U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 6 KOs) extended his winning streak in the lightweight division, securing a majority decision over Philly’s own Nahir Albright (16-3, 7 KOs). After a lively exchange of jabs in the opening, Davis consistently landed his right over Albright’s shoulder. This strategic play, coupled with some sharp counterpunching, had Albright reconsidering his offense. Though Davis eased up towards the end, the final scores of 96-94 and 97-93 tipped in his favor, overshadowing a 95-95 score from one judge.
When asked about the fight, Davis remarked, “I believed I had this in the bag. Albright is tough, no doubt. This fight taught me a lot. My aim? Top the 135-pound division. And if Jose Pedraza is game, let’s get this show on the road.”
The action continued with heavyweight U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (7-0, 7 KOs) dispatching San Antonio’s own Tyrrell Anthony Herndon (21-5, 14 KOs) in a second-round TKO. Torrez was relentless right from the get-go, his southpaw punches cutting through Herndon’s defenses. A well-placed left sent Herndon tumbling, leading to a barrage that ended with referee Alejandro Leon stepping in at 1:26.
Post-fight, Torrez mused, “It’s all part of the journey. I trust Top Rank to guide me. As for knockouts? When I don’t see them coming, they usually do! Today, I showcased my boxing skills over two rounds. Can’t wait for what’s next.”
Janibek Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) secured a victory over Vincenzo Gualtieri (21-1-1, 7 KOs) in a sixth-round TKO, bringing together the WBO and IBF middleweight world titles at Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas.
At 30, Janibek, the boxing sensation from Zhilandy, Kazakhstan, took some time to catch his beat. Once he read Gualtieri, the earlier IBF champ’s destiny was pretty much set in stone.
Dominating with his southpaw stance, Janibek managed the pace in the starting rounds, with Gualtieri opting for sideways movements and sporadic attacks. However, a well-timed left uppercut by Janibek in the fifth sent Gualtieri to the canvas.
While Gualtieri managed to pull through that round, the barrage he faced in round six led referee David Fields to call it a day at 1:25.
In his own words, Janibek commented, “This is how I roll in the ring. It’s the Qazaq style and I’m here to stay.” Adding, “He was on the defense, probably hoping I’d wear out. Didn’t happen. Now, we’re eyeing two more belts and counting on Top Rank to make it happen.”
A gracious Gualtieri responded, “Hats off to Janibek. He had the upper hand tonight. Although, I felt the call was a tad premature. Regardless, he was the better fighter today.”
I won’t go into the minute details of each subsequent fight, but I can’t skip mentioning some notable moments:
Guido Vianello, the heavyweight talent from Italy, clinched a thorough eight-round unanimous decision against the experienced Curtis Harper. Though Vianello had his hands full with a wily Harper, he managed to outscore him in every round.
In the junior welterweight division, Giovanni Marquez of Houston sent Donte Strayhorn packing in round two. Marquez’s aggressive stance and power-packed shots, especially the uppercuts, were too much for Strayhorn to handle.
For the featherweights, U.S. Olympic silver medalist Duke Ragan overcame a year’s hiatus and a knockdown in round five to clinch a close win against Jose Perez in an eight-round split decision.
