Twinkle Fingers Hernandez stops Ashanti in First, Heavyweight Stiverne Squeaks out win

By: Johnny Schulz (Ringside) of GoFightLive

Miami, FL–World Renown Boxing Promoter Don King did it again with another great card of excellent competitive boxing in Miami at the Casino Miami Jai-Alai. This was the first card at the newly renovated Casino Jai-Alai much to the delight of a ravenous crowd who was left begging for more. With numerous accolades, awards, lifetime achievements in the sport of boxing, and accomplishments during his career, King is often referred to the greatest promoter of all time and rightfully so.

For the main event, WBC US Super welterweight Champion Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez 21-1-1(12KO) was very impressive with a first round TKO win over tough veteran Shakir Ashanti 16-13. Ashanti, who I must note had a crazy outfit of what appeared to be skirt and pom poms attached to his legs, met Twinkle Fingers with a couple fast early punches and the two tied up in the middle of the ring. While tied up Hernandez did what all fighters should do and instead of waiting for the referee to break the action he kept punching with the free hand landing some hard punches that eventually floored the Ashanti. Ashanti was able to beat the count however it was Hernandez who then rushed across the ring and landed a number of clean unanswered shots during a fight ending flurry that ended the junior middleweight fight at 2:45 of just the first round. After the fight Hernandez was quick to grab the microphone from ring announcer Marc Lictenfield to call out Jr Middleweight contender and former 5 time world champion Cory Spinks for a fight. Spinks was not slow to climb into the ring and return fire on the microphone by telling Hernandez to “bring it on” and ”Imma stop this fool right here” which was not very well accepted by Hernandez’s hometown crowd in Miami. Spinks is looking to avenge a 2010 knockout loss to Cornelius Bundrage 31-4(18KO) on June 23rd at the Hard Rock in Hollywood Florida. The fight will be for the IBF title. Hernandez said after the fight, “I’m a bad dude when I want to be. I wiped out Shakir Ashanti like a plate of dishes in the first round—and he went 10 rounds with Cory Spinks!

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By: Chris Cook at ringside from FightNews.com
Photos: David Martin Warr

Joey Hernandez took less than a round to dispatch Shakir Ashanti. Ashanti caught hold of Hernandez’s right hand and held on in the middle of the round. Hernandez unloaded his left hand to the exposed head Ashanti, landing dozens of shots. Ashanti fell to the canvas after the succession of blows. He was able to rise before the ten count, but unable to withstand the flurries upon flurries that soon followed. Referee stepped in to stop the bout at the 2:46 mark. After the fight, Hernandez called out Cory Spinks who was in attendance. Spinks processed to yell to the crowd that he will stop Hernandez. More to follow.

Hernandez stuns Ashanti with first-round TKO

From: Miami Herald

In his previous bout, Joey Hernandez dealt with a complicated journeyman opponent and escaped with a disputed decision win.

Hernandez left no doubt in his main event Saturday night at Casino Miami Jai-Alai. The Miami resident scored a first-round technical knockout over Shakir Ashanti.

Hernandez (21-1-1, 12 KOs) stunned Ashanti with a series of unanswered lefts to the head that eventually sent him to the canvas. A dazed Ashanti (16-13) beat the 10-count but Hernandez followed with a flurry of unanswered combinations, forcing referee Sam Burgos to stop the junior-middleweight fight at 2:46 of the round.

“I’m a bad dude when I want to be,” Hernandez said. “I wiped him out like a plate of dishes.”

"Twinkle Fingers" tries to overcome title bout fallout with tuneup

By: Ryan Songalia of The Ring

By the script initially handed to him, junior middleweight Joey Hernandez should be living with the outcome of his first world title opportunity by now. Nearly a month has past since March 17, the date on the contract that he signed to face IBF junior middleweight titleholder and fellow Don King Promotions stablemate Cornelius "K-9" Bundrage.

Yet, instead of relishing victory or coming to terms with defeat, the 27-year-old Hernandez (20-1-1, 11 knockouts), of Miami, Fla., is counting down the minutes towards the weigh-in for his fight on Saturday night at the Miami Jai AlaiFronton against Shakir Ashanti – a 16-12 (4 KOs) journeyman from Greensboro, N.C. who hasn't won two straight in 12 years.

"Imagine signing a contract for a dream to come true and then he didn't sign his," said Hernandez, a Cuban-American fan favorite in Miami known as ‘Twinkle Fingers.’ "I took the fight more as an opportunity because I thought my style would beat him. He didn't want to fight me so he didn't sign the contract."

Bundrage, 38, who faces Cory Spinks on June 23 in a rematch of the 2010 effort where he knocked out Spinks in the fifth round to win the belt, told FightNews that he didn't like the financial terms of the deal to face Hernandez in his backyard so he rejected the offer.

Spinks told the same outlet that, should he regain the belt, "Iwill give Joey the shot he deserves."

Hernandez, who has won five straight since his only career defeat to fellow Floridian Ed Paredes on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights by a second-round knockout in 2010, says that the road back was difficult from his first defeat, which included wins over former contenders Angel Hernandez, Saul Duran and most recently Elco Garcia, when Hernandez rose off the canvas in round one to win a unanimous decision victory.

Hernandez admits to having some trouble to find motivation for what amounts to a big step down in competition from the world titleholder that he was expecting to face last month, but can see that he is closer to "his dream" than ever before.

'This shouldn't be hard after the fights I've been through," said Hernandez. "I'm going to win spectacular with a knockout and hopefully I get a title shot after that.

"I really feel like I have what it takes. I'm a charismatic kid, I have a little bit of 'Camacho' in me and I need a chance to get back on national TV."