Minnesota Boxing

MINNESOTA BOXING

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FULL FIGHT REPORT: December 4th Target Center
By Ray Kilgore
Photos By Jesse Kelley

Reporting live from the Target Center in MN- The title fight that was supposed to settle the score of who was the best heavyweight in MN between, Joey Abell 25-4 (24 KO’s) of Coon Rapids, MN and archrival Raphael Butler 35-8 (28 KO’s) of Rochester, MN ended in controversy as Abell was initially disqualified in round one for hammering a defenseless Butler after the bell.The punch left Butler unconscious before he hit the canvas.

Both Butler and fans left the ring thinking he was the new Minnesota Heavyweight champion after it was announced that Abell was disqualified; however, shortly after the fight, The Minnesota Boxing Commission changed the result from a DQ to a NC when referee Bobby Brunette stated he didn’t hear the bell and had instructed Abell and Butler to keep fighting.

Butler, 25, entered the fight coming off a second round knockout of Marcus Rhode 34-39-2 (29 KO’s) this past September while Abell 28, crushed Larry White 3-7 ( 2 KO’s) by TKO this past June in two rounds.

The fight was scheduled for ten rounds. Abell had only fought that distance once in November 2007, while Butler had only been eight rounds throughout his professional career that started in 2004.

From the outset it was evident that neither boxer planned to go all ten rounds as they had bad intentions behind each blow.

At 10:36 PM Butler made his way to the ring and exhibited confidence as he briefly scanned the arena and bobbed his head to his ring entrance song. When Abell came out, fans went wild.

From the start, Butler moved forward as he enjoyed a 34-pound weight advantage. But it was Abell who got things going with several authoritative jabs and lateral movement as he attempted to set Butler up with a mega shot.

They both exchanged good blows in the center of the ring. As they moved towards Butler’s corner, his trainer yelled, “Watch them [Abell’s] short arms” Butler responded, “Yup Yup” while looking intensely at Abell as the two men sized each other up.

Early in Abell’s career, he seemed interested in only one goal: The KO. But overtime he developed a jab along with movement, and he effectively gave Butler angles eventually finding an opening to land a hard right that Butler absorbed well.

Both boxers controlled their impulse to let bombs fly early, albeit that didn’t last long.

50 seconds before the round was to end, Butler showed why several outside promoters took an interest in him years ago. He landed a snappy jab trailed by a right that stung the betting favorite Abell and forced him to back into the ropes.

Abell bobbed and weaved to avoid further punches and wisely clinched.

With ten seconds left, Abell, who disclosed that part of his preparation for the fight consisted of pushing cars up hills, harvested a right followed up by several blows that sent the 6’3” 279 pound Butler down near Abell’s corner.

Butler beat the mandatory count and seemed OK but soon controversy erupted.

The round ended shortly after Brunette wiped Butler’s gloves. Abell, still in the neutral corner, came towards Butler and for a split second, both men stood face to face with Brunette in the middle of them.

Apparently, Brunette didn’t hear the bell because he never motioned the fighters to their respective corners.

The traditional ten second warning tap on the canvas to forewarn the referee and fighters the round will end never happened.

Given all this, Abell, 6’5” 245 pounds, looked uncertain so he hit Butler first with a light punch followed by a murderous right that knocked Butler cold. The blow came at least five seconds after the bell.

While Butler lay in a prone position unresponsive, his trainer stormed the ring and headed directly towards Abell. The fighter kept saying, “I didn’t hear the bell. I didn’t hear the bell!”

Soon thereafter, both corners roared the ring and a mêlée pursued as blows were thrown and bodies wrestled to the canvas. All this took place as Butler continued to lay on the canvas being attended to by the ring doctor.

When security finally got control in the ring, the aftermath spilled outside the ropes as several fans picked up where the boxers’ corners left off and engaged in fisticuffs before local police intervened.

In a show of good sportsmanship, Abell was apologetic to Butler who sat on his stool.

“I never heard the bell. I never heard it. I am sorry man.”

A fan yelled, “Don’t be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Had the DQ stood, that would mark Abell’s second in a professional career that started in 2005. In November 2008, he was disqualified against Jason Nicholson 18-25-2 (10 KO’s) in round one.

In Abell’s professional debut, he suffered a NC in September 2005 against Ritchie Goosehead 7-22-1 (3 KO’s) in round one.

Leading up to the fight, both men said there were no bad feelings. They embraced several times after the fight. Although Abell and Butler seemed to patch things up, Butler felt differently about a fan who yelled something as the fighter left the ring. Bulter then responded with profanities and told the person to meet him outside.

Results From Minneapolis
By Brett Mauren 2.15.09

The man known as “Minnesota Ice” put another spectacular knockout on the rocks, quick and easy as he dropped the hammer on Marcus Rhode(34-37). Rhode seemed to bank on a puncher’s chance as he lunged with a looping hook but was hurt immediately when Abell countered the miss with a devastating right cross. Rhode was overmatched from the opening bell as another miss had him eating a Joey Abell haymaker and dropping to the canvas. Although Rhode was able to rise to his feet Joey Abell’s heavy hands proved overwhelming and he was dropped twice more for a three knockdown rule loss. Abell moves to 22-4.

Abell Faces Rhode Friday Night
February 12th, 2008
By Ben Tighe

"Minnesota Ice" Joey Abell is set to headline at Epic Nightclub this Friday night. Abell will be opposite a Minnesota fighter of sorts in Marcus "Big Tuna" Rhode. Rhode, 36, was born in Detroit Lakes, MN and has fought in Mn sporadically since turning pro in 1995.
Rhode is known mostly for being an opponent to some of the bigger heavyweight names world wide. Perhaps the most marquee bout being his fight with Tommy Morrison in 1996. Morrison had recently tested positive for HIV and special rules were put in place that if any boxer were to be cut, the bout would immediately go to the cards. That wouldn't be a factor though as Rhode was dropped 3 times and stopped in round 1.
For Abell (21-4), it will be another chance to build his confidence as he did on Jan. 1st against Derek Amos (1st round ko win). "Minnesota Ice" chatted with writer Ben Tighe about his last fight, Rhode, and his boxing future. Here is what Abell had to say...

I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today, Joey.
Sure, I'm happy to do it.

I wasn't lucky enough to be at your last fight on January 17th, but I was glad to see that no luckyhaymaker or headbutt or disqualification kept you from winning on January 24th.

Yeah. [chuckles]

I was at the event in Sioux Falls on November 28th, the DQ to Jason Nicholson. You're probably tired of being asked about it, but would you give me your take on that one more time, and I promise not to ask again.

Sure, well I felt good and my wind was there. I was feeling good and I could have thrown all night. Ah, my opponent had ducked down earlier in the round and that time I thought he was down, but he wasn't. This time he did go down to one knee and I didn't know it, so I finished a combination that hurt him. That's really all there was to it.

Would you tell me about your last fight, against Derek Amos, how it went down and what you took from it?

It was another fight kind of like the one before, Nicholson. He moves real good and he's been around. I felt good and I felt like I got a little bit anxious because I didn't want to go past the first round if I didn't have to. So I was swinging a little bit wildly. But it was a good one for me for building confidence and getting some time in the ring and feeling comfortable and so forth.

Friday night you're fighting Marcus Rhode. How do you say his name, is it like Road or like Roadie?

I'm not sure, I've heard it both ways.

What do you know about Rhode? What do you expect on Friday?

I know he has a lot of experience. He has seventy fights and he knows what he's doing in the ring. It'll be another good fight for me to see where I'm at. I'll probably talk to him afterwards to find out where I stack up with the other top fighters he's been in with. I'll have to stick to the basics when it comes to keeping my hands up and keeping my chin down.

Rhode just fought John Sargent [a 5th round TKO loss in December]. Any interest in Sargent, or in any other Minnesota heavyweights?

I'm friends with John. When I was training with Ron Peterson he was living with Ron, and we sparred together. He's a very experienced guy and he really knows what he's doing. I'm sure that fight wouldn't happen. Me and Raphael Butler have talked about putting a fight together if the money was right. That's probably the only one that I'd do. That would bring the people in, I'm sure.

The venue for Friday night, Epic nightclub, is a new one. Have you been there yet for a look around?

No, I've seen a couple of pictures but no, it's a dance club. It'll be new for everybody - new for the people setting it up deciding where they want the people and everything, and new for the fighters. When I look at the pictures it kind of reminds me, with the balconies, of the Blue Horizon in Philadelphia.

You've got a history there.

Yeah, I've fought more there than I have here [in Minnesota].

You've got a pretty good fan base in Philadelphia.

Yeah.

Those people in Philadelphia, some of them are wondering where you went and whether you're coming back. Will you go back to the Blue Horizon soon, or do you feel like you've left that behind?

We've actually talked about it. We've been talking about fighting in March in Sweden, but I recently heard a rumor that that one might be off, so if that doesn't happen I'll probably fight at the [St Paul] Armory or at the Blue Horizon. Even though I haven't met many of them outside the ring, when I fight there it feels like the whole place is family. I've fought there more times than I've fought here, and it's the same crowd every time. They line up to congratulate me after the fights. I look at my tapes and you can see the same faces in the same places!

Jesse Kelley recently wrote that this year is "make or break" for you. Do you have a plan for the rest of the year? Any opponents you have your eye on?

I think the plan this year is to get me up into contender status. So that sometime this year or next I'll be able to fight for a belt somewhere. So the plan is to this year get me some more experience and some more exposure this year. Don Elbaum has the ideas, he always has about fifteen ideas about what he'd like to do.

Joey, thanks again for your time.

You bet.

ROPE A DOPE
By Ray Kilgore
July 15th, 2010

Joey Abell (25-4, 25 KOs) has been on a ride these past several months. First, he was set to face an experienced opponentin Francois Botha (47-5-3, 28 KOs) but that fight fell through. Abell turned his attention to Al “Ice” Cole (35-15-3, 16 KOs) in a rematch of their clash in September 2009 in which Cole won a split decision. That fight never happened.

Now, Abell is set to face Aaron Lyons (11-8, 8 KOs) on July 17 at the St Paul Armory in St Paul Minnesota.

The helter-skelter of it all hasn’t been easy on Abell.

“It’s been rough,” says Ron Lyke trainer for Abell. “I’ve been giving him time off instead of pounding the bag.”

However the 6-foot-4 Abell spends a great deal of his time in the gym and Lyons has given him plenty of motivation. “This is a rematch I have wanted since the first fight,” says the 29-year old from Coon Rapids, MN. “There was a lot of trash talking from the Lyons’ camp after the fight was stopped prematurely and now it’s time for me to shut their mouths.”

Lyke frankly doesn’t understand why Lyons is making a big deal of the first fight. “I was in the corner. Joey staggered the guy and pulled back and the guy clipped him on the chin. The referee jumped in and stopped it. The revenge factor is there to take care of one of the guys who supposedly beat him.”

For more stories locally, to around the world, check out Ray Kilgore's new website at www.theboxingstories.com

Tale of the Tape
Joey Abell -vs- Aaron Lyons
26-4, 25 KOs Record 11-8, 8 KOs
241 Weight 230
6’4? Height 6’1?

Results From Epic Minneapolis, MN
By Brett Mauren
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Cold blooded would be the correct description for the vibe that Joey Abell has left Epic night club feeling in his last two outings. His nickname may be “Minnesota Ice” but Abell has been red hot in his last three outings, scoring three consecutive first round knockouts.
Once again, there simply isn’t too much detail to analyze with Abell’s latest win, this one by way of a crushing straight left hand that rocked Galen Brown(32-11) into unconsciousness last Saturday at the Epic Nightclub in Mnpls. Abell put his power on display early, capping the night off with an exclamation point, and possibly setting the stage for a heavyweight showdown with fellow Minnesotan Raphael Butler. The timing for a showdown with Butler would seem to be a positive factor, for Abell at least, who has polished off three straight victories to rebound from a tough three fight losing streak to end 2008.

RESULTS FROM THE ARMORY

January 17th, 2009
By Brett Mauren - Photos By Rich Peterson www.13TwentyThree.com

Photos coming soon

Joey Abell (21-4) has said that 2009 will be a make or break year for him, and Saturday, January 17th at the St. Paul Armory he showed fans he wasn’t going to let anyone test that notion.
Coming of three straight losses Abell’s back was certainly against the wall as he faced the upset minded Derek Amos of Virginia. Amos came in at 15-6 with 9 knockouts, but as Abell learned in November no fight is a safe bet in the heavyweight division therefore it was kill or be killed for “Minnesota Ice” Abell Saturday. Abell both overpowered and overwhelmed Amos with power shots from the opening bell, and put the Virginia native through the ropes less than a minute into the fight. Amos showed grit in rising to his feet despite shaky legs and a hostile, pro-Abell crowd, but he wouldn’t be on his feet much longer as he eventually succumbed to a viscous attack from the larger Abell, prompting a first round stoppage much to the delight of the crowd.
Joey Abell laid the groundwork for a productive year, and time will tell where the next stop on the roller coaster ride will take us, but anyone who has had the pleasure of watching Abell knows that they will always get their money’s worth from “Minnesota Ice”.

MAKE OR BREAK FOR ABELL

January 11th, 2009
By Jesse Kelley

minnesotaboxing.com

Heavyweight Joey Abell (20-4, 19 KO's) will be back in action this Saturday at the National Guard Armory in Saint Paul, MN. It has been a roller coaster year for Abell to say the least. Things started on a high note for Abell as he took a short notice fight on Showtime in late November of 2007. At the end of the night, Abell picked up a career best win, earning a majority decision over Teke Oruh (14-0-1).
Abell rattled off two more wins (Ratko Draskovic 28-7-2 and Maurice Wheeler 10-11-1) before things took a turn for the worse for the 27 year old Coon Rapids, MN native. Abell lost his next three bouts as he was shocked by Andrew Greeley (14-25-2), lost a split decision to Al Cole(34-14-3), and most recently lost by disqualification to Jason Nicholson (17-26-2) a month ago in South Dakota.
Now Abell will look to rebound against Derek Amos (15-26) this Saturday. Abell shared his thoughts on both the highs and lows he has faced over the last year and also talks about why 2009 will be a "make it or break it" year for himself. Here is what Abell had to say...

2008 was a crazy year for you. Technically the Teke Oruh fight was in November of 2007 but it is your biggest win as a pro. You boxed and won a 10 round decision on National TV. Talk about that fight for us.
The Oruh fight was a big fight for me for many reasons. The exposure, the experience, etc. My nerves were the same as usual because I told myself I was going to win the fight any way that was necessary. I have heard some complaints the I could have knocked him out a few times and I didn't capitalize, but I was playing it smart because of the two weeks (one week of working out, one week of travel) to prepare. I knew my athletic ability could get me through 10 rounds and I didn't want to get tired and sloppy.

You fought Andrew Greeley on April 26th in Rochester, MN. Greeley is a skilled boxer with a bad record. Kind of a no win opponent. You dominated early on and it looked like an easy night for you. I noticed the crowd screaming for you to take him out. You really went after him and got caught with a big shot. Talk about what happened in the fight, the crowd...
I did let the crowd get in my head. It was such an uneventful fight that I started thinking of pleasing the crowd before just winning the fight. There are going to be some exiting fights and some that are boring. That should have been a boring one but I took a chance and got caught. It was my third fight within a month and there were a lot of things that went wrong before and during the fight. It's the only fight regardless of the loss that I never should have taken.

You were able to make it to your feet after being dropped in that fight. As you reeled back to the ropes he stormed after you and threw a bunch of punches. I believe the stoppage came with 2 seconds left in the fourth round. It was a little reminiscent of the stoppage in Philadelphia (Aaron Lyons) where you were still on your feet. Were you badly hurt and do you agree with the stoppage?
I personally don't think it should have been stopped as soon as it was. Granted I was getting hit. A boxer is a boxer, it's part of the job to get through moments like that and I was ready for it. Even though I don't hold it against them, I think some refs are a little protective. The only good part of that though is no one will get hurt.

What can you take from a loss like that?
Don't rush into anything in the ring, let the action happen and don't rush it.

You faced Al Cole in Sweden next in September. You lost a split decision. Reports suggest you were ahead until a clash of heads cut you up pretty bad. Recap that fight for us.
It was a great crowd pleasing fight, especially for the Swedish crowd that has never seen anything like it before. Cole was a great guy for me to fight but the opposite of what I was prepared for. The majority of my sparring was with a guy 5'10 that didn't move around much. Al Cole was 6'5 and moved more then I do. With the Swedish judges never seeing blood, maybe they might have thought I lost just because of all the blood. I got a cut above my eye from a head butt, and one on my nose from 2 punches that landed after the last bell. I didn't look to good after the fight. I thought I won but it was a great fight and a great experience

How about the short round thing (six, two minute rounds). Did that have any effect on you or your game plan? You have had that experience before but ended those fights so fast it really wasn't a problem...
It might have effected me a little. I didn't have the time in each round to do the things I might have done. Other then that, it was really not a problem for me, but maybe a benefit for Cole. He was done after the last round. If they were 3 minute rounds I really don't think he could have hung with me. Not to take anything away from him though, he's a great fighter .

You trained in isolation with former champ Michael Moorer for that fight. Can you talk about what you learned from working with him?
He was a great coach, he's been through it all and reached the top. I learned some things that helped me out mentally as well as physically. The only negative about that 3 month training camp is that I was in Florida away from home where it's hot and muggy and I was isolated in my room for most of the day. I don't know how much it effected me but I don't think it helped.

Your luck didn't change last month in South Dakota. You were dominating Jason Nicholson from the opening bell. I don't believe he landed a punch. You put Nicholson down in the first and hit him again as he was on all fours. You ended up being disqualified...
I felt great going into the fight, regardless of the opponent. To tell you the truth I was hoping to get one of the former losses back because I was mentally and physically ready for anyone. When the fight started my plan was to be smart but at the same time take all hope out of him ASAP. I know his record shows that he goes the distance and I didn't want anything happening to me like what happened in Rochester. So I was throwing a stiff jab and getting ready to land a meaningful left, which I did. At the end of the fight I threw a 4 punch combo, knocking him out with the third, not really knowing it. I couldn't stop the combo. It was like when I was in college and even high school football. When I would sack all the quarterbacks that I did. I was very seldom pump faked. At a certain point there is no turning back, the man's going to be hit. It was an unintentional and very unfortunate incident that I'm going to have to work even harder to overcome.

Rumors are that you are back training at the ACR gym in Coon Rapids. If this is true, talk about how that is going.
I have been at ACR now for a while. It works out great for me because of the people there. I have a lifting partner that's always there and Lyke is a great coach.

Like I said, it has been a roller coaster year for you. What can we expect for 2009?
It's going to be a make or break year for me. I know I won't be able to go for any world titles this year but my goal is to make my name known. I am going to give it my all.

MINNESOTA ICE

Joey Abell * Heavyweight Boxer