Julio Cesar Matthews vs. Harvey Jolly
Julio Cesar Matthews 187 lbs beat Harvey Jolly 192 lbs by UD in round 6 of 6
- Date: 2009-12-04
- Location: Sovereign Center, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
- Referee: Gary Rosato
- Judge: Bernard Bruni 58-56
- Judge: Dave Greer 59-55
- Judge: Dewey LaRosa 59-55
In a major upset, unbeaten cruiserweight Julio Cesar Matthews of Reading, Pennsylvania, won a unanimous decision over Harvey 'Candy Man' Jolly of Adrian, Michigan. In the turn of events, Matthews came forward as the aggressor from the opening bell, stalking Jolly, throwing power shots while constantly trying to cut off the ring. Jolly played possum, running circles around the edge of the ring all night to try to bait Matthews in, but Matthews didn't fall for the trap. Instead, Matthews, 39, proved age is just a number, patiently looking for openings and landing his power shots, particularly the overhand right to the head, and body shot combinations, to win rounds 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. Jolly threw a great deal of wild hooks while running all night, but Matthews meticulously slipped under all of them with superior head movement, leaving Jolly very frustrated. Jolly occasionally landed a good left jab, but always ran away without following up due to the pressure Matthews was putting on him. Jolly's only good round was the third, which he won by running less and throwing more, but Matthews was landing counter power shots that did damage. So Jolly went back on his bicycle again in rounds 4, 5 and 6, which didn't work. In round six, Matthews' hard work paid off, as he successfully cut off the ring and trapped his tired and beaten opponent, giving Jolly, who was running out of gas and no longer able to run, a good beating with power shots from both hands. Exhausted Jolly, now 10-12-1, getting hit at will, desperately tried to grab on whenever he could to survive the final round, which told the story. Both fighters appeared in top condition, and neither fighter was hurt during the six rounder. Matthews, 9-0, who lost ten years of his promising career due to personal problems, has put his career back on track. After the bout, matchmaker Mike Melendez stated Matthews will next appear in an eight rounder in February 2010.