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Elder Slugs His Way To
Thrilling 12th Round Knockout Of Burton To Retain NABO Belt;
Arnaoutis Knocks Out Gallardo In 3
Ebo “The Extreme Machine” Elder fought courageously, with
both eyes nearly closed due to swelling, to knockout
Courtney “Killer” Burton to retain his North American Boxing
Association Lightweight belt Friday on “ShoBox: The New
Generation.” In the junior welterweight co-feature from
Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, Calif., “Mighty” Mike
Arnaoutis registered a third-round knockout over Jauquin
Gallardo.
SHOWTIME televised the Gary Shaw Productions doubleheader at
11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The telecast
represented the 54th in the popular “ShoBox” series, which
debuted on SHOWTIME in July 2001.
Elder (22-1, 14 KOs), of Newnan, Ga., fought aggressively
throughout the fight, absorbing the best Burton had to offer
before finishing the proceedings. With neither fighter
leading decisively entering the final round, the fast-paced
bout reached a fever pitch. Elder connected with a left
quickly followed by a right to send Burton tumbling to the
canvas. Burton staggered to his feet, eyes glazed, only to
be caught with a straight left that tossed him into the
ropes, before his body slumped to the canvas, ending the
fight. Elder was deducted a point in the sixth round for a
low blow. “The Extreme Machine” captured the vacant NABO
lightweight title on Oct. 9, 2004, by scoring a sixth-round
technical knockout over Ricardo Fuentes in Gainesville, Ga.
The referee halted the contest following the fifth round due
to facial injuries.
Burton (21-3, 11 KOs), of Benton Harbor, Mich., seemed to
get stronger as the fight got into the later rounds,
baffling Elder by periodically switching his fighting
stance. “Killer” opened a cut over Elder’s right eye in the
third round and nearly closed his opponent’s left eye with
his continuous assault to Elder’s face. Burton secured the
NABO lightweight championship with a 12-round split decision
over Francisco Lorenzo on Dec. 5, 2003, from St. Thomas,
Virgin Islands. Two judges had Burton winning 115-114 and
116-113, while the third judge gave the nod to Lorenzo,
115-113.
Arnaoutis (12-0-1, 6 KOs), of Athens, Greece, dropped
Gallardo in the second round with a quick double left jab,
followed by a combination. At 2:40 into the third round, a
punishing left cross dropped Gallardo, prompting the referee
to stop the fight. Arnaoutis floored Jesse Feliciano three
times in the initial three minutes to nab the vacant NABO
junior welterweight title with an opening-round knockout
Oct. 22, 2004, on “ShoBox” from Chumash Casino Resort. In
his “ShoBox” and SHOWTIME debuts, Arnaoutis fought to an
electrifying 12-round majority draw against Juan Urango for
the vacant NABO junior welterweight crown on Aug. 5, 2004,
from Hollywood, Fla.
Gallardo (16-3-1, 5 KOs), of San Diego, Calif., started the
fight aggressively moving forward on Arnaoutis. He opened a
cut over Arnaoutis’ right eye in the second round, but
proved to be overmatched by his Greek opponent. “Killer”
compiled a 173-11 amateur record and captured numerous
titles, including the National Silver Gloves title from
1989-93. A National P.A.L. champion, Gallardo also won the
National Junior Olympic silver medal in ’92, the National
Junior Olympic gold in ’93 and the U.S. Olympic Festival
gold in ‘94.
“ShoBox: The New Generation” features up-and-coming
prospects determined to make a mark and eventually fight for
a chance at a world title. The best of the new generation of
hungry, young boxers will have an opportunity to showcase
their talent and heart as they battle each other in
competitive fights in front of a national television
audience. “ShoBox: The New Generation” is pure, basic
boxing, reminiscent of the golden days of the sport.
Nick Charles called Friday’s action from ringside, with
Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive
producer of the telecast was Gordon Hall, with Richard
Gaughan producing.
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