Matchroom Results From Monaco – Ortiz Over Scott in Ugly Bout

Matchroom Results From Monaco – Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing were in Monaco on Saturday, November 12th with Hearn’s first-ever fight event outside of the British Isles. The glitzy Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo was the place for the five-fight card that saw the featured attractions air on SKY in the United Kingdom and HBO in the United States.

The main event featured heavyweight action as Philadelphia’s Malik Scott (38-2-1) returned after a year’s layoff to face hard-hitting Luis Ortiz (25-0) of Cuba. Scott took to the ring first wearing black and red with a black mask covering his face while Ortiz came out mainly wearing white  trimmed in red and blue, Florida’s area code of 305 (Miami; Dade County) emblazoned on his hat.

Despite coming in at the heaviest weight of his career, Scott was looking to stay mobile and avoid eating shots from the big punching Ortiz. Twice in the first three rounds Scott went to the canvas as he slipped trying to avoid punches. Round four saw Ortiz sustain a more aggressive attack and he sent Scott down to the canvas twice. Both times Scott got up slow but he did get up and manage to escape the round.

Ortiz sent Scott down again at the start of round nine but again Scott got back up. Scott was trying to land a counterpunch but he did not have the power to hurt or hold off Ortiz, who came forward all night. The fight deteriorated into a sloppy affair that saw the judges return scorecards of 120-105, 119-106, 120-106 all in favor of Ortiz, whose highlight reel performance did not materialize.

Referee resets the action after another Scott knock down.

The final fight of the evening saw WBA super featherweight champion Jason Sosa (19-1-4) defend his belt against England’s Stephen Smith (24-2). It was the first defense of his title for Sosa and it was Smith’s second bid at a world title. Sosa was the one moving forward, and he struck first after a feeling out round, sending Smith to the canvas in a sequence that saw Sosa’s aggression catch Smith off balance more than anything, but Sosa had banked a likely 10-8 round early. Round three saw Smith try to fire back but Sosa was relentless and the round ended with Smith bleeding from around the right eye. Round four saw Sosa’s sustained attack cut up Smith enough that the referee asked the doctor to check Smith’s cuts. Sosa sensed a chance and he pressed the action. Smith fired back and as the round ended he appeared to be holding his own and he was pumped-up heading back to his corner covered in his own blood.

Smith grew in confidence as the fight wore on and did not back down from Sosa despite getting hit with the harder punches. The tenth round saw the doctor check Smith’s cuts again and the Brit appeared lucid during the check. Smith ended the round strong and appeared to get the better of the exchanges over a tiring Sosa in Round 11. After a hard fought twelve rounds the two men hugged and awaited the judges cards. In the end Sosa successfully defended his WBA belt by scores of 117-111, 116-111 and 116-112.

Sosa moving in on Smith in the early going.

The opening fight of the broadcast saw super middleweights Martin Murray and Nuhu Lawal meet in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBA Continental title. Lawal entered the fight at 25-0, but he took the fight on less than 72 hours notice as Murray’s scheduled opponent Dmitrii Chudinov was a late scratch. Chudinov himself had replaced Arthur Abraham, so Murray entered this fight having had at least two opponents fall out.

Murray was taller and longer, but Lawal was not afraid to take the fight to Murray. Murray is a rugged bruiser who entered the fight 33-4-1. Three of his losses came in world title fights and he was coming off a loss to British rival George Groves in his last outing. Murray needed a win and he was content to let Lawal make it a grind. Lawal swung for the fences with his right hand and occasionally worked the body while Murray chipped away with counter strikes. As the fight entered the middle rounds the two men were still exchanging bombs, although there was considerable clinching. Entering the latter rounds, Lawal appeared to tire as Murray put together his strongest rallies of the fight. In the end, Lawal’s game effort would not be enough as the judges had the bout for Murray via scores of 117-110, 117-110 and 116-111.

Lawal hunting Murray.

The broadcast’s second fight saw WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell (28-2-1) defending his belt against the challenge of Venezuela’s Liborio Solis (25-4-1). Solis came out like gangbusters against the longer, taller Brit, headhunting with big punches from the start. By round four McDonnell was bleeding from the nose and he was not throwing enough meaningful punches to back off the stocky Venezuelan. But McDonnell is known for weathering a storm and coming on in the later rounds and, as expected,  he spent the latter half of the fight working harder and landing with more precision. h

At the final bell, most observers felt Solis had the upper hand, but the judges saw it differently, favoring McDonnell by scores of 116-112,115-113 and 117-111. The decision was not well received by the live crowd, which jeered loudly.

Solis eats one from McDonnell.

Check out Kid Hersh’s pre-fight look at Ortiz vs Scott at The Boxing Channel.

Matchroom Results From Monaco

Saturday, November 12th, 2016 – Salle des Etoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco

Complete Results:

Heavyweights 12 RDS: Luis Ortiz def Malik Scott via UD (120-105, 119-106, 120-106)
168 LBS 12 RDS: Martin Murray def Nuhu Lawal via UD (117-110, 117-110, 116-111)
130 LBS 12 RDS: Jason Sosa def Stephen Smith via UD (117-111,116-111 and 116-112)
118 LBS 12 RDS: Jamie McDonnell def Liborio Solis via UD (116-112,115-113,117-111)
168 LBS 6 RDS: Adriani Vastine def Antonio Di Mario via UD (60-54,60-54,60-54)

Matchroom Results From Monaco / Check out boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel.