Toledo Firefighter DeAndre Ware Brings Home 3 Middleweight Boxing Titles

From the Toledo Blade, First Published February 2, 2019, 8:21pm

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Toledo Firefighter DeAndre Ware captured three vacant super middleweight regional titles Friday by scoring a majority decision against previously unbeaten Ronald Ellis.

Ware, who lost in September to Cem Kilic in his previous fight, earned the North American Boxing Association, United States Boxing Organization, and the World Boxing Council Continental Americas 168-pound titles by winning the 10-round bout that was broadcast on Showtime. He won 96-94 on two scorecards and tied 95-95 on the other.

Ware (13-1-2, 8 knockouts) landed more punches and connected at a better rate than Ellis (15-1-2, 10 KOs), hitting on 27 percent of his punches (174 of 636) as well as 27 percent of power punches (105 of 386). Ellis landed 20 percent of his total punches (150 of 768) and 27 percent of his power punches (78 of 288).

“I controlled the fight. The whole fight I was landing the harder shots,” said Ware, a 2006 St. John’s Jesuit graduate who had a full seven weeks to prepare for this fight, unlike his loss to Kilic. “I finally had a chance to get in shape and have a full camp, and we were able to show what we really have. I applied the pressure. He was just flicking the jab and it wasn’t doing anything.”

Ware stayed patient early, then converted in the fourth round with a right hand as Ellis was trying an uppercut. Later on in the fight, Ellis’ rate of punches was slowing down, and afterward he said he might have re-injured his hand early in the bout, which limited his effectiveness.

“I couldn’t tell if he hurt his hand,” Ware said. “I just listed to my coaches and did what I had to do.”

Ware also started landing more punches in the seventh, delivering several combinations.that backed Ellis up.

Ellis did try to end the fight with a flurry in the final round, but it was not enough.

Ellis was not happy with the decision and hopes to land a rematch.

“I think I outboxed him,” Ellis said. “He was pressuring the whole fight but he didn’t land anything clean. I hurt my hand a little in the third, but I was still able to triple jab him and keep him on the outside. I would do a rematch in a second.” Online version here: Toledo Firefighter DeAndre Ware Brings Home 3 Middleweight Boxing Titles