Marinaccio Loses Decision to Grant
By Miguel Rodriguez NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
NIAGARA FALLS — There was no stunner, no triumphant home return punctuated with a championship-belt trophy.
But at least Paul Marinaccio will return to his construction and concrete business in Cary, N.C., knowing that he got to fight as a professional at least one time in Western New York against a big name in the sport.
Marinaccio, a Sweet Home graduate, failed in his bid to win the North American Boxing Association United States heavyweight championship belt Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 2,000 at the Seneca Niagara Casino Events Center. Veteran Michael Grant improved to 45-3 by taking a 12-round decision in the main event of the second professional fight card ever at the Events Center.
“I wish I would’ve been able to give a little more but he was a tough guy,“ said the 41-year-old Marinaccio, who fell to 24-4-3 with the loss. “I appreciate the people who support me. I still in my heart want to fight again. I don’t want to go out a loser.”
Marinaccio was one of four boxers with ties to the Buffalo-Niagara region on the schedule. Buffalo’s Guillermo Sanchez and Ross Thompson were the only local boys to win.
Sanchez took a six-round junior lightweight decision from Rochester’s Harvey Murray to improve to 5-0. It’s Sanchez’s second straight win over Murray as he earned a triumph last March over the younger brother of former champion Charles “The Natural” Murray.
Buffalo’s Ross Thompson (27-12-2) ended a five-fight losing streak by knocking out replacement light heavyweight opponent Cullen Rogers (9-23-1) in the first round. Niagara Falls’ James Ventry (7-6-1) dropped a four-round decision to junior welterweight Jamar Saunders (2-1) in fighting for the first time in his hometown.
But Marinaccio was the man people came to see. And for an early stretch they were wondering why. The first four rounds were more frustrating than a traffic jam as both fighters did more dancing than punching, prompting a chorus of boos and pleas of “come on!”
The pace picked up by the seventh round, which played into Grant’s hands as he knocked down Marinaccio twice with hard rights. It didn’t appear Marinaccio would get up after the second one but he did just before the bell rang to end the round and managed to collect himself to the point where he survived the rest of the way.
“We were too passive. We were feeling each other out,” said Marinaccio of the early rounds. “We were both waiting for one guy to make a mistake and he capitalized more than I did.”
The win is another step up the ladder for the 36-year-old Grant, who still hopes to attain the ultimate glory and win the real title.
“It’s a good situation for me,” said Grant of winning the NABA title. “I’m not in it for the money. I’m in it for the glory and to be the best I can be. From that everything else will snowball.”
Two knockdowns and that was it for a much hyped super middleweight clash as Byron Mitchell, a former WBA champion, needed just 1:10 to stop Etienne Whitaker (33-31-2), as the referee stopped the fight after the second knockdown. Mitchell (26-4-1) ended a three-fight losing streak and won for the first time since starting a comeback last year.
Adrian Mora improved to 20-1-1 by earning a TKO win at 2:59 of the fourth round over Shad Howard (13-13-3). Howard did knock Mora down for an eight count in the second round but all that did was awaken the junior welterweight who floored him later in the round and continuously pounded him.
Lightweight Josh Beeman (4-2-1) made quick work of Niagara Falls, Ont., resident Scott Paul (3-2), winning by technical knockout at 1:41 of the first round.
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