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Joe Smith Jr and Abraham Nova Victorious by TKOs at Turning Stone

Top Rank was at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York, tonight with a 5-bout card that had to be refashioned after both of the original B-side opponents in the featured bouts were forced to pull out. In the case of Callum Johnson, the harpoon came in the form of a positive Covid test. In stepped little-known Steve Geffrard who replaced Johnson on eight days notice and stood to win the lottery if he could upend Joe Smith Jr who would be making the first defense of his WBO world light heavyweight title.
Geffrard, now 18-3, came in riding an 18-fight winning streak. Despite being relatively inactive, having sat out all of 2017, 2019, and 2020, his impressive amateur pedigree suggested that he might make things interesting. But he did not. Seemingly more interested in protecting his face with his peek-a-boo defense than with swapping punches, he rendered a hollow effort, losing every round prior to being stopped in the ninth frame.
The end came at the 37-second mark as Geffrard, trapped in a neutral corner, slumped to his knees after absorbing a barrage of unanswered punches. As referee Mark Nelson was counting him out, his corner stepped in and stopped it.
Long Islandâs Smith Jr improved to 28-3 (22). Speculation as to who he will fight next centers around WBC/IBF title-holder Artur Beterbiev and WBO mandatory opponent Anthony Yarde. Promoter Bob Arum is purportedly interested in staging a unification fight between Smith and the undefeated (17-0, 17 KOs) Beterbiev at Madison Square Garden this summer. If Covid protocols were to be lifted, a fight between the New Yorker and the Russian-Canadian has the potential to sell out the Gardenâs big room.
Co-Feature
In the semi-windup, Abraham Nova, ranked #3 by the WBO at 130 pounds but now competing as a featherweight, scored a TKO over William Encarnacion whose corner stopped the bout at the 55-second mark of round eight. Nova, who is from Carolina, Puerto Rico, resides in Albany, New York, and is trained by Whitman, Massachusetts middleweight âBazookaâ Mark DeLuca, advanced his record to 21-0 with his 15th win inside the distance. Encarnacion declined to 19-2.
After a fairly even opening round, Nova, 28, took control. He had the higher workrate and landed the heavier shots and was well ahead at the time of the stoppage although there were no knockdowns. After the bout, he called out Emanuel Navarette, challenging the WBO featherweight title-holder in both English and Spanish. It was the U.S. debut for Encarnacion, a 2012 Olympian for the Dominican Republic who was subbing for Mexicaliâs Jose Enrique Vivas who reportedly suffered an injury in training.
In an undercard fight of note, hot prospect Jahi Tucker, an 18-year-old welterweight, improved to 6-0 (4) with a second-round stoppage of Milwaukeeâs Akeem Black (6-5). Tucker was dominant from the opening bell. Black hadnât previously been stopped.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 223: A Lively Weekend in SoCal with Three Fight Cards in Two Days

Big money prizefighting returns to the Los Angeles area with back-to-back shows. First, Serhii Bohachuk heads a 360 Promotions card on Friday and then Alexis Rocha is featured on Saturday in a Golden Boy Promotions production. And on the same day Riversideâs Saul Rodriguez fights in his hometown.
Bohachuk, Rocha, and Rodriguez are aggressive big hitters.
Ukraineâs Bohachuk seeks to regain footing in the super welterweight division. He was rapidly climbing up the ratings ladder when first he was defeated by Brandon Adams two years ago. And then the invasion of his home country Ukraine stalled him even more.
On Friday Jan. 27, at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello, Calif. Bohachuk (21-1, 21 KOs) meets Nathaniel Gallimore (22-6-1, 17 KOs) in the main event. UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Boxing Promotions card.
Few fighters are as well-liked outside of the prize ring as Bohachuk. Always amiable, heâs one of the handful of fighters that always smiles. Inside the ring, heâs a killer. No one leaves without someone getting knocked out.
Gallimore, 34, is no slouch. He has a knockout win over former world titlist Jeison Rosario and has battled almost all of the top super welterweights. He is a veteran and very crafty.
The Quiet Cannon venue is not very large, but it does have a patio and good food and drink. Most of the crowd ventures from all over Southern California to attend the fights at that venue. It gets packed.
Golden Boy in Inglewood
Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha headlines the Golden Boy Promotions card on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the brand new YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. DAZN will stream the fight card.
Rocha (21-1, 13 KOs) faces George Ashie (33-5-1) in the main event set for 12 rounds. Finally, there is an opponent for the left-handed fighter from Santa Ana. It didnât look like he was going to fight after opponent after opponent fell out for one reason or another.
âYou have to be ready for anybody they put in front of you. If itâs you or George Ashie, I have to prepare for it. I have to focus on what I can do,” said Rocha.
Others on the card include super middleweight Bektemir Melikuziev (10-1) vs Ulises Sierra (17-2-2) set for 10 rounds. Also, good looking lightweight prospect Floyd Schofield (12-0, 10 KOs) meets Alberto Mercado (17-4-1).
Schofield fights out of Austin, Texas and looks like someone to watch.
Doors open at 3 p.m.
Neno Returns in San Bernardino       Â
Garcia Promotions stages a boxing card on Saturday Jan. 28, at the Club Event Center in San Bernardino. Garcia Promotions is associated with trainer Robert Garcia and family whose training compound is located in nearby Riverside.
A primarily local fight card featuring all fighters from Garciaâs gym will be performing.
Headlining is Saul âNenoâ Rodriguez out of Riverside, California.
Itâs been nearly three years since Rodriguez (24-1-1, 18 KOs) last fought and he faces Mexicoâs Juan Meza Angulo (6-1, 3 KOs) in the co-main event.
At one time Rodriguez was a big fan favorite because of his fast work and knockout ability. Once he got to the top plateau he ran into another knockout puncher in Miguel Angel Gonzalez and lost by stoppage.
Prizefighting is a tricky road. One loss can mean difficulty in finding a big-time promoter or it can mean discovering what you need to do to re-establish your skills. A fighter can go the road of Kermit âThe Killerâ Cintron and find out other ways to win without a kill-or be-killed style. Or they can travel the road of Marco Antonio Barrera who was knocked out by Junior Jones but adapted a more boxer-puncher style that allowed him to defeat Erik Morales twice and Prince Naseem Hamed.
Rodriguez, 29, still has time to make a good run for a title bid. It all starts on Saturday.
Others on the Garcia Promotions card are fighters who are part of trainer Garciaâs stable including Gabriel Muratalla, Leonardo Ruiz, Jose Rodriguez and others.
Doors open at 4 p.m. with amateurs opening the boxing program.
Fights to Watch
Fri. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Serhii Bohachuk (21-1) vs Nathaniel Gallimore (22-6-1).
Sat. ESPN+ 11:30 a.m. Artur Beterbiev (18-0) vs Anthony Yarde (23-2).
Sat. DAZN Â 5 p.m. Alexis Rocha (21-1) vs George Ashie (33-5-1).
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Artur Beterbiev:Â âIâd prefer to fight Bivol because he has the one thing I needâ

Russian Artur Beterbiev, triple champion of the 175-pound division, is the only current world champion who, thanks to the enormous power he wields in his fists, has won all his fights inside the distance.
Beterbiev has 18 victories by way of chloroform since he debuted as a professional fighter in June 2013 when he anesthetized retired American, Christian Cruz, in the tenth round at the Bell Center in Montreal where Beterbiev currently resides.
Beterbiev, who turned thirty-eight last Saturday, will defend his WBC, IBF, and WBO titles against Brit Anthony “The Beast from the East” Yarde (23-2, 22 KOs) on Saturday, January 28th at the OVO Arena in London.
Beterbiev obtained the WBO belt on June 18th this past year when he defeated American Joe Smith (28-4, 22 KOs) in the second round at Madison Square Garden. This was Smithâs second defense of the belt.
Earlier, in November 2017, Beterbiev won the vacant IBF belt after defeating German Enrico Koelling (28-5, 9 KOs) by knockout in the twelfth round in Fresno, California.
Two years later, Beterbiev seized the WBC belt from Ukrainian Oleksandr Gvozdyk (17-1, 14 KOs) in Philadelphia. Three knockdowns in the tenth round forced referee Gary Rosato to stop the lopsided bout with 11 seconds remaining in the round. Beterbiev maintains that although his intention is to win each fight, in no way does he want to harm his rival and that his greatest wish is for both of them to leave the ring healthy.
Referring to his upcoming matchup, Beterbiev told BoxingScene that “after the fight, I just hope he (Yarde) is okay.”
He acknowledged that he does not know much about the British boxer, although he has watched several of his fights: âHeâs a good fighter, has good experience as a professional and heâs a boxer. Heâs dangerous so I have to prepare for this fight like I always do.â
Beterbiev said that his main motivation is to successfully defend the three belts he owns and that is why he will try to be one hundred percent ready and then it will be evident who is the better fighter.
Regarding his knockout streak, Beterbiev emphatically denied that he enjoys knocking out his opponents: âNo. Thereâs no pleasure in it. I just hope everything is OK with them. I just want to do good boxing, not hit people.â
Beterbiev smiles enigmatically and stares at the horizon when they ask him to what he attributes the strength of his fists to. âI know for sure, 1000 percent, that the secret to my power is somewhere in my boxing gym but I donât know exactly where,â he adds. âI donât know which exercise or bag gave me this secret. I donât know where it comes from. I wasnât always like this either, it has come from working every day. But really my dream is to be a good boxer one day.â
Aside from the upcoming fight with Yarde, Beterbiev acknowledges in each interview that his goal is to be the undisputed champion of the division, which means facing (and defeating) the undefeated Russian Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs), who holds the WBA light heavyweight super championship belt.
âI need Bivol,â Beterbiev admits. âIâd prefer to fight Bivol because he has the one thing I need. I hope I fight him in 2023 but the hold-up is not from my side, itâs from their side. In the last three years he always says he will fight me next but in this time weâve done unification fights against Oleksandr Gvozdyk and Joe Smith. Weâve done that whereas he has just been talking about it.
Beterbiev recalled that he was with Bivol on the Russian national team where they were amateurs. âI knew him then, but he is younger than me. We havenât talked for 10 years now. He was 75kg back then, too small for me. We were never friends.â
Article submitted by Jorge Juan Alvarez in Spanish.
 Please note any adjustments made were for clarification purposes and any errors in translation were unintentional.
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Boxing Odds and Ends: A New Foe for Broner and an Intriguing Heavyweight Match-up

Boxing Odds and Ends: A New Foe for Broner and an Intriguing Heavyweight Match-up
BLK Primeâs inaugural venture went off without a hitch. An announced crowd of 14,630 turned out in Omaha to watch native son Terence Crawford dismantle David Avanesyan. BLK Primeâs second promotion, slated for Feb. 25 at a 5,000-seat venue in Atlanta, has been messy from the get-go. The executives at the fledgling company, based in Hayward, California, are learning to their dismay that the sport of professional boxing is governed by Murphyâs Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
Adrien Bronerâs nickname is âThe Problemâ (how perfect!) but the problem isnât him but finding a suitable opponent for the former four-division title holder who purportedly signed a three-fight deal with BLK Prime that will pay him an absurd $10 million. As reported in a story that ran on these pages last week, Bronerâs original opponent Ivan Redkach pulled out and was replaced by Hank Lundy. Today (Tuesday, Jan. 24) it was revealed that Lundy was also off the card and would be replaced by Michael Williams Jr.
Prior to being lopped off the card, it was reported that Hank Lundy had been suspended by the California Athletic Commission for failing to honor his contract to fight up-and-comer Ernesto Mercado (8-0, 8 KOs) on Feb. 4. The match was to be an 8-rounder in Ontario, California. According to prominent boxing writer Jake Donovan, Lundy provided paperwork to the California commission showing that he was unable to keep his commitment because of a cut he suffered in sparring.
Some state athletic commissions automatically honor a suspension handed down in another jurisdiction. Other commissions evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis. Itâs a fair guess that had Lundy kept quiet about the (alleged) injury, the Georgia commission would have allowed the Broner-Lundy match to go forward. Regardless, heâs out and, barring more upheaval, Broner (pictured) will be touching gloves with Michael Williams Jr.
The son of an Army veteran who serves as his chief trainer, Williams Jr, 23, was born in Fort Riley, Kansas, and grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, home to Fort Bragg. As a pro, heâs 20-1 with 13 KOs but those 20 wins came against a motley bunch of opponents and he failed miserably on the one occasion that he stepped up in class. On Dec. 11, 2021, he was stopped in four rounds by fellow unbeaten John Bauza on a Top Rank card at Madison Square Garden. Williams suffered five knockdowns before the match was halted. âHeâs got a lot to work on. There are some glaring issues here,â said ringside TV commentator Andre Ward.
Although the Fayetteville area has long had a reputation as pugilistic feed lot (a place where boxers go to fatten up their records), the feeling is that Williams may have been awed by his surroundings that night in the Big Apple, hence his poor showing. During the early portion of his career, he was co-trained by Roy Jones Jr who reportedly hooked up with the young junior welterweight after witnessing him bully a bunch of ex-cons while sparring at a gym in New Orleans.
Does he have the tools to make things interesting against Adrien Broner? Likely not, but Broner tends to fight down to his level of competition, so it wouldnât surprise us if Williams wins a few rounds.
Heavyweights at the Crossroads
SHOWTIME drops anchor in San Antonio on Feb. 11 with a card headlined by a match between Rey Vargas and OâShaquie Foster. They will compete for the WBC 130-pound world title vacated by Shakur Stevenson.
Truth be told, this isnât a contest that gets our juices flowing. The undefeated Vargas, who has won world titles at 122 and 127, is a solid technician but doesnât fight with pizzazz. He hasnât won a fight inside the distance since 2016. Foster is on a nice roll â heâs won nine straight, advancing his record to 19-2 — but likewise lacks charisma.
The pay-per-view opener, however, seized our interest. Itâs that very rare contest between two rising heavyweights at the same juncture of their respective careers. On paper thereâs little to choose between Viktor Faust (11-0, 7 KOs) and Lenier Pero (8-0, 5 KOs). Both are the same age (30), are roughly the same size (in the six-foot-five and 240-pound range) and were outstanding amateurs.
Faust
Viktor Faust, aka Viktor Vykhryst, is from the Ukraine. In 2017, he won the European amateur title, defeating future Olympian Frazer Clarke in the finals. He turned pro in 2020, spurning an opportunity to represent Ukraine in the Tokyo Olympics.
Faust, says prospect watcher Matt Andrzejewski, is extremely fluid for his size and his hand speed is well above average. He also has one-punch knockout power as he demonstrated in his third pro fight when he starched the Spaniard, Gabriel Enguema. However, his most recent fight on U.S. soil, a match in Hollywood, Florida, against Iago kiladze, left many questions unanswered.
This was a wild and wooly affair that ended in the second minute of the second round. Kiladze was down three times and Faust twice during the tumult. Because Kiladze was on the small size for a heavyweight, one was left wondering whether Faust could have weathered the storm if he were matched against a bigger man.
Since that scuffle, Faust has added two more wins to his ledger, comfortable 8-round decisions over 40-something gatekeepers Kevin Johnson and Franklin Lawrence.
Pero
Lenier Pero, a Cuban defector, was never an Olympian, but had a more extensive amateur career. He was 9-3 in the semi-pro World Series of Boxing but what really stands out is that he was 5-1 against countryman Frank Sanchez who has made great headway as a pro since leaving Cuba in 2017 and is currently ranked #3 by the WBC and #2 by the WBO.
Although the amateur careers of Faust and Pero overlapped, their paths never crossed. However, Faust did fight Lenierâs younger brother Dainier Pero who is currently 2-0 as a pro and may actually be a better prospect than his sibling. Faust and Dainier Pero met in 2018 at a tournament in the Ukraine and the Cuban won a close decision.
Perhaps thatâs an omen. Regardless, Lenier Pero looks like the right side in what has the earmarks of an entertaining shootout.
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