Fayetteville, NC, is home to some of America’s elite warfighters. The 82nd Airborne Division, the famous Green Berets, and the stealthy Delta Force are housed on Fort Liberty, located in the heart of Fayetteville. So, it was fitting that Carolina Gloves Promotions chose the TJ Robinson Life Center in Fayetteville to host its Carolina Fight Night card, promoting some upcoming prospects.
The event included the highly anticipated debut of the Ayala brothers, Brandan and Christian, from Charlotte, North Carolina. The main event featured J’hon Ingram, 23, from Las Vegas, Nevada, by way of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The event had everything you would expect from a local club show. The night began with some amateur boxing from the local boxing clubs. The crowd was energetic, made signs, and dressed, wearing the colors of the fighters they were there to support. The contests began after the introductions of some local celebrities, such as Olympic gold medalist and former world champion Ray Mercer. A pair of amateur fights warmed up the crowd as they waited anxiously for the professional cards to begin.
Amateur Bouts
Alexis Arnold from South Paw Training Center, located in Pineville, NC, went to war for three rounds against Shaniah Rozier from Burgess Boxing and Fitness, located in nearby Spring Lake, NC. Arnold emerged strong and got inside Rozier quickly, making things uncomfortable for the local favorite. However, over the next two rounds, Rozier adjusted and created some separation between her and Arnold. Rozier began timing Arnold’s assault, and her power was too much for Arnold to overcome. Rozier won the match by unanimous decision.
In the next match, Whitton Willis, representing South Paw Training Center, fought Tahaj Williams out of Burgess Boxing and Fitness. Tahaj Williams jumped out to an early lead, overwhelming Willis. It was immediately apparent that Williams was the harder puncher, handing Willis a standing eight count. However, Willis survived and landed some solid shots, taking advantage of a tiring Williams in the second round. Williams and Willis battled in the third round, but a pair of standing eight counts Williams handed Willis would decide this match. Tahaj Williams won by unanimous decision.
Professional Bouts
The first professional bout featured a four-round contest between Kaitlin Lavigne (3-2-1 1 KO), 34, from Overland Park, KS, and Pasne Asuega (2-2, 1 KO), 30, from Wilmington, NC. Pasne quickly pounced on the much bigger Lavigne, varying attacks to the head and body of the Kansas native. Through the second and third rounds, Lavigne created some much-needed separation between her and the Carolina native. By the fourth round, Lavigne was in cruise control and scoring consistently, while Pasne refused to give up the inside. Pasne was all offense and no defense, which allowed Lavigne to counter effectively. Pasne was attacking Lavigne’s torso for most of the fight while Lavigne popped shots off Pasne’s dome. The fight was close, and the crowd waited anxiously to see how the judges scored this closely contested battle. The judges scored the fight 39-37 Kailtin, 39-37 Pasne, 39-37 Levigne.
The Kansas native won a split decision against the very determined Pasne Asuega. The crowd booed the results as they felt their local fighter did enough to win the battle. A humbled Kaitlin acknowledged that the fight was tough but felt she made the necessary adjustments to gain the judges’ favor. When asked what she thought about the crowd’s discontent with the decision, Lavigne said, “She’s from here, and I am not, so we don’t care what the crowd thinks.”
The co-main event featured Dominican native Jursly “The Gorilla” Vargas (2-0 2 KOs). Dressed in flashy pink and silver trunks, 19-year-old Vargas made quick work of his opponent, Darrick Gates from Idaho Falls, ID. Gates, who was making his pro debut, jumped on Vargas early but succumbed to a sneaky, well-placed body shot by the Dominican phenom early in the first round. Although the fight didn’t last very long, Vargas told FightsATW that he felt good about his performance and was proud of the knockout win. Moving forward, Vargas wants to be more active and wants to fight at least six times this year.
Jursly is a veteran of 120 amateur bouts and has signed with Mayweather Promotions. “I’m coming for the 130-pound division. I’m coming for all of it. This is just the beginning. I’m coming for all of you,” said Vargas.
In the main event, the crowd erupted in cheers when 23-year-old Winston Salem native J’hon “Pretty Boy” Ingram (4-0, 4 KOs) made his way to the ring. J’hon was adorned in “Tarheel blue” fight gear, and so was his entourage. The crowd’s cheering reverberated off the small gymnasium walls, drowning out the announcer.
His opponent, Jashawn Hunter (1-7 1 KO) from Rocky Mount, NC, by way of The Bronx, NY, was visibly nervous during the fighter introduction. At the sound of the bell, Hunter jumped on Ingram quickly. Ingram was a little surprised by Hunter’s onslaught, but the crafty Carolinian promptly adjusted. It wasn’t long before a loud thud descended on Hunter’s midsection, folding the Bronx Native in half and sending him crashing to the canvas. Hunter couldn’t beat the count, and the crowd excitedly jumped out of their seats at Ingram’s dismantling of Hunter.
“It could’ve been better. I wish I had a better opponent to fight back, but overall, I feel like it was a pretty cool performance,” Ingram told FightsATW about his performance. “It felt amazing. I definitely want to come out and get some more in,” said Ingram graciously about the love and support he received from his North Carolina fans.
J’hon Ingram trains at the famed Mayweather Boxing Club and became the talk among boxing fans last year after a video of a sparring session between him and WBA super lightweight world champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero went viral. The infamous leaked footage shows “Rolly” Romero disgustingly hitting the canvas after a perfectly placed left hook by Ingram.
My Take:
Four of the seven fights, including the much-anticipated debut of the Ayala brothers, were scratched from the card. The fights didn’t occur because some fighters didn’t make the weight limit. Sadly, last-minute replacements are usually hard to come by in small events like this. While the Ayala brothers made weight and were ready to fight, the boxing brothers will have to wait until later this year to make their debut.
However, despite these setbacks, Carolina Promotions put on an excellent event. The venue was perfectly organized, and the fights that did take place were exciting and crowd-pleasing. Spectators were able to witness the introduction of some impressive prospects who are both associated with the great Floyd Mayweather Jr. Jursly “Gorilla Vargas” seems to have nothing but lightning bolts for fists, and J’hon Ingram was dubbed “the next Floyd Mayweather” by Mayweather himself.
While the state of North Carolina is mainly recognized for its elite college basketball programs and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, I have never been disappointed by boxing in North Carolina. North Carolinians have, time and again, proven to be rabid boxing fans who are incredibly loyal to their hometown fighters. In my experience, North Carolina boxers are viciously talented, and the promoters put on entertaining boxing shows. Anyone who overlooks the boxing potential of North Carolina will simply be missing out on a night of boxing goodness.
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
