Federal Way boxer Vincent Thompson remains undefeated following a unanimous decision June 4 in Battle at the Boat 82: Fight Night to the Playboy Mansion.
In the evening’s main event, Thompson (8-0, 2 KO) went the distance against Kelsey Arnold (4-8-2, KO) of Lexington, TN. Thompson kept up the pressure and had the edge through all six rounds to win the 60-54 unanimous decision.
In this heavyweight bout, Thompson was the prime aggressor, unleashing multiple bursts of left-right combos at Arnold, who at first was barely swinging back. Arnold’s nose was bleeding by round 2, and he often taunted Thompson with his tongue. Arnold was able to get Thompson against the ropes now and then, but Thompson would quickly slip away and resume his blitzkrieg of body and head shots. After the fight slowed in rounds four and five, the two went full-throttle in round six before the final bell.
“He was trying to get me out of my game,” Thompson said after the fight, noting that Arnold was a tough opponent. “I let him know ‘you’re too slow and not ready for me.’”
Fight card
• Co-main event: Nate Serrano (3-0, 2 KO) won a unanimous decision over Randell Corpus (0-1) in a light middleweight bout. Serrano was relentless with the pressure, constantly keeping Corpus on the defensive. Serrano consistently landed solid punches as the two Yakima fighters scrapped to the final bell in Corpus’ pro debut. Judges scored the fight 39-37, 39-37 and 40-36.
• Canadian heavyweight Shane Andreesen (11-3, 7 KO) knocked out Tacoma’s Jonte Willis (7-1-1, 3 KOs) in one of the night’s most thrilling fights. At 2:04 in round five, a final blow by Andreesen sent a wobbly Willis tumbling through the ropes for the KO. Andreesen had earlier pummeled Willis against the ropes in what started as a fairly even fight. Willis suffered a concussion and was taken to the hospital by ambulance, which delayed the start of the co-main event as the venue waited for another ambulance to return as required by law. Willis was coached by Auburn boxer and former titleholder Greg Haugen.
• Seattle’s Rob Diezel (6-4, 3 KO) knocked out Aaron Schupp (2-1) of Salem, Ore., in the second round of a welterweight matchup. With a hard left to the head, Diezel knocked Schupp cold and ignited a roaring crowd; Schupp got up moments later, wanting to continue the fight. “Nothing personal. Just business,” Diezel told the ring announcer on his way out.
• Anacortes heavyweight Sylvestor Barron (2-1-0) won a 40-35 unanimous decision over Ija Flappingeagle (3-3-1, 3 KO) of Reno, Nev., in a fight that went the distance. Barron punched with precision and connected on several big blasts to Flappingeagle’s face as the two heavyweights slugged away. The two embraced in good sportsmanship after the final bell.
• In the opening bout, Atlanta boxer Gerald Fisher defeated Nick Briannes of Bend, Ore., in a steady brawl that slowed to a crawl. Fisher won by split decision, eliciting some jeers from the crowd who thought Briannes, the more aggressive fighter, had the edge.
Ring card girls
The event was held at Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma and presented by Brian Halquist Productions. The evening featured a ring card girl contest, with the winner (“Vanessa”) traveling to Fight Night at the Playboy Mansion in July. Co-hosts included Playboy personalities Bridget Marquardt, Pilar Lastra, Stacy Fuson, Hiromi Oshima and Nicole Larsen.
