Isaiah Steen jabs his way to victory over Kalvin Henderson
Showtime network’s popular show ShoBox: The Next Generation features potential world champions of the future fighting today. It is where fighters get to make their mark and show the boxing community why they are worth our attention. It is what super middleweights Kalvin “Hot Sauce” Henderson (14-0-1, 10ko) and Isaiah Steen (15-0, 12ko) plan on doing when they step into the ring across from each other.
Steen is the younger brother of former Olympian and top-ranked junior welterweight Charles Conwell. He had a decent amateur career with a record of 85-15. This fight was originally set to take place in 2020 before Henderson pulled out with an illness. For the undefeated Ohio native, this has been long overdue. He will use the power advantage along with his athleticism in hopes of keeping his undefeated status intact.
Henderson is a good amateur fighter with over 70 fights, and he has competed in the World Series of Boxing. Hot Sauce was a sparring partner for former WBC junior middleweight champion Tony Harris. The Texas native scored a knockout victory in the last performance at the Heartland Events Center. He will undoubtedly be looking for a repeat performance against Steen.
FAST-PACED ACTION FROM THE START
The fight started with both men looking to impose their will as Henderson was coming forward using the jab and feints to get in close to land a good counter right-hand. However, Steen got up on his feet, moving side to side, landing the quick jab and the overhand right. In the third round, Steen landed another counter right-hand that hurt his opponent, and he went on the attack but made a critical mistake. Staying on the centerline, he got rocked by an overhand right from Henderson.
Hot Sauce would suffer a cut below the left eye from an accidental headbutt. Also, he was not cutting off the ring and was taking jabs from different angles. Steen was cooking by pumping the jab and following up with the right hand while keeping the fight at a distance.
THE JAB MADE IT EASY
Going into the closing rounds of the fight, Steen continued to take advantage of Henderson’s lack of activity by using the jab while circling his opponent, then throwing another jab with a straight right-hand and left hook punch combination. Henderson for some reason was shy to pull the trigger and did a poor job of cutting off the ring.
Steen landed another counter right-hand that hurt his opponent, and he went after him with a hard left hook before getting clipped with a short, compact left hook that had him back into bicycle mode.
As the fight was coming to a close, Steen was landing the jab over and over and over again. When the final bell sounded, fans braced themselves for another possible delusional scorecard from the judges. One judge scored it 96-94, as the other two judges saw it 97-93 in favor of Isaiah Steen. 3kingsboxing agreed with the latter scorecard. The judges got it right as Steen won by using the most basic punch in boxing: the jab.
By: Garrisson Bland
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