02-26-2017, 04:14 PM
Breazeale KOs Ugonoh to end knockdown-filled war
By Tracy Morin and Brenden Nasianceno at ringside
2012 Olympian Dominic Breazeale (18-1, 16 KO) looked to rebound after his TKO loss to Anthony Joshua last June by taking on Izuagbe Ugonoh (17-1, 14 KO) in a hard-fought heavyweight war. Ugonoh looked sharper from the outset, cracking hard power shots to the body of Breazeale, who complained of a low blow in the second round. Ugonoh’s punches were straighter and more accurate than Breazeale’s often looping attempts, but the fight soon became a back-and-forth battle of wills. A monster third round saw both genuinely hurt–and still throwing with bad intentions–but it was Breazeale who scored a knockdown when Ugonoh himself was on the attack. Ugonoh came back with a vengeance and drew blood from a cut over Breazeale’s left eye (which soon swelled badly), wobbling him with ferocious right hands, only for Breazeale to fire back. Ugonoh had a better fourth round, scoring a brutal knockdown, after which Breazeale rose on shaky legs but survived. In the high-drama, seesaw battle, Breazeale rallied in the fifth, landing hard rights to head and body to score a knockdown. Ugonoh beat the count, but not long afterward he absorbed more power punches and was knocked through the ropes, leading to the ref halting the scheduled 10-rounder at 0:50 of Round 5.
By Tracy Morin and Brenden Nasianceno at ringside
2012 Olympian Dominic Breazeale (18-1, 16 KO) looked to rebound after his TKO loss to Anthony Joshua last June by taking on Izuagbe Ugonoh (17-1, 14 KO) in a hard-fought heavyweight war. Ugonoh looked sharper from the outset, cracking hard power shots to the body of Breazeale, who complained of a low blow in the second round. Ugonoh’s punches were straighter and more accurate than Breazeale’s often looping attempts, but the fight soon became a back-and-forth battle of wills. A monster third round saw both genuinely hurt–and still throwing with bad intentions–but it was Breazeale who scored a knockdown when Ugonoh himself was on the attack. Ugonoh came back with a vengeance and drew blood from a cut over Breazeale’s left eye (which soon swelled badly), wobbling him with ferocious right hands, only for Breazeale to fire back. Ugonoh had a better fourth round, scoring a brutal knockdown, after which Breazeale rose on shaky legs but survived. In the high-drama, seesaw battle, Breazeale rallied in the fifth, landing hard rights to head and body to score a knockdown. Ugonoh beat the count, but not long afterward he absorbed more power punches and was knocked through the ropes, leading to the ref halting the scheduled 10-rounder at 0:50 of Round 5.