Live professional boxing is alive and well in the DFW Metroplex as evidenced by  Harrison Boxing Group's fourth installment of their critically acclaimed live boxing card,  aptly entitled Texas Slugfest,  last Thursday night at the Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards. 

In the night's main event, lightweight Anthony "Hurricane" Smith of Fort Worth easily outpointed a game Jesse Ortiz of San Antonio over six spirited rounds.  In the opening round, Smith came out looking to box and found success utilizing a sharp jab and slick movement.  Ortiz tried to close the distance in the second, but was countered effectively by Smith throughout the round.  The third round saw Ortiz achieve a measure of success as he stalked Smith around the ring applying smothering pressure. The two combatants traded some hard shots in the middle of the ring that drew applause from the crowd.  Ortiz tried to fight off of the ropes in the fourth, but Smith landed some hard uppercuts to the body that looked as if they hurt Ortiz.  The pace seemed to slow down in the fifth round as both fighters were fatigued from the brisk action.  In the final round, both fighters let it all hang out as they traded leather back and forth to close out the fight.  In the end, the ringside judges gave the fight to Smith by unanimous decision. 

"I give myself a 'C'," Smith stated after the fight. "I kind of hurt my hand in training and I was not 100%, but I gave it my best and no excuse, that guy was a good fighter." With the win, Smith improves his record to 4-1, 1 KO.  Ortiz falls to 4-9-2, 2 KOs in defeat. 

In the evening's co-featured bout of the night, Fort Worth based junior middleweight prospect Chap Huggins scored a four round shutout over Angel "El Loco" Sigala. Huggins' exceptional hand speed befuddled and battered a game, but clearly outmatched Sigala.  It was the sort of performance that leaves you salivating for Huggins' next fight as he dazzled his hometown fans with beautiful uppercuts and a laser-accurate right hand.  All three judges scored the contest 40-36 unanimously for Huggins. 

With the victory, Huggins improves his record to 2-0; Sigala begins his professional career with a record of 0-1. 

In what was the fight of the night, junior middleweight Marcus Bianconi of Houston would knock out Oscar Rodriguez in three rounds.  At the opening bell, both fighters rushed to meet each other in the center of the ring and immediately began to fire out a salvo of punches.  Bianconi focused his attack on the body of Rodriguez, winging thudding left hooks to the frame of the Fort Worth fighter.  Rodriguez would respond in turn landing some hard left hooks to the head of Bianconi.  Each fighter refused to give up an inch of ground and the crowd exploded in appreciation.  An accidental clash of heads toward the end of the round busted Bianconi's nose and blood began to spill freely. 

The pace of the action continued into the second round as Bianconi resumed his unrelenting body attack. Rodriguez retorted with hard shots to the body and head of his attacker.  A left hook, right hand combination from Bianconi put Rodriguez on his back, but the tough-as-nails fighter rose to beat the count.  Rodriguez was on unsteady legs, but found salvation when the bell tolled to end the round.

At the start of round three, it was clear that Bianconi's non-stop body attack was having a debilitating effect on Rodriguez.  Bianconi picked up on this fact and came out at the bell attacking the midsection of Rodriguez.  Like a lumberjack felling a tree, Bianconi's body attack eventually chopped down Rodriguez, who took a knee and failed to answer the referee's count. The official time of the stoppage was 0:22 seconds into round three. 

"I didn't really feel that nervous being my first pro fight," Bianconi explained after the fight.  "Ultimately, I thought I did pretty good and I came through in the third round."  With the win, Bianconi begins his professional career with a record of 1-0, 1 KO.  Rodriguez's pro debut was spoiled by Bianconi as he begins his career with a record of 0-1. 

Heavyweights Bryant "BB" Butler of Fort Worth and Ross "Da Boss" Brantley battled to a four round draw.  The action was slow at first as both fighters seemed cautious of each other's arsenal.  Gradually, the action picked up in the round as Butler began to press the action.  Brantley seemed passive at first until he exploded with a wild salvo that backed Butler up as the Dallas native let out a primal yell.  Butler, a southpaw, landed a straight left that seemed to wobble Brantley for a moment.  The action remained steady in the second and third rounds with each fighter enjoying moments of offensive success as the action remained tight.  In the fourth and final round, Brantley came out and landed two hard right hands, but Butler counters with a flush left hand.  Both fighters gathered their energy to close the show, trading shots as the crowd applauded the effort of the two warriors.  The judges' scorecards read as follows: 39-37 for Brantley, 39-37 for Butler, and 38-38 a Draw. 

With the decision, Butler's record stands at 1-0-1, 1 KO; Brantley's record stands at 0-6-1.

In the night's opening bout, Joey "Panama Flash" Dunmoodie of Fort Worth stopped Jerry "Hot Rod" Perez of Richmond, TX in four rounds.  The story of the fight was Dunmoodie's commitment to the double left hook that found a home to the body and head of Perez.  A left hook to the body by Dunmoodie in the fourth round forced Perez to take a knee and he did not answer the count of the referee. The official time of the stoppage was 1:15 into the fourth round. 

With the win Dunmoodie improves his record to 3-1-2, 2 KOs; Perez falls to 10-19-4, 6 KOs.