It was not Ryan Garcia staying fresh forward of a potential Tank Davis combat, and it wasn’t even Alexis Rocha vs Anthony Young. Rather, we acquired small notice substitution George Ashie in the principal function, and though Ashie endured a remarkable amount of money of punishment, he was by no means a actual threat to Alexis Rocha tonight.
Rocha (22-1, 14 KO) recognized early that Ashie (33-6-1, 25 KO) did not have the power to harm him, and used the night willingly using punches to corner and pound Ashie at will. Credit to Ashie for obtaining up from a tough knockdown in the 3rd and never ever supplying up on throwing back at Rocha. But, this struggle was practically 10 kilos above Ashie’s very last just one, and two divisions over the place Ashie has expended most of his job. The most harm he did to Rocha right here was a minimize from an accidental headbutt in the 6th.
Tonight was all about offering a January 28th display for DAZN so that subscribers would get nearly anything past just Eubank-Smith for their January subscription money, and holding Rocha in place for a mandatory welterweight title shot against Terence Crawford. Mission achieved on the two.
Afterwards, Rocha explicitly termed for a WBO get to battle Crawford, and stated he wishes that struggle following. Golden Boy are clearly hinting at it staying on deck, with Bernard Hopkins likely so considerably as to say, “Correct,” when requested during the present if Rocha would struggle Crawford upcoming.
Floyd Schofield UD-10 Alberto Mercado
Another spectacular effectiveness for climbing star prospect Floyd Schofield, and a bit of a mastering expertise from a savvy and sturdy veteran in Alberto Mercado. Schofield (13-, 10 KO) was quick to emphasize a entire body assault, and place Mercado (17-5-1, 4 KO) on the canvas early in the 2nd.
Mercado was shaken terribly late in the 4th, but managed to continue to be on his toes. A tangled foot, shoulder shove no-knockdown in the 8th was a quite acceptable connect with, but a different no-knockdown in the 9th appeared like it ought to have been formal. All a few should really serve as precious classes to Schofield on how to stay clear of taking a knockdown absent from oneself from a seasoned opponent.
The impetuousness of youth led to Schofield ingesting a handful of punches when switching stances that a a lot more professional, 25 yr previous variation of himself will probable have acquired to keep away from. Schofield also did a whole 360 spin on a missed punch in the 5th, and struggled a little bit to lower off the ring in opposition to an evade-and-escape targeted Mercado who invested most of the back again half of this fight in survival manner.
In spite of it all, Schofield came out on the lookout wonderful, sweeping all cards 100-89 and showing just about no tiredness in his 1st 10 spherical expertise. The 20 year old Schofield was meant to be analyzed here, and he passed with great marks.
Bektemir Melikuziev KO-3 Ulises Sierra
The ending of this one was created all above the ribs of Ulises Sierra immediately after the to start with punishing system shot landed in the 1st round. A great deal was created about a limited work to capitalize on a wounded Sierra (17-3-2, 10 KO), and irrespective of whether Bek (11-1, 9 KO) was taking part in it sluggish to get a several rounds of get the job done in. It did seem like Bek was written content to dance his way into posture for 1 or two punches at a time when he could have been in a position to close the clearly show quicker.
If Melikuziev was delaying the end, it price him a minor something as he took a reduce close to the eye on a 2nd round clash of heads. He did not hold off a great deal for a longer time, landing a savage body shot knockdown that Sierra acquired up from instinctively, and perhaps regretfully. Sierra went down again for superior just just before the conclusion of spherical 3.
Plenty of intestine-liquefying action listed here, but we didn’t really discover something new about Bek from this outing.
Oscar Collazo KO-5 Yudel Reyes
The opener was immediate-fire action, with a ferocious Oscar Collazo knocking out Yudel Reyes, who may perhaps have been a very little much too tricky and courageous for his own excellent.
Reyes (15-2, 5 KO) kept it intriguing for the to start with two rounds, but Collazo (6-, 4 KO) begun landing dependable, punishing hooks in the 3rd. Reyes went down in the 4th on what was dominated a debatable no-knockdown, but there was no arguing the validity of a crushing 5th spherical knockdown that just about put Reyes out of the ring. Reyes received up and rallied as challenging as he could, but saved getting clipped again and all over again with photographs he couldn’t seriously tackle anymore. One more savage knockdown suitable before the conclusion of the round ended items fully.
