Hovhannisyan battles through arm issue to edge Baez on the cards in a physical Zuffa Boxing 05 opener
Azat Hovhannisyan outworked Eduardo Baez over 10 rounds to secure a majority decision in Las Vegas. Fighting through an apparent left arm issue, Hovhannisyan closed strong to take the fight on two scorecards.
The scores were 97-93, 96-94, and 95-95 in the featherweight bout that opened the main card of Zuffa Boxing 05, with Hovhannisyan doing enough over the distance despite fighting through visible discomfort. He repeatedly looked at and shook out his left arm in the early rounds, but continued to press forward and stayed active enough to secure the nod on two cards.
Baez (25-8-2, 10 KOs) had success early, landing the cleaner shots and taking advantage of Hovhannisyan’s slower start as he adjusted. The fight became more physical as it progressed, with Hovhannisyan warned for rabbit punches and going low more than once, while Baez held his ground and exchanged at close range.
Once Hovhannisyan adjusted to that arm issue, he really took control of the geography of the ring.
Even if Baez was landing sporadically, the judges almost always favor the guy who is moving forward and forcing the action. Hovhannisyan’s pressure made Baez look like he was fighting to survive rather than fighting to win.
Baez had a solid start, but he seemed to fade just as Hovhannisyan was finding his second wind. In a close ten-rounder, the judges’ “recency bias” often kicks in, meaning those strong closing rounds for Azat were more important than Baez’s early success.
Hovhannisyan (23-6, 17 KOs) found his best work with the right hand, landing clean shots in the middle rounds and even taunting Baez in the sixth after taking a punch. The exchanges stayed competitive rather than breaking into a sustained brawl, but Hovhannisyan’s pressure and more eye-catching shots gave him the edge on two scorecards.
The ninth round included another low shot from Hovhannisyan, though he closed stronger, pressing the action and landing the more noticeable punches down the stretch. That late activity helped him separate just enough to secure the decision in what registered as a minor upset on the betting lines.
While Hovhannisyan was limited to one arm for stretches, the right hands he did land were much more eye-catching. Baez’s work was cleaner early, but it lacked the impact needed to keep a surging Hovhannisyan off him.
It’s a classic case of the betting favorite being technically sound but getting outworked by a guy with more grit. Calling it an upset feels a bit like a stretch when one fighter is clearly dictating the terms for the entire second half of the fight.
Hovhannisyan improved to 23-6 (17 KOs) with the win, giving him a second straight victory following a three-fight skid. Baez fell to 25-8-2 (10 KOs) after a steady effort that kept him competitive across the full ten rounds, but he couldn’t do enough to hold off the late push.
