3 Punch Combo: Two Fighters on the Fast Track, a Blue-Chip Prospect and More

3 Punch Combo: Two Fighters on the Fast Track, a Blue-Chip Prospect and More

THREE PUNCH COMBO – Given the plethora of boxing available on a weekly basis on various platforms, it can be easy to overlook some events. For example, this past Saturday there was a stacked card in Ekaterinburg, Russia featuring several up-and-coming fighters. One fighter in particular, cruiserweight Evgeny Tishchenko, piqued my interest.

Tishchenko, 28, won the Gold medal in the heavyweight division for Russia in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He turned pro as a heavyweight in 2018 but has since moved down to cruiserweight.

Tishchenko entered the fight with a record of 6-0 with 4 knockouts. His opponent was veteran Marcos Antonio Aumada who entered with a record of 21-8. Aumada was actually a big step down in class for Tishchenko. Tishchenko’s previous four opponents had a combined record of 64-4-1 and he was coming off an impressive knockout win of then 20-0 Issa Akberbayev in November.

Not surprisingly, Tishchenko (pictured) made easy work of Aumada, stopping him in the third round of their scheduled ten round fight.

While the result was expected, I continue to be impressed with what I see from Tishchenko. Aumada kept a tight guard, but Tishchenko used excellent footwork setting up just the right angles to find ways to penetrate it. Tishchenko, who fights as a southpaw, also showcased a sharp right jab which created openings to land the straight left behind it.

In addition to the above, Tishchenko is an excellent counterpuncher. He put his counterpunching skills on display early in the third round with a quick sneaky check right hook that landed pinpoint on the chin of Aumada, knocking him down. Finally, the punching power is certainly for real as is the finishing ability. Once he had Aumada on the canvas, Tishchenko went to work, hurting Aumada several more times before landing a series of crunching body shots that brought the fight to an end.

With the exit of Oleksandr Usyk, cruiserweight is a wide-open division. Tishchenko is on the fast track and could soon ascend to the top of the division.

Eimantas Stanionis

FS1 will broadcast a card this Saturday from MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD that will be headlined by popular action fighter James Kirkland (34-2, 30 KO’s) who will take on Marcos Hernandez (14-3-1, 3 KO’s) in a scheduled ten round middleweight bout. While I will admit that I am curious to see how Kirkland fares in this contest, it is the scheduled ten round welterweight co-main event between Eimantas Stanionis (10-0, 7 KO’s) and Justin DeLoach (18-4, 9 KO’s) that really has my interest.

A highly decorated amateur, Stanionis, 25, represented Lithuania in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He turned pro in 2017 and has been on the fast track toward a world title shot.

In just his seventh pro fight in August of 2018, Stanionis put on an impressive performance in winning a lopsided eight round decision against veteran contender Levan Ghvamichava. That victory moved Stanionis from prospect to contender and in 2019 he continued his rise by going 3-0 with 2 knockouts.

Stanionis is a pressure fighter by trade. From his amateur days, he has developed a precision left jab that he will use to get within his opposition’s range. Once inside, Stanionis will use subtle footwork to shift around his opponents enabling him to land precision combinations. And as his record indicates, those combinations carry some power behind them.

An aspect of Stanionis’s game that I like is that he is relentless with his pressure and punching volume. He is constantly on the front foot attempting to overwhelm his opponent. But on the flip side, this can lead to some defensive flaws. In particular, Stanionis can leave himself wide open to be countered by a sharp puncher. And DeLoach just happens to be a sharp counterpuncher.

DeLoach, 26, was himself a highly touted prospect. During one stretch between 2016 and 2017, DeLoach strung off four straight wins against opponents with a combined record of 57-1-1.

However, since that stretch his career has hit a stumbling block; he’s dropped three of his last four. Now he finds his career at a crossroads and needs a win to avoid falling into that dreaded journeyman category.

DeLoach is a natural boxer-puncher by trade. He is athletic and possesses good hand speed. While he can work combinations behind the left jab, DeLoach has often been most effective as a counterpuncher.

The skill set for DeLoach is quite impressive but he has struggled against pressure fighters. Inside fighting is not his strength and his chin has abandoned him at times. Against Stanionis, DeLoach will need to keep the fight at range in order to remain competitive.

DeLoach is clearly a step up for the fast rising Stanionis and has a style that could cause Stanionis some issues. I think DeLoach will have his spots even if he eventually wilts to the pressure of Stanionis. I am always up for a fun action fight that features a nice contrast of styles and that is what I think we will see when these two meet on Saturday.

Brandun Lee

Boxing on Showtime returns with yet another installment of the popular ShoBox series this Friday from the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN. The quadruple header features eight fighters with a combined record of 54-4-2. While I am looking forward to all four contests, I am most excited to see the main event where 140-pound prospect Brandun Lee (18-0, 16 KO’s) takes a step up in class in facing Camilo Prieto (15-2, 9 KO’s).

Lee, 20, earned numerous accolades in the US amateur program before turning pro in January of 2017. He has stayed quite active as a pro and has scored some highlight reel knockouts. There is definitely quite a bit of buzz about Lee in boxing circles and his apparent immense potential in this sport.

On the surface, Lee appears to have all the tools. He is very fluid in both how he moves around the ring and how he throws his punches. The left jab, which he often works behind, is both sharp and accurate. And his right hand carries some serious power. In his ShoBox debut last September, Lee used that jab-right-hand combination to score a scintillating knockout of Milton Arauz.

The biggest knock on Lee so far in his career has been his level of competition. Arauz was the 17^th opponent Lee had faced and the first who entered the ring with a winning record. So, while the performances have looked great and Lee has taken care of business, the jury is still out as he has yet to be remotely challenged.

The best thing that can be said about Lee’s opponent Prieto is that he does have a winning record. This is not saying a lot but Prieto has a better resume than that of Arauz so that alone qualifies Prieto as a step up for Lee.

There is limited video available on Prieto but from what I can see he likes to move around the ring while flicking his left jab out. In spots he will rush in and look to fire off some combinations. And he does generally keep a very tight guard with good head movement. I know this is not a ringing endorsement, but he should be more of a live body than any of the previous opponents that Lee has faced.

This will be Lee’s first fight headlining a major televised card and I am very interested to see how he performs. It could be the start to a breakout campaign in 2020.

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