In the headline encounter, Bryant Pappas (13-9, 12 KO’s) , a popular law enforcement officer in Yonkers, protected his undefeated record, but for the first time as a pro could not stop his opponent. The Yonkers Housing Police Sergeant has not been the only winner in each of his bouts as he donates his entire purse to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan

His opponent in the six round super middleweight encounter will be Allen Medina (8-20, 1 KO) of Colorado. The 33 year old has not had much luck in the ring as of late as he has lost seven of his last eight bouts.

Despite the disparity in past records, the fight was competitive. Neither boxer was floored during the match, but Pappas’s nose was bloodied in the fourth round, which affected his breathing. His white trunks were spotted with dropped blood throughout the final three rounds. The undefeated 38 year old won a majority decision on the cards of the judges, 59-55, 58-55 and 57-57.

Pappas was not the only undefeated boxer on the card who continued his winning streak. In the co-feature, Danny “Joe-Joe” Valle (5-0, 3 KO’s), a third generation participant in the ring sport, entertained his many  local fans in a 6 round lightweight contest in against a fighter from Yonkers, Angel Torres, 2-6-2, 1 KO), who also had many supporters in the crowd.

The two former NY Golden Gloves champions were rivals in the amateur ranks and met for the first time as pros on Thursday. As in the headline bout, past records were not an indication of how the fighters would fare in the ring. Valle was floored with a left seconds into the first round. Almost as soon as Valle rose from the canvas, he downed Torres. The intense action continued unabated throughout the bout. Torres followed Valle around the ring attempting to put his opponent against the ropes, but had difficulty cutting the ring off. The unanimous nod went to Valle by scores of 59-55, 60-54, and 60-54.

The Bronx was in the house during two bouts that featured local boxers. Michael Ocasio (2-0, 2 K0’s) of the Bronx demolished Abdellah Smith (1-3, 1 KO) of Queens with a knockout in 1:57 of the first round in a lightheavyweight encounter. Ocassio was cut over the left eyebrow in the early action. After the knockout, he told the spectators, “He [Smith] was leading too much with his head. I love the blood. That’s what I’m here

Stephen “The Mandingo Warrior” Owusu (8-6, 4 KO’s) has found a lucky home in the Paradise Theater as he won his most recent fight in DeGuardia’s last Bronx show on May 5. That successful bout came after an absence of 11 years in the ring for Owusu. The opponent of the 33 year old, Angel “White Tiger” Rios (9-5, 6 KO’s), like his opponent on Thursday, was away from the sport for many years because of legal problems. The most recent bout for Rios was in 2003. Bronx bragging rights for the two Bronx residents went to Owusu by unanimous decision, 60-53, 60-54 and 60-54.

The opening pro contest was between two welterweights with unimpressive records. Juan Perez (1-1), whose only previous fight was fought at the Paradise in May, took a seven count early in the first round. He came back to get the unanimous decision of the judges over Andrew Jones (1-7-1) by very close scores of 38-37 on all three cards.

The program began with the presentation of four amateur bouts, also featuring several sons of the Bronx. The NYPD was proudly represented by two of the winners. Jamal Spence stopped Shaka Davidson in the second and Mark Sinatra won a three round decision over Jonathan Jenkins.

In other amateur contests, Bryant Cruz won a decision in three rounds over Carlos Nieves in134 pound novice encounter and highly skilled youngsters, Josue Vargas and Brandon Irogo met in a 102 pound contest.  Vargas, 13, won the decision over Irogo, 12, in an exciting match between two Bronx future pros.

The experienced and respected promoter is a Bronx native and resident who understands the fight fans in his borough and the history of the sport of pugilism in New York, “Our goal is to build up boxing here in the Bronx. We have a tremendous venue with the Paradise Theater, and now by pulling together exciting fights that match Bronx fighters vs. Bronx fighters, we are confident we are well on our way to achieve that goal. Back in the glory days of boxing, these were the types of fights and cards you saw all the time…Not only does it make exciting fights, but also for a great atmosphere and in my eyes that’s what boxing is about.”

The next show in the series will be at the Paradise on October 6. Tickets and information about the show can be obtained at the Paradise Theater on 2403 Grand Concourse or from Star Boxing, 7-8-823-2000.

In the headline encounter, Bryant Pappas, a popular law enforcement officer in Yonkers, will be attempting to retain his undefeated record. The Yonkers Housing Police Sergeant has fought professionally since 2005. During that time, the 38 year old has stopped his opponent in each 12 of his bouts. Pappas has not been the only winner in each of his bouts as he donates his entire purse to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan

His opponent in the six round super middleweight encounter will be Allen Medina (8-19, 1 KO) of Colorado. The 33 year old has not had much luck in the ring as of late as he has lost six of his last seven bouts.

Pappas is not the only undefeated boxer on the card hopeful of continuing his winning streak. Danny Valle (4-0, 3 KO’s), a third generation participant in the ring sport, is prepared to entertain his local fans in a 6 round lightweight contest in a. The 25 year old son of the Bronx has been surrounded by boxing since his birth as his father and grandfather, both named Victor Valle, were illustrious trainers.

Valle fill face a long-time foe, Angel Torres in the encounter. The two former NY Golden Gloves champions were rivals in the amateur ranks and will finally get an opportunity to meet as professionals.

Two boxers in the early stage of their pugilistic careers will meet in a bout scheduled for four rounds. Michael Ocasio (1-0, 1 K0) of the Bronx will face Juan Perez (0-1), a neighbor from the north, Mt. Vernon. Ocassio trains at the popular Morris Park Boxing Club that has produced several former world champs. Perez made his pro debut at the Paradise on May 5.

Stephen “The Mandingo Warrior” Owusu (7-6, 4 KO’s) won his most recent fight in DeGuardia’s last Bronx show on May 5. That successful bout came after an absence of 11 years in the ring for Owusu. The 33 year old will be facing Angel “White Tiger” Rios (9-4, 6 KO’s). Rios, like his opponent on Thursday, was away from the sport for many years because of legal problems. The most recent bout for Rios was in 2003. Bronx bragging rights will be on the line for the two Bronx residents who also train in the borough. Owusu prepares for his bouts at the Bronxchester Boxing Club and Rios at John’s Gym.

DeGuardia, the founder and CEO of the Bronx based promotion, Star Boxing, spoke enthusiastically of the upcoming show, “Our return to the Theater in May was everything we expected it to be. We were able to put together an exciting night of boxing, before a packed house of raucous fans who turned out for the show. Now, we are looking to feed and build on the success of that show and carry it over for the rest of the events we have scheduled at the Theater for this year.”

The experienced and respected promoter is a Bronx native and resident who understands the fight fans in his borough and the history of the sport of pugilism in New York, “Our goal is to build up boxing here in the Bronx. We have a tremendous venue with the Paradise Theater, and now by pulling together exciting fights that match Bronx fighters vs. Bronx fighters, we are confident we are well on our way to achieve that goal. Back in the glory days of boxing these were the types of fights and cards you saw all the time…Not only does it make exciting fights, but also for a great atmosphere and in my eyes that’s what boxing is about.”

Tickets and information about the show can be obtained at the Paradise theater on 2403 Grand Concourse or from Star Boxing, 718-823-2000.

Temple, thus far, has compiled one of its best early season marks. Currently ranked #16/17 in national polls, The Owls defeated top 5 ranked Villanova on December 13. Two of its three losses came at the hands of ranked teams. Georgetown edged Temple, 46-45, and the Owls were blown out by Kansas, then #1 ranked. Its only other defeat was by the St. John’s Red Storm.

Fordham, on the other hand, has started horribly. Its head coach, Derek Whittenburg, was fired after coaching the first five games of the season. The slow start followed a 3-25 record in the 2008-9 season. The current head coach, Jared Grasso, the youngest head coach in Division I men’s basketball, has led the team to only one victory in 12 contests.

The background of the two teams seemed totally irrelevant as they battled evenly during the first half. The score was knotted three times and the lead changed hands five times during the first 10 minutes. A layup by Fordham’s Chris Gaston at 9:25 gave Fordham its final lead of the game. The half ended with the visitors leading, 22-19. The stats for the teams were very similar. Both shot below 30% from the floor. Each only netted two treys and grabbed 18 boards.

Temple’s three more free throws than Fordham were the difference between the two. Veteran coach Fran Dunphy spoke of his team’s poor start, “I have no idea why we start so slow. We had decent looks in the first half, but we didn’t make them.”

Temple adjusted well in the second half, and began the period with a 16-4 scoring run to take a 38-23 lead with 13:45 remaining. Temple continued its domination of the contest, raising its advantage to 23 points. Fordham closed the game outscoring the visitors 14-8, but it was too little, too late. Temple’s shooting from the floor was outstanding. The Owls netted 16 of 24 attempts, 7 of 9 from beyond the arc. Dunphy credited his bench players, who outscored Fordham 26-12, for creating the separation during the second half. Sophomore Scootie Reynolds, averaging less than two points per game, scored all 12 of his points in the second half on four of five from three point range. Grasso talked of his team’s inability to play effectively for 40 minutes,

“We played 22-23 minutes, and ran out of gas.” Grasso, as he often does, spoke of the youth of his freshmen dominated squad, “We showed how young we are. In the second half, they made more shots, and we didn’t respond. Sometimes, you see the difference between upperclassmen and freshmen.” Grasso did speak very positively of the effort his players make, “They’re playing hard. The effort is there. I’m not disappointed.”

Freshman Chris Gaston of the Rams, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, continued his double digit average in both categories with 16 points and 10 rebounds.