In a battle of undefeated Jr. Middleweight prospects
Jarrett Hurd scored an impressive sixth round TKO over Frank Galarza on
Saturday night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The
elusiveness of Hurd along with a consistent jab carried the ebb and flow of the
fight in the early rounds. Galarza attempted to put pressure on Hurd, but did
not throw his jab as he came forward. This allowed Hurd to dictate how the
fight was being fought and to counter punch effectively.
Although Galarza was able to occasionally get Hurd on the
ropes, he generally was unable to get his punches off first and neglected head
movement as he came forward. This allowed Hurd to get the better of most of the
exchanges between the two.
As the fight progressed Hurd became more confident and in
round four he was able to knock Galarza down with a right uppercut. Galarza was
able to get up, but was clearly bothered by the knockdown, the first of his
career.
Galarza simply did not have an answer to deal with Hurd’s
hand speed, defense, and lateral movement. In round six an uppercut by Hurd set
off a combination that staggered Galarza and forced Referee Russell Mora to
step in and stop the fight. Official time of the stoppage was :59 of round six.
Jarrett Hurd advances to 17-0, with 11 Knockouts. Frank
Galarza falls to 17-1-2, with 11 Knockouts.
Also on this card, in the Super-Middleweight division
undefeated prospect Sergiy Derevyanchenko scored a third round TKO over veteran
contender Jessie Nicklow. Derevyanchenko’s technique as well as a well-balanced
attack to the body and head broke down Nicklow over the course of three rounds.
A barrage of punches brought an end to the bout late in the third round.
Official time of the stoppage was 2:18 of round three.
Sergiy Derevyanchenko advances to 7-0, with 5 Knockouts.
Jessie Nicklow falls to 35-8-3, with 8 Knockouts.
In the Light-Heavyweight division undefeated prospect
David Benavidez scored a first round knockout over veteran Felipe Romero. A
left hand from Benavidez stunned Romero early in the round and set off a
barrage that sent Romero down to the canvas. Benavidez would drop Romero two
more times with a follow-up barrage before the fight was stopped. Official time
of the stoppage was 2:00 of round one.
David Benavidez advances to 11-0, with 10 Knockouts. Felipe
Romero falls to 19-10-1, with 13 Knockouts.
In other bouts:
Former WBC Heavyweight world champion Bermane Stiverne in
his first bout since losing his world championship earlier this year to Deontay
Wilder was able to overcome being dropped by a right hand in the first round in
his bout against longtime contender Derric Rossy to earn a lopsided ten round
unanimous decision. Official scores were 95-94, and 96-93 (on two scorecards)
in favor of Stiverne.
Bermane Stiverne advances to 25-2-1, with 21 Knockouts.
Derric Rossy falls to 30-11, with 14 Knockouts.
Welterweights Charvis Holifield (4-1-1, with 3 Knockouts)
and Dwain Victorian (5-3-1, with 3 Knockouts) fought to a six round majority
draw. Official scores were 58-56, and 57-57 (on two scorecards) resulting in
the draw.
Also in the Welterweight division Sanjarbek Rakhmanov
(3-0, with 2 Knockouts) scored a second round TKO over previously undefeated
Somner Martin (4-1, with 2 Knockouts). Official time of the stoppage was 2:08
of round two.
In the Jr. Welterweight division Trakwon Pettis (2-0,
with 1 Knockout) scored a four round unanimous decision over previously
undefeated Marquis Hawthorne (1-1, 0 Knockouts). Official scores were 40-36 (on
all three scorecards) in favor of Pettis.
This edition of ShoBox presented three fighters who are
all prospects and could be approaching contender status as 2016 approaches. In
the case of Jarrett Hurd, who was making his national television debut on the
popular Showtime Sports series, it will be interesting to see if he is matched
up against a top fifteen contender in his next fight. Based on his performance
against Frank Galarza this observer believes it may be time for him to test the
waters in his eighteenth professional fight.
In regard to Sergiy Derevyanchenko, he is currently rated
number nine in the world by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) in the Middleweight
division, despite only having seven official professional fights after
previously competing in the sub-professional league known as the World Series Of
Boxing, in which amateurs compete in bouts under a professional format, but are
allowed to maintain Olympic eligibility. Currently bouts fought under the World
Series Of Boxing banner are not recognized as official professional fights.
Although Deryvyanchenko has only had seven professional
fights, his overall skill is that of a seasoned fighter and this observer
believes he should be given an opportunity to show what he can do against a top
contender. Deryvyanchenko has the kind of technique and systematic approach in
the way he sets up his offense that could be a potential problem for fighters
who are considered top contenders.
As for David Benavidez, it is difficult to say where he
stands right now as a rising prospect in the talent deep Light-Heavyweight
division. Although Benavidez in comparison has had four more professional
fights than Sergiy Derevyanchenko, it is important to remember that Derevyanchenko
gained considerably more seasoning while he was competing in the World Series Of
Boxing than his record suggests.
Benavidez clearly outclassed an over matched opponent in
Felipe Romero and it may be a question of how quickly Benavidez’ handlers want
to move him along and test him against a fighter who is considered a top twenty
to top fifteen contender. Benavidez has shown in scoring knockouts in ten of
his first eleven fights that much like Jarrett Hurd, he may be ready to test
the waters.
For former WBC Heavyweight world champion Bermane
Stiverne, he was able to bounce back from losing his world championship and
scored a convincing unanimous decision. Although Showtime Sports curiously
chose not to include Stiverne’s return to the ring as part of its ShoBox telecast,
it was announced that WBC world champion Deontay Wilder will make the third
defense of his world title on January 16th in Brooklyn, NY in the main event of
a Showtime Sports broadcast.
Although no opponent has been announced for Wilder’s next
fight as of this writing, it may be a possibility that Stiverne could be in
line for a rematch. Stiverne was after all the only fighter to date to go the
distance with Wilder in the champion’s thirty-five professional fights.
Whether or not Stiverne will get a rematch against Wilder
remains to be seen. It is not uncommon however, for a former champion to
receive a rematch against the fighter who was able to take the title away from
that champion. If Wilder-Stiverne II does take place in January, Stiverne will
become the first fighter to receive a rematch against a knockout artist in
Wilder, who outside of his world championship winning bout against Stiverne has
continued to knockout his opposition.
A rematch between the two would generate interest and
have the classic storyline of repeat or revenge. It is a fight that this
observer believes should be considered.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau
Denison All Rights Reserved.
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