Palmer comes up short in 40th pro fight
WASHINGTON — In the end, youth won out, but Uniontown’s Eric Palmer showed those in attendance Saturday evening inside the Event Center on the grounds of the Hollywood Casino at The Meadows that he still has gas left in the tank, even after 40 professional fights.
Palmer, an Albert Gallatin graduate, battled Erie’s Anthony Bizzarro, a fighter 11 years his junior, tooth-and-nail for the first six rounds of an eight-round boxing match in the super lightweight (140 pounds) division.
Bizzarro, who entered the bout at 10-0 with six knockouts in his professional career, caught Palmer in the seventh round, and the referee waved the fight off. The stoppage came at 1:12.
“I felt like I just started to pressure a little bit too much and got caught with a good shot,” Palmer said. “I purposely stayed down until the count of nine before getting up, but the referee said it was too late. I wasn’t hurt or anything. I just wanted to get as much time as I could before starting to fight again.
“I felt like I was boxing really well. Coming into the seventh round, my corner said they felt like it was either a draw, or I was up on the scorecards.”
Despite being knocked down and having the fight stopped, Palmer was able to get up on his own and walked back to the dressing room with his team, which included his brothers, PJ Palmer and Justin Filippone.
The first round began with both fighters feeling each other out before Bizzarro landed a combination, but Eric Palmer didn’t let the flurry faze him, as he came back with a strong second round.
Palmer didn’t get out of his element in the third through six rounds, as he worked his jab, stayed in his stance and didn’t let Bizzarro come in with any big combinations.
If the first six rounds were any indication, the judges would have had a tough decision to render had the fight gone the distance.
Despite the loss, Palmer’s determination and preparation were on display against an up-and-coming fighter with an unblemished record. When preparations for the event were being made, the matchmaker was looking to provide Palmer with an opponent that wasn’t the caliber of Bizzarro, but “The Gentleman,” as he is affectionately known, requested a solid fighter.
Palmer has fought his fair share of undefeated boxers over his 13-year career, and usually close to their hometown, but has never backed down, despite facing plenty of adversity, including a fight where his hand was raised at the arena, but was later revealed to be a draw.
The fight was held Nov. 11, 2017, in Portland, Maine, which is roughly 21⁄2 hours from the hometown of Palmer’s opponent that evening, Brandon Berry.
Saturday’s event was full of supporters for Palmer, and he took it all in as he walked to the ring. There were plenty of “Team Palmer” shirts inside the Event Center.
“I had a great crowd, and I was nervous all day,” Palmer said. “As soon as I opened that door and walked out into the crowd, the nervousness left the body.
“The kid was tough, but I just made a couple of small mistakes. I went seven hard rounds against an undefeated guy that just boxes. He caught me with a good shot, and that happens in boxing.”
Palmer has fought professionally while working a full-time job, raising a family of three with his wife and operating Throwback Fitness in Uniontown where he holds boxing classes. He also coaches his softball.
Three bouts were contested prior to Palmer’s fight. The event started with Rodreko Jennings winning his professional debut with a second round TKO over Corey Stewart in a four-round fight in the welterweight division.
Maximus Garland improved to 8-0 as a pro in winning a six-round unanimous decision over Nelson Morales in the welterweight division. Garland had won his first seven pro bouts via stoppage, but Morales kept coming, despite taking some solid body and head shots. All three judges scored the bout, 60-54, in favor of Garland.
Salvatore Desimone had a hometown advantage, as the Coraopolis native earned a four-round unanimous decision (40-35) over Denzel Bowlding in super featherweight action to improve to 3-0 as a pro.
Andre Donovan earned a TKO in the third round over Jesus Martinez in an eight-round fight at bantamweight. Donovan improved to 12-2 with one no-contest in his pro career.