Fast Results from LA: Morrell TKOs Gavronski; Montiel Bombs Out Kirkland

Fast Results from LA: Morrell TKOs Gavronski; Montiel Bombs Out Kirkland

The final PBC boxing event of 2020 was staged at an iconic LA entertainment venue, the Shrine Expo Hall, formerly the Shrine Auditorium. The main event was a predictable mismatch, but it was an entertaining card with several unexpected developments.

In the main go, 22-year-old Cuban defector David O. Morrell (4-0, 3 KOs) had his way with brave but sorely overmatched Mike Gavronski (26-4-1). A southpaw with an impressive amateur pedigree (purportedly 130-2; 40-5 boxrec), Morrell (pictured on the left) was coming off a one-sided 12-round decision over previously undefeated Lennox Allen this past August in a bout billed for a WBA interim 168-pound world title. No title was at stake tonight as the bout was contested at the catch-weight of 170 pounds.

Gavronski ate a lot of leather before the bout was stopped at the 2:45 mark of round three. A straight left sent him to the canvas in the opening round and an uppercut that snapped his head back forced referee Jack Reiss to step in and prevent further punishment.

Co-Feature

We may have seen the last of Texas middleweight James Kirkland, who looked nothing like the boxer who began his career in a meteoric fashion and brought a 32-1 record into his 2015 bout with title-holder Canelo Alvarez. Kirkland, whose career was interrupted by managerial and legal problems including two separate stints in prison, had fought only twice against soft opponents since meeting Canelo and the ring rust was obvious as he was bombed out by Juan Macias Montiel in the opening round.

Montiel, from Los Mochis, Mexico, had Kirkland (34-3) on the canvas three times before the bout was waived off after only 144 seconds. A short left-hook started the carnage and the bout could have been stopped a few punches earlier.

The nephew of former two-division title-holder Fernando Montiel, Montiel advanced his record to 25-4-2 with his 22^nd knockout.

Other Bouts

Rising 19-year-old, Arizona welterweight Jesus Ramos (14-0, 13 KOs) dismantled Philadelphia’s Naim Nelson (14-6) in a scheduled 8-round match that was stopped after four rounds. It was an impressive showing by the heavy-handed Ramos who decked Nelson with an overhand left in the waning seconds of round three and pummeled him around the ring in the next stanza.

In a drab, 10-round super middleweight contest, Alantez Fox (27-2-1, 1 NC) scored a unanimous decision over Fresno’s Marcos Hernandez (14-4-1). Hernandez was the aggressor, but he had difficulty getting inside Fox’s 79-inch reach and lacked the power to trouble his taller opponent. The scores were 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94.

In the TV opener, Russian welterweight Radzhab Butaev, currently residing in Indio, CA, knocked out Terry Chatwood in the third frame, putting Chatwood down on his back and in obvious pain with a series of body punches. The official time was 1:01.

Butaev, who was 8-1 in the semi-pro World Series of Boxing, improved to 13-1 (10) in his first fight back since losing a unanimous decision to fellow Russian Alexander Besputin at Monte Carlo in November of last year, a bout that would be declared a no-contest when Besputin tested positive for a banned substance. It was the first loss for Chatwood (9-1-1), a 36-year-old father of four from North Little Rock, Arkansas.

More

The 18-year-old Barrientes twins, Las Vegas super bantamweights, appeared on the card with mixed results. Angel Barrientes appeared in the swing fight and was stopped in the fourth round by Tuscaloosa’s Travon Lawson (5-0, 4 KOs). Angel went down hard after absorbing a vicious right hand and was deemed unfit to continue when he beat the count.

Chavez Barrientes, whose father named him for Julio Cesar Chavez, advanced to 5-0 (4) at the expense of South Carolina’s outclassed Paul Carroll (4-2) who retired on his stool after three rounds.

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