As Eric “Danger” Fields backed away from the shaken Harvey Jolly, he posted up in the opposite corner, arms draped across the top ropes, one thing on his mind.
“I was thinking of what I needed to do to get him down again,” Fields said.
Just seconds later, Jolly was down again and Fields had another knockout victory.
The Ardmore cruiserweight was in complete control against “The Road Warrior,” landing the knockout 2 minutes and 37 seconds into the third round of catBOX Entertainment’s Friday Night Fights main event at the Cox Convention Center. Fields’ was the final bout of an exciting night which featured two debuts, a battle of perseverance and a knockout from another south-central Oklahoma boxer.
Fields (16-1, 13 KOs) trumped them all. While the 6-foot-4 Jolly, ranked 26th in the United States entering the fight, matched Fields in terms of physical prowess, he couldn’t break “Danger,” ranked 24th nationally. Jolly’s bundle-of-energy style and punches from unconventional angles were absorbed and countered by Fields, who stayed patient and balanced in the first round before becoming the aggressor in the final two.
“I knew the kind of fighter he was,” Fields said of Jolly’s jittery, constant upper-body movement. “That takes a lot of energy and I was able to read his movement.”
The fight was set for eight rounds, but destined for KO status. Without pressing, Fields brought Jolly (11-16-1) to one knee in the first round for the first knockdown. Jolly, also known as “The Candy Man,” could be seen wincing as Fields tattered him with body shots and countered Jolly’s length and left jab with an overhand right.
Carl Fields, Eric’s uncle and trainer, said the 28-year-old stuck to the gameplan.
“We studied the guy, had a plan and Eric executed,” Carl said. “The determining factor in the fight was Eric listening to his trainer (Dickey Wood).”
In the co-main event, Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zudhi stuck to his plan as well. The Oklahoma City boxer earned a unanimous decision over Martin Armenta of Los Mochis, Mexico. Armenta (14-23-3) portrayed himself as a villain to the fans by hitting Zudhi with an unprotected right to the face in the second round, after the referee stepped in to caution Armenta for a low blow.
Zudhi (11-1, 10 KOs), clearly dazed, took several minutes to recover and receive medical attention but continued. He went on to finish the six-rounder as unanimous winner (59-55, 60-54, 60-54 judges’ decision), keeping Armenta at bay with a consistent left jab and faster feet.
Cruiserweight Zack “Silverback” McMillen of Tishomingo took on Blake Warner of Oklahoma City in the second match of the undercard. McMillen had a significant height advantage over the stockier Warner, but it was Warner who had the advantage early on. Warner got inside of McMillen’s wiry 6-4 frame to land several punches, but once McMillen settled down toward the end of the round, the 27-year-old took over.
The two traded blows for the first round, before a straight right by McMillen midway through the second sent Warner to the ropes. McMillen went on the attack, knocking Warner’s mouthpiece out then sending him to the canvas three times in a 45-second span. The referee stopped the fight on the final fall at 2:12.
McMillen improved to 3-3 with three KOs.
“The first round is not my round,” McMillen said. “I’m always a lot better in the second round.
“I’m a really antsy starter, but I want to be more like Eric Fields. He doesn’t just come out hammering guys. He feels them out.”
Fields’ patient approach and preparation came from a two-week stint in Colorado Springs, Colo., with Dickey Wood, who’s trained several world champion boxers. On Friday, Wood said Fields “took away Jolly’s confidence to throw punches,” which revealed itself in the decisive third round.
Jolly went down in Fields’ corner for the second time, then was dropped again only seconds later, prompting Fields to walk back into the opposite corner to prepare for his final charge.
Once the referee got the OK from Jolly, Fields shot out of the corner quickly at the deflated fighter. Fields worked his man toward the Team catBOX corner again with several combinations and the referee promptly stepped in to protect the hunched-over Jolly.
“After the first knockdown, you know he’s submitted once; now it’s easier,” Fields said. “To get a win like this sets me up for bigger fights. He’s a veteran that everybody knows.”
First-time fighters shine
The third bout was between heavyweights Ron “The Iceman” Aubrey of Oklahoma City and former Oklahoma State and Atlanta Falcons football player Denishio Cook of Stillwater. Cook, in his debut fight, pushed the fan-favorite Aubrey (9-2-1) through the ropes within 10 seconds into the first round, but tired. Cook brawled with Aubrey, earning a draw with the former Oklahoma City Blazers hockey player. Three judges scored the match 38-35 Cook, 36-35 Aubrey and 36-36.
In the first fight of the undercard, Tulsa’s Warren Walker and Codale Ford of Fort Gibson fought four rounds in the cruiserweight division. In his professional debut, Ford, A.K.A. Black Lightning, fared well. With the word “Warrior” tattooed across the back of his shoulders, Ford took home a unanimous decision while handing Warren (2-1) his first career loss. The fight was a fill-in for former skateboard professional Travis Hoffman, who was on the card heading into Friday night, but had to withdraw due to injury.
Erik K. Horne
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