11-20-2016, 04:26 PM
Kovalev-Ward off-TV undercard results
By David Robinett and Miguel Maravilla at ringside
Highly touted heavyweight prospect Darmani Rock, (6-0, 4 KOs), looked unimpressive en route to a pedestrian four-round unanimous decision over MMA fighter Brice Ritani-Coe, (4-5-1, 3 KOs), by scores of 40-36 twice, and a bizarre 40-35 score where there were no knockdowns, penalties, or enough action in any round to score it 10-8.
Two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields made her long-anticipated pro debut, earning a hard fought unanimous decision over her former USA Boxing teammate Franchon Crews, 40-36 on all three cards in a four-round super middleweight bout. Crews, the 2015 U.S. national champion at light heavyweight and Olympic alternate who was also debuting, came out guns blazing at the opening bell, forcing Shields into a shootout when it was clear Shields wanted to try and box. But each time Shields tried to get into a rhythm behind her jab, Crews would swing away, forcing Shields to do the same. Shields’ class began to show though in round three, as Crews began to tire and Shields starting landing accurate big right hands before backing away and resetting her offense. It was more of the same by Shields in round four, and it was also evident that Shields probably would have knocked her opponent out given another round or two to work with. Nevertheless, it was a good debut by Shields in an exciting fight, which drew several ovations from the fans in attendance.
Undefeated featherweight Tyler McCreary (12-0, 6 KOs), of Toledo, Ohio won a majority decision over Vincent Jennings (5-3-1, 4 KOs), of Grand Rapids, Michigan in a six-round bout. McCreary was the taller man as he kept Jennings away with the jab. Jennings pressed the fight but McCreary’s reach and flashy boxing skill made the difference as the judges scored the bout 59-55, 58-56, and one judge scored the bout a draw 57-57.
Roc Nation’s prospect Sonny Fredrickson, (15-0, 9 KOs), earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over Gabriel Duluc, (11-2, 2 KOs), in an eight-round junior welterweight contest. Scores were 77-75, 78-74, 78-74. Fredrickson, who at 6’2″ presents an imposing figure for a junior welterweight, took advantage of his height and reach advantage to accurately counterpunch Duluc, who spent large portions of the fight coming forward to apply pressure to his taller foe early but began to tire late, allowing Fredrickson to accurately counter him in spurts before circling out of harms way. Despite his height, Fredrickson also had success inside, landing effectively to the body and with the uppercut, particularly in the later rounds when Duluc appeared too tired to consistently answer back during their exchanges.
In a clash of unbeaten middleweights, Bakhram Murtazaliev, (7-0, 5 KOs), laid waste to Botirsher Obidev, (6-1-1, 2 KOs), scoring three impressive knockdowns in the second round to force a referee stoppage. Murtazaliev, who shares a trainer with light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev, looked nearly as explosive as his Russian compatriot, dropping Obidev to the canvas early in round two. A left hook to the chin sent Obidev down for the second time. Finally, a straight right hand crumpled Obidev for the third and final time, prompting referee Vic Drakulich to wave it off at 2:52.
Another amateur standout from the Kazakhstani boxing pipeline, middleweight Meiirim Nursultanov, made his pro debut in the opening bout from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on the undercard of the Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward fight. Nursultanov earned a six-round unanimous decision over Henry Beckford, (4-6, 1 KO), by a score of 60-54 across the board. Beckford, coming off a big upset over an undefeated prospect in his last fight, proved to be a competitive foe for Nursultanov, overcoming several hard right hands from Nursultanov while landing the occasional lead left of his own. However Nursultanov, despite showing some of the awkwardness and sloppy technique of a debuting fighter, landed the stronger blows and greater volume of punches to take the well-earned victory.
By David Robinett and Miguel Maravilla at ringside
Highly touted heavyweight prospect Darmani Rock, (6-0, 4 KOs), looked unimpressive en route to a pedestrian four-round unanimous decision over MMA fighter Brice Ritani-Coe, (4-5-1, 3 KOs), by scores of 40-36 twice, and a bizarre 40-35 score where there were no knockdowns, penalties, or enough action in any round to score it 10-8.
Two-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields made her long-anticipated pro debut, earning a hard fought unanimous decision over her former USA Boxing teammate Franchon Crews, 40-36 on all three cards in a four-round super middleweight bout. Crews, the 2015 U.S. national champion at light heavyweight and Olympic alternate who was also debuting, came out guns blazing at the opening bell, forcing Shields into a shootout when it was clear Shields wanted to try and box. But each time Shields tried to get into a rhythm behind her jab, Crews would swing away, forcing Shields to do the same. Shields’ class began to show though in round three, as Crews began to tire and Shields starting landing accurate big right hands before backing away and resetting her offense. It was more of the same by Shields in round four, and it was also evident that Shields probably would have knocked her opponent out given another round or two to work with. Nevertheless, it was a good debut by Shields in an exciting fight, which drew several ovations from the fans in attendance.
Undefeated featherweight Tyler McCreary (12-0, 6 KOs), of Toledo, Ohio won a majority decision over Vincent Jennings (5-3-1, 4 KOs), of Grand Rapids, Michigan in a six-round bout. McCreary was the taller man as he kept Jennings away with the jab. Jennings pressed the fight but McCreary’s reach and flashy boxing skill made the difference as the judges scored the bout 59-55, 58-56, and one judge scored the bout a draw 57-57.
Roc Nation’s prospect Sonny Fredrickson, (15-0, 9 KOs), earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over Gabriel Duluc, (11-2, 2 KOs), in an eight-round junior welterweight contest. Scores were 77-75, 78-74, 78-74. Fredrickson, who at 6’2″ presents an imposing figure for a junior welterweight, took advantage of his height and reach advantage to accurately counterpunch Duluc, who spent large portions of the fight coming forward to apply pressure to his taller foe early but began to tire late, allowing Fredrickson to accurately counter him in spurts before circling out of harms way. Despite his height, Fredrickson also had success inside, landing effectively to the body and with the uppercut, particularly in the later rounds when Duluc appeared too tired to consistently answer back during their exchanges.
In a clash of unbeaten middleweights, Bakhram Murtazaliev, (7-0, 5 KOs), laid waste to Botirsher Obidev, (6-1-1, 2 KOs), scoring three impressive knockdowns in the second round to force a referee stoppage. Murtazaliev, who shares a trainer with light heavyweight contender Artur Beterbiev, looked nearly as explosive as his Russian compatriot, dropping Obidev to the canvas early in round two. A left hook to the chin sent Obidev down for the second time. Finally, a straight right hand crumpled Obidev for the third and final time, prompting referee Vic Drakulich to wave it off at 2:52.
Another amateur standout from the Kazakhstani boxing pipeline, middleweight Meiirim Nursultanov, made his pro debut in the opening bout from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, on the undercard of the Sergey Kovalev vs. Andre Ward fight. Nursultanov earned a six-round unanimous decision over Henry Beckford, (4-6, 1 KO), by a score of 60-54 across the board. Beckford, coming off a big upset over an undefeated prospect in his last fight, proved to be a competitive foe for Nursultanov, overcoming several hard right hands from Nursultanov while landing the occasional lead left of his own. However Nursultanov, despite showing some of the awkwardness and sloppy technique of a debuting fighter, landed the stronger blows and greater volume of punches to take the well-earned victory.