Paredes Gets Revenge From Hernandez On FNF

The left hook delivered with much precision and some fury by Ed Paredes on the chin of Joey Hernandez in the main event of ESPN's Friday Night Fights at the Don Taft Center  in Fort Lauderdale, South Florida had the look of a "career switcher," the sort of shot that does the sort of damage that might well send a boxer looking for an easier vocation.

Hernandez (15-0-1 entering; age 25; from Florida; 149 pounds)  and Paredes (entering 23-31; age 24; from Mass, living in Florida; 148 pounds) met before, last August, and fought a foul filled scrap to a draw. That time, Hernandez came off as a bit of a punk as he shoved Paredes through the ropes to the apron. This time, he came off as the KO loser, unable to absorb the left hook from Paredes at 1:53 of the second round.

The climactic blow was thrown as Hernandez was readying a heavy duty left of his own.

In the first, Hernandez the lefty counterpuncher looked like he recalled that Paredes had him down in the August match. In the second, Paredes dropped the hammer.

In a bout that was supposed to unfold last weekend, on the Mosley-Berto card, ex light heavy champ Glen Johnson (age; living in Florida) went to 49-13-2, while Yusuf Mack (age 30; from Philly; No. 11 in the IBF) dropped to 28-2-2. With the KO-6-2:21 win, the seventh ranked Johnson might be first in line to meet champion Tavoris Cloud, as the first and second slots in division are vacant.

In the first, the ultra vet Johnson pressed Mack, a mover who did well with clipping hooks. Johnson's right hand told Mack that he wasn't all done. In the second, Mack was Mr Outside and Mr Inside, and did well with each style. Johnson's no life taker, as Lotierzo might say, so when one of his right crosses landed fairly flush, it didn't buzz Mack as a launch from a bigger bomber might've.

In the third, Mack's quicker hands stood out again. His confidence had him looking in total control, but that perhaps wasn't so wise. He didn't move as much by the middle of the round, which played into Johnson's MOO. In the fourth, the distance was even tighter, not good for Mack. From outside, Mack got wild, and sloppy late in the round. Both men had their moments. In the fifth, Mack went lefty for half a minute. He remembered to use those legs, and snagged the round.

In the sixth, a Johnson right to the chin sent Mack down. He was up, with clear eyes, with 2:10 left. The younger fella laid on the ropes excessively, and went down again at the 55 second mark, from a long right. That was a bit of a delayed reaction. A left hook, a soft one, had Mack going to a knee, and the ref halted the scrap. Easy to say from the sidelines, but it looked like determination, willpower spoke in this situation. Mack's resolve crumbled, and the veteran finished him off


In the TV opener, super bantamweight Cuban Guillermo Rigondeux (six time world amateur champ, two time Olympic gold medalist; age 29) went to 5-0 with a first round KO of Adolfo Landeros of Mexico. The lefty Rigo sent him down for the count 18 seconds in, via a right to the body. Nope, it wasn't a tank job for a guy who came in with less than a week's notice--the right smacked the gut after he distracted Landeros, a loser in five of his last six bouts,  with a right hook.

Cuban junior middle Yudel Jhonson dropped and stopped Dorian Beaupierre, off for four years, in the first (2:18).

Brian Kenny was out, so Kevin Connors did the honors back in the studio. He was without a sidekick. Hey, on short notice, I'll do it. I have a suit, ya know!