Roughly 3 years have passed since the Middleweight Division had an American Champion of any note. His name was Kelly Pavlik and he had the weight of Youngstown Ohio, once one of America's great blue collar hubs on his shoulders. Sergio Martinez came along with elite "pound for pound" skills and took what was left of the glamorous division global. Brooklyn New York isn't Youngstown but it has suffered as "the lost Burough" of New York City since the Dodgers left in 1957 and her estrangement from Boxing was an even longer separation of 80 years. The Barclays Arena introduced Boxing last Saturday featuring every Brooklyn based boxer "but" Zab Judah, essentially "tha BK" was up for grabs for anybody willing to "Do or Die". With few American Fighters carrying regional and hometown support Brooklyn had a coveted vacancy that had to get filled. "Kid Chocolate" Peter Quillen, a Brooklyn via Grand Rapids Michigan product entered the night with a solid skill set and washout win over a "washed up" Winky Wright and stole the show. N'Dam N'Jikam was a gift to Quillen, he brought a WBO strap, a winning smile and the kind of heart that will land him on American TV just as soon as he heals from Saturdays war. Early on, Quillen had the look of a man that may have bitten off too much, he looked rattled by the size and athleticism of N'Dam. And yet, he stayed in range, focused and unblinking while answering the Cameroon natives roughness with short, compact punching. Round 4 changed the tone of the fight, an uppercut followed by a left hook dropped N'Dam in a way that made you wonder how the kid could get up. The fact that he came to keep his belt was a credit to him and "Kid Chocolate" because it gave the young Middleweight an opportunity to grow before our eyes and bond with one of the most loyal of all the New York species..the Brooklynite. N'Dam made the middle rounds hell but hit the canvas several more times to put the fight a little bit beyond his spirited reach. Kid Chocolate did more than stole the show but he stole Brooklyn from the cold claws of Pauli Malignaggi who ended the evening watching Pablo Cano receive the stamp of approval and Brooklyn Love he craved. Malignaggi is too old to capitalize on his hometown market; he was contrite in his "honor" to fight a come -backing Ricky Hatton in England, because he's in the "cash out" phase.Quillen may need a little seasoning, but he can do it in Brooklyn, a fanbase starving for big time sports and ready to fall in love. Both Quillen and Brooklyn have the time to get to know one another better, and as with any love this will only make the affair stronger. Luis Collazo and Danny Jacobs can get some of the "love" too, and who knows maybe put the city's middleweight supremacy up for grabs in 2013. Theres no need to rush, Sergio Martinez isn't in Quillens future, but Brooklyn is a great place to practice patience because they know more about it than any sports fan in America .They tend to grow All Time Great Rappers in Brooklyn, still mourn the Dodgers and now have the NBA, so adopting a Fighter makes sense because in alot of ways the Burough never stopped fighting.
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