By Ken Hissner: At Montreal Casino, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Thursday over ESPN+ Bob Arum (Top Rank Boxing) and Camille Estephan (Eye of the Tiger Management) presented in the Main Event WBO No. 3 ranked, NABF and NABA Super Middleweight champion unbeaten Armenian Erik Bazinyan out of Quebec, Canada pulled out a majority decision over former WBC US Middleweight champion and world title challenger Alantez “SlyAza” Fox from Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
In the Main Event, the WBO No. 3 ranked NABF and NABA Super Middle champ Erik “BZO” Bazinyan, 29-0 (21), #167, Armenia born, of Montreal, Quebec, CAN, won by majority decision over former world title challenger Alantez “SlyAza” Fox, 28-4-1 (13), #167 ½, of Upper Marlboro, MD, over ten rounds.
In the first two rounds, the taller 6’04” Fox by 4” used an effective jab using the ring well as Bazinyan kept coming forward, landing an overhand right in the final seconds of both rounds. In the third round, the jab from Fox caused some swelling under the left eye of Bazinyan. Bazinyan landed several rights on the chin of Fox during the round as he tried catching the taller Fox.
In the fourth round, Fox continued winning another round though the closest of the four as a frustrated Bazinyan kept trying to land his right.
In the fifth round, Bazinyan seemed to edge it out as Fox slowed down a bit. In the sixth round, Fox seemed to catch his second wind taking the round. In the seventh round, an early first minute, Bazinyan landed a solid combination on the chin, getting the attention of Fox. Bazinyan had his best round up to this point.
In the eighth and ninth rounds, Bazinyan had Fox holding for the most part of the round, outworking him. In the tenth and final round, it was the best round of the fight, with Bazinyan coming out at the bell and landing a solid right on the chin of Fox, setting the stage for most of the round as Fox, in the final seconds, put together a combination of punches trying to steal the round but not enough to do it.
Scores were an astonishing 98-92 twice and 95-95 same as this writer.
The Referee was Steve Saint-Germain.
In the Co-Main Event WBC No. 14, former NABF Super Light champ Yves Ulysse, Jr., 22-3 (12), #140, of Montreal, Quebec, CAN, was stopped by former IBF Inter-Continental champ Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela, 26-3-1 (16), #139, of Jalisco, MEX, at 0:52 of the first round of a scheduled ten rounds.
In the first round, an uppercut landed, followed by a vicious right uppercut from Valenzuela on the chin, and down went Ulysse, who in trying to get up very wobbly forcing Referee Martin Forest to wave it off.
Super Feather Canadian Amateur champ “The Future” Avery Martin Duval, 9-0-1 (5), #132, of Montreal, Quebec, CAN, stopped Eduardo “El Huracan” Mota Garcia, 7-2-1 (2), #129 ½, of Mexico City, MEX, at 1:51 of the third round of a scheduled six rounds.
In the first round, it was all Duval with a clash of heads causing a small cut on the hairline of Garica. In the second round, Garcia came back well to have an edge. In the third round, a quick counter left from Duval on the chin dropped Garcia. As he got up, he almost fell again.
Duval was all over Garcia, causing Referee Martin Forest to call a halt.
Welter National Amateur champ Christopher Guerrero, 6-0 (2), #149 ½, born in Mexico and out of Montreal, Quebec, CAN, scored three knockdowns stopping Edwin Villarreal Flores, 3-1-1 (3), #147, of Tepic, MEX, at 2:49 of round three of a scheduled six rounds.
In the first two rounds, Guerrero dominated. In the third round, at the halfway point, Guerrero dropped Flores with a left to the body for an 8-count from Referee Yvon Goulet. Guerrero went after Goulet landing a left, spinning Goulet around and down for another 8-count. Guerro
Middle Alexandre Gaumont, 7-0 (5), #160, of Buckingham, Quebec, CAN, stopped Carlos “Ruso” Gallego Montijo, 8-5 (6), #160 ½, of Sonora, MEX, at 2:26 of the first round of a scheduled six rounds.
In the first round, Gaumont landed a vicious right uppercut followed by a left hook driving Montijo to the canvas as Referee Yvon Goulet started to count as Montijo was up and fell back down to the canvas causing Referee Goulet to wave it off.
Well-proclaimed amateur Super Middle 18-year-old Wilkens Mattieu, 1-0 (1), #164, of Montreal, Quebec, CAN, made a spectacular debut, scoring three knockdowns in stopping Zsolt Birkas, 0-1-1 (0), #162 ½, of Budapest, HUN, at 2:49 of the first round of a scheduled four rounds.
Twenty seconds into the first round, Mattieu rocked Birkas with a right to the chin. With a minute remaining in the round Mattieu dropped Birkas with a right to the chin for an 8-count from Referee Erick Philippeaux. Thirty seconds later and down, Birkas went from a Mattieu left uppercut to the chin for another 8-count. Upon rising, Mattieu was all over Birkas, dropping him for a third time with a flurry of punches on the chin forcing the referee to wave it off without a count.