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Galarza and Derevyanchenko Ultra-Impressive in Brooklyn
“The Brooklyn Rocky,” they call him, and it isn’t just a tag applied mindlessly.
Frank Galarza comes from humble roots, from a fractured home, and he managed, through kind fate and his own mettle, to not become a stat. He was headed for an early death, or a lifetime in lockup for dealing, or something along those lines.
But boxing tapped him, and he latched on, and he’s now on the cusp of getting to that place where he gets mentioned for title shots and such.
Last night in Brooklyn, Galaraza took a couple rounds to figure out his foe, Sheldon Moore, who by the way was no bum invited to give an easy W on the card promoted by Lou DiBella which unfolded at the Aviator Complex, parts of which ran on Showtime’s “ShoBox.”
Galarza got warmed up, studied Moore, a Belgium native, and then uncorked his now signature left hook to discombobulate him. In round three, that hook sent Moore back, and then Galarza saw and smelled the blood. He hopped on Moore, flurried, and forced the ref to hop in and wave off the contest.
The joint erupted, “Rocky” fans exultant, realizing that they are fans of a possible star in the making. After, DiBella was euphorious. He likened Galarza to an Arturo Gatti type, someone who makes for good TV. The promoter was just as pumped with the work of his buzzsaw beast of a super middleweight, amaaetur ace Sergey Derevyanchenko of the Ukraine, who is an ultra-aggressor who demands of himself that he stalk his foe and stop him. Serge’s foe, the Mexican Alan Campa, did his scouting on the banger, and knew he possessed power. He was cautious and smart but not able to fend off the sawed-off runt of a beast. DiBella told me afterwards he sees something of Gennady Golovkin in Serge, and all in attendance agreed we can see him fighting title fights sooner rather than later. The promoter called him “one of my best signings” after the fourth round TKO (1:17).
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Here is the release sent out post-fight:
BROOKLYN KNOCKOUT:
FRANK GALARZA KOS SHELDON MOORE
FRIDAY ON SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION ON SHOWTIME®
Tripleheader To Replay Monday, April 13 At 10 p.m. ET/PT On SHOWTIME EXTREME
NEW YORK (April 11, 2015) – Undefeated super welterweight Frank Galarza put on a show for his hometown fans, knocking out Sheldon Moore in the third round of the main event of ShoBox: The New Generation on Friday at the Aviator Sports and Events Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Known as “The Brooklyn Rocky,” Galarza (17-0-2, 11 KOs) may have graduated from prospect to contender with yet another early round knockout on the prospect developmental series. Galarza staggered Moore with a big left hook in the third and then attacked with a series of shots to the head and a big right hook to the body that floored the Belgian boxer. Moore (13-3-1, 9 KOs) looked determined to get up but was unable to recover and was counted out at 1:41 as he lay on the canvas for the first time in his career.
“It feels great. It’s amazing to get that knockout in front of my home fans,” Galarza said. “He was tough and he came to fight, but we executed the game plan and got him out of there. I hit him with that left and I saw he was hurt. I went body, head, body, head and finished him.
“We’re ready. Anybody they bring next, we’re ready.”
Moore acknowledged he was hurt but said he would have liked to continue.
“That left hook did it for me, but I think I was bringing the fight to him,” Moore said. “I was dazed but I’m not happy with the stoppage. I wanted to keep fighting and bring the fight back to him. I just got countered. That’s boxing. It happens.”
In the co-feature, undefeated middleweight prospect and former amateur standout Ievgen “The Ukrainian Lion” Khytrov went the distance for the first time in his career, outpointing slick southpaw Aaron Coley via unanimous decision, scored 78-74, 79-73 twice.
Supremely talented yet largely untested as a pro, Khytrov (10-0, 9 KOs) had to work to win the lopsided decision. The Ukrainian, who had over 500 amateur fights, was coming off the longest bout of his career, an eighth round TKO over Jorge Melendez just over a month ago. Fighting a southpaw for the first time as a professional, Khytrov had trouble working the angles and was not able to cut off the ring against the durable Coley, who went past the sixth for the first time in his career.
Khytrov appeared frustrated in the middle rounds with his inability to finish Coley (9-1-1, 6 KOs), but he continued to break down his previously undefeated opponent and pocketed rounds with little question.
“It was a good fight, but I saw some flaws that I need to work on,” Khytrov said. “But it was a short span between my last fight and I think it showed in the ring.
“I knew I had to make an adjustment because he wouldn’t come forward and fight with me. Everything happens for a reason. This was a good experience for me. I got some rounds and I got the win.”
Coley, who was taking a huge step up in opposition, was unimpressed with Khytrov’s much-hyped power.
“He wasn’t as powerful as I expected. I take boxing seriously and he never had me hurt at all,” Coley said. “But he kind of took over the fight. It was kind of hard to time him and I can’t argue with the decision. He was fluid and had decent movement. You can tell he had good amateur experience.”
In the opening bout of the telecast, blue-chip super middleweight prospect Sergiy Derevyanchenko dominated Alan Campa, knocking down the previously once-beaten Mexican en route to a fourth round TKO (1:17).
Known as “The Technician,” Derevyanchenko utilized combos to set up a devastating right hand that seemingly landed at will. The Ukrainian dropped Campa with a huge right with 20 seconds left in the second, just the second time that Campa touched the canvas in his career.
Derevyanchenko (5-0, 4 KOs) broke down Campa in the third and scored his second knockdown in the fourth. Campa got up but was in trouble monents later and the referee halted the contest at 1:17 with Campa (13-2-1, 1 NC, 9 KOs) defenseless against the ropes.
“I’m happy with the win and ready to step up my level of opposition,” Derevyanchenko said. “I used a lot of angles and used the combos to set up rights. I’m looking for more of a test in my next fight.”
The event was promoted by DiBella Entertainment in association with Fight Promotions Inc. and New Legend Boxing.
Barry Tompkins called the ShoBox action from ringside with Farhood and former world champion Raul Marquez serving as expert analysts. The executive producer was Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
Below are results from the non-televised undercard:
In an action-packed six-round junior welterweight contest, Brooklyn’s Mikkel LesPierre, defeated Carl McNickles, of Chicago, via unanimous decision on scores of 60-54 twice, and 59-55. LesPierre, who was the faster fighter and much more accurate with his punches, improved to 7-0-1 (3 KOs), while McNickles fell to 8-8 (6 KOs).Brooklyn’s Travis Peterkin used his piston-like jab to control Donta Woods, of Atlanta, Ga., and keep him from landing anything significant in return.
As the rounds wore on, Peterkin began to unleash more and more of his arsenal. After five completed rounds, Woods did not come out of his corner for the next stanza, awarding Peterkin, now 15-0 (6 KOs), the TKO victory. Woods’ record fell to 8-4 (7 KOs).World-rated junior featherweight contender Rafael Vazquez, of Brooklyn, obliterated Andre Wilson, of St. Joseph, Mo, inside two crackling rounds. Vazquez’ key weapon against Wilson were his uppercuts. Using that punch in combination to the head and body, Vazquez dropped Wilson in the opening frame, while also bloodying his nose.
Uppercuts from both sides floored Wilson in the second as well. While he arose and gamely fought back, a left hook to the body followed by a right uppercut to the chin felled him again leading to the referee’s stoppage at the 2:56 mark. Earning a TKO2, Vazquez brought his record to 14-1 (12 KOs). Wilson’s record dropped to 14-9-1 (12 KOs).
Maintaining a fast pace, Brooklyn’s Shawn Cameron easily outboxed Aaron Drake, of Kansas City, Mo., over six rounds.
The busier fighter throughout, Cameron won a unanimous decision on three scores of 60-54, to improve to 9-0 (4 KOs), while Drake’s record dropped to 14-8 (9 KOs).Looking for openings, Brooklyn’s junior welterweight prospect Wesley Ferrer dominated every second of his bout against Bryan Timmons, of St. Joseph, Mo. Slowly breaking Timmons down, Ferrer was placing his shots well, consistently connecting with stinging straight rights to the body and hooks upstairs.
A combination in the second knocked Timmons down, as he sagged along the ropes. Though clearly in pain, Timmons got to his feet to fight on. One punch later from Ferrer was all it took to convince the referee to halt the contest at the 1:38 mark, upping the Brooklynite’s record to 8-0 (5 KOs).
Timmons is now 2-4 (2 KOs).Both Elisa Collaro, of Brooklyn, and Misato Kamegawa, of Fukuoka, Japan, in their pro debuts, came away without a win, as the four-round contest ended in a draw verdict. While one judge scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Kamegawa, he was overruled by two tallies of 38-38.In his first fight back since losing a majority decision in a ShoBox barnburner against Alantez Fox this past January, Freeport, Long Island’s junior middleweight prospect Patrick Day made a triumphant return with an impressive first-round TKO over Colby Courter. A short straight right dropped Courter, of St. Joseph, Mo., early then a left hook finished him off for the second and final knockdown.
The time of the stoppage was 2:25. Day improved to 10-1-1 (6 KOs), while Courter fell to 6-6 (5 KOs).
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Lucas Bahdi Forged the TSS 2024 Knockout of the Year
A Knockout of the Year doesn’t have to be a one-punch knockout, but it must arrive with the suddenness of a thunderclap on a clear day and the punch or punches must be so harsh as to obviate the need for a “10-count.” And, if rendered by an underdog, that makes the KO resonate more loudly.
Within these parameters, Lucas Bahdi’s knockout of Ashton “H2O” Sylva still jumped off the page. The thunderclap happened on July 20 in Tampa, Florida, on a show promoted by Jake Paul with Paul and the great Amanda Serrano sharing the bill against soft opponents in the featured bouts.
The 30-year-old Bahdi (16-0, 14 KOs) and the 20-year-old Sylva (11-0, 9 KOs) were both undefeated, but Bahdi was accorded scant chance of defeating Jake Paul’s house fighter.
Sylva was 18 years old and had seven pro fights under his belt, winning all inside the distance, when he signed with Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions, in 2022. “We believe that Ashton has that talent, that flashiness, that style, that knockout power, that charisma to really be a massive, massive, superstar…” said the “Problem Child” when announcing that Sylva had signed with his company.
Jake Paul was so confident that his protege would accomplish big things that he matched Sylva with Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield. Currently 18-0 and ranked #2 by the WBA, Schofield was further along than Sylva in the pantheon of hot lightweight prospects. But Schofield backed out, alleging an injury, opening the door to a substitute.
Enter Lucas Bahdi who despite his eye-catching record was a virtual unknown. This would be his first outing on U.S. soil. All of his previous bouts were staged in Mexico or in Canada, mostly in his native Ontario province. “My opponent may have changed,” said Sylva who hails from Long Beach, California, “but the result will be the same, I will get the W and continue my path to greatness.”
The first five rounds were all Sylva. The Canadian had no antidote for Sylva’s speed and quickness. He was outclassed.
Then, in round six, it all came unglued for the precocious California. Out of the blue, Bahdi stiffened him with a hard right hand. Another right quickly followed, knocking Sylva unconscious. A third punch, a sweeping left, was superfluous. Jake Paul’s phenom was already out cold.
Sylva landed face-first on the canvas. He lay still as his handlers and medics rushed to his aid. It was scarifying. “May God restore him,” said ring announcer Joe Martinez as he was being stretchered out of the ring.
The good news is that Ashton “H2O” Silva will be able to resume his career. He is expected back in the ring as early as February. As for Lucas Bahdi, architect of the Knockout of the Year, he has added one more win to his ledger, winning a 10-round decision on the undercard of the Paul vs Tyson spectacle, and we will presumably be hearing a lot more about him.
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Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.
The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.
Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.
The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.
An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.
Moses Itauma
Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.
His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.
Bohachuk-Davis
In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.
Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.
Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.
Fisher-Allen
In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.
Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.
In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.
He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Other Bouts of Note
In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.
A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.
In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.
McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.
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Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.
The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.
Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.
The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.
That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.
The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)
Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)
Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.
Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).
Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.
The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.
Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.
Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.
We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”
The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.
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