Fast Results from the Bubble: Pedraza Punishes LesPierre

Former two-division world title holder Jose Pedraza (27-3) fought his way back into title contention tonight with a lopsided 10-round decision over Mikkel LesPierre (22-2-1). The bout, rescheduled from June 18, was fought at the catchweight of 144 pounds inside “The Bubble” at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

Pedraza took charge from the opening bell. The fight appeared in danger of being stopped in round two and again in round 10. In the second round Pedraza landed perhaps 30 unanswered rapid-fire punches as LesPierre had his back to the ropes. In the 10^th, Pedraza put him in the canvas with a left-right combination and repeatedly strafed him with clean shots, but LesPierre, a Brooklynite born in Trinidad and Tobago, was game to the core and did some good work in the final seconds.

It appeared that both fighters scored knockdowns in the fifth, but referee Kenny Bayless, after consulting with the replay officials, expunged the first knockdown and ruled it a slip. Pedraza’s feet were tangled with those of LesPierre when LesPierre caught him with a glancing left hand. The replay didn’t appear conclusive (Bayless was seemingly right the first time), but it was a moot point as Pedraza would have won by a comfortable margin regardless. The scores were 100-88 and 99-89 twice.

Other Bouts

In a fight without an indelible moment, Toledo lightweight Albert Bell (16-0, 5 KOs) “pitched a shutout” over Mark Bernaldez (20-4) of the Philippines, winning all 10 rounds on all three scorecards. The rangy Bell had a 6-inch height advantage and a 6-inch reach advantage and kept Bernaldez at the end of his stick throughout. Bell hurt his right hand late in the ninth round and threw only one right hand in the 10^th, but won the round anyway.

Freddie Roach protégé Elvis Rodriguez, 7-0-1 (7 KOs), a 24-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic, scored an impressive one-punch knockout over New Jersey’s Dan Murray (5-4). A straight right hand, basically just a hard jab, sent Murray sprawling the through the ropes with an apparent fractured orbital bone. The official time was 2:13 of round one.

In a 6-round between two ponderous 284-pound heavyweights, Kingsley Ibeh was awarded a majority decision over Patrick Mailata. It was a quick turnaround for Nigeria-born Ibeh (5-1) who appeared in this same ring last week. Mailata, a Samoa-born New Zealander, fell to 4-1.

The scores were 57-57 and 58-56 twice. Judge Patricia Morse-Jarman had it 57-57 and that was the most appropriate tally as neither man did enough to win.

In the TV opener, Robeisy Ramirez, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Cuba, improved to 4-0 with a 6-round unanimous decision over Denver’s Adan Gonzales (5-3-2).  Ramirez avenged a shocking defeat in his pro debut. The judges had it 60-54 across the board.

Off TV

In what was perhaps the best fight of the night, Jose Enrique Vivas scored a mild upset with a unanimous 10-round decision over previously undefeated Carlos Jackson. The scores were 97-93 across the board according to ESPN’s lead announcer Joe Tessitore.

Vivas, a native of Mexico now residing in Montebello, California, improved to 19-1. The 31-year-old Jackson (16-1) fights out of Atlanta but has fought extensively in the Dominican Republic.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams for Top Rank

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