Two Stars Born on the Same Night! Fortuna and Mago Both Crush Foes in Jaw-Dropping Performances Friday Night
Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing wishes to congratulate his two budding superstars after their impressive victories at Friday night’s “The Moment of Truth” boxing show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and televised live on ESPN Friday Night Fights.
In the night’s main event, Sampson Boxing featherweight prospect Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna (20-0, 15 KOs) passed the toughest test of his career with flying colors (and leather) by demolishing former IBF Featherweight Champion Cristobal Cruz (39-14, 23 KOs) with a razor sharp left hand at 2:22 of round two.
Having been world champion two short years ago and with a resume that included victories over several impressive names, Cruz was supposed to test the 22-year-old southpaw.
It didn’t go that way.
Flashing the brilliant hand speed and thudding power that are becoming his trademark, Fortuna dominated Cruz, dropping him once in the first and flat on his face in the second to seal the victory.
And in the co-main event, the ominous destroyer on the horizon, Magomed “Mago” Abdusalamov (15-0, 15 KOs) scored a pulverizing second-round TKO over a surprisingly outgunned Maurice “Freight Train” Byarm (now 13-2-1, 9 KOs) and in the process successfully defended his WBC United States (USNBC) Silver Heavyweight Championship.
Byarm came out looking to land heavy shots and then turn the big Russian to escape, but Abdusalamov was having none of it. He cornered Byarm at the end of the first and basically ended the fight there with a skull-rattling barrage against the ropes.
Byarm was saved by the bell, but coming out for round two, it took just seconds for Mago to put him on the deck, prompting referee Tony Weeks to stop it at the 36-second mark.
“Both my fighters left little doubt they are on the road to world championships tonight,” said an elated Lewkowicz, post-fight. “Javier Fortuna took on a man who hadn’t been stopped in a decade of tough fights and made it look very easy. That was a world champ he was toying with. The problem opponents are going to have with Javier is that if he hits you, you go down. And with his speed, he’s going to hit you. He is ready for anyone in the world right now.”
“And Mago, continued Lewkowicz. “He was scary tonight. Byarm can fight and Mago walked him down like he was hunting rabbits. No one can take many shots from him. He is the strongest fighter in boxing. It won’t be long and he will be trapping a Klitschko like that. I don’t know who would be crazy enough to fight him after tonight’s performance. We will see. The world better take note of Mago. He’s coming.”
