Early on in his fight against Jimmy LeBlanc last Saturday night at George Mason University’s Patriot Center in Fairfax, it looked as if local boxing sensation Jimmy Lange might be in a little bit of trouble when LeBlanc scored on a few punches.
But any of those first round concerns were quickly dashed in the second round when the pro boxer from Great Falls took total control of the bout. Lange knocked LeBlanc down early in the second round then later scored the match-ending knockout with 1 minute, 30 seconds showing on the clock.
“After [several] body blows I came upstairs with a hook for the first knockdown,” said Lange, who improved his pro record to 32-4-2, with 23 career knockouts. “On the second [for the knockout] I got in a good left upper hook.”
The first knockdown early in the round and the ensuing knockout later were both set up by Lange’s extraordinary body punches which totally wore down LeBlanc (12-17-4), a Boston-based fighter from Weymouth, Mass.
“There’s a lot you can tell with guys with the way they react in the ring,” said Lange, who weighed in at 154 pounds in the days leading up to the scheduled 10-round bout. “You know when you land a good body shot.”
It was after one of those body shots following the first knockdown that Lange knew LeBlanc was a beaten boxer and that he would not last much longer. He could sense his opponent reeling and went for the kill with the knockout blow.
The Lange-LeBlanc fight night headliner – billed as `No Excuses’ – was the showcase match on an evening that included seven undercard fights.
<b>LANGE SAID</b> his slow start in the first round of the fight was more by design than anything else. Le Blanc scored on a few punches in that opening round but Lange said he was not hurt by them.
“He caught me with one right hand which looked worse than it was,” said Lange. “It wasn’t a difficult first round. I had planned to feel him out and see what he had.”
Once Lange got a feel for his opponent during that first round, he then dominated LeBlanc thereafter and displayed to the 3,833 fans on hand some of the boxing prowess and moxie that has made the former boxing reality TV star of NBC’s Contender a sensation in his sport.
Of LeBlanc, Lange said, “He’s a real good guy and a good boxer.”
As he always has when fighting in front of his local fan base at the Patriot Center, Lange fed off his adoring supporters.
“It grows every time,” said Lange, of the adulation he has benefitted from in his 10 pro fights at the GMU facility since 2005. “It’s priceless for me to have fans around me backing me like that. It’s the ultimate home field advantage.”
Lange, who in the week leading up to Saturday’s fight was a media hit on local TV and radio shows, went on to say his fans are knowledgeable about the sport and display a sense of sportsmanship.
“I have very decent fans,” he said. “They don’t disrespect my opponent and they really love me. They really put themselves into these fights.”
Tentative future plans are for Lange to fight again at the Patriot Center on Nov. 6. He will, however, likely fight outside of the Northern Virginia area at least one time prior to that target date.
Lange said Saturday night’s showing was a great shot in the arm for him.
“It always builds your confidence to get a second round knockout,” he said. “I wasn’t going to get beat that night by anybody.”