Iron City Pro Boxing must have taken a page out of “The Wide World of Sports” because they have circled the globe to get the fighters to make Saturday a successful show with Mario “Little Hands of Steel: Acosta, Jose “Puerto Rican Prince” Caraballo, “The Conquistadors,”  “The African Assassin,” “Irish” Scott Kelly, Ron Cabelli, Gonzalas Jones and Ray Narh, of Ghana.  Iron City is becoming the United Nations of pro boxing.

            A crowd of nearly 2,000 filled the courtyard under the jumbotran at Heinz Field. At ringside were former Pittsburgh Steelers Tunch Ilkin, Ted Peterson, and Craig Wolfley, IBC Heavyweight Champion Abraham Okine, West Virginia State Junior Lightweight champion Monte Meza-Clay, Andy “The Kid” DePaul and R&B recording artist Ambition.

            “I got chills when I heard the Anthem,” said Gloria Sztukowski. Jennifer Tedder was the best since Whitney Houston sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 1991. Jennifer has unbelievable vocal talent, and as on fan put it, “You are absolutely gorgeous!”

            Rayco “War” Saunders returned to Pittsburgh and showed how popular he is in his home city. The crowd was pumped to see history in the making. Saunders entered the ring wearing black and while Air Jordan boxing shoes and a black T-shirt with his picture on the front and on the back were the words: “I just don’t chase dreams; I catch ‘em.” His opponent, James “Hurricane” Walton of New Orleans, was wearing the black and gold colors of the New Orleans Saints.

            The opening round bell rang, and Walton threw a jab, but Rayco slipped it and at that moment pivoted his body to launch the perfect left hook counter, bringing it up from just above his hips and landing it flush on the side of his jaw. As he promised, Saunders, who has a chiseled frame that would make Evander Holyfield jealous, out-slicked and out-muscled Walton, driving him back against the ropes and dropping bombs into his midsection.

            Rounds one through seven belonged to Saunders, and in the fifth he had Walton badly hurt and for a moment it seemed the fight would be stopped and Saunders would win by TKI.

            Rayco backed Walton up against the ropes and went to “War” on his breadbasket! Rayco threw a triple hook- two to the body and one to the head and Walton winced in pain and almost fell through the ropes. The crowd was on their feet, screaming “Soov, Soov” –short for Beltzhoover.

            Walton tried to pick up the pace in the later rounds, but “War” was on a search and destroy mission, and his superior boxing skills governed the evening as the Pittsburgh fan favorite stung Walton repeatedly with stiff left jabs and thunderous body punches, and slipped Walton’s lethal over-hand right with excellent head movement.

            Saunders bounced a right hand off Walton’s noggin in the 10^th round en route to winning the North American Boxing Council world cruiserweight championship belt as the Beltzhoover Browns youth football team rushed to the ring to get his autograph.

            The Rick Carter fight was about as meaningful as Roy Jones’ rap career.  Carter, a former Penn Hills High School football star, fought Edgar Myers of Kokomo, Ind. Myers is one of the fattest guys to get into the ring since “Two-Ton Tony” Galento fought Joe Louis. Carter is clearly a people person who loves to meet fans. He is a huge, powerful boxer with great natural ability and tremendous punching power.  Myers kept sticking his tongue out in the first round and Carter made him pay the price.  He tagged the glutton right on the kisser with a hard right hand and the pudgy roly-poly Myers was finished.

            Jose “Puerto Rican Prince” Caraballo won a unanimous decision over Ron Cabilli of Chicago.  Caraballo easily won the first two rounds, but Cabelli came out like a man possessed in the third round. He slammed Jose to the canvas, but “The Spanish Soldier” took control of the fight by moving in and out with combinations and turning him away like a matador evading a wild bull.

            Other winners were Scott Kelly of Homer City and “Dangerous” Jim Northey of Punxsutawney.

            “Mayfield is welcome to come get a shot at this,” Saunders said, pointing to his NABC belt. “I want Mayfield in Pittsburgh. In Heinz Field.  In front of my people.”

            “At his weigh-in Friday at the Courtyard by Marriot, Downtown, Saunders refused to touch the belt,” said Scott Brigger. “I am the only world champion in Pittsburgh- and that’s including the other sports,’ Saunders said.  “The NABC is my world title. My thing is not to let the belt make me. Let me make the belt.”

            Saunders will never forget the night that he has ascended to the throne room of boxing.

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