Emiliano Cardenas W6 Marcus Harris ... Zuffa Boxing launched on Friday with an eight-bout card from Las Vegas. Emiliano Cardenas defeated Marcus Harris via unanimous decision in a six-round bantamweight bout. Official scroes were 60-54 (twice) and 58-56. The Robert Garcia-trained Cardenas improved his professional record to 10-0.. Both men sought to establish their respective jabs in a first round feeling-out process, but by the start of the second, it was Cardenas who looked the more settled fighter. Both men remained compact and kept their defenses tight, but Cardenas landed the better work as he heeded the advice of coach Garcia by mixing up his shots from head to body while largely avoiding being countered on the way out. Harris landed his best shot of the fight in the third round, as he timed a left-hook counter perfectly to send Cardenas backwards, but not down. That success gave “Hitman” the confidence to up his output a little, but Cardenas still held sway with his higher output and shot selection as the matchup headed into the second half. After a closely contested fourth round that saw the pace increase, the action continued into the fifth, with Cardenas’ mobility helping give him the advantage of the slightly more static Harris, who found himself clipped with shots at the end of combinations a the round wore on. One such shot from Cardenas – a big right hand – drew a reaction from the Meta APEX crowd as he connected with one of the cleanest shots of the fight. Harris headed into the final round with his corner’s advice to let his shots go ringing in his ears, but it was Cardenas who upped the intensity with greater effect as he scored with some solid shots in the closing moments of the fight.
Robert Meriwether III W6 Cesar Correa... “King” Robert Meriwether III entered the Meta Apex ring wearing a crown, and while he couldn’t quite find the finish, he showcased some of the quality he possesses as he outclassed Cesar “C Money” Correa in their six-round lightweight matchup. Meriwether started fast and looked to be closing in on an early stoppage, but wasn’t able to find the fight-ending shot, and Correa showcased his grit and determination with a stubborn display that took him all the way to the judges’ scorecards. Correa tried to push the pace early, but found himself continuously clipped by sharp counters from Meriwether. One big right-hand counter from Meriwether briefly appeared to stun “C Money” as he left himself open after one attack, and that right hand continued to land as the round progressed.
Correa continued to push forward and throw punches in bunches, but Meriwether parried them well, then answered with sharp, accurate scoring shots to head and body, with that right over the top proving particularly effective.
Meriwether turned up the power in the second round, and a beautiful three-piece combination ended with a big left hook that sent Correa’s mouthpiece flying as “C Money” went staggering backwards. The Nampa, Idaho native continued to throw shots, but was starting to look outgunned as Meriwether closed out the round with two more right hands that found their mark.
After two decisive rounds for Meriwether, Correa started the third determined to assert himself, and he stepped in and unloaded several multi-punch combinations in attempt to work the body and slow Meriwether down. “King” appeared to be in defensive mode for much of the round as he covered up and dropped his output, but still managed to sting Correa in the closing seconds as he reminded the judges his punches carried the greater threat. The fourth continued in a similar vein, who Meriwether focused on quality, rather than quantity, with his shots as he landed the cleaner work, albeit at a lower frequency than he did early on.
Correa kept his foot on the gas through the final two rounds as he continued to chip away in the hope of landing a fight-changing shot. But it was Meriwether who came closest to finishing the fight in the final round as he hurt Correa with a thumping right hook. Correa refused to back down, though, and emptied the tank with a breathless flurry in the closing seconds as the bout went the distance. The scorecards reflected Meriwether’s technical superiority as he took the unanimous decision with scores of 60-54 59-55, (twice)but Correa’s gritty display ensures that he’ll be a tough test for any of the fellow lightweight prospects in Zuffa Boxing. With that victory, Meriwether improves to 10-0 (4 KOs), while Correa drops to 5-1 (4 KOs).
Troy Nash W6 Jaycob Ramos... The first bout in Zuffa Boxing history delivered an action-packed six-round lightweight bout as Troy Nash overcame the gritty, hard-nosed Jaycob Ramos. Nash started well as he quickly established the jab, and worked behind it effectively as he pumped out range-finders with the lead hand, then clipped Ramos whenever the Dallas native looked to step inside. Ramos had limited success inside with a couple of solid body shots in close, but largely found himself outgunned from the outside in the opening frame. Ramos turned up the aggression in round two and invested heavily in the body in a clear bid to stifle Nash’s speed and movement, and it immediately brought him into the contest. Nash continued to work the jab, but Ramos continued to walk forward and throw leather as the pair ended the round throwing big shots at each other. Ramos continued his aggressive approach as he persisted with his strategy of staying in the pocket and loading up, but Nash exhibited some excellent footwork as he worked angles for counters and landed clean with eye-catching shots. But, as the fourth stanza progressed, it was noticeable that his jab had started to miss, and his output had started to drop – a clear outcome of the pace being pushed on him by Ramos. The toe-to-toe action continued through the fifth round, with Nash’s shots appearing to carry more power, while Ramos’s inside work offered a higher-volume offense in another closely-contested round. Ramos briefly touched down towards the end of the round, but it was correctly ruled a slip by the referee.
It set things up perfectly for the final round, and both men left it all in the ring as they pushed hard in search of a finish. It saw the pair duel it out in a series of punishing exchanges as they loaded up and swung for the fences in the closing stages. But, despite their efforts, the bout went all the way to the final bell. In the end, the judges rewarded Nash’s cleaner work, with the scorecards reading 59-55 (twice) and 58-56 for the Colorado native, who improves his record to 6-0-1 (1 KO). Meanwhile, Ramos drops to 4-1 (1 KO).
