Vladyslav Sirenko KO10 Otto Wallin... Vladyslav Sirenko went toe to toe with experienced heavyweight campaigner Otto Wallin, then closed the show with a devastating
two-punch knockout in the last second of the fight to claim a massive victory on his Zuffa Boxing debut. After a high-energy opening round from both fighters, the action started to settle down through the next couple of rounds, with both fighters having some success, but the action never truly caught fire as the bout descended into trench warfare as the pair traded shots at close range, with neither seemingly having the power to trouble the other. But that all changed in the final round of the contest, as Sirenko turned up the pressure and, with Wallin backed up against the ropes as the final seconds ticked down, unleashed a vicious two-punch combination that knocked Wallin out cold with just one second left on the clock.
Welterweight Emiliano Moreno scored the biggest victory of his young career as he outworked Arnold “AG” Gonzalez over eight rounds in New York City. Despite Moreno, age 21, holding the height and reach advantages, it was Gonzalez who pushed the pace early as he exerted controlled forward pressure, landing solidly to head and body. But by the end of round two, Moreno had started to find his mark with his jab. It led to a wild exchange at the end of the round, with both men landing big shots as the bell sounded. The third round followed almost the same template, with Gonzalez pressuring for much of the round, then another crazy exchange, but this time it was Moreno who had the best of the exchange as he landed two big, flush shots just before the bell. Boosted by his end-of-round successes in the second and third, Moreno settled into his work through the middle rounds and worked smartly behind his jab to score with clean, clear shots, while covering up well when “AG” looked to blitz in throwing punches in bunches from close range. Moreno held the upper hand through the remainder of the contest and, despite Gonzalez’s corner’s pleadings, “AG” wasn’t able to find his mark in the closing rounds as Moreno cruised to a relatively straightforward decision win, with scores of 79-73 and 78-74 (twice).
Kashaun Davis won the battle of the undefeated heavyweight knockout artists, as the Mississippi native registered the first decision victory of his career to extend his career record to 12-0. Davis started fast and showcased excellent hand speed for a 300-pound athlete as he let his fists fly early and forced Nistor to cover up. Davis continued to land heavy leather on Nistor, whose only defense appeared to be to hold on. Nistor looked to land overhands while walking in, and it caused several head clashes as the bout wore on. A cut seemed an inevitability, and it was Nistor who ended up busted open, with an accidental clash of heads opening up a nasty cut above the Romanian’s right eye. To make things worse, Nistor was later deducted a point in round five for excessive holding. Nistor tried to find a single fight-changing shot, but nothing he landed had any serious effect on Davis, who absorbed everything his opponent could throw at him, and answered with multiple shots. Nistor exhibited a solid chin and plenty of heart as he hung tough for the full eight-round duration. But when the scorecards were totalled, it told the story of a relatively one-sided encounter, with “Big Baby” running out the landslide unanimous decision winner, with scores of 80-71 (twice) and 79-72.
Troy Nash made his third Zuffa Boxing appearance as he outworked fellow undefeated featherweight Ethan Perez over eight rounds. In a competitive bout, Nash looked a cut above his opponent, with slicker work, sharper counters and more effective output up close, as well as at range. Perez gamely pushed forward and applied pressure throughout the contest, but Nash’s more polished skills ensured that he picked him off on the way in, and controlled the action for much of the eight-round distance to score a majority decision victory. Two of the three ringside judges scored the bout to Nash, with the third scoring the bout a draw as “The Bank” cashed in for his third straight victory under the Zuffa Boxing banner.
In the opening bout of the night, Argentina’s Andres Sosa handed American Dominique Francis the first defeat of his career after eight competitive rounds at junior lightweight. Francis started smartly to edge the exchanges in the opening round, but Sosa picked up the pace and intensity in the second, then landed the punch of the fight in round three, when he connected with a huge left hook to drop Francis to the canvas. Francis tried to box his way back into the contest, but Sosa’s forward pressure and relentless attack, with looping overhands and vicious body shots scoring consistently as he edged the majority of the rounds from the midway point on. Both men dug deep in the final round, with Francis pushing hard for the finish, but Sosa took everything the Miami native could throw at him, then returned fire with interest as the bout went to the judges’ scorecards, with Sosa getting the nod with scores of 79-72, 78-73 and 77-73.
