Country Box 9: Hits On and Off Stage
A Night of Fighting, Family, and Music
On Tuesday night the lights came on and Nashville showed off that it’s a fighting town, as well as lived up to its reputation as Music City.
Live at the Texas Troubadour Theater, and available in over 100,000,000 homes (yes you’re reading that right) Jimmy Adams Promotions put on a show with local and visiting fighters who took to the ring and gave it their all, providing the unmatched action that only boxing can produce. Outside of the ring, KFHox owned the stage with her band, mixing in classic covers with originals keeping the crowd rocking and swaying in between the fights.
In the main event of the evening, Michael “Slick” Anderson faced off against Markin “Mako” Bailey. Bailey wanted to jump on Anderson early and perhaps caught him off guard with his from-the-bell aggression. He got to the inside quickly and threw a variety of offense both to the head and body. An experienced veteran with great skill, Anderson found his bearings, fighting his way out, and started pushing his own game by the end of the first round. In the 2nd, Anderson found himself comfortable and found Bailey in range, as he landed several damaging shots that wobbled Bailey. With his opponent hampered, Anderson pushed the pace and knocked Bailey down twice, almost sending him through the ropes on one occasion. As Anderson swarmed Bailey again, at 1:58 in the 2nd round his corner made the decision to end the fight. Anderson improves to 23-3-1 (17 KOs) while Bailey falls to 8-13-0 (4 KOs).
Before the fight the whole Adams family, from Jimmy down to his youngest daughter was present in the ring highlighting the commitment to boxing runs through the family. Each member was involved in some way in the show and displayed their family unity powerfully. There was also a performance of the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance from Adam’s daughter, and a 10-bell salute for the recently passed Colonel Bob Sheridan.
The co-main event saw Tobias “Hollow” Green squaring off against Juan Carlos Pena. Green, having last appeared in the ring in over a year ago, did not seem to have any ring rust, and from the get-go put pressure on Pena. Pena tried his best to stay in the pocket and slip and move, but Green was landing often and squarely in round one. Square enough that it sent Pena to the canvas. Struggling to get up, he did not meet the referee’s count and Green was declared the knockout winner at 2:47 of the first round. Green in his excitement chucked his mouthguard into the crowd, accidentally hitting broadcaster Albert Haynesworth. In line with the coming Halloween, when asked about his nickname, he compared himself to Freddy and Jason. Green is now the owner of an 11-3-0 (4 KOs) record while Pena becomes 32-11-0 (23 KOs).
In an entertaining featured bout, Nashville’s own rising heavyweight Erick “El Torrito” Arellano looked to continue his winning streak and his dominance at the Texas Troubadour Theater. Meeting him in the ring was Mike Diorio, who added to the family theme by having quite the vocal cheering section yelling “Hit him, dad"!” He tried to put his weight on Arellano and force him into a battle on the ropes, but Arellano showed impressive speed and footwork, often using his jab and technique to outbox Diorio. Most of Diorio’s big overhand swings missed, allowing for Arellano to counter, and throw some very effective body punches. He won a unanimous decision with a four-round 40-36 sweep.
In the opening bout, Juan “Thrilla” Davila came down to town in hopes of continuing his young career and found a great test in the experienced Weusi Johnson. The 34-fight veteran was still quick and forced Davila to adjust his offense on the fly in order to continue scoring. Johnson had some moments, but in this case, the wiley veteran could not contain the talented young Davila. He took the unanimous decision 40-36, 39-37, 39-37.
There was also a fight after the show which was a contender for fight of the night. Eric Bossler of Germantown, TN faced off against Terry Roscoe from Albany, GA. Bossler was aggressive and well-conditioned. His wild swings kept Roscoe on the defensive for the majority of the fight. His tenacity even forced Roscoe to take a knee at one point during the fight. Roscoe’s length kept Bossler at bay from time to time and scored, but he would not be deterred. After four furious rounds, Bossler aka “Blanco Diablo” emerged with a unanimous decision victory with one card reading 40-35 and the others 39-36. His record is now 7-5-0 (5 KOs) and Roscoe falls to 2-20-1.
Throughout the evening as the fighters told the story in the ring, KFHox handled the story outside of it, sharing personal details, stories about her music and inspirations, and talking about how her own passion for boxing is growing thanks to Country Box. There was also a special guest appearance by
Those watching at home or online got to hear the action called by Marc Abrams and Albert Haynesworth, and all those at home or in attendance were treated to great matchups thanks to the matchmaking of Hall of Famer Christy Martin. The event was the 9th in the Jimmy Adams Promotions Country Box series, which is set to continue on the first Tuesday of every month. The next fight date is November 7th.