By Kurt Wolfheimer at ringside

Saturday night at the Grundy Arena in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Derek “Take it to the Bank” Webster (23-1, 12 KOs) captured the WBF International super middleweight title with a seventh-round stoppage of Frankie “The Freight Train” Filippone (22-6-1, 7 KOs). In the co-feature of the six-bout card promoted by Deuce Promotions LLC and Miss Downing Promotions in association with Kane 5 Promotions, welterweight Mikkel “Sikk Mikk” Lespierre (16-0-1, 7 KOs) remained undefeated with an impressive six round unanimous decision victory over Jerome Rodriguez (7-9-3, 2 KOs).

It was a big step up for Derek Webster of Glassboro, New Jersey as he brought a raucous crowd into the Grundy Arena to face the hard-slugging Frankie “The Freight Train” Filippone. Webster looked a bit tentative in the opening two rounds as Filippone of Norfolk, Virginia winged several single overhand lefts that just glanced off the side of Webster’s face. Webster found his range with solid jabs that slowed down the fellow southpaw while blocking and slipping the wild lefts. The Glassboro native took over late and was taunting the shorter Filippone as banged him with heavy combinations in the fifth round. Finally, a short right hook on the button, dropped Filippone in the corner at the end of the sixth round. Filippone was able to beat the count and survive the round, but Webster would not let him off the hook, as he rained down seven unanswered punches that dropped the Virginian for a second time, moments into the seventh. Filippone went on the retreat, but another one-two combination sent him to his knees for the 3rd and final time as referee Eric Dali waived the fight off at 36 seconds of the seventh round.
“I started out slow,” said the jubilant Derek Webster. “It was cold and I just could not get comfortable, but my trainer told me to come on and I heard Roy Jones, Jr. also. I knew I was already too fast for him, but my body acclimated to this cold temperature (of the hockey arena). I came on strong late and finished him.”

In the six round co-feature of the evening, welterweight prospect Mikkel “Sikk Mikk” Lespierre of Brooklyn, New York had just too many weapons in his arsenal as his various combinations battered the game, but outgunned Jerome Rodriguez Allentown, PA throughout to capture the well-deserved six round unanimous decision victory by scores of 58-56 and 59-55 x 2 respectively. Mikkel Lespierre ups his record to 16-0-1, 7 KOs while Jerome Rodriguez drops to 7-9-3, 2 KOs.

It wasn’t as easy for undefeated featherweight Vidal Rivera (5-0, 3 KOs) as he squeaked out a razor thin four round majority decision victory over defensive-minded Jesus Salas (1-1, 1 KO) by scores of 38-38 and 39-37 x 2. Rivera seemed to have trouble throughout with the superior height and reach from the defensive minded counter puncher, but his aggressiveness allowed to capture the middle rounds. Salas opened up late in the sixth and the final round, but it wasn’t enough as Rivera escaped with the victory.

Former national amateur champion and cruiserweight prospect Mike “The Beast” Hilton (6-0, 6 KOs) of nearby Trenton, New Jersey sent his fans home happy with a first round technical knockout of Davenport, Iowa’s Eric Cason (2-6, 2 KOs). The official time of the TKO was 2:51 of the first round.

Upper Darby, PA’s lightweight sensation Brand “B-Rob” Robinson (2-1. 2 KOs) dropped and finished six-fight veteran Phillip Legrand (1-5, 1 KO) with an uppercut at forty-five seconds of the round 2. It was his second victory in a row, since his loss to Mike Hilton. He has since moved back to the light heavyweight division, where he is more comfortable.

In the opening bout of the evening, PA featherweight Gowar Karyak made his debut as he stopped Moorhead, Wisconsin’s Jose Homar Rios (1-5, 1 KO) at the twenty-nine-second mark of the third round for the TKO victory.

The card was matched by Renee Aikens.