Fast Results From Brooklyn: Thurman MD 12 Lopez; Kownacki KOs Washington

Former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman returned to the ring at the Barclays Center after a 22-month layoff during which he dealt with injuries to his right elbow and right hand. Thurman, 30, was expected to be rusty and he conceded that he might not be at his best. But he had enough skill to turn away spunky Josesito Lopez, winning a majority decision on scores of 117-109, 115-111, and a curious 113-113.

Lopez, who had the noted trainer Robert Garcia and Garcia family patriarch Eduardo Garcia in his corner, came out aggressively but had trouble penetrating Thurman’s tight defense. In the second round, a counter left hook from Thurman put him on the canvas. Before the bout, Thurman said that he hoped to end it within six and at this juncture it appeared he would make it happen. But Lopez gradually turned the tide in round six and then had a big round seven, staggering Thurman with a series of punches.

The fight was fairly even from that point on although Lopez’s punches caught mostly air. Thurman, now 29-0, has knocked out 22 opponents but was extended the distance for the fifth time in his last six starts. His chief asset is his defense and while he showed that he is still an elite fighter, he would dress as the underdog if he were thrust against Terence Crawford or Errol Spence. The 34-year-old Lopez, now 36-8, likely has a few more good paydays ahead of him.

In a heavyweight fight slated for 10 rounds, fan favorite Adam Kownacki had his career- best performance, bombing out Gerald Washington in the second round. Kownacki, a Brooklyn-based Pole, sent Washington sprawling into a neutral corner with a hard right and followed it up with another right that put Washington on the canvas. Referee Harvey Dock let the fight continue but was quick to stop it when Kownacki resumed his aggression.

Kownacki, a classic barroom brawler, improved to 19-0 with his 15^th knockout. The 36-year-old Washington declined to 19-3-1. The former USC defensive end and former world title challenger had a reputation for fading late, but tonight Kownacki made him fade quick. In less than six minutes of boxing, Kownacki was credited with landing 58 punches. Deontay Wilder was an interested spectator.

In the TV opener on the main FOX channel, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Tugstsogt “King Tug” Nyambayar, moved up in class and won a unanimous 12-round decision over Claudio Marrero. There were no knockdowns, but Marrero had a point deducted in round 10 for hitting on the break. Nyambayar, an LA-based Mongolian, improved to 11-0 (9). Marrero, from the Dominican Republic, had stopped previously undefeated Jorge Lara in 33 seconds in his previous bout, but flashed none of his power against Nyambayar who banked rounds early in the fight and withstood a late rally from Marrero who declined to 23-3.

The match was billed as a WBC featherweight title eliminator meaning that Nyambayar, in theory, will fight Gary Russell Jr. next.

Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel

To comment on this story in The Fight Forum CLICK HERE