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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Bryant Jennings vs. Maurice Byram: The Battle of Philadelphia Heavyweights

Pennsylvania Heavyweight Championship Belt held in Philadelphia in January 2012, and the fact I’m writing about it now should give you some idea of my own state of affairs.

Both Jennings and Byarm are from Philadelphia so that made the matchup sort of a neighborhood thing for me. So many great fighters have come out of Philadelphia, a fight town if ever there was one.

In the small world of amateur boxing, it’s a wonder that the two heavyweights never never met in the ring but that made it more interesting.

Both men took the fight on a week’s notice, with Byarm being the heavier of the two. The heavier Byarm was not markedly inferior in boxing skills but the overburdened mid-section gave the edge to opponent Jennings.

I thought both these guys could ascend to the higher levels of the sport but Jennings seemed to have a better grip on the body discipline.

Jennings is a heavyweight with fast hands, a tight left hook, a great sense of balance, and an awareness of ring space. I liked Byarm, a guy who knew what he was doing but wasn’t often allowed to do it.

The athletic Jennings looked like he’d been training for months. He controlled Byarm with the jab, mixed up his punches very well, and kept going hard in the paint for the whole ten.

Jennings got the UD. The takeaway is that Byarm could be a better heavyweight than this night showed, but needs desire and discipline. I liked him and wish he’d make a commitment to stay in shape.

Bryant Jennings looked like a guy who would do what he had to do to get to the top. He’s an impressive heavyweight prospect.

From Byarm, Jennings, having once been turned down for a fight with Liakhovich finally got what he wanted and pulled the big upset by stopping the big guy on March 24.

Bad Left Hook covered that fight and join the ranks of boxing watchers who think Bryant Jennings is a real future prospect.