Carolina Fight Night Results: Nathan Threatt Earns UD In The Main Event

In the featured bout, Nathan Threatt (3-0-1 2 KOs), 26, from Moncks Corner, SC, defeated Walter McCord (1-1), 25, from Atlanta, Georgia. In this lightweight battle, southpaw Threatt immediately took control of the contest by establishing his jab and controlling the distance. Suddenly, Threatt landed a vicious left hand that sent McCord crashing to the canvas. McCord survived the count and was immediately attacked by Threatt. When dealing with Threatt’s attack, McCord had no answer and was dropped for a second time in the first round. Miraculously, McCord made it out of the first round. In the second round, McCord fully recovered, but Nathan controlled the round and landed punches at will.

In the third round, McCord finally started dishing out some punishment and landed solid shots. Both fighters began exchanging combinations furiously, with each fighter having their moments. The fourth round was just as exciting as the third, with both fighters giving a crowd-pleasing performance. Although Threatt found his groove in the middle of the match, the two knockdowns he suffered in the first round were too much to overcome. Resulting in the judges awarding Threatt a unanimous decision.

“I feel awesome, honestly, better than I thought. I really had high expectations for that fight. He’s a tough guy, and I knew that coming in, and he proved it,” said Threatt about the fight.

Courtney Brown and Kyle Harrell Have The Fight of The Night

In the co-featured bout, welterweights Kyle Harrell (8-3-1, 6 KOs), from Charlotte, NC, and Courtney Brown (2-5), 35, from Gary, Indiana, sent the crowd into a frenzy in what turned out to be the best match of the evening. Having only one victory in six fights and having been knocked out in all his losses, on paper, no one would think to pick Brown to defeat Harrell, who has won six of his eight fights by knockout. But the Indiana native had different plans and exhilarated the crowd while crushing doubters and Harrell’s jaw.

Harrell established his jab in the first round and kept Brown at bay. It seemed like Harrell was controlling the fight and would eventually land a punch that would add another KO victory to his record. However, suddenly, Brown breached Harrell’s long reach and pounced on the North Carolinian, backing Harrell up on the ropes for the remainder of the round.

In round two, Brown got back to work and dropped Harrell with a straight right. Harrell would tell me later in the post-fight interview that the referee should’ve ruled a slip. Harrell rebounds from the canvas, and an outright brawl breaks out in the middle of the second round, which has every fan out of their seats.

In the third round, both fighters collide in the middle of the ring, taking their turn dispensing punishment on one another. Harrell started to wear Brown down by incessantly attacking his midsection. Brown begins to show that the body attacks are affecting him but continues punching. At this point, the match became a matter of will over skill, and the first fighter who landed a heavy punch would probably win.

That moment came in the fourth round when Brown landed a desperate counter right hand in response to Harrell’s relentless forward attack. Harrell didn’t see the shot and was sent crashing to the mat. Harrell beat the count and fought valiantly for the remainder of the round. When the bell sounded, ending the fight, the crowd erupted into a deafening raucous as they cheered and clapped for both fighters. The judges’ scores were 39-35, 39-35, and 38-36, and Courtney Brown was awarded a unanimous decision.

Undercard Results

Lightweight prospect Christian Ayala, 24, from Harrisburg, NC, improves his record to 2-0 by knocking out Tino Singletary (0-1) from Winston Salem, NC. Tino decided he tasted enough of what Ayala was serving and didn’t want any more, which resulted in him telling the referee to stop the fight. On this night, Ayala was the sharpest boxer of the night. He displayed a poised attack that varied accurate combinations to Singeltary’s torso and head while using great footwork to position himself to land those shots.

• Alexander Thiel (5-0, 2 KOs),31, from Fayetteville, NC, defeated Jeremiah Simmons (1-9, 1 KO), 33, from New Bern, NC, by unanimous decision.
• Darius Lesane (1-0), from Lumberton, NC, knocked out Anthony Woodard (0-2), from Wilson, NC.
• Zed Mitchell (11-2, 1 KO), from Winterville, NC, knocked out Twon Smith (5-15), 37, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Steven Zaiden (1-0, 1 KO), 36, from Roanoke, VA, knocked out Derrick Spells (0-2) from Rocky Mount, NC.
• Mukhthar Magomedov (1-0, 1 KO) from Hallandale, Florida, by way of Kizilyurt, Russia, knocked out Marquise McKnight (0-3) from Hickory, NC.
• Saundra Simmons (7-0, 7 KOs), 27, from Norcross, Georgia, knocked out Tahlik Taylor (7-29, 4 KOs), 30, from Greensboro.
• Idris Devlin (1-0) Winston Salem, NC, defeated Jamison Cooper, from Las Vegas, Nevada, by unanimous decision.

My Take

Carolina Gloves Promotions didn’t disappoint ticket buyers in their latest installment of “Carolina Fight Night.” I believe club shows are the heart of professional boxing. Sure, they don’t have any of the glamour, glitz, celebrities, and boxing “stars” of that Las Vegas prize fight but they truly capture the essence of boxing. At shows like Carolina Fight Night, you will see talented young prospects trying to make the difficult transition from amateur boxing into the professional ranks.

You may also see a 39-year-old boxer with no business entering a professional boxing ring, trying to make good on a dream they set for themselves long ago. You will see family members and local fans rabidly cheering for their fighters while wearing the same t-shirts or holding up homemade poster boards with the name of the fighter they are there to root for. You may also run into current or former boxing contenders and champions who come out to show local fighters their love and support. Club shows are boxing goodness. And if you see a flyer hung at your local grocery store or car wash promoting a local club show, buy a ticket. You will likely watch great fights while being part of a thrilling atmosphere.