Mason Menard (left) lands a left hook to the head of Thomas Dardar in Rayne, LA. (Photo credit: Pat Bujard/J&P Photos)

By Chad Broussard
BoxNcar Promotions

RAYNE, LA - Hometown hero "Rock Hard Mighty" Mason Menard retained his Louisiana State Lightweight championship belt after forcing Thomas Dardar into retirement before the start of the fifth round in the 8-round main event of Chad Broussard's Thursday (Feb. 25) BoxNcar Promotions card at the Rayne Civic Center.

"I think Mason fought an incredible fight, he never got carried away, never dropped his hands, very sharp with pin-point accuracy," said Chad Broussard," Menard's trainer. "Dardar is all heart and brings it to you 100 percent all the time. I knew our motor skills were better and we were a lot faster, so I used what we had to our advantage."

"Dardar and his trainer (Kennedy McKinney) had every intention on winning this belt," Broussard added. "I knew we were going to be there a while, but I also knew that the fight was ours that all we had to do was go out there and get it. Mason hit Dardar with some brutal left hooks and body shots all the while slowing him down."

Dardar went down three times in the fight. After the fourth round, Dardar's corner had seen enough and stopped the fight.

"We knew we were underdogs, but we thought we had a good chance of landing a bomb. But that never happened," said Damien St. Pierre, Dardar's manager. "Mason is very talented and he showed why he went to the Olympic trials and why he had such a good record as a professional.

Thomas was in great shape but Mason was too fast and slick for him," St. Pierre added. "Tom showed great heart and determination. That's what makes him such a good draw in south Louisiana.
With the win, Menard improved to 10-1, 8 KOs. Dardar, from Thibodaux, saw his five-fight winning streak snapped and dropped to 8-2, 5 KOs.

In the 6-round co-feature, fans had the opportunity to witness the return of Breaux Bridge light middleweight Jarred "The Lethal Weapon" Leblanc. Leblanc won by TKO at 1:26 of the second round over Brooklyn, NY's Rohan Nanton.

"Leblanc fought an absolutely superb fight," Broussard said. "I will go out on a limb and say this was the best fight Jarred ever fought in his life. He looked like a well-seasoned professional fighter. He was calm, confident and well poised.

"Jarred came out behind a sharp crisp jab, moving his head left to right looking for the perfect opportunity to impose his will upon Nanton. Opportunity knocked and Jarred rang Nanton's bell with a right hand. Nanton was not exactly where he wanted to be, so a complaint about his wrist, arm, shoulder, or maybe "The Lethal Weapons"' right hand. Nanton (7-25-1, 6 KOs) wanted no more of Jarred as he quit in the second round.

LeBlanc moved to 12-0, 8 KOs. He wore a replica New Orleans Saints shorts with a No. 9 Drew Brees jersey.

In a 4-round welterweight scrap, Bobby "The Prodigy" Bryant went the distance for the first time and won a unanimous decision over Mobile, AL veteran Ricky Dinkins, winning 40-36 on all three scorecards.

Bryant improved to 3-0, 2 KOs. Dinkins dropped to 10-48-4, 8 KOs.

Local super middleweight Todd Manuel also won a 4-round unanimous decision by shutout in a 4-rounder against Sardis, MS fighter William "Pete" Johnson.

"Todd did well in spots, but mostly he continuously smothered his opportunity to shine like I know he is capable of and that made for a tougher fight then it should have been," Broussard said. "Todd controlled the fight and won every round.

Manuel improved to 2-0. Johnson fell to 9-20-1, 3 KOs.

"Personally, I think Todd possesses an unbelievable amount of talent," Broussard said. "I look forward to the day Todd Manuel gets serious and digs down and fights with all he has."

A 4-round light heavyweight battle between Lafayette's Jessie Patin and Memphian Tyrone Dowdy was a see-saw affair with five knockdowns between the two. Pattin ended up winning by TKO at 1:40 of the third round.

Patin (3-12, 3 KOs) was down twice in the first round. However, he recovered and floored Dowdy three times in the third round.

Patin moved to 3-1, 3 KOs. It was the seventh straight defeat for Dowdy (4-22, 3 KOs).

The opening bout of the night saw Lafayette light heavyweight Bailey Bobbitt win his pro debut with a knockout of Waveland, MS' Robert Hoyte, a very late replacement for Ernest Parfait. Hoyte was down twice. Time of the stoppage was 1:05.