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Jordan White Scores Sensational First-Round, One-Punch
Knockout Over Eridson Garcia
Jordan White needed just two punches to announce himself as
a force to be reckoned with in the super featherweight
division, scoring one of the best Knockouts of the Year and
one of the best KOs in the 22-year history of SHOBOX: The
New Generation Friday night in the main event live on
SHOWTIME from Wind Creek Casino in Bethlehem, Pa.
“The first time I hit him with that shot, I knew I hurt him
because he stumbled back and smiled at me,” said the
25-year-old White. “And then the second one, I put him to
sleep. Anybody that gets hit by me will be put to sleep. My
dad said I would get him with that hook.”
White, from Waldorf, Md., is trained by his father and Bill
Haney, the father of Undisputed Lightweight World Champion
Devin Haney, who was quick to join the in-ring celebration
via FaceTime shortly after White’s victory. White and Haney
were teammates and roommates on the Junior National travel
team and are close friends.
After a storied amateur career that saw him earn victories
over the likes of Brandun Lee and Vergil Ortiz, Jr., White
capitalized on his second SHOBOX appearance by landing a
counter left hook flush on the chin of Garcia, immediately
ending the fight at 1:57 of the first round. White’s first
appearance on SHOBOX came more than two years ago when he
scored a sixth-round TKO over Misael Lopez. White now feels
he’s ready to make himself a household name in the 130-pound
division.
“I always felt like I was a contender, but I just needed the
world to see it,” he said. “I’m ready for anybody that comes
my way, whether it’s Chris Colbert or anybody else in the
division.”
In a battle of SHOBOX returnees looking to advance to
contender status in the super welterweight division, Paul
Kroll (10-0-2, 6 KOs) and Guido Schramm (16-1-2, 9 KOs)
fought to a spirited majority draw that saw plenty of
two-way action. Judge John McKaie’s ruling of 77-75 in favor
for Kroll was overruled by two scorecards that read 76-76.
Both fighters felt they had done enough to earn the judges’
decision.
“I feel like I won the fight,” said Philadelphia’s Kroll,
who also fought to a draw on SHOBOX in 2022. “It was a good,
competitive fight but I landed the cleaner shots.”
“I felt I won the fight by at least a point,” said
Argentina’s Schramm, who earned a decision victory in his
SHOBOX debut just four months ago. “He fought a little dirty
and the ref didn’t call it. Not to take away that he is
skilled, but I feel won that fight. He got home field
advantage. Kroll is a good fighter, but he didn’t really
hurt me.”
Schramm was the aggressor from the opening bell, with Kroll
effectively landing punches on the counter. The punch stats
reflected the even, difficult-to-score nature of the fight.
Schramm out-landed Kroll 169 to 166 in total punches,
including a 61 to 41 connect advantage in the final two
rounds. Kroll landed 138 of 312 power shots (44%) compared
to 154 of 396 (39%) for Schramm.
Both Kroll and Schramm showed a willingness to sign up for a
rematch.
“I will run it back if he wants to,” said Kroll. “He landed
cleaner punches in maybe two or three rounds, but the other
five or six, I clearly won. The judges saw what they saw and
I make no excuses, but I won that fight.”
“I would like the rematch, but at 10 rounds and not in
Pennsylvania,” said Schramm. “I’ll fight him anywhere else
but not here in his home. I fought him in his house and I
got a draw, anywhere else I would have won.”
It was all Julian Gonzalez in the telecast opener between
undefeated super featherweights from Pennsylvania as the
21-year-old cruised to a unanimous decision over Johnny
Spell. The Reading, Pa. native, Gonzalez (11-0-1, 9 KOs)
will travel the 40 miles home with a state title and
bragging rights in tow, winning with scores of 79-73 and
78-74 twice over Pittsburgh’s Spell (8-1, 4 KOs).
After a feeling-out first round, Gonzalez turned up the
pressure in rounds two and three, finding a consistent home
for his overhand right that inflicted damage on Spell and
bloodied his nose. Spell was on the retreat after being
rocked late in the third but was able to hold on and make it
out of the round.
“I felt good in there, but there’s always room for
improvement,” said Gonzalez, who made his SHOBOX debut at
Wind Creek Casino in January. “I give myself a C+ or a B-. I
hit him hard in the third round and hurt him, so I started
rushing in and my corner told me to slow down. I hurt him
almost every round. I feel I could have worked the body a
little more.”
Spell had his moments in fifth and sixth, but he was
ultimately outworked over the eight rounds. Gonzalez
connected on 140 of 418 punches (33%) compared to 95 of 324
(29%) for Spell and Gonzalez held a big edge in power shots
connected, 64-25.
Spell returned to the ring just a year after being shot five
times in an act of senseless gun violence in August 2022,
showing plenty of character to push the talented Gonzalez
over eight rounds.
“I just need to get back in the lab,” said Spell. “I knew
what I was up against and I knew what I had to do. I bit
down but just came up short.”
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