Broner UD 10 Hutchinson in Miami; Izmailov UD 10 Foster at Turning Stone

Broner UD 10 Hutchinson in Miami; Izmailov UD 10 Foster at Turning Stone

Boxing cards in Miami and in Verona, New York, competed for eyeballs on Friday night. Neither card produced much in the way of fireworks.

The main go of the Miami event, a Don King promotion, was dismal. Perpetual under-achiever Adrien Broner delivered another clinker while pitching a near-shutout over gallant but overmatched Bill Hutchinson.

Yes, that sounds like a contradiction in terms, but Broner was matched very soft and it did not reflect well of him that Hutchinson was never off his feet and still standing at the final bell. The judges had it 100-90 and 99-91 twice.

Broner (35-4-1, 24 KOs) seemed content to get in 10 rounds of sparring in his return to the ring after a 27-month absence. The intrepid Hutchinson, a 34-year-old attorney from Pittsburgh who hadn’t previously fought beyond eight rounds, fell to 20-3-4 and will be able to boast that he stayed the limit against an opponent who was a title-holder in four weight classes.

Other Bouts of Note

In a 10-round light heavyweight affair with a pair of regional belts at stake, Ahmed Elbiali won a unanimous but paper-thin decision over Laredo, Texas campaigner Rodolfo Gomez Jr. All three judges awarded Elbiali six of the 10 rounds which translated to 95-94 scores factoring in a point deduction for low blows.

A local Miami man but born in Egypt, Elbiali won his seventh straight to improve his record to 23-1 (18). However, this was a messy fight marred by excessive clinching and Elbiali, 32, did nothing to suggest that he could hold his own with the top dogs in his weight class. Gomez declined to 14-7-3 but maintained his distinction of having never been stopped.

In a bantamweight contest slated for “10,” Guillermo Rigondeaux (22-3, 15 KOs) scored his second straight knockout, knocking defensive-oriented Charlie Clemente-Andino down for the count with a straight left to the belly in the seventh round. The 42-year-old southpaw, a former two division world title-holder and one of the most decorated amateurs of his generation, had the best of every round before bringing the bout to its sudden conclusion. Puerto Rico’s Clemente-Andino  came in undefeated (12-0), but had been out of the ring for seven years. He filled the breach when Argentine veteran Julian Aristule pulled out, purportedly because of visa problems.

TURNING STONE

“ShoBox: The New Generation” was at the Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, New York, with a show held in conjunction with Induction Weekend at the nearby International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum. The lead promoter, Dmitry Salita, left a happy man when his fighter, light heavyweight Ali Izmailov, won the featured bout. Izmailov, who improved to 11-0 (7) won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Charles Foster (22-1). Foster was fighting an uphill battle after hitting the deck near the end of round five. The judges had it 95-94 and 96-93 twice.

A 30-year-old Russian who trains in Michigan and Florida, Izmailov came in ranked number 11 by the WBO. He will need some help to move up a notch, however, as his showing wasn’t particularly impressive.

The other TV bouts were also light heavyweight affairs.

Co-Feature

In a battle of southpaws in which the competitors traded knockdowns, Colombia’s Juan Carrillo advanced to 11-0 (8) with a majority decision over Washington’s Richard Vansiclen (13-1-1). Carrillo put Vansiclen on the canvas early in round three with a right hook. Vansiclen wasn’t badly hurt and he returned the favor in the next round just when it seemed that the Colombian was on the verge of scoring a TKO. It was a good back-and-forth fight from that point on. Two of the judges favored Carrillo by 95-93 scores with the other scoring it a draw (94-94).

Also

In the TV opener, Australian import Clay Waterman, making his U.S. debut, advanced to 11-0 (8) with a unanimous 8-round decision over Kenmon Evans (10-1-1).  The judges had it 77-75 and 78-74 twice. Evans, a 31-year-old Floridian promoted by 2020 IBHOF inductee Christy Martin, had won eight straight heading in.

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