By Mark Eisner: 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Murodjon Akhmadaliev (8-0, 6 KOs) used used his speed and movement to dethrone IBF/WBA super bantamweight champion Daniel Roman (27-3-1, 10 KOs) by a 12 round split decision on Thursday night on DAZN at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida.
The scores were 115-113, 115-113 for the 25-year-old Akhmadaliev. The third score was 115-113 for Roman. Boxing News 24 had Akhmadaliev winning 115-113.
Roman thinks he deserved win
“I thought I won the fight,” said Roman after the contest ended. “I thought I did enough.” The judges obviously felt differently in giving the victory to Akhmadaliev.
It was an impressive performance for a fighter with just eight fights under his belt in Akhmadaliev. He fought the same way he’d done as an amateur in Uzbekistan. In the end, his engine was too good for Roman, who didn’t have the leg speed and failed toe show the urgency to get to Akhmadaliev. What Roman did expose is the fact that Akhmadaliev doesn’t like getting hit to the body.
Akhmadaliev didn’t like getting hit to the body
When Roman started to target Akhmadaliev’s body in round 6, it changed the complexion of the fight Going into the sixth, Akhmadaliev had dominated 4 of the first 5 rounds. But after Roman started going after Akhmadaliev’s body with power shots, he had him looking uncomfortable, and it made him move even more than he had in the first half of the fight.
The fight might have been a little more one-sided had Akhmadaliev wasted so much time moving pointlessly around the ring, and not mixing it up enough. Akhmadaliev gave away the 12th round by running, and not standing his ground to exchange. It’s possible that Akhmadaliev that he had a wide lead, and he could milk. That was a bad idea, because the fight too close for the Uzbekistan fighter Akhmadaliev away rounds by being passive.
Akhmadaliev’s movement confused Roman
Roman, 29, struggled with the movement and the hand speed of the southpaw Akhmadaliev. It was clear that Roman was too patient, and he failed to rush Akhmadaliev the way he needed to for him to get to him, and wear him down with body shots.
When Roman finally did increase his foot speed in the 12th, Akhmadaliev looked stressed out and troubled. Unfortunately for Roman, he waited too long before he finally went after Akhmadaliev the way he needed to for him to have a chance of winning the contest.
Roman said after the fight that he’d like a rematch with Akhmadaliev, but it remains to be seen if that’ll happen.
Other boxing results on tonight’s card:
Alexis Angulo SD 10 Anthony Sims Jr
Amanda Serrano TKO 3 Simone Da Silva
Alexis Espino 165 TKO3 Vincent Baccus
Austin Williams TKO4 Donald Sanchez
Otha Jones III 134.8 TKO2 Juan Santiago
Movladdin Biyarslanov KO3 Nicolas Velazquez
Avril Mathie TKO4 Angelina Hoffschneider