Plenty of Philly boxers in action this weekend
Derek 'Pooh' Ennis, Dhafir Smith, Anthony Caputo Smith on fight cards around the country.
THE ACTION involving Philly boxers this weekend spans beyond undefeated heavyweight Bryant Jennings.
Derek "Pooh" Ennis (24-4-1, 13 knockouts), the 33-year-old middleweight from Germantown, fights Caleb Truax (23-1-2, 14 KOs) tonight at Chicago's UIC Pavilion on ESPN2. The bout, slated for eight rounds, is the co-main event of ESPN's "Friday Night Fights." The broadcast starts at 9.
Ennis, a former USBA junior middleweight champ, last defeated Emil Gonzalez via unanimous decision in a six-round bout on March 14 at the Sheet Metal Workers Hall in South Philly. Truax, 30, of Osseo, Minn., is coming off a 10-round draw with Ossie Duran on Jan. 3 in Minneapolis.
Tomorrow night, Upper Darby's Dhafir Smith (27-24-7, 4 KOs) fights Tommy Karpency (22-4-1, 14 KOs) in Washington, Pa., for the vacant NABA USA light heavyweight title. The fight, held at the Meadows Racetrack & Casino, is slated for 10 rounds.
Smith, 31, on May 9 snapped a two-fight losing streak with a six-round unanimous decision against Brian Donahue. Karpency, 28, of Adah, Pa., last fought Jan. 31, defeating Rayco Saunders in a six-round unanimous decision.
On the Jennings undercard at Madison Square Garden tomorrow, Kennett Square's Anthony Caputo Smith (15-3, 10 KOs) fights IBO cruiserweight champion Ola Afolabi (20-3-4, 9 KOs) in a 10-round non-title fight. Smith, 29, won his first 13 pro fights, but has alternated wins and losses since his first defeat in August 2012.