Fast Results from the Windy City: Dulorme Rallies to Salvage a Draw

British uber-promoter Eddie Hearn and his live-streaming partner DAZN made their first foray into a U.S. city with a big show in Chicago. The 10-fight card included fighters from eight countries, hence the tagline “Worlds Collide.” Four fights were televised.

In the main event, an entertaining 12-round welterweight affair, Thomas Dulorme (24-3-1) needed a 10-8 round to salvage a draw with Jessie Vargas (28-2-2) and pulled it off, beating the clock in the waning seconds of the final round with a flash knockdown, without which he would have suffered a unanimous, albeit narrow, defeat. The scorecards read 115-111 (Vargas) and 113-113 twice.

Dulorme, from Puerto Rico via French Guyana, started strong. In the first two rounds he was demonstrably faster. An accidental clash of heads resulted in a cut over Vargas’s right eye in round two. But beginning in the third round, Vargas, a former two-division world titlist, began to find a home for his left hook.

Vargas, one of the most well-liked sports personalities in his native Las Vegas, seemed to have the fight in hand when he put Dulorme on the canvas with a straight right hand in round 10. But when the smoke cleared, he was left with his second straight draw, the former coming against Adrien Broner this past April at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Miller-Adamek

In a terrible mismatch, rotund Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller was simply too big, too young, and too strong for 41-year-old Tomasz Adamek. Miller, who came in at a career-high 317 pounds, needed only two rounds to dismiss Adamek who he out-weighed by 90 pounds.

Miller improved his ledger to 22-0-1 with his 19^th knockout. Adamek, a former world title-holder as a light heavyweight and a cruiserweight, declined to 53-6. Big Baby’s next fight will likely come against 45-year-old Fres Oquendo who, despite his advanced age, has the tools to make things interesting.

Beterbiev-Johnson

In a fight that was replete with fireworks for as long as it lasted, Arthur Beterbiev got off the deck to blast out Callum Johnson in the fourth round. A Montreal-based Russian, Beterbiev was making the first defense of his IBF light heavyweight title.

Beterbiev, who has won all 13 of his pro fights by stoppage, had the previously undefeated Johnson on the canvas in the opening round. But Johnson (17-1) returned the favor in Round Two, smashing Beterbiev to the canvas with a big left hook. Beterbiev rose on unsteady legs but recovered and got the best of the slugging in the next round.

The knockout punch was a short right hook that landed on Johnson’s temple. Johnson, an Englishman making his U.S. debut, seemingly beat the count but the ref ruled that it was a millisecond too late, not that it likely mattered as his goose was cooked.

Roman-McDonnell

Defending WBA super bantamweight titlist Danny Roman, a late bloomer, won his 18^th straight at the expense Gavin McDonnell, upending his English adversary via a 10^th round TKO. Roman (26-2-1) was ahead on the scorecards, but McDonnell seemed to be inching his way back into the fight until the roof fell in. An overhand right rocked McDonnell in the 10^th and Roman then turned up the heat, knocking McDonnell to the canvas with a barrage of blows. He beat the count, but the referee waived it off.

The twin brother of former WBC world bantamweight champion James McDonnell, Gavin was making his second stab at a world title, having previously lost a majority decision to currently undefeated Rey Vargas.

The next DAZN boxing card at a U.S. venue comes on Oct. 20 from Boston. Billy Joe Saunders defends his WBO world middleweight title against Demetrius Andrade in the featured bout.

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