Shobox Quadrupleheader Results:
On a night when undefeated heavyweight Trey Lippe Morrison won his television debut and Ivan “The Beast” Baranchyk and Ivan “The Volk” Golub remained unbeaten, light heavyweight Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic regained his winning ways by registering a fifth-round knockout over previously unbeaten Travis Peterkin in the main event of a ShoBox: The New Generation quadrupleheader live on SHOWTIME Friday from Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Okla.
Making his ShoBox debut and first start since suffering his lone defeat on a disputed decision to Marcus Browne, a motivated Kalajdzic (22-1, 15 KOs) of St. Petersburg, Fla., dropped Peterkin (16-1-1, 7 KOs), of the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, N.Y., two times in the fifth before the fight was stopped at 1:32.
Other televised results: Baranchyk (12-0, 10 KOs), of Brooklyn, N.Y., took a 10-round unanimous decision over Wang Zhimin (7-1, 3 KOs, 7-1 WSB), of Nutley, N.J. by way of Ningbo, China, in the ShoBox co-feature; immensely popular local favorite and son of the late former world heavyweight champion, Tommy “The Duke” Morrison, heavyweight Trey Lippe Morrison (12-0, 12 KOs) demolished previously unbeaten Ed Latimore (13-1, 7 KOs), of Pittsburgh, Pa., scoring a 2:19, first-round TKO; and Ukrainian welterweight Golub (13-0, 11 KOs, 5-0 WSB), of Brooklyn, registered a third-round knockout over James Stevenson (23-3, 16 KOs), of Baltimore, Md.
Kalajdzic overwhelmed Peterkin with consistent aggression, superior fighting spirit and better power. He landed 45 percent of his power shots, including 60 percent in the final round. Plus, he led 37-7 in body connects.
“The one-dimensional nature of Travis Peterkin cost him big time because he had no answer for Hot Rod’s right hand, and when he threw his own power shots they were ineffective,’’ ShoBox expert analyst Steve Farhood said afterward. “He was exposed tonight, and Kalajdzic rejuvenated his career after the loss with Marcus Browne.”
A 6-foot-2 native of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kalajdzic dropped Peterkin the first time with a right-left combination and finished him with a right-left-right combination. Peterkin fell heavily in a neutral corner, prompting the referee to stop it.
“He was a little bit awkward so it took me a little bit to find my range but once I did and I got into a rhythm, I knew he wasn’t going to last,’’ Kalajdzic said. “We have been working on staying patient and finding that range and it showed tonight.
“I wanted to make a statement in this fight and I did. I want the biggest names in the light heavyweight division, but before that I want Marcus Browne again. That is unfinished business for me. If he really thinks he won the fight then let’s do it again. We could fight next week. I’m ready.’’
Baranchyk, despite getting cut for the first time in his career (over his left eye in the fifth), won by the scores of 100-90 twice and 99-91. There were no knockdowns.
The rounds, particularly in the fight’s second half, were competitive. Both fighters landed a high percentage of power shots, 44 percent for Baranchyk, 41 percent for Zhimin, but the difference was that Baranchyk was busier, crisper and physically stronger.
Going more than four rounds for the first time, he answered questions about his late-round stamina and feels he is now ready to step up again.
“The 140-pound division is loaded with talent,’’ Baranchyk said. “There are tons of fighters I would love to fight, but there are two guys in particular I’d like to fight next: Maurice Hooker and Abel Ramos. Hooker is with Roc Nation and is above me in the ratings. He’s undefeated and this would be a great fight to prove I’m one of the best up-and-coming guys in this division. I’d love Ramos to fight Ramos too. We are both promoted by DBE and I have heard he called me out. He’s a come forward guy and those are the type of fights I like and that make for great TV.
“I love the fans here in Miami and I love fighting on ShoBox. This was my first time going 10 rounds and I feel great. Of course I would have liked to get the knockout because I always want to put on a spectacular show, but this was a great learning experience for me. He was an extremely tough opponent and I was surprised he was able to take so many big shots. We have been working on being patient and boxing and I was able to show that tonight.’’
Wang, who gave his best and never allowed Baranchyk to relax, said, “I felt a little tight and I couldn’t get my punches off like I wanted to. He was a little too big for me.’’
In a performance that lit up the arena, Lippe Morrison dropped Latimore two times and was on the verge of knocking him down again when the referee stepped in and halted matters at 2:19. Morrison decked Latimore the first time with a right hand midway through the first. Moments later, Latimore went down again from two rights and a left hook. After a series of shots, the referee stopped it.
“You know I have to watch the fight, but I think I did alright,’’ said Morrison after what was supposed to be the most dangerous assignment of his career. “I know I have to be patient and work behind my jab and just take the opening that I see – patiently. Being patient is something I’ve really been working on. I really felt my patience this time.
“I didn’t expect it to end this quick. I knew it might, but I didn’t plan on it. It felt good to drop a guy with my left hand. I never had the accuracy or quickness with the left that I do know. I now feel that I am equally adept with both hands. My left is like my right.
“To win a fight like this is definitely a relief. I was nervous about the fight, but not about fighting on TV. This was supposed to be my toughest fight on paper and I think I did well.
“I feel I may have opened some eyes, but that’s in large part to Freddie Roach. I feel I’m improving thanks to Freddie. I’m throwing quicker, snappier punches and the coordination between my footwork with my hands is way better. All that is because of Freddie.
“I wasn’t going for the KO but I’m glad it happened. I could not have done it without Freddie, that’s for sure. I’ll be going back to California in a week and then right to the gym.”
The knockout was Lippe Morrison’s ninth in the first round. He also has two second-round knockouts and one fourth-round KO in a career that began in February 2014.
“We want to see more of Trey Lippe Morrison,’’ Farhood said. “Let’s let Freddie Roach to do a little bit more of work with him. He had a tremendous pressure on him tonight, but he did fantastically and he responded very well. He made a big step up in class tonight and couldn’t have produced a better result: a first-round knockout.”
After a competitive, fast-paced first round, Golub took over as Stevenson appeared to tire. A picturesque right hook to the chin dropped and staggered Stevenson, who still wobbly, got up by the count of five, but Golub continued his two-fisted assault, delivered over 20 unanswered punches and the referee stopped it.
“To me the guy that stole the show was Golub,” said Farhood. “We keep thinking of him as a boxer but he showed tremendous power tonight. He knocked out a very sturdy opponent in Stevenson and Baranchyk will benefit tremendously by going 10 rounds. He showed a lot by throwing as many punches as he did late in the fight against an opponent who simply wouldn’t be hurt.’’
“I could see from the first round that he was leaving himself wide open when he was coming in,’’ said Golub after his second ShoBox start. “I knew it was only a matter of time until I caught him with something really big and I would get him out of there. I’m happy with the performance but know I still have a lot to improve on. Our game plan was to be patient and box and let him come to us. I’m looking forward to getting back in there soon and continuing to climb the ranks of the welterweight division.’’
Carlos Carlson Earns Stoppage & Regional Title
After coming out flat footed and suffering a first round knockdown because of it, Carlos Carlson shifted into overdrive in rounds two and three to claim the vacant NABF 118-pound Championship Friday night from the sold-out Doubletree Ontario.
Carlson (21-1, 12 KOs) got stunned early in the first by an overhand right by the much shorter Alex Rangel (17-6-2, 11 KOs). Carlson, who fights out of Tijuana, Mex., bounced back in the second with a furious output. He staggered Rangel on multiple occasions with sweeping hooks to the head and body.
By the third, Carlson had knockout on his mind. He imposed his will on the overwhelmed Rangel. Carlson connected with a right hook, left hook, left uppercut combination that put Rangel on the floor and out of the fight (1:00).
“I didn’t start the way I wanted to,” said Carlson, who likely moves up from the number 11 position (WBC) after Friday’s win. “But I turned the tide in the second and third rounds. I felt him getting weaker with each power punch landed. I knew he was going down.”
Featherweight Erick Ituarte (15-1-1, 2 KOs) used his usual consistent pressure to wear down Alberto Mora (5-5, 1 KO) to the tune of a six-round unanimous decision win, 60-53 all round.
Fan favorite Manuel Mendez (12-1-2, 8 KOs) of Indio, Calif. used his bruising, punishing style to stop Mexico’s Erick Martinez (12-6-1, 6 KOs) in the fourth round. Martinez absorbed a great deal of punishment, even getting hit with a low blow in the third that prompted referee Raul Caiz Jr. to deduct a point.
In the end, it didn’t matter because Mendez was just too strong for the often-backpedaling Martinez. Mendez mixed his punches well, landing shots to the body and power punches upstairs. Mendez is trained by the well-respected Joel Diaz.
Featherweight Ruben Villa (2-0, 2 KOs) continues to look like a blue chip prospect. The southpaw from Salinas, Calif. applied a powerful jab early to back up Mexico’s Jose Mora (0-1).
Villa, who came from an elite amateur background that saw him win back-to-back national Golden Gloves championships, flattened Mora with a straight left midway through the opening stanza. Mora would barely beat the count. Villa wasted no time and poured it on, only for the fight to be stopped at the 2:31 mark.
“The fight went as expected,” said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing Promotions. “Ruben looked sensational in earning his second straight knockout win. It’s very early in his career, but you can already tell how special he is.”
Villa is co-promoted by Thompson Boxing and Banner Promotions.
The “Locked n’ Loaded” opening bout thrilled fans from start to finish. Both Danny Andujo (2-0, 1 KO) and Cesar Guzman (0-1) came out swinging for the fences. The Temecula, Calif. natives set defense aside to produce a back-and-forth affair that had the sold out crowd on its feet for most of the fight.
In the end, it was Andujo that delivered the most punishing shots. He dropped Guzman in the fourth and final round to seal his unanimous decision win. Scores: 40-35, 38-37, 39-36.
Close Up On Ruben Villa’s Win
Heralded featherweight prospect Ruben Villa made it two-for-two in first round stoppages as he took out Jose Mora at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California.
Villa dropped Mora with a right hook, and then stepped on the gas with a flurry of power punches until the fight was stopped at 2:31.
Villa of Salinas, California is now with two knockouts.
“Ruben has been very impressive in his first two outings,” said Banner Promotions President, Artie Pelullo. “We will have him back on November 4th on the undercard of our fight card in Corona, California.”
“The fight went as expected,” said Ken Thompson, president of Thompson Boxing Promotions. “Ruben was sensational in earning his second straight knockout win. It’s very early in his career, but you can already tell how special he is.”
Javier Fortuna Returns With Win
On Saturday night in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the Sambil Commercial Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, former world super featherweight champion Javier “El Abejon” Fortuna returned to action with an impressive two-round blowout of fellow Dominican Marlyn Cabrera.
In his first fight since a surprise defeat last June to Jason Sosa that cost him his WBA World Super Featherweight Championship, Fortuna (30-1-1, 22 KOs) dropped Cabrera twice in the second round, eliciting the stoppage. It was Cabrera’s first loss as a professional.
Fortuna’s victory was one of three Sampson Boxing fighters to win Saturday night.
Undefeated 21-year-old Dominican super welterweight Jeison “Banana” Rosario (12-0, 9 KOs) destroyed formerly undefeated Carlos Jairo Cruz (now 17-1, 11 KOs) in two rounds and 22-year-old super featherweight Abraham “Super” Nova moved his record to 3-0, 2 KOs with a fourth-round knockout over Willy Morillo.
Fortuna looked sharp in his comeback bout, putting the explosive power and speed that makes him one of the most exciting fighters in all of boxing. With the victory over Cabrera in the books, the southpaw former champion will now be looking to regain his championship status.
Fortuna’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, says his fighter has two options to consider for his next fight.
“Next we will either look for an elimination bout for the IBF mandatory contender to fight Jose Pedraza or we will look to face the winner of Jason Sosa vs. Stephen Smith in Monaco on November 12,” said Lewkowicz. “Javier wants to be champion again and he’ll fight anyone to get there.”
Rosario, a recent Sampson Boxing signee to a long-term promotional agreement, is a former amateur standout with a wealth of boxing talent. Cruz stood no chance against the Santo Domingo-based slugger.
“Jeison is a future star and I’m happy to have him in my stable,” continued Lewkowicz. “I will get him a visa to fight in the USA and pay his IRS taxes, which I do for all my fighters.”
Nova, who was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, to Dominican parents, went 167-11 with 60 KOs as an amateur, winning the 2014 USA Nationals, the 2014 Independent World Cup in the Dominican, Gold at the 2014 Cheo Aponte Tournament, and the 2015 Olympic Qualifiers. He is also a five-time New York Golden Gloves Champion.
“Abraham went some good rounds and got the KO over a veteran with more fights,” said Lewkowicz. “I am happy with his performance and with the improvements he continues to show in every fight. He is a strong prospect with a bright future.”
