Tucker Retains Title
in Westminster!
December 16, 2009
(DEC 16) Westminster, MD – In front of
2,500 boisterous fans at the Shipley Arena, Mark “TNT” Tucker retained
his USBO Light Heavyweight championship Friday night with a hard fought
ten round unanimous decision over wily veteran George “El Gallo” Armenta
of Silver Spring, MD.
With a group of US Marines leading his loudly cheered ring walk, Tucker
controlled the opening two frames by ripping Armenta with hard
jab-straight left hand combinations. The hard charging Armenta had some
success in the middle rounds with short right hands, but with the
guidance of special assistant trainer Buddy McGirt, Tucker shook off a
few rough moments to box effectively.
Armenta continued applying pressure in the late rounds with hopes of a
one punch knockout, but the gutsy Tucker used an arsenal of heavy body
punches along with straight left hands to the head while battling
through a reoccurring in-fight hand injury to secure the victory.
Judge Gary Camponeschi scored the contest 98-92, while John Gradowski
and Don Risher both had it 96-94 for Tucker, who also prevailed on
scorecards of ringside media outlets.
“It was a great fight, he kept coming and was very tough”, said Tucker,
who hails from nearby Eldersburg. “I got hit with a few punches I
shouldn’t have, so I had to make adjustments to take charge and pull out
the fight.”
Tucker improves to 13-0 with 7 KO’s, while the game Armenta falls to
13-5 (11 KO’s). Tucker’s next bout is tentatively scheduled for March 27
in Newark, NJ.
On the undercard, Jamar “The Truth” Freeman earned a unanimous decision
victory over Omar Sims, while Garrett Wilson and Vincent Batteast pulled
out close points victories over Adam Willet and Allen Perkins.
The four fight card was promoted by TNT Promotions 21, who worked hand
in hand with Marine Toys for Tots to generate hundreds of donations from
fans in attendance for needy children.
Since their inaugural card in February 2009, TNT Promotions 21 helped
spring boxing to life in Northern Maryland. They have hosted six shows
at the Shipley Arena, bringing in a large each time. TNT 21 also has the
exclusive promotional rights to USBO Light Heavyweight champion Mark
Tucker.
