Popeye Rivera decided to mix a bit of drama with his pugilism, taking down Devaun Lee in what could only be described as a great performance. Over 4,000 fans got their ticket’s worth, witnessing Rivera’s homage to “Popeye the Sailor Man” with every swing, turning the ring into a scene straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon.
Lee, not one to be outdone in the theatrics department, brought his own brand of Queens-flavored resilience to the ring. Despite Rivera’s relentless barrage, Lee was like, “Nah, not today,” and kept the comeback train running, much to the delight of the crowd who were probably wondering if they’d accidentally stumbled into a Rocky movie.
Rivera, probably feeling a bit like the king of the world, notched up his record to 26-2, leaving the judges with little choice but to give him the nod with scores that had everyone nodding in agreement,.
The undercard was like the appetizer that almost steals the show from the main course. Travon Lawson and Rajon Chance decided to play a high-stakes game of “Whose Punch Is It Anyway?” where the points are made up, and the decisions are, well, controversial. Lawson emerged victorious, leaving fans, and probably Chance, scratching their heads.
The heavyweights, Demek Edmonds and Luis Miguel Valera, basically turned their fight into a rock concert, minus the guitars and with a lot more grunting. Edmonds walked away with the win, but really, anyone who got to watch this slugfest live was a winner.
Sharif Rahman, channeling his inner heavyweight champ DNA, duked it out with Kijonti Davis in a scrap that had fans cheering and probably a few beer vendors doing a brisk business. Meanwhile, Jacob Marrero decided he had somewhere else to be, swiftly dispatching Ryan Venable in the second round .
And then there was the local hero, Louis Maietta, a firefighter who decided to turn up the heat in the ring, securing his first stoppage win against Erick Alves. It was a feel-good moment that probably had some in the crowd ready to sign up for firefighting courses, or at least gym memberships.