By Larry Snyder

Pittsburgh, Pa – A new name climbed to the top of the “City Of Champions.” It is 27-year-old Oleh Dovhun, and the 5-foot-8 southpaw claimed the WBA – North American Boxing Association Super Bantamweight title Saturday, November 13, at the Cathedral Room in St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church.

The 10-round Main Event capped off an exciting evening of action from Mike McSorley and J.J. Richardson’s Integrity Fighter Management associated with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing in the Steel City district of Oakland. McSorley told me, ““We have received great feedback on both the competitive well matched fights as well as the venue. Each and every fighter on this card left it all in the ring…which is all you can ever ask for.”

Dovhun (13-0-0, 5 KOs) put together an impressive straight left and right uppercut combo to go the distance with hard-hitting Glenn Dezurn (14-3-1, 10 KOs) from Baltimore, Maryland. Everyone throughout the venue took note of the Ukrainian Pitbull’s outstanding footwork and significant hand-speed.

Dezurn, 34, employed a double arm block defense to slow down his opponent’s unabating offense. He unleashed a vigorous attack of his own in the fourth, resulting in both combatants banging their heads together. It left a cut under Oleh’s left eye.

McSorley, serving as Dovhun’s trainer, said to me, “With the combination of Dazurn advancing forward the whole fight and Oleh being a southpaw, there was an accidental clash of heads more than once. The cuts were minor and did not require stitches. I told Oleh this between rounds because I didn’t want him concerned or pressing the action unnecessarily because there was no threat of a cut stoppage.”

After the final bell, all three judges’ scorecards read 100-90 for Dovhun, who also collected a top 15 World Boxing Association ranking. He spoke to his many fans on his Facebook page, “I want to thank everyone for their support, you are all the best. I heard everyone shouting loudly it was incredible. With such support, we will be world champions. God bless America!”

Matchmaker Brian Dillon brought together two super featherweights for the six-round Co-Feature. Ellwood City, PA’s Rosalindo Morales (6-0-0, 0 KO) claimed a unanimous decision against a very competitive Arturo de Islas (2-1-0, 1 KO) from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The southpaw continues to wrap up what he starts as all six of his professional fights have gone the distance.

The fans saw these combatants go straight at one another every round, going inside to throw effective body shots. Morales, 26, slightly staggered de Isla in the second, but the moment quickly passed, and neither athlete conceded anything to the aggression of the other. Throughout the encounter, the 22-year-old de Isla kept getting in clean punches coming off the clinches. The trio of judges rated it 60-54 on their scorecards.

Payback stepped to the center of the ring in the six-round duel between a pair of local light heavyweights battling as cruiserweights. Lucas Adams (2-1-0) of Butler, PA, collected his second pro victory with a unanimous decision against Morgantown, West Virginia’s Matt Wright (4-2-0, 2 KOs).

Wright, 27, took the first meeting by unanimous decision (40-36,39-37, 39-37) in April 2019 on a boxing card at the Waterfront Hotel in Morgantown. He is also a three-time light heavyweight winner (2014, 2015 & 2018) of the Elkins, WV Original Toughman Contests.

Adams moved around the ring, not letting himself get caught in the corner or on the ropes. Lucas’ reach advantage was evident in the use of his left jab to curtail Wright’s pursuit. He increased his attack with strong countering combos in the fourth round till the end. The three judges saw it 58-56 for the 25-year-old Adams.

Integrity Professional Results:

Super Featherweight – Johnny Spell (5-0-0, 3 KOs) Pittsburgh, PA WINS By Unanimous Decision Vs. James Early (5-8-0, 0 KO) Washington DC

Super Welterweight – Ethan Hayes (2-0-0, 0 KO) Preston, WV WINS By Unanimous Decision Vs. Deon Goodlow (2-4-0, 0 KO) Pittsburgh, PA

CORNER NOTES: Integrity had a pair of heavyweight exhibition match-ups to kick off the event, consisting of three 2-minute rounds with headgear and 12-ounce gloves. Kiondre Tibbs of the South Side Boxing Club battled Christian Ortiz of Kastle Boxing in Johnstown, PA. Then Jordan Carr from the Ellwood City Boxing Club clashed with Jarrod Shaw from Jim’s Gym in Morgantown, WV. McSorley commented, “The exhibition matches don’t declare a winner. For their first fight in the ring, Kiondre Tibbs and Jarrod Shaw both fought very hard against more experienced guys in Christian Ortiz and Jordan Carr.”

Chris Riskus and Tim Shipley divided up the referee duties and delivered expert control over all bouts. Matt Antonucci was the ring announcer and provided another fantastic evening for everyone behind the microphone. The three judges keeping an eye on every punch were Jamie Garayua, Eric Marlinski, and John Santore. Dr. Reginald Reginella served as the physician-in-attendance from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. Adam Castleforte generously provided the top photo for this article. All Rights Reserved.