THRILLER! Wilkins Stops Flaz, Williams Halts Yarborough
Threatt Upsets Hardy
By: George H. Hanson Jr., Esq.
Date: November 1, 2025
Venue: Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack, Chester, PA
Promoters: Greg Pritchett & Rashad Brown—Strict Biz Promotions
Matchmakers: Rashad Brown, Helen Hall & Greg Pritchett
Ring Announcers: Adam Crist
Referees: Eric Irizarry & Alden Chodash
Ring Card Lady: Trinity Brown
Editor: Kahlil Small
Coverage: FCLTV.com
Gloves: “Put Up Your Dukes” brand – www.kdukesboxing.com
Photos: Kenny Ludwig
It was close to midnight last Wednesday and the only evil lurking in the dark was Hurricane Melissa. Nothing was able to save my homeland from the beast that struck causing devastation and destruction – the death toll at 28 – 72% of the island without electricity. No surprise that my flight on Thursday was cancelled and we had to reschedule my uncle Morris’s funeral from today to Saturday, November 8th. Hopefully, one of the three airports will be open, and I will be homeward bound next Thursday. Nevertheless, there is no better way to take a well-needed respite from the horrors of the category 5 hurricane than a night at the fights. No way was I going to miss an amazing slice of the sweet science – a 10-bout card – seven four-rounders and three six-rounders – four heavyweight bouts – forty-six scheduled rounds by Rashad Brown and Greg Pritchett featuring some of the tri-state area’s rising stars.
After witnessing his stablemate, David “Hot Sauce” Hardy, suffer his first defeat minutes before his ring-walk – it is a rebuttable presumption that in the main event – a scheduled six-rounder for the World Boxing Bureau Continental Welterweight Title – Adonis “The Promise” Wilkins (6 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 5 kos) Newark, Delaware firmly believed that no one was going to save his opponent Jeffrey Flaz (4 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws – 4 kos) Vega Alta, Puerto Rico “from the beast about to strike! You know it’s thriller, thriller night.” It should be noted that Flaz has never heard the final bell in any of his fights – 4 victories by knockout suffering the same fate in his only setback.
Both combatants had the soul for getting down and the fight began at a frenetic pace with bombs being decimated immediately. Early in the round, Wilkins and Flaz attempted to decapitate each other. However, it was the man from Delaware who connected with a vicious combination that gave new meaning to the term “getting down” – sending Flaz to the canvas. Up at the count of three, referee Irizarry administered the eight-count, wiped his gloves and signaled for the action to resume. However, the courageous Flaz didn’t come all the way from Puerto Rico to be dismissed in the opening round. He fought back valiantly with the action rivaling that of a twenty-one-year-old newlywed couple in their honeymoon suit. Later, the fight settled at a manageable pace and tempo with the Puerto Rican refusing to freeze as Wilkins stalked, looking him in the eyes. With approximately thirteen seconds remaining in the round – Wilkins closed in to seal his doom and landed a horrific left hook – anchoring Flaz to the canvas for the second time. Miraculously, the fallen fighter was able to rise as Irizarry reached three, gave the eight-count – checked his vitals. How fortuitous that the gong sounded ending the round.
The second round began with Flaz fighting for his life inside a thriller. Wilkins simply wasn’t going to allow this fight to end on the scorecards. Flaz was literally facing the hounds of hell disguised as his gloved adversary. Wilkins marched forward throwing everything with bad intentions. During an exchange he connected with a horrific left hook that had Flaz on roller skates his legs gone like a patron of a Nevada brothel – his equilibrium discombobulated. Thank God, referee Irizarry was alert as a cheetah amped up on a pot of expresso and immediately hopped in to stop the action and prevent Flaz’s third engagement with the canvas. Wilkins was declared the winner by technical knockout 1:27 of the second round – capturing his first title – a thriller!
I knew immediately that tonight’s article would be entitled “Thriller” when for the eighth bout – Chester native – heavyweight Steven “Wop” Williams (1 win – 0 loss – 0 draw – 1 ko) exited his dressing room – dark sunglasses, a curly wig adorning his head – decked out in a red leather jacket a replica of the one worn by Michael Jackson in the video – bouncing to the beat as Jackson’s bellowed on the track “Thriller” – captivating the capacity crowd with his pageantry and showmanship. “You know it’s thriller, thriller night.”
Standing 6 ft. 6 inches and tipping the scales at 248lbs – Williams evokes fond memories of “The Easton Assassin’ – former World Heavyweight Champion, Larry Holmes. He resembles a young Holmes and is an excellent boxer with a quick, sledge-hammer jab and a laser straight right. Equally important, he can also fight at a distance or at closed quarters. I have no doubt that Williams will follow in Holmes’ footsteps and become World Heavyweight Champion – he is that good!
Williams made short work of debuting southpaw James “Lefty” Yarborough, Brooklyn, New York – two inches shorter but outweighed him by nine pounds. William pressed the action at the opening bell, working behind his jab forcing the New Yorker into rapid-fire exchanges – dropping him twenty seconds in the opening round with a combination capped off by a murderous straight right. Yarborough made it upright as referee Irizarry tolled three – gave the eight-count – checked his vitals and signaled for the action to resume. Williams continued pressing the action – working his jab as the southpaw did likewise. With barely fifteen seconds remaining in the round, Williams was simply too quick and connected with another combination – reacquainting Lefty to the canvas. Amazingly, Yarborough was able to make it to his feet as the referee reached the count of three and shortly thereafter the bell rang ending the round.
Williams came out for the second round working behind his long, left jab. He even started bouncing on his toes like Larry Holmes while jabbing. Yarborough to his credit delivered his southpaw jab. However, Williams was merely baiting Lefty – measuring him for his ultimate demise. The round was textbook boxing – stalking, jabbing, blocking and parrying. It appeared that the action was moving at circadian rhythm – everything in sync. I knew this wasn’t going to last long because with a little less than 90 seconds remaining in the round – Williams unleashed a combination forcing Yarborough to fight frenetically. William slipped, blocked and parried while landing a vicious combination that ricocheted off his opponent’s cranium. Yarborough was a split-second from his third excursion to the canvas when referee Irizarry grabbed him – immediately stopping the fight – keeping the impaired boxer upright. Williams earned his second victory by technical knockout 2:07 of round two – another thriller!
Tonight’s co-main event, a six-rounder, featured undefeated super-featherweight and hometown hero – nineteen-year-old David “Hot Sauce” Hardy (3 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 3 kos) against twenty-six-year-old southpaw Nathan “The Ultimate” Threatt (3 wins – 1 loss – 1 draw – 2 kos) of Moncks Corner, South Carolina. This would be Hardy’s first fight in almost a year – a scheduled fight on May 31st was canceled when his opponent was a no-show at the weigh-ins. This would be Threatt’s fourth fight during the same timeframe.
South Carolina is widely accepted in the boxing community as the hotbed for opponents – fighters who aren’t supremely skilled but willing to give performances that are permissible – allowing them to get paid. Therefore, I doubt if anyone in the arena was expecting Threatt to be too much of a threat to the hard-hitting Chester, native – who at 5 ft 10 inches is an inch taller than his opponent. In addition, nobody anticipated a fighter, much less a non-melanated European American from South Carolina to be anything but cannon fodder for the highly skilled and supremely talented teenager.
Kudos to Threatt who lived up to his name. Unfazed by the pro-Hardy audience – Threatt kept his distance, boxing behind his jab – throwing combinations while Hardy stalked. The rounds were close, but the South Carolinian was a tad busier, gaining a slight edge. There were no knockdowns or either boxer being in dire strait with the possibility of a stoppage. Threatt remained calm and followed his gameplan of not allowing Hardy to bait him into exchanges. I scored the third round for Hardy who switched to the southpaw stance and outboxed Threatt who appeared somewhat befuddled with his nose bleeding from the punches that connected. It was probably the only round that was clear-cut. I scored the fifth round for Hardy because he was busier and worked behind his jab. Round 1, 2, 4 and 6 could have been scored for either boxer. One judge scored the fight 60-54 for Hardy with the two dissenting mirroring my scorecard of 58-56 for Threatt.
I will assume that the lay-off was a factor because Hardy despite stalking threw very few combinations other than a jab followed by a straight right. There were no three-punch or four-punch combinations. He simply didn’t put his punches together despite the opportunities. Threatt was the personification of perpetual movement – firing on the run. There didn’t appear to be any sense of urgency in Hardy’s corner. The fight was too close for comfort and after the third round I would have told Hardy that he needed a knockout or total domination of the second half of the fight. As my trainer would say after an unexpected, infrequent loss, “It was a misdemeanor – you missed that one, now it is time to get meaner!”
Hardy has a bright future because he is an extremely talented boxer. But only time will tell if he has the mental fortitude to learn from this and move on. Too many fighters allow their egos and one loss to ruin promising careers. However, we must remember that arguably the greatest featherweight – Sandy Saddler was knocked out in his second bout – his sole stoppage loss and went on to have a 12-year career compiling an extremely impressive record of 145 wins – 16 losses – 2 draws – 104 kos. I am confident that Hardy will take this loss as a pedagogical moment and achieve greatness. Threatt also has an extremely bright future! Very few fighters can go into the lion’s den and leave victorious.
In the opening bout of the night, a scheduled four-rounder featured debuting junior-welterweight Eduardo “The Mexican Bully” Corona, Brick Town, New Jersey against Jahmir “Shocka” Anderson (0 wins – 1 loss – 0 draw) Philadelphia. It was a very spirited bout with Corona’s fans cheering wildly whenever he threw a punch – filling the arena with their enthusiasm. I scored the opening round for Anderson who used his jab effectively to the head and mid-section of Corona who pressed the action.
The action continued in the second-round with “The Mexican Bully” turning up the heat a notch – pressing the action – his fans cheering – forcing Anderson to fight in the trenches – toe-to-toe. Corona captured the round on my scorecard. He shuffled right out of his corner for the third stanza and immediately caught Anderson with a combination – forcing him to clutch to recuperate. Anderson cleared the cobwebs and got on the outside – using his jab to keep Corona at a distance. He was warned by referee Chodash for using a shoulder bump to disrupt Corona from fighting on the inside – a move utilized by old school boxers to gain separation.
They fought on even terms for the next minute until Corona caught Anderson with a straight right pinning him on the ropes. He immediately unleashed a barrage of punches – Anderson blocking and parrying while returning fire – very few of Corona’s punches connecting. However, referee Chodash intervened – stopping the fight much to the dismay of the protesting Anderson. Nevertheless, the fight was over, and Corona was declared the winner by technical knockout 2:23 of the third round much to the delight of his cheering fans.
In the second bout, debuting Philadelphia super-middleweight, twenty-one-year-old Lorenzo Rankins made his ring-walk to Michael Jackson blaring over the house speakers on the track “Beat It” as Elias Ajawa (0 wins – 5 losses – 1 draw) Wilmington, Delaware by way of Nigeria – waited patiently in the blue corner. Standing 6 ft. 6 inches – Rankins towers over his diminutive opponent by ten inches even thought the height disparity appeared much greater. I couldn’t help thinking that Ajawa was so short that you probably can see his feet on his driver’s license photograph!
The gong sounded and the Nigerian rushed across the ring – attacking with reckless abandon only to be met with a stiff jab that deposited him on the canvas like a sack of potatoes – less than three seconds into the round. More surprised than shaken Ajawa was upright almost immediately and given an eight-count by referee Irizarry. Rankins worked behind his long jab with Ajawa throwing punches like a gloved hailstorm from all angles unable to reach the chin of his towering adversary.
The second round began similarly to the opening stanza with Ajawa paying homage to the canvas for a second time after being met with a straight right with barely five seconds expiring. Referee Irizarry administered the formalities and the action resumed with the Nigerian unleashing from his arsenal like a Gatlin gun with the Philadelphian keeping him on the end of his reach. As fate would have it – with less than ten seconds left in the round, Rankin landed a horrific right off the side of Ajawa’s cranium crashing him to the canvas for his third expedition. Upright almost immediately, the courageous boxer with incredible recuperative powers focused on the referee as he administered, the eight-count. The bell rang a split second thereafter and he made it back to his corner.
I doubt that anyone expected this fight to go the distance. However, Ajawa utilized the strategy of blanketing the young Philadelphian – throwing punches from all angles to disrupt his rhythm and timing – oftentimes sticking to Rankin’s chest like Vicks Vapor Rub. Somehow, I found myself hoping that Ajawa would make it to the final bell despite being far behind on the scorecard. Rankin couldn’t connect with his deadly right for the remainder of the contest. When it was over – it was announced that Rankin won by unanimous decision – a shut-out – the scores not announced and still unavailable on www.boxrec.com. Kudos to both fighters for an entertaining bout.
The third bout featured heavyweights – 6 ft, 311.6 lbs. William “Steel” Bates (1 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 0 kos) Philadelphia versus debuting southpaw Edward “War” Millard 6 ft. 4 inches, 255.6 lbs. Brooklyn, New York fighting out of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Trained by former professional cruiserweight Glen Turner – Millard made his way to the ring, calm and confident into the blue corner. Moments later the fans cheered wildly as Bates strolled out from backstage, majestically decked out in a baby pink outfit – robe and trunks – showing his sartorial splendor. Having lost over eighty pounds, Bates was in the best shape of his career despite outweighing his opponent by fifty-six pounds and four inches shorter in stature.
Referee Codash gave the instructions, and the fighters and their handlers retreated to their respective corners. The bell rang and the two gloved giants met in the center of the ring with both jabbing looking for openings. Somehow, Millard’s southpaw stance, height and long reach was a conundrum that Bates couldn’t solve. The New Yorker was able to keep Bates at arm’s length and maneuver him into the ropes during the first thirty seconds of combat. Trapped on the ropes without the defensive wizardry of “The Rope Master” – legendary three-division World Champion and the youngest fighter to win a world title – Wilfred Benitez – Bates was on uncharted territory and Millard knew it. Millard unleashed a vicious combination catching the big man with a right uppercut and left hook that turned him sideways like a dinghy at sea during a hurricane. Fortunately, referee Irizarry was nearby and called a halt to the action declaring Millard the victor by technical knockout 1:04 of the opening round leaving the pro-Bates audience flabbergasted.
The fourth bout featured debuting light-heavyweight Thomas “Bam Bam” Santiago of Warminster, Pennsylvania against Jose “The Unexpected” Alicea (0 wins – 2 losses – 0 draws) Ashtabula, Ohio. Thomas – the son of the late, great Milton Santiago and brother of inactive, undefeated twenty-nine-year-old junior-welterweight Milton Santiago Jr (17 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 3 kos) who last graced the squared circle on May 11, 2018. I remember taking pictures with Milton Sr. and his sons at The Legendary Blue Horizon when they were kids.
Time truly flies and I sure that Milton Sr. was looking down from above with much pride and satisfaction as his good friend Richard “The Ring Master” Caraballo – the man whose company is responsible for assembling and disassembling the ring – led his son out of the dressing room for his first professional.
I heard that Alicea made some promises at the weigh-ins predicting Santiago’s demise. However, like a seasoned professional – I was told that Santiago was unfazed and unbothered by the unexpected. The bell rang and the two fighters met in the center of the ring with the southpaw Santiago working behind his right-hand jab and Alicea doing the expected – countering with his jab. Both combatants searched for opening with Santiago being busier attempting combinations. Halfway through the round, Santiago landed a combination spilling Alicea to the canvas like Pepsi from a shaken bottle. Up at the count of three, referee Irizarry did his duties and allowed the fight to continue.
Santiago resumed working behind his right jab looking for openings – showing qualities of a seasoned professional – no need to be reckless. To his credit, Alicea showed excellent recuperative powers showing no signs of the early bombardment. It is safe to assume that Santiago was searching for the optimal moment to detonate the grenades in his gloves. And with perfect timing he connected with a four-punch combination that sent Alicea to the canvas genuflecting as though he had just entered Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul, downtown Philadelphia. Referee Irizarry reached the ten-count and Santiago had his hand raised in victory – a technical knockout 2:55 of the opening round – “you know it’s thriller, thriller night!” An exquisitely talented fighter – the 24-year-old Santiago told me “It was a surreal feeling, completing a goal that my father started. I am a young hungry fighter, me and my brothers are going to take our family name to the next level.” Amen!
“Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years” LL Cool J blared over house speakers on the track “Mama Said Knock You Out” – as undefeated Philadelphia heavyweight Paul “The Machine” Koon (4 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 1 kos) made his way to the ring for the fifth bout. Patiently awaiting him in the ring was Calvin “Big Savage” Barnett (6 wins – 3 losses – 0 draws – 3 kos) of Tulsa, Oklahoma sporting a t-shirt with “I Hit Hard” emblazoned on the front. I will have to part ways with LL and the Philly boxer because this is the textbook definition of “comeback’ – it has been almost seven years since his last fight – December 7, 2018. Despite both boxers standing 6 ft 3 inches – Barnett at 256.6 lbs. outweighed Koon by exactly 23 lbs.
There wasn’t much action in the opening round with each combatant attempting to get proper reading on the other. Koon downloaded all the information on his internal hard drive and was able to capitalize on Barnett’s tendencies – facilitating two meetings with him and the canvas – the first with a beautiful well-timed right hook – Barnett rising as referee Chodash tolled the count of two. The man from Oklahoma was able to recuperate and fight on even terms until a similar punch found its mark, again toppling him to the canvas. Allow me to paraphrase my late friend Bucky Davis by stating that “Barnett didn’t come to Philly to lay down – he came to get down!” No surprise that the big man was upright as the referee reached the count of four. Koon stalked patiently, however Barnett made it to the bell and back to his corner.
Seven years is a long time, and I got the feeling that Koon realized that Barnett wasn’t going anywhere. He graced the canvas on two occasions, yet he was still standing. I believe that the Philly heavyweight decided that he was going to box until the final bell and win on the scorecards. In the third round Koon got on his toes reminiscent of the great Muhammad Ali – dancing and jabbing. He even switched to the southpaw stance – obfuscating his opponent. In the final round – Koon boxed brilliantly – enjoying himself – coasting all the way to bell with Barnett in hot pursuit unable to alter the projected outcome. No surprise that Koon was awarded a unanimous decision victory. The ring announcer failing to read the scores.
Fortunately, I heard from photographer Kenny Ludwig that the decision – a no-contest – in the sixth bout – a scheduled six-rounder between heavyweights Dominique Mayfield (4 wins – 1 loss – 1 draw – 0 kos) Philadelphia and DeJon Farrell-Francis (2 wins – 3 losses – 0 draws – 1 ko) Elizabeth, New Jersey – had been rectified and the correct decision – a first round technical knockout win for Farrell-Francis had been updated. I had to erase the half-page dissertation on Title 18 Chapter 15 of the Pennsylvania Code – PA State Athletic Commission – which states other causes for a no contest beyond drug-related infractions – accidental fouls and simultaneous knockout. In my rant – I discussed the referee’s obvious incompetency in the decision that was announced. I am not here to disparage or undermine anyone – however it is an irrebuttable presumption that the referee – the arbiter in the ring – is abreast of the rules of engagement in the squared circle. Continue reading.
The gong sounded and the smaller fighter – 6 ft 2 inches, 209 lbs. Francis rushed across the ring blanketing Mayfield who stands 6 ft 3 inches tipping the scales at 288 lbs. An excellent boxer, Mayfield was unbothered by his opponent’s aggression and remained calm despite being under fire. While blocking and parrying the heavy artillery coming his way, a punch connected on Mayfield’s right elbow dislocating his shoulder – forcing him to grimace in pain as the hand appeared limp. Mayfield, winced in obvious pain and took a step backwards – his shoulder hanging as referee Irizarry intervened, walked the impaired fighter to his corner and a few seconds later the bout is over. Ring Announcer Christ entered the ring an announced “this fight has been declared a no-contest” – leaving me flabbergasted and Francis’ corner quiet as a mouse with a tomcat nearby.
The referee is the arbiter of the fight – the authority in the ring regarding the rules. The fight wasn’t stopped due to a foul committed by Francis. There was no simultaneous knockout. The fight was stopped because Mayfield suffered an injury by a legal, permissible punch during commission of his duties as a professional pugilist. The declaration of a “no contest” should have never crossed the lips of anyone hired by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission and should have been corrected immediately. Nevertheless, the correct decision was later made despite the fans leaving the venue believing that the fight was declared a “no contest.”
It is unfortunate for Mayfield who trained diligently and was ready to display his skills. However, this is boxing and the unexpected happens. Hopefully, it is an injury that will heal quickly and not permanent. We look forward to his triumphant return.
There was so much more going on in the seventh bout – a four-round super-featherweight bout between southpaws – twenty-four-year-old Carlos Rivera Delgado (2 wins – 0 losses – 0 draws – 0 kos) of Chester, PA and twenty-six-year-old Darnell Jackson (0 wins – 1 loss – 0 draws) Gary, Indiana. Despite having an asthma attack – difficulty breathing – in the opening round the hometown favorite went on to capture a unanimous decision in a bout with no knockdowns or either boxer being in dire straits.
Rounds one through three were close with both men utilizing the jab and straight left with the hometown fans cheering raucously whenever Delgado threw or landed. The venue was silent – you could hear a mouse peeing on cotton – when Jackson attacked and connected. Jackson was the clear winner of the final round because he was busier and landed more punches than Delgado. Delgado was awarded a unanimous decision in a bout in which he faced two opponents – asthma and Jackson – a testament to his resiliency and indefatigable will to win.
This was another terrific card by Strict Biz Promotions – a thriller. It was wonderful sitting ringside next to Broadcast Pioneer/Actor – the man, the myth, the legend himself, the great Billy Vargus – the only reason most of us Philadelphians watched Fox 29 Sports! Billy V is a wealth of knowledge and quite a boxing aficionado. Tonight, we had everything – knockouts, upset, controversy and intrigue. I heard that Nathan Threatt, the man who rode into Chester and handed David Hardy his first setback – has agreed to a rematch. We will find out if the upset was legitimate or a result of the ring rust from a long lay-off.
Thank you, Greg Pritchett, Rashad Brown and Strict Biz Promotions!
Shout-out to my good friend – former light-heavyweight contender/fashion designer – Marvin Mack for the customized bowtie or “bowfly” as he has named the exquisite work of art gracing my neck in the picture.
Continue to support the sweet science, and remember, always carry your mouthpiece!
ghanson18@icloud.com
