Live Coverage - "Shreveport Set for Fireworks as AKA 47 Brings Championship Boxing to Sam’s Town"

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Shreveport Set for Fireworks as AKA 47 Brings Championship Boxing to Sam’s Town

The Group Chat Podcast will cover all of tonight's action at Sam's Town Casino in Shreveport, LA

Results:

The main event of the night saw Top Rank Boxing signee Shemar Canal move his undefeated record to 12-0 with a close 10 round decision win over a very tough Bryan Jimenez (17-2). It was a hotly contested 10 round battle, likely more than Canal expected out of the 28-year-old.

At the end of the bout the scorecards read 98-91,96-93 and  95-94 all in favor of Shamar “The Boss” Canal who also captured the vacant WBC International Lightweight championship with the victory.

It was good to see our friend Tommy Ashy who was the WBC representative for this event.

Sergio Mauricio Gil (22-15-2) will take the NABA championship back home to Argentina as he spoiled the night of the hometown favorite Blake “Trouble” Franklin (17-14-2) of Shreveport, LA. 

Gil was took the fight in short notice against Franklin but he was ready for battle. Using a smooth left jab and powerful right hands Gil controlled the bout. Franklin was down twice in the contest but was hurt multiple times throughout the contest. 

To his credit Franklin never backed down from trading shots, he did land several check hooks but could not keep Gil off of him. 

Gil landed a thudding right hand that put Franklin down for the 10 count at the 27 second mark of the 10th and final round. 

Blake Franklin announced his retirement following the bout. Credit to Franklin who came out of retirement 9 months ago and won 5 straight bouts to earn this title shot. 

“He landed a good shot in the first round and I never recovered” said Franklin during the post fight interview.

Hard handed welterweight Taras Shelestyuk moved to 20-0-1  with a brutal 2^nd round knockout of 42 year old Roddricus Livsey (12-5-1) of Atlanta, GA. After a 1^st round that mostly consisted of both fighters feeling each other out, round 2 ended with a Shelestyuk right hand directly  to the jaw of Livsey. There was no 10 count as the official saw Livsey clearly down and out at 1:42 of the round

Shelestyuk, who is 39 years old is originally from Ukraine now lives in Los Angeles, CA. Keep an eye on his career as his advanced age will force his team to move him quick!

Kevin “2^nd Coming” Newman (18-3) who is signed with Roy Jones won his 6^th straight bout via 7^th round TKO over Malcom Jones (17-6-1). Newman likely won every round on the judge’s scorecards. The 33-year-old Newman looked like a solid boxer but lacked anything special and he was not in the ring with A-level competition. In a loaded super-middleweight division, it will be hard for Newman to gain the limelight.

Super lightweight prospect Kamauriay "King Cam" Walker (6-0) of Miami Gardens, FL looked super impressive as he dominated a very game Angel Reyes (3-5-1) of Iowa. Walker landed at will and had Reyes down in rounds 2 and 4. Reyes’ corner had seen enough and ended the bout after round 4. Walker invested to the body of Reyes early, it slowed down Reyes and took a lot of the fight out of him.

Walker does have some maturing to do as he played around a good bit and acted like a fool at times leaving himself unprotected. Walker took some unnecessary shots due to this action.

In heavyweight action; much hyped unbeaten heavyweight Waylon Bailey (8-0) from Alexandria , LA won a lack luster and fouled filled 4 round bout against veteran heavyweight Ronny Hale (5-21-1) -- who decided to wear basketball shorts and leggings -- via split decision. Both fighters had points taken away during the bout; Bailey for hitting during a break, Hale for pushing. Hale was knocked down at the end of round 1 from a short right hand from Bailey that was the deciding factor. The rest of the bout was dominated by clinching and Bailey's corner screaming ridiculous instructions to their boxing.

Scorecards read - 37-36 and 39-34 Bailey, the other judge saw it 39-38 for Hale.

The lack of amateur boxing experience showed from Bailey as he encountered some heavy adversity facing the veteran Hale. Bailey was never in danger in the bout but Hale made him work way too hard for this victory. Bailey's team is moving his career along at a snail's pace for a reason. Blake LaZacze (7-15-2)  of Monroe, LA has already made short work of Robert Hill (3-9) via second round TKO. Hill did not have much to offer as LaCaze dominated from the opening Bell.  This was the 1^st win for LaCaze since 2021, a timespan that included 6 bouts

A once highly touted armature super lightweight Pryce Parrow (4-2) of Kentucky made easy work of Michael Land (1-9-1) of Dallas, Texas. As the name said... Land was looking for a soft spot to land after getting blasted by a hook the the body in the opening round.

Local Boxers Featured:

On the local side Shreveport’ Blake “Trouble” Franklin (17-13-2) will have the home crowd behind him as he battles Sergio Mauricio Gil (21-15-1 for the WBA NABA Welterweight Title. Franklin’s aggressive style and knockout power have made him a fan favorite, and a win tonight could vault him into the national conversation.

Also undefeated and internet hyped heavyweight Waylon Bailey (7-0) of Louisiana will face Ronny Hale (5-20-1) of Alabama. Bailey has 5 KO wins and has a ton of folks on the internet shouting his praises but he has face any professional fighter with a winning record. He has faced a 7 fighters with a combined 4 wins and 53 loses

Main Card:

At the top of the bill, Shamar “The Boss” Canal (11-0) puts his spotless record on the line in a bout for the WBC Silver Lightweight Championship against Bryan Jimenez (17-1) . Known for his speed and precision, Canal is aiming to cement his place among boxing’s rising stars with another statement performance. This is a big step up in competition for both of these featured fighters.

Also featuring: -Veteran contender Kevin Newman II (17-5-1) vs Malcom Jones (17-5-1)

-Olympic bronze medalist Taras Shelestyuk (19-0-1) vs Rod Livsey (12-4-1)

Undercard:

The undercard is littered with non-competitive match ups that features boxers from around the USA.

Although the fights may not have the luster of the main card it does feature some interesting prospects.

More Information:

The bright lights of Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino will shine even brighter tonight as American Kombat Alliance (AKA) brings a loaded pro boxing card to northwest Louisiana. Dubbed “AKA 47,” the event promises to deliver high-stakes drama, with two title fights headlining what many are calling the most anticipated night of boxing in the South this summer.

Doors open at 4 p.m., with the first bell set for 5 p.m. Fans unable to make it to Sam’s Town can watch the action live on BLK Prime. Tickets remain available at akafights.com, with walk-ups welcome.

As the boxing world turns its eyes to Shreveport, one thing is clear: tonight’s fights could shape the trajectory of several careers.