More ShoBox results: Solano throws 100 punches per round

Press Release

22/06/2019

More ShoBox results: Solano throws 100 punches per round

Yeis Solano W8 Elias Araujo... In the opening bout of the ShoBox broadcast, Colombian lightweight Yeis Solano (15-0, 10 KOs) kept his record intact in an all-action, punishing affair with Argentina's Elias Araujo (19-2, 7 KOs). Solano threw over 800 punches in eight rounds but won via split-decision in a battle of Colombia vs. Argentina. A total of 1,470 punches were thrown. The judges scored the fight 76-75, 78-73 and 74-77.  Solano earned the split-decision due to his sharper punching and a key knockdown in the closing seconds of a frantic fourth round. The 26-year-old Solano staggered his opponent on three occasions and despite Araujo’s best efforts to survive the round, he finally went down for just the second time in his career when a right hook sent him face first into the ropes.
 
“I agree with the judges’ decision, I won the fight,” said Solano. “It wasn’t easy but I feel I won. I hurt him in the fourth. He’s a tough fighter. He’s hard to counter. He was coming forward, pushing me against the ropes, not allowing me to bring the fight to the center of the ring. Now I’m going to go back to the drawing board and work with my team to correct the mistakes I made tonight. I let Araujo dictate the pace and that almost cost me the fight.”
 
Araujo’s workmanlike, high-volume punching approach made the fight difficult to score. He averaged more than 100 punches thrown per round. Solano, despite throwing fewer punches, showed more power and precision. He connected on 33 percent of his power punches compared to Araujo’s 22 percent.
 
“I thought I won the fight,” said Araujo. “I was so sure I was winning by points. I was surprised when I heard the judges’ decision. I’m disappointed but I won’t let this bring me down. I’ll go back to California and continue training for the next opportunity that comes my way.”
 
Michel Rivera W8 Rene Tellez Giron ... In the ShoBox co-feature in Iowa, the Dominican Republic’s Michel Rivera (16-0, 10 KOs) made his U.S. debut in style, scoring a near-shutout decision over previously unbeaten Rene Tellez Giron (13-1, 7 KOs). The judges scored the fight 78-73 (twice) and 79-72.  In a clash of young undefeated lightweights, it was the 21-year-old Rivera who dominated the outmatched but gamed Tellez Giron throughout the eight rounds. Rivera scored a knockdown late in the final round, finishing off a quick combination with a right hook that sent Tellez Giron to the canvas for the first time in his career. Rivera's power punches landed at a 57 percent rate, while Tellez Giron was limited to 23 percent power accuracy. In all, Rivera led 205-101 in overall punches connected and 158-86 in power punches landed.
 
Despite Rivera’s impressive performance, the Santo Domingo native feels he has more to give. “I’m my harshest critic and although I won tonight, I’m not happy with performance,” he said. “I was hoping to showcase my skills and I don’t think I did that. You saw half of what I can do in the ring. I can do so much better. There have been world champions from the Dominican Republic, but none of them have had long reigns. I want to be the first long reigning champion from my country, and to get there I have to work hard.”
 
Tellez Giron, who became the 187th fighter to lose his undefeated record on the developmental series, disagreed with the judges’ scorecards. “I felt the fight was closer than the judges saw it,” he said. “It could have been a draw. Rivera caught me off balance and that’s why I went down. Today we didn’t lose, this was a learning experience. You have to know the taste of defeat to appreciate a victory.”
 
Friday’s fights were promoted by Sampson Boxing in association with Paco Presents. The full telecast will replay on Monday, June 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime Extrene and will be available on demand.  source for both results: showtime press release