WORCESTER – When Denzel “Double Impact” Whitley fought Kenny “Lionheart” Larson in the 10-round main event of a Granite Chin Productions boxing show at the Palladium on Dec. 9, each of the undefeated welterweights thought he won.
The judges didn’t even agree on who came out on top, two giving the edge to Whitley, 97-92, and 99-90, and one believing Larson deserved the victory, 97-92.
“I can’t argue with the judges,” Whitley said Tuesday at a press conference at Mackao Restaurant & Bar. “They see what they want to see. I thought I outboxed him. I out-counter-punched him. I landed the cleaner shots.”
“I feel when you out-punch somebody, you score more points,” Larson said. “I figured that was the name of the game, hitting more than you get hit.”
Larson went so far as to say that Whitley received an early Christmas present in their December bout.
“The holidays are over,” he said. “That’s all done with. Let’s get back to business.”
Whitley won by a split decision and the two agreed to a rematch on March 23 at the Palladium in the main event of a seven-bout card billed as, “Pandemonium at the Palladium 3.”
“I never say no to nobody,” Whitley said. “They threw it at me and I said, ‘Why not?’”
“I’m thankful he gave me the time of day,” Larson said.
It’s a rematch that local boxing fans want to see.
“The first one was super exciting,” GCP president Chris Traietti said. “It’s such a contrast of styles where you’ve got a slick boxer [Whitley] with a guy who doesn’t stop coming forward. It made for 10 rounds of action and everyone wanted to see it again. Both guys just jumped at the chance.”
Whitley, 25, of Holyoke is 13-0 with seven knockouts. Larson, 34, of Salem is 7-1-1 with five KOs.
By defeating Larson, Whitley captured the vacant Junior North American Boxing Federation (NABF) welterweight championship. He already was the Massachusetts state champion and the U.S. Boxing Federation Atlantic champ.
Whitley doesn’t plan to make any major changes in the rematch.
“Maybe press a little more,” he said, “and throw a bit more punches if I want to. Maybe not let him get as close as I did, but other than that I don’t have to change too much because I feel like I won unanimously.”
Larson said he watched the tape of his first fight against Whitley and noticed a few things he could improve.
“He’s tough,” Whitley said of Larson. “He’s got heart. He comes to fight and I like that, but I believe I’m more skillful. I have a lot more experience. I bring a lot more to the table.”
This will be Whitley’s third consecutive bout at the Palladium. On Aug. 19, he knocked out Hector Esnar Bobadilla just 25 seconds into their scheduled eight-round fight. This will be Larson’s second fight at the Palladium.
‘It’s exhilarating,” Larson said of fighting at the Palladium. “There’s no drug like it. It’s an adrenaline rush, the fans, it’s a great venue, the acoustics. To have all eyes on you at the front of the stage, there’s no feeling like it.”
Whitley began boxing as an amateur at age 15 and reached the Western New England Golden Gloves semifinals three years in a row before turning pro at age 19.
Netasha Bagwell, 24, Whitley’s girlfriend of six years, said she used to be too nervous to cheer during his fights, but she’s grown used to him being in the ring.
“It’s scary, but I know what he’s capable of,” she said. “So it’s not as scary.”
Whitley’s older brother, Derrick, of Springfield was scheduled to take on former New England welterweight champion Mike “Bad Man” Ohan Jr. in the 10-round co-feature, but Traietti said Ohan got sick and the fight was called off. It would have been the first time that the brothers fought on the same card. After Whitley found out his brother’s bout was canceled, he joked that he considered calling Traietti to have him fight his brother instead of Larson.
Derrick, a 32-year-old southpaw, is 7-4-1 with no knockouts. Ohan, 30, of Holbrook is 19-2 with 9 KOs.
Two younger Whitley brothers, Devin, 23, and Dante, 18, are amateur boxers.
The Whitleys’ father, Derrick Sr., and his twin brother, Darren, fought professionally. In 2001, Derrick Sr. won the Massachusetts state title as a super middleweight and Darren won it as a super lightweight.
The two older Whitley brothers train under their father and uncle at Whitley Brothers Boxing and Fitness, the gym in Holyoke that their father and uncle own.
Whitley admits he used to think he knew everything and didn’t always follow his father’s advice.
“We used to get into it,” he said, “but now all I do is shut up and listen.”
The twins called themselves “Double Impact” and Denzel had that nickname tattooed on his left forearm in a tribute to them and to show that he has power with both hands. His other nickname is the “Humble Beast.”
Whitley works as a counselor for children aged up to 12 years old at a residential home in Holyoke.
“I’m basically the parent they don’t have,” he said. “I love kids. Even though I didn’t go through the system, I try to relate to how they feel and everything they’ve gone through. So I try no to make it too hard on them.”
The children watch his fights whenever they’re live-streamed. “Pandemonium at the Palladium 3” will be live-streamed on BXNGTV.com.
Don’t get the idea that Whitley is too nice of a guy to punish his opponent in the ring.
“There’s nothing wrong with being nice,” Derrick Sr. said, “but when it comes time to step into the ring, then you do what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to know how to turn it on and turn it off.”
Larson has turned his life around after facing 25 assault and battery charges in a year and spending from age 12-17 in juvenile detention.
“I was a violent child,” he said.
Boxing helped give him purpose. Larson works as an electrician during the day and trains at two gyms each night.
“You fight somebody in a barroom, you’re a criminal,” he said. “You fight somebody in the ring, you’re a hero and an inspiration.”
Carlos “El Gallo” Gonzalez, who is married to Whitley’s cousin, is scheduled to fight Aldimar Silva of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in an eight-round super featherweight bout at the Palladium.
“I’m the one who got him into boxing,” Whitley said. “He was always fighting at school so I was like, ‘Why don’t you box?’”
Gonzalez (10-0, 9 KOs), who lives in Springfield, is the Massachusetts super featherweight champion. Silva (22-25, 14 KOs) is the former Brazilian super bantamweight champ.
In an eight-round super middleweight bout, Steve “The Savage” Sumpter (9-0, 7 KOs), the IBA Americas super middleweight champion from Pittsfield, will fight Tony “The Best” Hernandez (7-18-2, 4 KOs) of Liberty, MO.
Quintin Sumpter (6-2, 4 KOs) of Pittsfield is scheduled to oppose Zach “The Shark” Calmus (3-2, 2 KOs) of Gloucester in a four-round heavyweight bout.
Carlos Castillo (7-0, 4 KOs) of Springfield is set to face Daniel Sostre (13-25-1, 5 KOs) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in a four-round junior middleweight fight.
Jonathan de Pina (12-2, 5 KOs) of Dorchester is scheduled to take on Michael “Titan” Taylor (1-6) of Cortland, NY, in a four-round lightweight bout. Jetter Burgos (7-1, 6 KOs) of the Bronx, NY, will fight Linwood “Mr. Composure” Dozier (10-35-3, 5 KOs) of Belcamp, MD, in a six-round welterweight bout.
All fights are subject to change.
Tickets are priced at $45 for standing room, $50 for balcony seats, $90 for mezzanine, $125 on the floor and $650 for a booth of four and they can be purchased online at www.ThePalladium.net.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the first bout is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
Bill Doyle has been a professional journalist for 47 years, most of them as a sports writer for the Telegram & Gazette. He covered the Boston Celtics for 25 years and has written extensively about golf, boxing and local high school and college sports. He also worked for the campus newspaper when he attended UMass-Amherst. He can be reached at billdoyle1515@gmail.com
