Photos: Emily Harney
Alejandro “El Abusador” Paulino (19-0, 14 KOs) passed the toughest test of his young career on Saturday, pounding out a 10-round majority decision over a tough Toka “T-Nice” Kahn (29-4, 19 KOs) to retain his WBC USA Silver Lightweight title. The 11-fight card took place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Heading into the bout, Paulino vs. Kahn was seen as a crossroads fight between a grizzled contender and a rising prospect. The question was whether Paulino had learned enough in his 3 years as a professional to beat a savvy veteran of 31 bouts who had shared the ring with the likes of pound for pound star Shakur Stevenson and former world champion Kid Galahad.
The 26-year-old Paulino looked to assert himself immediately, walking the smaller Kahn down and looking to land thudding shots to the body. Through 4 rounds, the Providence, RI resident by way of Liberia was showing defensive skills, but little in the form of offense. This allowed the aggressive Paulino to build an early lead as he effectively cut off the ring and threw short, compact punches looking to hurt the iron-chinned Kahn.
“I knew he wasn’t going to fight the first 4 rounds,” admitted the New London resident after the bout. “I knew that he wanted to take the fight to the later rounds because I had never been 10 rounds. He said that I was green and he saw me make mistakes in the later rounds. He was going to try to get me tired and take me out.”
Indeed, the 32-year-old Kahn finally began mounting his attack in round 5, landing counter right hands in between Paulino’s shots. Round 6 was more competitive as Toka began to increase his activity. Urged on by the chants of an engaged crowd, Paulino reasserted himself in round 7, landing the harder shots. However, it was Kahn who began landing to the body in round 8 and had the Dominican backing up for the first time in the fight. A counter right uppercut to the chest in round 9 seemed to momentarily stun Alejandro and it looked like the early deficit was narrowing.
“I was not surprised,” said Paulino of Kahn’s late surge. “I won the first 8 rounds. When you’re just going backwards and not throwing any punches, you’re going to have a lot of energy. He didn’t even try to win 1 round in the beginning. It was like 8-0 for me before he started stepping it up. I took one round off because I knew that I had a lot of rounds in the bank, but I finished strong in the last round. I wasn’t going to lose this fight.”
Despite feeling that he had enough of a lead to win comfortably, the scorecards were closer than expected after 10 rounds, with Paulino winning a majority decision by scores of 97-93, 96-94 and 95-95.
Looking ahead to 2025, Alejandro wants to begin positioning himself for a world title shot.
I’ve been training really hard in the gym and now I’ve been 10 rounds with an experienced southpaw,” said ‘El Abusador’. “This is the best I ever felt. I want to fight tough competition, guys who will lead me to a world title. I want to be a champion.”
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If the main event was a slow burn, the co-feature was a furious boil, as “King” Kevin Walsh (15-0, 8 KOs) emphatically defended his New England Super Featherweight title against top challenger Irvin Gonzalez (16-5, 12 KOs).
This was a highly anticipated Massachusetts turf war that pitted Brockton’s Walsh against Worcester’s Gonzalez. It was also a battle of the wills between an unbeaten fighter on the rise in Walsh and a seasoned boxer looking to reclaim his position at the top of the New England scene in Gonzalez. The fight did not disappoint, as the fighters engaged in heated exchanges from the opening bell.
Walsh struck first, countering a Gonzalez right hand with a quick flurry in round 1. Irvin quickly replied, getting the better of an exchange while landing to the head and body. Walsh started fast again in round 2, but Gonzalez weathered the storm and began using his range to land right hands and walk Walsh down. The 28-year-old’s strategy was working: by the end of the round, Walsh had a knot under his left eye and appeared to be the worse for wear.
“He definitely hit me with a couple of good shots, but I was never hurt,” admitted Walsh after the fight as he was surrounded by his supporters. “I got caught a few times, and I knew I had to switch up the gameplan a little bit.”
A fight broke out in round 3, as the fighters engaged in a furious exchange. The fight looked like it could end at any moment, with Gonzalez pouncing on Walsh at the 10 second warning and Walsh firing back with reckless abandon.
“I’m usually the aggressor, but I realized that Irvin is long, rangy, and a little stronger than I thought,” confessed Walsh. “I had to adjust and wait for him a little bit so that I could counter with the heavy shots.”
Just as the fight appeared to be reaching a crescendo in terms of action, Walsh brought it to a concussive end, hurting Gonzalez with a combination before landing a series of unanswered blows that repeatedly snapped the Worcester native’s head back. Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. saw enough, calling a halt to the bout at 0:23 of round 4.
“I hit him with a couple of quick combinations and that set me up for a big punch,” said Walsh as he described the final sequence. “I saw his eyes roll to the back of his head, and I followed up with some heavy shots.”
With the win, the 32-year-old Walsh retained his title and ended the argument about who is the best featherweight in New England. Having conquered his region, ‘King’ Kevin turned his attention to national ambitions.
“It felt good to beat a solid opponent with a good record like Irvin Gonzalez,” said a graceful Walsh. “He’s a tough opponent, and not only did I get the win, but I got the stoppage. I feel like I’m the best fighter in New England from 126 to 130 pounds and I have a great team – shout out to Rich Cappiello, Mike Cappiello and Mark DeLuca. It’s just the beginning for me. I’m 15-0 now, I’ve got all of the regional belts, now I want the green WBC US belt.”
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Bridgeport, CT’s Jacob “Lefty” Marrero (8-0, 7 KOs) scored a sensational first round stoppage of Providence, RI’s Placido Hoff (2-3-1). The 25-year-old Marrero could not miss, landing hellacious lefts and rights to Hoff’s body and head until Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. mercifully stopped Hoff from sustaining further damage. Time of the stoppage was 2:55.
Popular Waterbury, CT welterweight Mike “The Savage” Kimbel improved to 8-0 (5 KOs), pounding out a 6-round unanimous decision over tough-as-nails Argentine Sebastian Gabriel Chaves (6-8, 2 KOs). Scores were 60-54 (2x) and 59-55.
Columbia, CT’s Stevie Jane Coleman (6-1, 2 KOs) had to fight through a badly swollen left eye to win her welterweight bout, courtesy of a headbutt from the previously undefeated Suzanna Rodriguez Griffin (3-1, 1 KO) in round 2 of their contest. The technically superior Coleman fought the rest of the fight from range, landing enough clean right hands to win a unanimous decision by scores of 40-36 (2x) and 39-37.
2020 Olympic alternate Amelia Moore (1-0) made her highly anticipated pro debut a successful one, shutting out Michaele Nogue (2-6-1) over 4 rounds in a welterweight bout. Nogue looked to press the action early, but Moore had too many weapons in her arsenal, landing quick combinations while slipping Nogue’s return fire. The Colorado resident by way of New Hampshire had Nogue reeling in round 3, swarming the New Yorker with a furious assault that appeared to come from all angles. Nogue was able to survive the onslaught to hear the final bell but lost a unanimous decision by scores of 40-36 (3x).
Port Chester, NY’s Carlos Vanegas Nunez improved to 9-1 (7 KOs), winning a 6-round unanimous decision over St. Louis’ Anthony Eliotti (4-3, 4 KOs) in a bantamweight contest. After a competitive first 2 rounds, the 27-year-old Nunez began opening up, landing left hooks and right hands to the head while switching between orthodox and southpaw. Scores were 59-55 (2x) and 58-56.
Unbeaten East Haven, CT welterweight Jeffrey Gonzalez (6-0-1, 5 KOs) won a spirited 4 round decision over Douglas, MA’s Robert Degaetano (3-2, 3 KOs). The 29-year-old Gonzalez, who was fighting for the second time in 3 weeks, made the necessary adjustments to take over the fight and win a majority decision by scores of 40-36, 39-37 and 38-38.
Stamford middleweight prospect Douglas Marroquin (4-0, 3 KOs) was forced to go the distance for the first time in his pro career, nearly shutting out upset specialist Travis Floyd (3-11-2) over 4 rounds. The charismatic Marroquin, who is of Guatemalan and Mexican descent, was too strong for the cagey Floyd, winning a decision by scores of 40-36 (2x) and 39-37.
18-year-old phenom Joseph “J-Elite” Chisholm (3-0, 3 KOs) scored his third consecutive first round knockout, blitzing Semaj Flextcher (0-3) in a super bantamweight bout. Flextcher came to fight, but Stratford, CT’s Chisholm was too fast and powerful, dropping the Texan with a big left hook in an exchange. Flextcher beat the count, but a subsequent massive overhand right put him down for the count at 1:12 of the opening round.
Waterbury, CT’s Kevante Wineglass (1-0) made his pro debut a successful one, outslugging New Bedford, MA’s Jesus Salas (1-3, 1 KO) over 4 rounds in a competitive welterweight matchup. Scores were 40-36 and 39-37 (2x).
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