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Mike Stewart Defeats Carlos Escobar by: John Lloyd on July 18, 2004
Mike (No Joke) Stewart lived up to his name defeating Mexican fighter Carlos Escobar with a TKO in the seventh round at the Alhambra in Philly last night. Stewart was in need of a boost after losing to Sharmba Mitchell for the interim IBF junior welterweight title in Manchester, England on April 3. Stewart, who lost a 12-round decision to Mitchell after being knocked down three times, is preparing for a July 16th bout to be aired on ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights series.
Escobar (12-6, 6 KOs) was fighting outside Mexico for the first time, and made an aggressive showing against his more experienced opponent. He came out swinging and used strong inside combinations and powerful hooks to keep Stewart from backing him down. Stewart responded in kind, drawing first blood from Escobar’s left eye early in the second. Escobar continued connecting big hooks to the head and body, but “No Joke" proved that he can take a punch as he continued to fight with poise and control. It was clear that strength and endurance would be deciding factors in what turned out to be an unrelenting inside battle.
With the stifling heat climbing in the old South Philly warehouse, Stewart started turning the corner in the fourth when he staggered Escobar with a powerful left hook to the body just before the bell. By the end of the fifth, the tough but outmatched Escobar was bleeding from both eyes as Stewart started to mix it up with his jab and strong right cross. The seventh round was the final nail in the coffin. From bell to bell, Stewart worked Escobar with his tremendous left hook to the cheers of No Joke! from the rowdy spectators. At round’s end, Escobar sat in his corner exhausted, and didn’t get up. Stewart was ruled the victor by TKO on the advice of the house doctor, with no objection from Escobar’s corner. The question remains, can Stewart work his way up to another title shot?
Other results from the Alhambra on June 18, 2004
Heavyweight, 4 rounds Michael Rhoades (North Philadelphia) vs. Pavlo Varavko (Northeast Philadelphia), draw (39-37, 38-38, 38-38)
Junior Middleweight, 4 rounds Avtindal Khurtsidze (Northeast Philadelphia) over Jon Gaddis (Lancaster, PA) in a unanimous decision (40-35, 40-36, 40-36)
Junior Lightweight, 6 rounds Dave Evans (New Castle, DE) over Joey Ortega (Lowell, MA) in a unanimous decision (59-54)
Lightweight, 8 rounds Koba Gogoladze (Northeast Philadelphia) over Mauricio Borquez (Culiacan, Mexico) TKO in the first
Junior Welterweight, 8 rounds Chucky Tschorniawsky (North Philadelphia) over Kevin Watts (Boston) KO 2:19 in the second
Middleweight, 4 rounds Roberto Burgess (North Philadelphia) over Jonathan Logan (Oxen Hill, MD) TKO 1:05 in the fourth
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