Knucklemania V lived up to all expectations in Philadelphia this past weekend. In case you missed the action, here’s a recap of all of the main card fights.
Women Flyweight Featured Fight: ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings defeats Taylor ‘Killa Bee’ Starling via unanimous decision
Both women had been very respectful of each other’s skillsets leading up to the fight, and that sentiment played out early. Neither fighter wanted to get caught with that first punch, so they kept their distance and got a feel for their timing and rhythm.
Then the melee ensued and Bec Rawling’s experience started to show through. She knocked down Starling in the first, and from there ‘The Killa Bee’ was much more hesitant to engage with BKFC’s inaugural champion.
The thing about fighting not to lose is that, if you are already losing, it is very hard to then find your way to victory. Taylor Starling figured that out the hard way, as she just played the waiting game en route to her inevitable loss.
Starling did not go down easily though, earning her beating valiantly across all 5 rounds.
Heavyweight Division: Pat ‘The Brick’ Brady defeats Zach ‘Shark Attack’ Calmus via 1st round KO
Not much to say about this one. Pat Brady, fighting out of Philadelphia by way of New Jersey, started hurling punches left and right from the moment the bell rang. Brady teed off for what felt like an eternity and the referee was not interested in seeing anymore. Zach Calmus, quite literally, did not stand a chance.
Middleweight Division: John ‘Johnny Garb’ Garbarino defeats Apostle Spencer via 1st round KO
One night after John Garbarino slapped Apostle Spencer in the face with a cannoli, the two got to smack each other with a much more lethal weapon: their hands. Garbarino, who may have been the most popular fighter on the card besides Eddie Alvarez, made sure the local losing streak would stop at 3.
Garbarino kept his distance early, patiently waiting to find his punching range. He showcased amazing head-bobbing defense that would make Floyd Mayweather proud, and parlayed that into overpowering offense as the biggest favorite on the card made short work of Apostle Spencer.
And for good measure, he got on one knee and proposed to his now fiancè in the middle of the ring. What a moment for the couple who live in Wells Fargo Center’s backyard.
Welterweight Division: Kaine ‘Kaine 9’ Tomlinson Jr. defeats Pat ‘The Irishman’ Sullivan via 1st round KO
Pat Sullivan had been crashing out for the better part of two days, emotions running high as he prepared to make his BKFC debut in his hometown. It would not go as planned.
Sullivan had no game plan- something he talked about leading up to the fight. He wanted to just fire freely and give the crowd a show. In a sense, he did accomplish that.
The referee immediately had to issue Sullivan a warning, and before he could even comprehend what was said to him, he was out cold and laying on his backside just 37 seconds into the fight. It would take him multiple minutes to stand up, and he needed assistance getting backstage.
Heavyweight Division: Steve ‘Panda’ Banks defeats Joey ‘The Tank’ Dawejko via 3rd round KO
Philadelphia native, Joey Dawejko knew he was going to have to fight a smart fight to come out on top. Giving up 7 inches to Steve Banks, Dawejko’s game plan revolved around his speed advantage. He wasted no time getting busy, firing early and often and stunning Banks on more than one occasion in the opening frame, but not finishing what he started would prove costly.
Banks resorted to his engulfing height advantage knowing that he stood no chance if Dawejko was going to be able to duck in and out from distance. He muddied up the fight, keeping Dawejko close and leaning on him to wear him down- a lesson the Eagles’ offensive line teaches their opponent on a weekly basis.
Dawejko just did not have enough natural tools to keep pace with the Muay Thai expert, as Banks secured the knockout in the third. To his credit, Banks shouted Dawejko out after the fight, earning his respect for how hard he hits.
Lightweight Division: Brandon ‘Beastmode’ Meyer defeats ‘King’ Zedekiah Montanez via 2nd round KO
Both fighters were very cautious to start the fight, not wanting to inadvertently walk into a direct shot. As a result, the opening frame saw a lot of swings and misses before both men were able to log some significant strikes as the first round ended.
Brandon Meyer was not going to let a repeat of the first round happen again. He expertly dodged an attack from Montanez and fired back with a stiff punch that ended the Philadelphia kid’s night.
Bantamweight Division: Travis ‘The Animal’ Thompson defeats Zachary ‘Lil Mac’ Pannell via 2nd round KO
In an all-Pennsylvania battle, Lancaster’s Zachary Pannell took it to Pottstown’s Travis Thompson from the jump. Both fighters kept a low center of gravity, trying their best to stay out of each other’s punching path. Pannell landed the first consequential shot, knocking Thompson down early in the first.
Pannell would continue to dominate the opening frame from the clinch, not allowing Thompson to find his range. And he had good reason for that method…
When the bell sounded for Round 2, Thompson made sure to keep his distance. Without being able to close the gap like he did in the first round, Pannell walked right into a clean punch from Thompson, knocking him out cold.
Bantamweight Division: Phil ‘Hitman’ Caracappa defeats Noah ‘Cannon’ Norman via DQ
The first round began with Caracappa using his size advantage to overpower Coatesville’s own, Noah Norman. Caracappa landed a lot of close-quarter shots from the clinch and that would be where the majority of his best work was done. In just the first round alone, the referee had to break up the clinch 6 times, eventually drawing the ire from the Philly faithful.
Realizing he was behind, Norman would start the second round as the aggressor. Too caught up in trying to make a comeback, Norman’s punches were all over the place and very rarely hit the mark. Caracappa played the technical game to his advantage, never allowing Norman to find his stride. And it would snowball even worse from there.
The referee ended up taking two points from Norman for illegal and dirty tactics, and he eventually was disqualified all together. Quite the way to take your first loss in boxing competition. The two would continue to jaw at each other until they left the ring, for good measure.
