stop George Holder, 184 ½, of Woodbridge, VA at 2:39 of the third round.  The drama began in the first round when an aggressive Constantino was clipped by an uppercut that dropped him on all fours.  Then in the second, the end for Constantino seemed imminent when he was cut badly over the left eye and dropped by a right hand.  Midway through the third round, Constantino landed a left hook that sent Holder to mat.  Constantino jumped around in the neutral corner knowing for sure that Holder wouldn't recover from the blow.  After two more knockdowns, referee and former prizefighter, Steve Manfredo enforced Rhode Island's three knockdown rule.  Constantino remains unbeaten in picking up his 7th win, 6th by KO.  The hard punching Holder is now 7-4 with 6 KO's. 

    Horan, 147, had an easier task on paper then did Constantino.  He was fed with Jose Ortiz of Springfield, MA, a loser in all three of his bouts coming in.  During the first round, it appeared that Ortiz was going to pick up his first win after knocking Horan down with an overhand right.  Horan recovered though and in the third round downed Ortiz with a right hand of his own.  After reigning punches on the spent Ortiz, Charlie Dwyer stopped the fight at 2:22 of the round.  Horan, who has lost twice by knockout to Matt Hill, moves over the .500 mark at 3-2 with 3 KO's. 

    Shakha Moore, 142 ½, of Norwalk, CT, improved his record to 4-5 when he defeated Vernon Meeks, 143 ½, of Woodbridge, VA over 4 one-sided rounds.  All three judges scored the contest 40-34 for Moore, who knocked down Meeks in the first and third rounds.  Like Jose Ortiz, who lost twice to Moore, Meeks was winless coming into the bout with a record of 0-2.

    John "The Big Greek" Mihalos, 274, of Cranston, avenged his latest defeat when he floored Rodney McSwain, 215, of Lawton, OK in the second round with a jab and won a majority 4-round decision.  The judges had it 39-37 twice and 39-39.  Mihalos, looking to become a Butterbean victim, is now 8-3 with 2 KO's.

    If you follow kickboxing, then the name Peter Manfredo may mean something to you.  Peter Manfredo, the brother of referee Steve Manfredo, was a one-time world kickboxing champion.  Peter's son, 19-year old Peter Jr., a veteran of 175 amateur bouts, made his professional debut and soundly defeated Steve Garret of Columbia, MD over 4 rounds.  In the first round, Manfredo dropped Garrett twice with lightning fast right hands.  Though Garrett continued, he did little to make Manfredo look as impressive as he did in the first round in the last three rounds.  Garrett continuously smothered Manfredo and got little warning from Referee Joe Lopino.  Manfredo did drop Garrett (1-1) one final time in the 4th round with a beautiful double left hook combination.  Manfredo, who won by three scores of 40-33 looks like real prospect ladies and gentleman.  Stay tuned.

Promoter - Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports
Matchmaker - Teddy Panagiotis

   





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