How often have you heard or even made the comment, “Small world, isn’t it?” That statement isn’t any more true than in the microcosm of the boxing world. This writer was deplaning in Tampa just an hour ago, headed to neighboring St. Petersburg for this week’s IBF convention.
As fate would have it, so too was boxing’s everyman, Sean Gibbons. Who cares you might ask? Anyone who wants to know more on the aftermath of the ugly debacle that transpired at the end of the IBF Interim Super Middleweight title clash last night between Jose Uzcategui and Andre Dirrell. Gibbons, Uzcategui’s agent, was kind enough to fill in some of the gaps during the ride to our hotel just moments ago.
For those that missed it, a pretty good scrap was being had between the two combatants, when power punching Uzcategui, landed a vicious three punch combination to the head of Dirrell, pitching him face first to the canvas, and seemingly out. The problem was, despite the combo starting before the bell, the last punch landed after the bell. Uzcategui had landed a more tardy punch earlier in the fight, for which referee Bill Clancy had warned him.
Incredibly, Dirrell, rose to his knees, seemingly ready to get up, when he flopped back down on the canvas, his cornermen telling him to stay down, Clancy declaring a DQ of Uzcategui, and a win for Dirrell. While more than one fracas ensued outside the ring, something more criminal was about to unfold inside the ring. After Dirrell had already gone over to Uzcategui’s corner, audibly forgiving his opponent, one of Dirrell’s cornerman, Leon Lawson, Jr. appeared to be ready to do the same thing. As he was talking to his rival cornermen, seemingly calmly, Lawson let loose with a pulverizing left hand punch, crushing the jaw of an unsuspecting Uzcategui, dazing him, but somehow not dropping him. A followup right missed and all hell broke loose in the ring. Incredibly, in all the chaos, Lawson Jr. escaped the ring, the building and to this point, capture.
