VERONA, N.Y. — As mild heavyweight global titlist Dmitry Bivol continues to win and entertain while combating excellent opponents, his recognition is developing. He has made as a minimum one famous fan. He is Pernell Whitaker, the all-time exceptional International Boxing Hall of Famer, former pound-for-pound king, and four-department international champion. As it turns out, Whitaker has long been one of Bivol’s preferred opponents, one of the men he has spent hours watching on video. Whitaker, perhaps the most excellent protective fighter in
records — he is at the least within the conversation — made the trip to the Turning Stone Resort Casino this beyond weekend to fulfill the opponent he has come to be a big fan of and to be ringside to look at as Bivol retained his name for the 5th time with a one-sided selection over Joe Smith Jr. On Saturday night. Bivol took aside the difficult-punching contender by using scores of 119-109, 119-109
and 118-one hundred ten in combat that Bivol ruled alone from getting buzzed employing a proper hand inside the fourth round and some other smooth one appropriate at the end of the tenth round. Otherwise, it changed into all Bivol (16-zero, 11 KOs), 28, who almost stopped Smith (24-3, 20 KOs), 29, from New York’s Long Island, with an onslaught of blows within the very last seconds of the fight.
Whitaker has remained close with Main Events, which promoted him for his complete 1984 to 2001 career. Main Events is also a co-promoter of Bivol, and CEO Kathy Duva invited Whitaker to come to the combat. He spent a while on Saturday at the casino doing a meet-and-greet with combat fans. However, he changed into just as pleased to get a risk to satisfy Bivol at the same time as he broke into there and, as this sort of mythical defensive fighter, paid him the remaining compliment. “I suppose he is a great defensive fighter,”
Whitaker advised ESPN at ringside after the bout. “I think he has tremendous abilities. His defense is remarkable. He’s were given a depraved left hook and an excellent right hand. And he can nevertheless analyze. He’s studying from every combat he gets. I turned into satisfied with what I saw. I’m blessed to be here to see it.” Whitaker won an Olympic gold medal for the USA in 1984, and while Bivol in no way boxed in the Olympics,
he becomes 268-15 as a celeb novice on the Russian national crew. So far, he is also extraordinary inside the pros. But how ways can Bivol go? “He can go to the top,” Whitaker stated, relating to the pound-for-pound list. “I think he’s the real deal.” Indeed, apart from taking a few solid pictures, Bivol befuddled Smith, a worthy challenger, round after spherical together with his pace, movement, and his crisp personal punches. It changed into a
defensive performance worthy of Whitaker. While Bivol landed 208 of 714 punches (29 percentage), he restrained Smith to landing a pathetic 39 of 395 shots (10 percent). “I love his protection,” Whitaker stated. “It’s a remarkable feeling when you can hit a man, and they cannot hit you returned. I understand lots approximately that. “Main Events added me up here to see him due to the fact they said this youngster loved Pernell Whitaker.
So, I wanted to come and spot what he was all about. I were given a danger to fulfill him, and I see a whole lot of myself on this youngster.” Bivol becomes thrilled to meet certainly one of his idols and changed into in particular humbled while informed on the postfight information convention of the compliments Whitaker had given him. “First of all, Pernell Whitaker’s protection is better than mine,” Bivol said with a laugh. “I saw a lot of his fights. He is one of my favorite opponents because once I saw his combat, he had [so] a whole lot of a laugh. I like
warring parties like him, and, of the route, it’s proper for me. I even have no concept that a fighter like Pernell Whitaker might say true things about me. I am glad.” Porter or Ugas? Being a boxing judge isn’t always for the faint of heart, specifically due to fights just like the one between international welterweight titlist Shawn Porter and obligatory challenger Yordenis Ugas within the main event of the Premier Boxing.
Champions on Fox card Saturday night in Carson, California. It changed into incredibly tough combat to score, with several near rounds that could have long past both manners. Both fighters had their moments, but in the long run, Porter, making the first protection of his second name reign, got the split-selection verdict. Judges Steve Morrow (116-112) and Max DeLuca (one hundred fifteen-113) scored it for him, and Zach Young had it 117-111 for Ugas. It wasn’t mainly actual combat, as their styles didn’t mesh thoroughly, and it lacked a motion for
lengthy durations. Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs), 31, of Las Vegas, normally a mauler, changed things up and boxed extra than typical. Still, there wasn’t a whole lot for the judges to move on as some distance as creating a definitive choice on most of the rounds, even though Porter changed into barely more active. Porter had his nice moment in the final seconds of the eleventh spherical while he wobbled Ugas with a stiff left jab. But Ugas (23-4, eleven KOs), 32, a 2008 Cuban Olympic bronze medalist fighting out of Las Vegas, should are become
credit for a knockdown within the twelfth round. He hit Porter with a proper hand, and Porter went down, but referee Jack Reiss, one of the great in the enterprise, ruled Porter had slipped. DeLuca especially gave the twelfth spherical to Porter, which gave him the win. Ugas felt he changed into robbed. Prospect of the weekend I: Efe Ajagba Heavyweight Efe Ajagba (9-zero, eight KOs), 24, become a 2016 Nigerian Olympian and has fast grown to
be certainly one of boxing’s pinnacle prospects. At 6-foot-five, 240 kilos, he positive seems the part and has displayed unfavorable power, including his bout at the Porter-Ugas undercard. Ajagba, who fights out of Houston, where he is skilled with the aid of Ronnie Shields, confronted without problems the best opponent of his quick career to this point in Amir Mansour (23-four-1, 16 KOs), 46, of Wilmington, Delaware, and destroyed
him. Adding to the victory’s impressive fashion, Mansour became the first southpaw Ajagba has faced in the pros. He dropped Mansour twice in the first round, first with a proper hand with a left hand. Mansour had taken this beating through the stop of the second round that the referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight with Mansour on his stool and could not preserve.
