NEOSHO, Mo. — Longtime boxing promoter Tony Holden calls Jeremiah Milton a star in the making.
Milton, a hard-hitting heavyweight prospect from Tulsa, showed all those in attendance on Saturday night why he’s earned that type of praise.
Keeping his record unblemished with a crowd-pleasing performance, Milton earned a unanimous decision over Carnell Giles in the professional boxing co-main event of “Rumble in the Heartland” at the Neosho Civic Center.
After six one-sided rounds, all three judges scored it 60-52 in favor of Milton.
“Every fight is a learning experience,” Milton said. “I’m always hard on myself. There were some moments where I could have calmed down a little bit. And once I had him hurt, I could have applied more pressure. That kid was tough. He ate a lot of shots that would get other guys out of there. But I knew he couldn’t touch me much. But this is just my fifth fight, and I just have to keep working.”
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Milton, who trains in Las Vegas and is promoted by Holden Productions, at times displayed the explosive punching power that has him regarded as a rising star in the sport.
“I think he can watch the tape and learn from this fight and become an even better fighter,” Holden said. “His opponent came out crazy and I think Jeremiah could have come out more relaxed. It’s a learning experience. But it was a great fight for us and well worth it.”
Landing solid shots throughout the bout, Milton (5-0) was in control from the start and simply imposed his will on Giles, a native of Detroit who suffered his first career setback after two wins.
Milton sent Giles to the canvas twice in the third round after putting together powerful combinations. The second knockdown of the third round occurred just before the bell.
“I thought I was going to get him right there, but then I heard the bell,” Milton said. “That’s just part of boxing. Maybe I should have come out with more pressure right away in the fourth. But like I said, it’s a learning experience.”
Giles, who weighed in at 260 pounds, managed to avoid the knockout for all six rounds, but Milton was the clear winner. Milton, who last fought in January on Top Rank Boxing’s ESPN card from Tulsa, went the distance for the first time as a pro.
“I’ve worked hard, and I’ve been sparring with some of the top guys in the world and I can say I’ve held my own with everybody,” said Milton, who knocked out all four of his previous opponents. “Every time I go out there, I’m ready to go. Tonight, that guy was determined and he was an undefeated fighter. He was smart with the risks he took. I’m a great counter-puncher and I think he knew he couldn’t just walk in on me. We were wrestling a little bit and that takes a lot out of you. I felt like I was in control the whole way.”
Milton played football at Northeastern State in Oklahoma before turning his focus to boxing. Milton, who has sparred with world champions Tyson Fury and Daniel Dubois, competed at the 2020 Olympic Trials before turning pro.
Holden is confident big things are ahead for Milton.
“Everyone is calling him a star in the making and he’s one of the top prospects in the country,” Holden said. “His amateur career was amazing and Tyson Fury called Jeremiah his favorite sparring partner.”
“We’re planning on going big,” Milton said when asked what was next. “As far as the next stage, we’ll have an announcement soon. We’re going to stay busy and keep going.”
OTHER PRO BOXING ACTION
In the entertaining co-main event, Cesar Marquez (4-0-3) defeated Skyler Thompson (4-2) by unanimous decision.
The cruiserweight bout was a crowd-pleaser. Fighting out of Rogers, Arkansas, Marquez is a volume puncher. Thompson, from Conway, Ark., hung in there for all six rounds despite absorbing lots of punishment from Marquez, who put constant pressure on his opponent from start to finish en route to victory.
Next, Aurora native Frankie Sparks earned a unanimous decision over Robert Bartley of Vinita, Oklahoma, after four rounds of cruiserweight action.
Sparks, who hadn’t fought professionally since 2016, improved his record to 2-3.
Both fighters went down at the same time in the third round, but it was ruled a slip and not a knockdown for either fighter. Sparks finished strong, out-punching Bartley late in the bout.
In a heavyweight scrap, Talib Abdul Jabbar earned a technical knockout over Joplin’s Jody Linthicum.
Linthicum rocked his opponent with a big left hook in the first round, but Abdul Jabbar was able to survive and recover. In the third round, the Oklahoma City native formerly known as Kris Renty put together a flurry of punches that caused the stoppage.
In a light heavyweight clash, Juan Hollingsworth defeated Albert Leyva via split decision.
A native of Topeka, Kansas, Hollingsworth won despite having a point deducted by referee Mike England due to his mouthpiece falling out multiple times.
MMA RESULTS
The event, hosted by Skip Stewart Promotions, also featured four mixed martial arts bouts and one kickboxing match.
Winning the MMA bouts were Edward Ibarra, Tyler Morgan, Gaven Long and James Roach.
Ibarra, who fights out of Joplin, earned a win at 170 pounds when his opponent, Austin Swinney, could not continue.
Morgan defeated Tykem Jackson with a rear-naked choke submission, while Long won by technical knockout over Peyton Colbert and Roach earned a knockout victory over Kelly Bacon of Joplin. Roach, who hails from Grove, Oklahoma, won his MMA debut after previously competing as a pro boxer.
In the lone kickboxing bout, Lane Gaines stopped Tyler Haines via second round TKO.
