Theater Lobby, Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK CITY –Sergey Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KO) returned to pre-Andre Ward fight form and captured the WBO world light heavyweight title, blasting through Vyacheslav Shabranskyy (19-2, 16 KO), sending him to the canvas three times inside two rounds en route to a TKO victory.
After a brief “feeling-out” period, where Kovalev was momentarily backed up by a Shabranskyy jab, the 34 year-old Russian marched forward, uncorking massive right hands that seemingly landed at will. It was midway through the first when a “Krusher” right landed flush on the side of Shabranskyy’s head and sent him down to the mat for the first time.
Upon beating the count, Kovalev greeted his 30 year-old Ukrainian counterpart with more haymakers and eventually connected with an even bigger right that collapsed Shabranskyy to the mat again. The “Lionheart” beat referee Harvey Dock’s ten count and was able to survive the round.
In the second round, Kovalev picked up right where he left off, fighting as ruthless and relentless as ever, plodding forward and unloading vicious bombs that continually connected with an alarming success rate.
A left-right-left combo midway through the second sent Shabranskyy down for the third time. Again, Shabranskyy beat the ten-count, but this time he stood on extremely unsteady legs. Kovalev continued to wail on an absent Shabranskyy until referee Harvey Dock stepped between the two combatants and called a half to the bout at the 2:36 mark of round two.
It was Kovalev’s first performance since dropping two straight fights to Andre Ward, both controversial in their own right. In their first meeting, Ward scored a split decision victory, despite hitting the canvas in the second round. In their rematch, referee Tony Weeks controversially waved off the match in the eighth round after a series of borderline low-blow body shots hurt the 34 year-old Russian and left him defenseless.
Tonight also marked Kovalev’s first fight working with head trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov. Previously, Kovalev had been working with John David Jackson. Rumors of a fractured relationship between Kovalev and Jackson began to swirl between the first and second Ward fights, and in October, the inevitable parting of ways become official when Kovalev formally announced Tursunpulatov as his new coach.
Prior to tonight’s devastating loss, Shabranskyy was having himself a solid 2017, scoring back to back stoppage wins over Larry Pryor and Todd Unthank May, respectively. Those wins were enough to land him his first title shot tonight against Kovalev.
Shabranskyy’s only other loss came courtesy of Sullivan Barrera in December 2016.
Barrera, who scored a unanimous decision victory earlier in the night against Dominican, Felix Valera, is certainly a candidate to fight for Kovalev’s title in the near future.
“It’s my goal to be the best in the division,” Kovalev said afterward. “Here tonight was great boxing for me and I love boxing and I want to make great fights.
Bombs Away — Barrera Scores UD Win Over Valera
Sullivan Barrera (21-1, 14 KO) out-slugged and earned a ten round unanimous decision victory over Felix Valera (15-2, 13 KO) in a light heavyweight contest marred by low-blows.
There were fireworks from the opening bell and midway through the bout’s first round, the free swinging Dominican, Valera, caught his Cuban counterpart with a monster left hook that sent Barrera down the canvas. The 35 year-old Barrera was able to shake the knockdown and score one of his own later in the round right as the bell sounded, when a glancing Barrera shot sent an off-balance Valera to the mat.
The first of four point deductions administered by referee Mike Ortega, Jr. for low blows came in the second round when Valera nailed Barrera below the waistline for the second time. Valera would also be deducted a point in the sixth and eighth rounds. Barrera was deducted a point for low blows in the ninth.
It was a bombs away type affair, with both fighters swinging wildly at times, knowing that they possessed the power to end the fight with one punch. But time and time again, however, it was Barrera who landed the more meaningful, significant shots.
In an attempt to rattle Barrera flamboyant Valera tried anything he could to disrupt the always-composed Cuban. The 29 year-old Dominican flailed his arms wildly, stuck his tongue out at Barrera, and even jumped up and down — all to no avail.
At the end of ten, all judges scored the bout widely for Barrera. Don Ackerman had it 98-88, Tom Schreck 97-89, and Glenn Feldman 97-90.
It was another solid win for Barrera, whose only defeat came at the hands of Andre Ward in March 2016. Barrera last fought in July against Joe Smith, Jr., where much like tonight, he rose off the canvas to score a unanimous decision victory.
For the durable Valera, it was his second professional defeat, the other coming courtesy of undefeated superstar, Dmitry Bivol.
Gamboa Earns Controversial Decision Over Sosa
Yuriorkis Gamboa (28-2, 17 KO) scored a controversial ten round majority decision victory against Jason Sosa (20-3-4, 15 KO) in what many viewed as a make or break fight for the former three-division world champion.
It was clear early on that the 35 year-old former Olympic Gold Medalist’s gameplan was to stick-and-move, get-in and get-out. Conversely, Sosa’s plan was to plod forward, apply as much pressure as he could, while landing the bigger, more significant power punches.
After a first round where both fighters staked their flag, Sosa unloaded a looping right that caught Gamboa on the button as the second round drew to a close. Any Sosa attempt to throw follow up shots were quickly squandered by the dinging of the bell.
Gamboa got right back to work in the middle rounds, however, staying true to his stick-and-move gameplan, landing a few shots, then slipping most of Sosa’s return-fire.
Sosa began to swing the momentum back his way in the sixth, and in the seventh, a Sosa left hook clipped an off-balance Gamboa whose gloved fist made contact with the canvas. Referee Ron Lipton immediately ruled a knockdown.
The final three rounds saw good action, with Sosa coming forward, and Gamboa trying to hit and move.
In the tenth round, referee Ron Lipton controversially deducted a point from Gamboa for holding.
At the conclusion of ten, judge Robin Taylor scored the contest even, 94-94. She was overruled by judges John McKaie and Don Trella, who scored the bout 95-93 and 96-92, respectively. 15rounds.com scored the fight 95-94 for Gamboa.
Sosa was initially slated to face Robinson Castellanos (24-13, 14 KO), who scored an upset TKO win against Gamboa in May. However, an injury earlier this month forced the Mexican to withdraw, and Gamboa was called in as a late replacement.
The win makes it two straight for “El Ciclon” since suffering that shocking defeat to Castellanos.
For Sosa, the tough-luck loss his is second in a row, the other coming back in April courtesy of Vasily Lomachenko.
“It was a good fight. I didn’t have enough time to train. I only had three weeks. I didn’t have time to get ready. I needed 2 or 3 more weeks to lose the weight correctly,” Gamboa said afterward.
He continued, “Of course the decision was good. I think won every round. Except for the knockdown and the point deduction.”
Sosa also spoke afterward, saying, “I was a fun fight. I took some breaks but I thought I did enough to win. I know I did enough to win the fight.”
Murtazaliev Destroys Galvan In 5, Wins IBA Super Welterweight Title
Bakhram Murtazaliev (11-0, 9 KO) methodically broke down Carlos Galvan (16-6-1, 15 KO) before closing the show in spectacular fashion in the fifth round of a super welterweight contest slated for ten.
The heavy-handed Russian, who operates under the tutelage of Sergey Kovalev’s new trainer, Abror Tursunpulatov, stalked his Colombian counterpart round after round. Like waves on a shore, Murtazaliev kept coming forward, forcing Galvan to fight going backwards, something he was clearly uncomfortable doing.
After four rounds of systematically crushing Galvan’s will, the 24 year-old Russian broke through in the fifth, sending Galvan to the mat with a vicious one-two. About a minute later, Murtazaliev finished off his wounded foe with a thundering left hook to the liver that put Galvan on the mat for good. Referee Ricky Gonzalez opted not to administer a ten-count and instead, called a stop to the contest at the 1:31 mark of round five.
It was the fourth stoppage defeat in six overall losses for Galvan. It was also his fourth time fighting in the United States, and his fourth loss.
Galarza Grabs UD Win In Return To Ring
Brooklyn’s Frank Galarza (18-2-2, 11 KO) returned to the ring after a fourteen month layoff and scored a unanimous decision win over Chicago’s Jamie Herrera (15-5-1, 8 KO) in an eight round super welterweight contest.
The victory was hard-earned and well-deserved for Galarza, who had dropped his previous two contests — a TKO loss to Jarrett Hurd and a majority decision loss to veteran Ishe Smith, a fight that saw Galarza hit the canvas in the second round.
It was a gutsy affair between two veteran prizefighters who each were coming off lengthy layoffs. For Galarza, who in July inked a new promotional deal with Main Events, the fight marked just his second fight in the last twenty-four months, and the first since September 2016. For the Mexican-American Herrera, it was just his first fight since November 2016, when he suffered UD loss to Taras Shelestyuk.
The fight was a back and forth contest, with a predictable, but entertaining ebb and flow. Round after round, both fighters willingly engaged, eating a few shots before landing their own. But while both fighters enjoyed success over the duration of the contest, it was the 33 year-old Galarza who punches landed cleaner and with more frequency.
In the fifth round, a Galarza right hand opened up a cut over his 28 year-old counterparts left eye. In the seventh, a booming right to the body by Galarza hurt Herrera, hunching him forward where he was met with a flurry of Galarza lefts and rights until Herrera was able to weather the storm.
The Chicagoan’s high-pressure style was both a blessing and a curse for him in that it seemed to slowly wear down Galarza, but also left him vulnerable to Galarza stick-and-move pot-shots as he tried to work his way inside his reach.
At the end of eight rounds, all three judges scored the contest for Galarza. Robin Taylor scored it a shutout 80-72, while referees John McKaie and Allen Nace saw it 78-74 and 79-73, respectively.
“I feel good after a 14 month layoff, shaking off some ring rust. I’m so grateful for Main Events to put me on their card,” Galarza remarked afterward.
He continued, “Hopefully I’ll be back in the Garden soon. It felt great, it was where I belong. It felt right. Not many places you can call home, but this is one for me.”
Galarza also acknowledged his legion of fans in the crowd tonight. “I’m grateful for my supporters, for people who waited it out for me,” he said. “As a Brooklyn native, a person from New York who’s been around, they support me and that’s the best thing.”
Nursultanov Stays Perfect, Hands Moon First Loss Inside Two
In a battle that pitted two undefeated middleweights against one another, Kazakhstan’s Meiirim Nursultanov (5-0, 4 KO) made quick work of Marietta, Georgia’s Eric Moon (7-1, 6 KO), stopping him inside two rounds.
It was all Nursultanov from start to finish, as he pressured and battered Moon from the opening bell. Midway through the second, Nursultanov pinned Moon against the ropes and wailed away, mixing shots to the body and head. At the 1:54 mark of the second round, referee Ricky Gonzalez decided Moon had eaten too many uncontested shots and called a halt to the contest.
The win makes it four kayos in five professional fights for the Egis Klimas managed, Main Events promoted, Nursultanov.
Thunder In His Hands, LeShawn Rodriguez Stops Duarte In 3
In a middleweight contest slated for six, former New York Golden Gloves Champion and 2016 US Olympic alternate “Lightning” LeShawn Rodriguez (8-0, 7 KO) powered his way past Sao Paolo’s Brazil’s Alex Duarte (13-3-1, 10 KO) en route to a third round KO victory.
It was an impressive display of patience, prowess, and power from the 24 year-old New York native, who balanced his attack, working to both the head and body of his 37 year-old counterpart.
Midway through the second, Rodriguez ripped a left to the body that put Duarte on his knees. The Brazilian beat Steve Smoger’s ten count and was able to survive the round.
In the third however, a Rodriguez left-right combo to the body and head, sent Duarte to the canvas for good, where he was unable to beat Smogers count. The official time of stoppage was the 1:48 mark of round three.
It was Duarte’s third loss of his career, all of which have come via stoppage.
“It feels good always to win, but to win by knockout is better, sensational, spectacular,” Rodriguez said afterward. “I felt at home. A lot of people came out to see me. This is the first time I’ve fought in New York since I turned pro.”
Gogokhia Stays Perfect, Decisions Abreau
Enriko Gogokhia remained perfect (7-0, 3 KO) with a unanimous decision win over Jose Antonio Abreau (13-3, 8 KO) in a six round welterweight contest.
Action picked up toward the end of the second round when the southpaw, Gogokhia, floored his Dominican counterpart. The 29 year-old Abrea beat the ten count and was immediately met with a barrage of punches as the round drew to a close.
In the next few rounds, the Egis Klimas managed Gogokhia, pressed his foot on the gas and forced the action, continually getting the better of the boxer’s exchanges.
In the end, all three judges scored it widely for the 26 year-old Georgian native, Gogokhia. Scores were 60-53 and 59-54, twice. The judges’ decision resulted in Abreau’s third career loss, all of which have been on US soil.
“It was a good fight, good opponent with a good record,” Gogokhia said afterward. “It was harder because the opponent was ready and he also wanted to win. I was just getting started by the last round. Still, a victory is a victory.”
Villareal Kicks Off Pro Campaign With Win
The undercard of Sergey Kovalev vs. Vyacheslav Shabranskyy kicked off with the successful debut of former two-time New York Golden Gloves champion, Ismael Villareal (1-0). The former amatuer standout scored a unimous decision victory over Race Sawyer (0-5) in a four round super welterweight contest.
Villareal, who fights out of John’s Gym in the Bronx is trained by his father, former welterweight Otilio Villareal, who over his 32 bout pro career, shared the ring with the likes of Zab Judah, Kermit Cintron, and Hector Camacho.
Villareal controlled the contest bell to bell, bruising and battering Utah’s Sawyer with head snapping blows. The 21 year old Bronx debutant would have benefitted by putting in more work to his foe’s body, but that was not on the agenda tonight.
All in all, Villareal won’t have too much to complain about tonight. The Ecuadorian-American pitched a shutout on all three judges scorecards. Don Trella had it 40-35, and John McKaie and Robin Taylor scored it 40-36.
After the contest, Villareal did speak about having some debut butterflies.
“It totally felt different than the amateurs,” he said. “There were so many more people looking at me. I was trying to look good, I was focused on the knockout because it was my very first professional fight.
“I learned I have to work harder and be careful not to get hit.”
