Brandun Lee Steamrolls Another Overmatched Foe on ShoBox

ShoBox: The New Generation was off in the boondocks on Friday night, specifically a Native American Casino in Hinkley, Minnesota, where the main event was a scheduled 10-round contest between super lightweights Brandun Lee and Camilo Prieto. The live audience was restricted to family and friends of the fighters and “essential personnel.” By all indications, this was the last boxing event in the U.S. for the current month and likely beyond.

Brandun Lee, from La Quinta, California, is the 20-year-old son of a Korean-American father and a Mexican-American mother. This was his second appearance on ShoBox but his first in a main event.

Lee entered the contest with a record of 18-0 with 16 KOs. Eleven of those knockouts were forged in the opening round, but only one came against an opponent with a winning record. To say that Lee, purportedly 181-9 as an amateur, has been matched soft would be an understatement and tonight was no exception. Camilo Prieto brought a record of 15-2, but had fought almost exclusively in the Dominican Republic where his first nine opponents were a combined 4-104.

Prieto brought nothing to the table and was bombed out in the third round. “I don’t think this was any kind of leaning experience for Lee,” said ShoBox commentator Steve Farhood. “He needs tougher, more accomplished opponents who can at least give him rounds, if not a competitive fight.”

This was poor matchmaking on the part of ShoBox, but to their credit the other bouts were entertaining and largely competitive.

In a bout slated for eight rounds at 140 pounds, 19-year-old Atlanta resident Brian Norman Jr improved to 17-0 (14) with a seven-round technical decision over LA’s Flavio Rodriguez (9-2-1). The bout was stopped after an accidental clash of heads opened a bad cut on Rodriguez’s forehead. Rodriguez had his moments early, but Norman was in control when the bout was stopped. The scores were 69-64 and 68-65 twice.

Alejandro Guerrero, a 22-year-old lightweight from Irving, Texas, improved to 12-0 with an 8-round majority decision over Jose Angulo (12-2), an Ecuadorian making his U.S. debut. The scores were an unreasonable 79-73, 78-74, and 76-76.

Another majority decision greeted the 8-round featherweight contest between Aram Avagyan (10-0-1) and previously undefeated Dagoberto Aguero. Avagyan, an Armenian whose last amateur fight was a loss on points to Michael Conlan in the Rio Olympics, fought his way back into the fight and closed strong after being knocked down in the opening round and again in the second. The scores were 77-74, 76-74, and 75-75.

Avagyan is part of Dmitriy Salita’s stable at Detroit’s Kronk Gym. Aguero, from the Dominican Republic, was 15-0 going in.

The show will replay on Monday, March 16, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME.

Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp

Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel 

To comment on this story in The Fight Forum CLICK HERE