Andrade Dominates Keeler in Miami, but Two Other Champs Lose

In a night of change, WBO middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade knocked down Ireland’s Luke Keeler twice in the first two rounds before finally ending the fight by technical knockout in the ninth round on Thursday.

Andrade (29-0, 18 KOs) kept the WBO middleweight title with a dominating performance over Keeler (17-3-1, 5 KOs) who managed to stay on his feet despite a shellacking at the Meridian at the Gardens in Miami, but two other titles changed hands.

Andrade, a southpaw, floored Keeler with the first left cross he fired and it looked bad for the Irish fighter. But somehow he got up and survived the first round.

In the second round Andrade connected with an overhand left bomb and again Keeler looked down for the count, but once again he managed to get to his feet, barely.

Keeler dragged himself back to his corner where his trainer warned that he would stop the fight. Keeler listened and did all he could to keep the fight within grabbing distance. As long as he could clinch, he was able to survive.

Andrade tried every trick he knew to connect with a big blow but was grabbed by Keeler. It was only a matter of time before the champion from Rhode Island would find enough room to land another bomb.

As rounds passed it became apparent that Andrade was getting closer and closer to ending the night. Finally, a six-punch combination by the flashy southpaw connected and the head of Keeler snapped one way and the other. The referee wisely stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:59 of the ninth round. Andrade retained the WBO middleweight world title by technical knockout.

“I thought it was good, Keeler is a warrior, but today was my day,” said Andrade. “I went in their delusional, thinking I could put him out early.”

Andrade seeks to move up a weight division if no other middleweight titlists are willing to unify.

“I wanted to go up to 168 and fight Billy Joe Saunders,” said Andrade about fighting Saunders or Jermell Charlo. “Eddie Hearns said he sent an offer but they sent no response.”

New Super Featherweight titlist

Southern California’s Jojo Diaz (31-1, 15 KOs) found that the third time was a charm as he took the IBF super featherweight world title from champion Tevin Farmer (30-5-1, 6 KOs) with an aggressive nonstop attack for 12 all action rounds.

Though both southpaw fighters are known for speed and movement the pair stood in the pocket trading combinations to the body and head. By the second round Farmer had suffered an injured right hand and Diaz a nasty gash above the left eye.

It didn’t matter.

Farmer was making his fifth world title defense since capturing the title back in August 2018. Diaz was making his third attempt which included a loss to Gary Russell Jr. in May 2018, and then losing it on the scale in August of the same year when he could not make 126 pounds.

The extra four rounds seemed to benefit Diaz who was on turbo-charge for all 12 rounds despite the bloody gash. Farmer seemed slightly slower. Diaz was always one step ahead of the crafty Farmer for most of the fight.

Combinations to the body and head worked most of the time for Diaz, while Farmer seemed a tick slower than usual. It seemed 130 pounds worked fine for Diaz and not so much for the champion from Philadelphia.

After 12 competitive rounds all three judges scored it for Diaz 116-112, and 115-113 twice whose corner cut man Ben Lira was able to stop the blood after the fourth round. It proved to be an important factor.

Diaz was ecstatic and shed some joyful tears.

“I had to take advantage of it,” said Diaz about fighting for the world title a third time. “Tevin Farmer is a hell of a fighter.”

Farmer was classy in defeat.

“He put up a hell of a fight,” said Farmer. “We’re going to do it again.”

Both could possibly meet each other again in the late spring.

New Super Bantamweight Champion

WBA and IBF super bantamweight titlist Danny Roman finally met a southpaw who could hang with him as Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev took both world titles by split decision after 12 back and forth rounds.

It was a close fight that could have gone either way, but on this night Akhmadaliev proved to two judges he was the superior fighter and became his country’s first unified world champion.

Akhmadaliev used his speed and movement to keep the fight at long range while Roman worked the body whenever possible. Though neither fighter was ever knocked down the judges preferred the Uzbekistani’s long range fighting to Roman’s inside work.

“Danny Roman was very tough and even better than I expected,” said Akhmadaliev who trained in Indio, California with brothers Joel and Antonio Diaz. “This was the first time I ever was a world champion. I was never a world champion in the amateurs.”

Roman had beaten three southpaws in his last six fights. But this time he started slightly slower and was unable to convince the judges he was the winner.

“He was a better man tonight,” said Roman who was making his fifth world title defense and had added the IBF title last April with a win over TJ Doheny.

Amanda Serrano wins

With a six-day notice Amanda Serrano (38-1-1, 28 KOs) showed that maybe that was too much time to prepare as she completely dismantled Brazil’s Simone Aparecida Da Silva (17-15, 6 KOs) and her too-long name in less than three rounds.

Serrano unleashed a vicious body attack from the opening bell that resulted in a knockdown of Aparecida in the second round and then another in the third round that convinced the referee to stop the fight and give the win by technical knockout to Serrano.

The win now sets up the mega showdown with Europe’s big gun Katie Taylor, the undisputed lightweight world champion. No site has been named but a tentative date of April has been somewhat established.

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