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Strategy leads Frissina to bantamweight title

By JOHN C. COTEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 24, 2001

TAMPA -- From the opening bell Pete Frissina went for Arthur Johnson's body. Shot after shot, round after round. The question became whether he would be around long enough to benefit from his strategy.

Frissina was, despite getting knocked down and cut. The benefit was a tired Johnson who held more than he punched in the final two rounds, and that was the difference in Frissina's unanimous-decision victory for the USBA bantamweight championship Friday night at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory.

Frissina, a Holiday resident and Tarpon Springs High graduate, won the final two rounds 10-9 to pull out the win. Two judges had it 114-112, and the third scored it 113-113.

Despite losing a round 10-8 because of the knockdown and losing a point for hitting Johnson behind the head, Frissina (24-3) got his biggest win.

"I knew I had lost those two rounds with the knockdown and the point, but I still thought I evened them up," Frissina said. "My power won this. I just kept coming forward. I hurt him with every punch.

"This is ... it hasn't hit me yet."

The victory should be a boon to Frissina, who has just signed with a new promoter. Johnson was ranked No. 6 by the IBF, is a former champion and was Frissina's first respectable opponent in some time -- and probably the best fighter Frissina has faced. Frissina's No. 3 ranking could put him a fight or two from a title shot, provided he keeps winning.

For six rounds it didn't look like Frissina would win. In the second Johnson caught him with a left and knocked him to a knee. In the fifth he cut him below the left eye. The next round, Frissina lost the point.

But the cut didn't get worse, and though Johnson landed often, Frissina answered with combinations to the body. Johnson seemed to wear down late, and Frissina continued to pressure him.

"It was a heck of a fight," said Angelo Dundee, Johnson's trainer. "You got to give the kid credit, he got nailed with some hellacious punches. But he stuck in there."

Frissina's win before a near-capacity crowd highlighted an eight-bout card.

St. Petersburg's Brett Corbett was carted off on a gurney after getting knocked out by Palm Harbor's Gabriel Krizan in the first round of the first fight. Palm Harbor's Erik Emanuelson won after New Port Richey's Steve Brown twisted an ankle in the second round and had to retire. And Tampa's Carlos Diaz got a well-fought win over St. Petersburg's Mario Jones.

St. Petersburg's Rodolfo Lunsford knocked out Tampa's Ivan Dawson with two masterful counters off the ropes, and Lakeland heavyweight Moises Droz improved to 6-0 with a unanimous decision over Largo's Willie Driver.

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