Biosse retains title in wild ending

LINCOLN, R.I. – No sooner had he wrapped the belt around his waist than Rich Gingras found himself empty-handed Saturday night in one of the wildest finishes in the history of Rhode Island boxing.

Shortly after it was announced Gingras (13-3-1) had dethroned Vladine Biosse (15-2-2) to capture the New England Super Middleweight Title in the main event of Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports’ “Game On” show at Twin River Casino, the Rhode Island Athletic Commission admitted it miscalculated the scores and that the bout had actually been scored a majority draw, allowing Biosse to escape with his title.

Judge Glen Feldman’s score was originally counted as 77-76 in favor of Gingras, which, at the time, gave Gingras a 77-76, 77-75, 76-76 majority decision win. Feldman actually scored the bout 76-76, matching Wayne Lima’s score, resulting in a majority draw.

The fight itself was as good as advertised with both Gingras and Biosse trading blows non-stop for eight rounds. After a slow first round, the action picked up in the second and never waned until the final bell.

Gingras was the aggressor for most of the fight, utilizing wide hooks and uppercuts to slow Biosse, while Biosse spent the latter half of the fight with his back to the ropes slugging his way out of trouble. Neither fighter worked to establish his jab, instead punching and counterpunching with sheer force for eight rounds.

The co-feature had its own controversy as Jersey City, N.J., middleweight Chris Chatman (11-2-1) edged hometown favorite Thomas Falowo (10-2) of Pawtucket, R.I., 77-75 on all three scorecards. Similar to the main event, both fighters slugged it out for eight rounds.

Chatman started strong as the aggressor, but Falowo fought back and showed incredible stamina by turning the tide in the final three rounds. The difference was a knockdown scored by Chatman in the fourth in which he picked himself off the canvas following a questionable knockdown and caught Falowo on the temple with a wide, left hook. Falowo sputtered backward and crashed to the canvas. Visibly hurt – and upset – Falowo punched canvas before getting back on his feet.

Making his Twin River debut after having just fought eight days ago in New Hampshire, Russell Lamour (5-0) of Portland, Maine dominated Woonsocket, R.I., veteran and fan favorite Joe Gardner (11-7-1), stopping Gardner 38 seconds into the sixth and final round after sending Gardner to the canvas three times.

Lamour scored the first three knockdowns in the closing seconds of the third, fourth and fifth rounds with vicious body shots, and ultimately went to the body again at the start of the sixth to finish Gardner for good. The win was Lamour’s second in eight days – both by knockout – while Gardner lost his second consecutive fight.

Female bantamweight Marcia Agripino (1-0) of Groton, Conn., made a strong impression in her professional debut, sending Brooklyn, N.Y., veteran Vanessa Greco (1-3-3) to the canvas within minutes of the opening round and ultimately coasting to a 40-35, 40-35, 39-36 unanimous decision win.

Hartford junior welterweight “Jabbin’” Joe Wilson (1-0) also dominated in his debut Saturday, outworking the tough Saul Almeida (0-3) of Framingham, Mass., to earn the unanimous 40-36 decision on all three scorecards.

Also on the undercard, Providence super middleweight KJ Harrison-Lombardi (2-2) remained unbeaten with a 39-37, 40-36, 40-36 unanimous decision win over Boston’s Maceo Crowder (2-2).