Angel Manfredy has to wait six weeks for his big opportunity to exorcise the demons of a stinging defeat. But this week he was able to exercise his devils a little bit.
Wearing a red devil mask and blue jacket and trunks with logos of a devil and silver flames, the 24-year-old junior-lightweight from East Chicago entered the ring Wednesday night for a tuneup fight against Ernesto Benitez. It was the main event on promoter Bobby Hitz’s card at the Ramada O’Hare in Rosemont.
Midway through the third round, maskless Manfredy finished off defenseless Benitez with a left hook to the body. The 28-year-old Mexican fighter stayed down for referee Geno Rodriguez’s 10 count. Benitez’s record dropped to 11-5, and Manfredy’s improved to 26-3-1.
But that was just bookkeeping. More important, it got Manfredy beyond his second-round technical knockout loss in December to World Boxing Council champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manfredy will square off against Ivan Robinson on April 17 in Las Vegas. If Manfredy wins that fight, to be telecast on HBO, a title shot against International Boxing Federation 130-pound champ Roberto Garcia follows.
Pleased that he showed good defense and devastating body punches in his brief workout against Benitez, Manfredy said, “I took my time. I wanted to take my time and pick him apart.”
He insists he’s not looking beyond Robinson, a tough fighter, to a title shot against Garcia. But he can’t help looking back to the Mayweather fight.
That loss “was very hard for Angel. The fight should not have been stopped,” he told a supportive crowd in a postfight speech, using a microphone. In his dressing room, after he talked about being patient against Benitez, he added, “In the Mayweather fight, I didn’t take my time. I don’t know why. There were too many distractions.”
One of them, Manfredy now says, was leaving the Chicago area to train in Florida. “From now on I’m training at home.”
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Hitz’s crowd-pleasing show was capped by a rousing six-round slugfest between two 120-pound Chicagoans. Unbeaten Luis Perez improved to 5-0 with a unanimous decision over Antonio Smith, whose record dropped to 5-12-1. But Smith is the kind of competitor who gives fighters with losing records a good name. He took Perez’s best shots and got in a few of his own. His flailing style resulted in several head butts, one of which opened a bleeding cut over Perez’s right eye midway through the fight.
Perez, Sammy Merza and Manfredy celebrated their victories on Wednesday’s card as a team. They were joined by Chicago junior-welterweight David Diaz. The 1996 Olympian is now 10-0 as a pro after getting his second knockout victory Saturday.
Toned Toney? Once considered among the elite champions, James Toney has been back in the gym with Chicago manager Bob O’Donnell and is scheduled to return to the ring Sunday in Phoenix against heavyweight Terry Porter. The bout is scheduled to be telecast on Fox Sports Net.
“I believe he’s rededicated,” O’Donnell said. “He’s aiming to fight Thomas Hearns, and his main goal in life is to fight Roy Jones Jr. again.”
Toney (55-4-2) was knocked from the top of the hill four years ago by Jones. After that setback and two losses to Chicagoan Montell Griffin, Toney’s stature plummeted and his weight ballooned.
He has lost 50 pounds and hopes to weigh 198 against Porter (11-3-2). Toney has a huge edge in experience. But he hasn’t fought in nearly two years, and Porter had a knockout victory two weeks ago.
Coming attractions: A wee bit o’pugilism will precede St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago. At 7 p.m. next Friday at Merrimac Park, 6343 W. Irving Park Rd., a team of young boxers from County Derry, Ireland, will be matched against members of the Mayor Daley/Chicago Park District youth all-star boxing team. The amateur competitors are ages 12-19. . . . As part of HBO’s 9:15 p.m. telecast Saturday from Atlantic City, David Reid seeks to become the third 1996 U.S. Olympian to win a professional title. He’ll fight World Boxing Association junior-middleweight champion Laurent Boudouaini.