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In the semi-main event, in a battle between two big, strong impressive
women, Marsha Valley defeated Kendra Lenhart by TKO, stopping her just
before the end of the third round of a scheduled eight-rounder.
After a slow first round in which both women seemed wary (with good
reason!) of each other's power, the 5'10" Valley knocked the 6'1" Lenhart
down in the second, buckling her knees with a crisp, hard shot that sent
her touching the canvas. Although Lenhart immediately got up, the
message was sent that Valley had the power to stand up to Lenhart, who
has a reputation for tremendous strength.
A recovered Lenhart started strong in the third round as the action picked
up and both women began throwing more punches. The third round was being
fought on even terms when Valley caught Lenhart in a corner with two
hard shots near the end of the round, sending Lenhart reeling along the
ropes where Valley continued to unleash her barrage as her opponent
desperately tried to hang on. After giving Lenhart a mandatory eight-count,
the referee stopped the bout.
With Laila Ali at ringside, it was an impressive show of power by Marsha
Valley, who clearly wants to take on Ms. Ali in the ring.
Before the fight, Valley's trainer, Victor Hernandez, felt that his
fighter would win by knockout. Lenhart, he believed, was vulnerable to
punches to the head but, because of her height, often escaped
punishment as her previous opponents would tend to rely on punches down
low to the body.
Both women weighed in at 171 pounds
Besides Laila Ali, among those in attendance: JoJo
Wyman (assisting in the corners for both Marsha Valley and Wendy Rodriguez, who
fought on the undercard); Oscar de la Hoya? (Unannounced, but I'm pretty sure it
was him); Freddie Roach (trainer for Lucia Rijker); former heavyweight champ
Michael Moorer; "A-list" referee Richard Steele; OJ attorney Robert Shapiro.
The main event featured James Toney vs. Wesley Martin
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