Boxing

Cherry ready to show he's a legit contender

Wauchula's Edner Cherry defends his lightweight title tonight in Tampa on ESPN2.

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published July 27, 2004

Aaron Jacobs and Pete Fernandez, partners in Starfight Productions, weren't sure what they were getting when they signed Edner Cherry two years ago.

They knew he was strong, athletic and quick. His record, 3-2-2, was hardly inspiring.

But there was something.

In April, they may finally have figured it out. Fighting the tough Juan Gomez Trinidad in the biggest bout of his career, and in Trinidad's home country, Cherry won the WBC Caribbean Boxing Federation lightweight title.

And this is how he did it: After getting knocked down in the fifth round, after a series of blows that even Jacobs doubted he could get up from, Cherry knocked Trinidad out in the eighth round.

"Unbelievable," Jacobs said.

Tonight at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Cherry (15-2-2, six knockouts) defends his title against Antonio Ramirez (21-8-6) on ESPN2's Tuesday Night Fights (10-midnight).

A victory will signal the 22-year-old's arrival as a legitimate lightweight contender.

"This fight right here is the big fight for me," said Cherry, who was born in the Bahamas, lives in Wauchula and trains with Fernandez at Xtreme Health and Fitness in Tampa.

"This fight will teach me a lot. It will break me into the ranks hopefully, and good things will happen for me. Being on ESPN is a blessing from God. It's a chance to show myself to the United States."

Cherry had an undistinguished amateur career that was limited to 26 local fights because he is not a U.S. citizen (and therefore ineligible for national tournaments), and he was spinning his wheels early in his pro career.

He won, drew, lost, won, drew, won and lost in his first seven fights. Two fights later, he joined Fernandez and hasn't lost since. Cherry credits his trainer with refining his skills and inching him toward the IBF rankings, where he is 13th.

"He fixed some things," Cherry said. "That's how I'm winning so far. He taught me how to settle down on my punches, how to throw good straight punches and how to close the gap on guys. Before I had Pete, I wasn't really in shape. That's why I'm so happy now. I feel real comfortable now."

Cherry has won titles his last two fights. In March, he beat Isidro Tejedor for the NBA Intercontinental lightweight title.

Less than a month later, he left the comfortable confines of Tampa, where he is 11-0, and beat Trinidad in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

That fight helped land Cherry on ESPN2 tonight.

"Any time you have a kid that can come back from a very bad knockdown in someone else's back yard, you know you have something special," Jacobs said.

For tickets $25-$80 or information, call (813) 876-9269 or visit www.starfightproductions.com

[Last modified July 27, 2004, 01:00:27]