Last Updated on August 24, 2014.
Xtreme Kickboxing Championships 1 launches Philadelphia Stand Up promotion. Ryan Kerwin has been promoting MMA shows for a half a decade and has played host to notable TSMMA fighters Julio Arce and Shane Burgos among others.
On Friday night it was two local 2nd Degree Black Belts entering the ring for their home crowd. Joshu Craig Alexander and Sempai Javier Guzman of Tiger Schulmann’s MMA in Feasterville were both looking to improve on their already impressive records.
Guzman compiled a 2-1 Kickboxing record at the tender age of 17 before taking a hiatus to serve his country in the Army Reserves. The Engineering Specialist spent a year in Kuwait before returning to the states and his place at Tiger Schulmann’s.
Entering the ring for the first time in over two years, he was looking to take down Fight Firm’s Steve Perna. Perna took the fight admirably with only two days notice after Guzman’s original opponent pulled out on Wednesday.
It would be tough going for Perna in the 150 pound bout. Guzman came out blazing with lightning fast combinations and slick head movement. He kept Perna on the end of kicks and punches, never letting his opponent get into a rhythm.
Guzman’s ability to switch up kicks and punches consistently kept his opponent from ever getting into his own offense. All credit to the Fight Firm representative who came ready to wage battle, unfortunately it wasn’t enough to slow down Guzman’s heavy attack.
At the end of three hard fought rounds, Guzman was awarded a 30-27 victory on all three scorecards.
Alexander was also coming off a prolonged layoff. A neck injury shortly after last April’s XCC MMA title defense left him on the shelf recovering. With his injury in the rear view he looked to get back to his winning ways after a five year undefeated stint.
The layoff sure didn’t seem to slow him down in Round 1 when Alexander came out guns blazing. His steady diet of hard punches found a home throughout the night.
Anthony Losarelli came ready for battle as well, but Alexander kept him backing up for most of the three two minute rounds. After establishing his boxing dominance in the first he began working in an effective low kick that by the third round had Losarelli’s leg buckling with every shot.
In both the second and third rounds hard power punches to the head stunned Losarelli and Alexander kept the pressure on straight through the final bell. It was possibly his finest performance of his 28 amateur Kickboxing and MMA fights.
Unfortunately for Alexander there were two people in the crowd of one thousand who found some way to score the fight in Losarelli’s favor. That wouldn’t have been a big deal if they hadn’t been two of three judges.
After the first score was announced 30-27 in favor of Alexander it appeared clear he would win by the same score as Guzman. Unfortuantely as soon as the announcer declared the second judge had it 29-28 Losarelli it appeared the fix was in. Sure enough the third score was announced in favor of the Blue Corner and everyone in the crowd (admittedly more than half of which came specifically to support Alexander) gasped audibly.
The judge who scored the fight 30-27 was visibly upset and so was the promoter of the show. And with the notable exception of Losarelli and his corner, most of the other participants and coaches in the event made it a point to let Alexander know he was clearly victorious.
Unfortunately it will go down as a loss on the record, but in the hearts of the hundred and fifty students who showed up to support him he was clearly a winner!
Congratulations to both fighters on an amazing display of talent and “non-quitting spirit”!
