BIOSSE AND GODFREY SCORE FIFTH-ROUND WINS IN RHODE ISLAND
Rob Soucy @ Ringside

Vladine Biosse TKO5 Mike Walchuk... In the main event at the Twin River Casino in Providence Rhode Island, Vladine Biosse improved to 14-1 with 7KOs by dominating and stopping Mike Walchuk in five rounds. Both fighters started fast and had their moments. Although Biosse won the first round, it appeared the fight would be competitive. Unfortunately, Walchuk wasn't able to muster much offense and found himself fighting with his back to the ropes for most of the second round. Midway through the round, Biosse landed a hard straight left hand from his southpaw stance that hurt and discouraged Walchuk. In rounds three and four, Biosse continuously ripped Walchuk's body, relegating him to survival mode. In what turned out to be the last round, Biosse peppered Walchuk with combinations, both upstairs and down. Walchuk, who dropped to 9-6 with 2 KOs, retired in his corner after round five.

"I feel that I am ready for the next level," said Biosse. "However, I leave that up to my promoter (Jimmy Burchfield) and my management team. I'll fight whoever they put in front of me." Biosse, is in his athletic prime, but probably needs one or two more fights before he is ready for the next level. 
 
Matt Godfrey TKO5 Jesse Oltmanns... In the co-feature, former cruiserweight contender Matt Godfrey returned to the ring after getting dominated in his last fight by Latif Kayode. Godfrey, 21-3 with 11KOs, was dominant from the opening bell and toyed with Oltmanns. Surprisingly, Godfrey fought as a southpaw throught the fight but was able to land his lead left hand at will. In the second round, Godfrey stepped back to avoid an Oltmann right hand and fired a right hook of his own. It landed on Oltmanns chin and put him down on one knee. As the fight wore on Godfrey, hurt Oltmanns with a stiff jab and straight left hands. Oltmanns landed a few meaningless shots over the course of the fight. In the fourth round, Godfrey turned it on and had Oltmann's badly hurt by the end. He opened the fifth round with a five-punch combination that forced the stoppage while dropping Oltmanns to 10-4 with 7 KOs. Godfrey, who plans to campaign as a heavyweight for awhile, needs to stay active if he has any hope of landing another meaningful fight. 
 
UNDERCARD... The six rounder between super middleweights Keith Kozlin (7-3-1, 4 KOs) of West Warwick, R.I., and Reynaldo Rodriguez (6-5-1, 3 KOs) of Woonsocket, R.I., lived up to expectations as Kozlin dominated in the rematch to earn a 58-56, 60-54, 60-54 unanimous decision victory. Kozlin established his presence from the opening bell, scoring early and often with his signature left hook, at times landing at will. Rodriguez kept moving forward, trying to work the body, but Kozlin’s defense was nearly impenetrable, and Rodriguez’s lack of head movement proved too costly to overcome. After the two fought to a draw last summer, Kozlin promised he’d train harder for the rematch and win convincingly, which he did Thursday.

After several months of taunts, both online and in person, “The Vermont Bully” Kevin Cobbs (5-0, 1 KO) answered the bell Thursday in dominant fashion, outdueling Queens’ Donte Wiggins (1-1) to earn a unanimous 39-36 (times three) decision. Wiggins promised a quick knockout at Wednesday’s weigh-in, but Cobbs kept his composure and wisely fought on the outside, using his reach advantage to frustrate his opponent. With Wiggins needing a knockout in the fourth and final round, Cobbs secured the win with a knockdown, catching Wiggins on the temple in the closing seconds.

Welterweight Luis Cruz of Manhattan made quick work of Providence’s Jansy Rivera in the opening bout, dropping Rivera twice en route to a first-round knockout at the 1:28 mark in the professional debut for both fighters. Rivera survived the first knockdown in the opening minute, but Cruz continued to apply the pressure and finished Rivera for good with an overhand right.

In just his second professional fight, Springfield, Mass., lightweight Zack Ramsey (2-0, 2 KOs) scored another impressive knockout, this time stopping veteran Damon Antoine (10-39-2) with 49 seconds remaining in he final round. Ramsey dominated from the opening bell, sending Antoine to the canvas in the second, third and fourth rounds before earning the stoppage in the closing seconds.

Veteran Benny “The Boss” Costantino (7-2) of Warwick, R.I., suffered another setback in his comeback attempt as hard-hitting Dennis Ogboo (7-5, 6 KOs) of Lexington, Ky., earned the stoppage at the 1:04 mark of the final round. Ogboo utilized his height advantage, keeping Costantino at bay with his stiff, right jab, but Costantino kept fighting, doing the majority of his damage on the inside.  Early in the fourth, Ogboo backed Costantino against the ropes and unloaded a series of combinations, forcing Costantino to take a knee. The referee stopped the fight when Costantino could no longer continue due to an eye injury.

Pawtucket’s Thomas Falowo (7-1, 5 KOs) avenged the first and only loss of his career in May in dominant fashion Thursday, forcing game challenger Rahman Yusubov (8-9) of Dallas to retire after the fourth round. The always-busy Falowo dominated from start to finish, unloading on Yusubov with his typical flurry of lefts and rights. Unable to sustain any additional damage, Yusubov quit at the end of the fourth. 
 

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