The skillful ability of Philadelphia-based boxer Anvar Yunusov to duck punches while consistently hurling and landing shots on his opponent proved pivotal in his victory over Carlos Colon (5-2, 3 KOs) of Lares, Puerto Rico. Emerging victorious by way of unanimous decision, Yunusov (7-0, 3 KOs) succeeded in preserving his perfect record Friday night in the King’s Promotions/Titans Boxing Promotions main event at the SugarHouse Casino in Philly.
Following
this intense 8-round battle, Yunusov was proclaimed as the new U.S. Boxing
Federation (USBF) Silver Jr.-Lightweight champion, which was presented by World
Boxing Foundation VP-North America James Gibbs, Jr.
Though
the bout started out with an equally violent exchange between both boxers,
Colon intermittently peppered his opponent with a barrage of punches that visibly—albeit
briefly—stunned Yunusov, who responded with an impressive blend of adroit
evasion coupled with impressive punching power.
A
right jab from Colon drew blood from the right eye of Yunusov, followed by a
Colon onslaught that then dropped him to his knees in the third round. And
although both boxers viably would remain in contention for the win the remainder
of the bout, Yunusov subsequently came into view as the dominant contender for
the title belt.
Both
boxers appeared undaunted by each other’s reciprocal battering, even after Yunusov
in the fifth yet again dropped Colon to a knee.
The
two tired fighters wildly missed and sometimes blocked about a dozen and a half
punches in a rapid-fire exchange that took place in the final minute of the
seventh.
Colon
kept coming back, right until the end of the eighth and final round. Indeed,
even when struck repeatedly with significant enough force to force Colon to
involuntarily take a step or two backwards, he did not make it easy for Yunusov
to secure the win.
Yunusov
ultimately held a visible advantage over his resilient opponent, with two
judges scoring the bout in his favor 78-71 and the third giving him a 79-71
advantage
Co-Main Event
Erik
Spring (12-2-2, 1 KO) of Reading, Pa. and Terrance Williams (5-3-1, 1 KO) of
York, Pa. went the distance in this 8-round super-welterweight competition.
Although Spring attempted—and eventually succeeded—in wearing down Williams
with a series of body shots, Williams consistently leveraged Spring’s position
by reciprocating with multiple shots to his face.
Initially,
Spring’s strategy did not seem worth it; although each blow to Williams’ torso
was punishingly effective, Williams reciprocated with equally forceful shots to
the Spring’s face.
By
the fifth, Williams less frequently capitalized on Spring’s crouched and
vulnerable position. Perhaps that is why—despite an overall impressive showing
by Williams until the final bell—the majority of judges decided the bout in
favor of Spring, 77-75, 77-77 and 76-75.
Super-Middleweights
Brandon
Robinson (12-2, 9 KOs) of Upper Darby, Pa. planted Lawrence Blakely (5-13-2, 2
KOs) on his rear end just 2:49 into the first of six scheduled rounds. Indeed,
Blakely—visibly wincing—got to his hands and knees and stayed in that position
for about thirty seconds. His corner men had to bring a stool to him midway
along the ropes, where they assisted him off the canvas. Robinson won by way of
TKO.
Heavyweights (2)
Despite
an impressive exchange in the first between Colby Madison (8-0-2, 4 KOs) and Emilio
Salas (5-3-1, 3 KOs) of Yonkers, N.Y., Madison flattened Salas in the opening moments of the second. Salas got to his feet soon after, but not without appearing
briefly delirious, as if examining cartoon birds chirping and flying circles
around his head. Madison therefore won by way of TKO.
Middleweights
(2)
In
one of the most intense battles of the evening— the second of two pro boxing
debuts on the card—LaQuan Evans (1-0) of Philly emerged victorious over Jordan
Demko (0-1) of Reading, Pa. Early in the bout, an aggressive Demko went on the
attack, resulting in a 10-count for Evans from referee Dave Franciosi.
Seemingly unfazed, Evans immediately came back with multiple head-snapping
shots that, moments earlier, would have seemed unlikely to arise at that
moment.
This
vacillating domination continued in subsequent rounds. Demko in the third threw
a left with such force that Evans bounced into, then forward from, a neutral
corner. Then in the fourth, Evans had bloodied Demko’s left eye. Evans won via
split decision, with two judges scoring 39-37 and 39-38 in his favor and one
scoring the bout 39-37 in favor of Demko.
Jr.
Welterweights
In
this match-up of two fighters from Puerto Rico, Anthony Mercado (13-4, 10 KOs)
dominated Andres Navarro (11-8-1, 7 KOs) from the start. By the third, Mercado
struck Navarro with such might that the skin on Navarro’s face visibly wobbled.
Mercado won by way TKO when Navarro’s corner stopped the bout.
Middleweights
(1)
In
the first pro boxing debut of the night, "Retro" Ryan Umberger (1-0)
of Philly in a planned 4-round contest beat Brett Oren (0-1) of Harrisburg, Pa.
Although Umberger immediately came out strong, Oren in the second managed to
bloody his opponent’s nose. After three tumultuous rounds, referee Dave
Franciosi called in the ringside physician, who then recommended the bout be
stopped. Umberger won by way of TKO.
Heavyweights (1)
In
round two of a planned 6-round fight, Michael Coffie (6-0, 5 KOs) of Brooklyn
threw such a forceful left hook that he nearly send Eduardo Vitela (3-4, 2 KOs)
tumbling backwards through the ropes. About a minute after this KO, Vitela
barely made it upwards to his stool, even with assistance from his corner
men.
Welterweights
Mark
Dawson (6-0-1, 3 KOs) of Philly in the first had quickly set the tone of this
6-round bout, landing a right body shot that caught the attention of Jordan
Morales (3-7, 2 KOs) of Sunbury, Pa. Morales intermittently was able to throw
and land a flurry of punches, but in the second Dawson landed another right
that dropped Morales to a knee. But it was Dawson’s killer left over the next
four rounds that successfully diminished any possibility of a Morales win.
Dawson won by way of unanimous decision, with two judges scoring the bout 60-53
and the other 59-54.
Super
Featherweights
In
the first fight of the evening, Weusi Johnson (3-10-1) of Wilmington, Del. and
Javier Oquendo (3-1-1, 1 KO) of Philly opened the event with a competitive battle
that—in the opinion of this writer—was rightfully ruled a draw, despite
subsequent boos from the audience. One judge scored the bout 39-37 in favor of
Johnson, another 40-36 in favor of Oquendo, and one tie vote of 38-38.
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