By Dave Spencer

After hearing scorecards being read all night, Toronto fight fans finally got the stoppage win they were craving as welterweight Cody Crowley sent the Hershey Centre faithful of close to 5,000 home happy with a pair of crippling body shots in Mississauga Ontario. The main event was all Crowley as the Peterborough fighter didn’t disappoint in only his third Canadian appearance pushing his record to a perfect 11-0 with his 6th stoppage versus an over matched Juan Carlos Cano (15-4-2) of Argentina at 2:43 of the third round.

Crowley began the bout slowly but progressively got busier as his Argentine opponent offered very little in terms of push-back. A left hook to the body crumpled Cano into a ball on the canvas but the visiting fighter did managed to get up but was offered more of the same for his troubles. Cano would again find himself back on the canvas moments later as another left to the mid-section left him on all fours gasping for air. Cano somehow managed to beat the count for a second time but his corner had seen more than enough and wisely called it a night.

Crowley hopes to return to home of Peterborough, Ontario a place that hasn’t seen professional boxing in over 35 years, to headline an event May 13 and fight for the Canadian Title.

In the night’s co-feature Mohammed Abedeen (6-0-1) comfortably controlled the action to secure a 59-55, 59-55, 60-54 decision over Omar Valenzuela (9-5-2) in lightweight action.

In the most anticipated bout of the night, four rounds decided nothing as super-welterweights Aurey Cox (5-0-1) and Winston Matthews (1-0-2) battled to a four round draw in a match-up of local fighters. Each fighter walked away with a 40-36 scorecard while a third 38-38 cemented the deadlock where fans of both fighters were loud and vocal. Matthews who at 35 years old only made his pro debut last year was very much the underdog in this one going against Cox seven years his junior. But the Brantford fighter who bills himself as ‘The Punisher’ definitely had his moments during the contest with a varied attack able to land both body and head. Saying either fighter won all four rounds is a bit of a stretch but the final verdict of a draw will hopefully prompt a rematch.

Local Mississauga super-lightweight Helmand Alekozai (4-0) had an interesting start to his pro career fighting 3 times in Czech Republic including a ten-rounder in his last fight but got things done in his local debut winning a 58-56, 58-56, 59-55 decision over Diego Neira (8-3-1) who was fighting outside of his native Argentina for the first time.

Former Canadian super-bantamweight champion Buzz Grant (10-4) returned to the ring as a super-lightweight after a six year absence at the age of 38 and swept the scorecards 40-36 over an awkward Marcel Maillet (5-9-1).

Super-middleweight Jerome Gabriel scored a 2nd round knockdown of previously undefeated Ivan Banach (4-1) and dominated the action on his way to 40-35 victory.

In an entertaining bout with two debuting local bantamweights, Nyero Godfrey got the better of PG Tondo with a 39-37,39-37, 38-38 decision. Tondo boxed very well but it appeared Godfrey had the heavier hands and was the aggressor for most of the bout.

In other action, super-welterweght Peter Bianca (0-3-1) failed to notch his first win versus Ricardo Salas (2-0) and Eduardo Vitela moved to 2-0 with his over local heavyweight Bradley Hamil (1-1).