Mykquan Williams W10 Rickey Edwards... On Friday night at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT, junior welterweight Mykquan Williams (pictured) went the ten-round distance for the first time as a pro against Rickey Edwards of Paterson, NJ. The local fan favorite, Williams, 140lbs., applied pressure and remained the aggressor , consistently throwing a stiff jab. Williams' attack grew more versatile as the rounds continued, landing left hooks to the body and overhand rights to the head. Edwards fought from a defensive posture for much of the bout, searching for opportunities to land counter shots, but he never really landed anything effective until the final round. His four-inch height advantage didn't bother Williams either. Showing a bit of a mean streak, Williams taunted his foe at times, but never lost focus. With scorecards of 100-90, 97-93, and 96-94, Williams improved to 15-0 (7 KOs). Managed by Jackie Kallen, Williams is trained out of Manchester Ring of Champions Society boxing gym by local legend and community leader Paul Cichon. Edwards' ledger now reads 12-3 (3 KOs).

 

Elijah Pierce TKO3 Irvin Gonzalez... Heavy-handed southpaw Elijah Pierce, 124lbs., of Oklahoma City, OK, earned an upset victory against featherweight Irvin Gonzalez, 126lbs., of Worcester, Mass. In round one, Gonzalez made the tactical error of switching to southpaw himself to deal with his adversary's stance and quickly paid the price for it. Pierce landed a right hook to the body that hurt Gonzalez then followed up with a barrage to send him to the canvas. When Gonzalez arose, he elected to lean against the ropes and trade with Pierce rather than tie him up to clear his head. A straight left decked Gonzalez again before the bell to end round one. Both Pierce and Gonzalez had moments of success in round two, though Pierce had the upper hand, continually finding a home for his straight left upstairs. Back in the orthodox stance to start the third stanza, Gonzalez was controlling the action with jabs and straight rights. However, he once again switched to southpaw and was immediately hit and staggered by a Pierce left hand. When Gonzalez was floored for a third time, the referee intervened to end the contest at the 2:12 mark of the round. With the win, Pierce is now 9-1 (8 KOs). Gonzalez, who was featured on the ShoBox series last year, suffered his first defeat, and returned home with a 12-1 (9 KOs) record.

 

Toka Kahn Clary TKO5 Carlos Reyes, ... Junior lightweight Toka Kahn Clary, 129lbs., of Providence, RI, rebounded from his decision loss last October with a fifth-round stoppage of Carlos Reyes, 128lbs., of Mao, Dominican Republic. Southpaw Kahn Clary's advantage in speed was evident from the outset, as he planted stinging jabs and straight lefts to the chin of Reyes. Much of Reyes' offensive output did little to disturb Kahn Clary's rhythm. In the third, Reyes was dropped by a right hook to the head and Kahn Clary stormed out of his corner very aggressively in the fourth frame, landing combinations of power shots that bloodied his foe's nose. Kahn Clary felled Reyes again early in the fifth with a left hook to the body and the bout was stopped at the 0:39 mark of the round. Kahn Clary's record is now 26-2 (18 KOs), while Reyes left the ring at 33-6-1 (23 KOs). Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Kahn Clary immigrated to the United States as a child, initially living in Philadelphia, PA, before settling in Providence, RI. Trained by Peter Manfredo Sr. since his amateur days, Kahn Clary entered the paid ranks in 2012. A highly accomplished amateur with a 119-11 record, Kahn Clary began boxing at age 14 and was a National Golden Gloves champion and a five-time New England Golden Gloves champion.

 

George Arias W8 Keith Barr... Heavyweight George Arias, 236lbs., of The Bronx, NY, and Keith Barr, 204lbs., of Glenville, WV, stood shoulder-to-shoulder for eight thrilling rounds of competitive action. Arias targeted the Barr's body right away. With Barr firing back, an overhand right caught Arias on the temple and sent him to the canvas in round two. Once the New Yorker arose, Arias peppered his foe with jabs and straight rights as he regained his composure. Arias continued this pattern in the middle rounds, mixing in left hooks to the body as well. The very game Barr backed Arias to the ropes in the fifth, landing power shots upstairs. Barr did his best to close the gap during the later rounds, but had to absorb a steady flow of hooks downstairs. In round seven, Barr was stunned by an overhand right to the temple, but he responded with hooks of his own. Arias and Barr closed the contest trading shots until the final bell. The judges tallied 78-73 (twice) and 77-74, all for Arias, now 14-0 (7 KOs), via unanimous decision. Barr's record dipped to 19-12-1 (8 KOs). Born in San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Arias moved to New York City in 1996, at the age of four. After graduating from high school, he learned to box at Morris Park Boxing Gym near his home. Arias won the New York Golden Gloves tournament in 2014 then turned professional that October.