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In the SHOWTIME BOXING COUNTDOWN prelim action that aired live on the SHOWTIME SPORTS® YouTube Channel, longtime contender Andre Dirrell (29-3, 19 KOs) scored a 10th round stoppage against the heavyweight division. Yunueski Gonzalez (21-5, 17 KOs) and former mixed champion Julian “J-Rock” Williams (28-3-1, 16 KOs) won by unanimous decision against Rolando Mansilla (18-12- 1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round middleweight fight.
In addition, unbeaten super lightweights Kent Cruz (16-0-3, 10 KOs) and Enriko Gogokhia (13-0-2, 8 KOs) fought with the majority of the draw in the rematch of their February draw.
Late replacement Brian Mendoza (21-2, 15 KOs) seized his opportunity and survived an amazing five-round KO against former unified world champion Jeison Rosario (23-4-1, 17 KOs) in a performance that Mendoza appears as a work-changer. . The 27-year-old Rosario announced his retirement after the fight.
“They thought I was full,” said the 28-year-old Mendoza, who fought ten days after Yoelvis Gomez was injured. “I’ve been in the gym for seven months straight since I fought that day March 26th. This is nothing but a last call.”
35 seconds into the fifth minute, Mendoza landed a vicious right that sent Rosario to the canvas for the second time in the fight. Rosario stumbled as he tried to get up, prompting referee Mark Calo-Oy to stop the match.
In just five rounds of action, Mendoza was able to land 25 punches to Rosario’s weakened body. In the second round, Mendoza landed a left hook to the body, causing Rosario to slow down and drop to his knees. This is the fourth time in Rosario’s career that he has been dropped with a body shot.
“You watch the tape on the guy, and you see what they’re opening up,” Mendoza said. “I saw an opening and I went. I went through everything. These are the adjustments you make at camp. He kept slipping the straight line I was throwing. He was ducking and I was like, let’s see if this works. I sat on the punch and left it, these are my instincts to work. “
Tonight’s loss ends a stellar career for Rosario, who captured the WBA and IBF 154-pound belts by stopping Julian Williams in one of the biggest fights of 2020.
“I think it’s time to say goodbye,” Rosario said. “I’m not fighting anymore. I will retire. I have achieved a lot, and it is good, but my career stops here. The most important thing is that I am still healthy. I’m sad that I can’t give the Dominican people the results they’re hoping for, but I love you all and thank you for all the support you’ve given me over the years. “
It was all Fiodor Czerkaszyn (21-0, 13 KOs) in the telecast opener, in a fight in which the talented and undefeated middleweight tire that he stocked even further with an impressive overall decision against the seasoned veteran Nathaniel Gallimore (22-6-1, 17). KOs). The judges scored 98-92 and 99-91 twice.
“I felt in this fight that I controlled it,” said Ukrainian Czerkaszyn, who now fights from Poland. “He’s fast and he wants to catch me with hard punches, but I want to feel far. It’s my style. I like punches like that, fast and sometimes throw hard.
Making his SHOWTIME debut, Czerkaszyn made a good first impression by showing a lot of skill during the 10-round knockout. The 26-year-old landed 53 percent of his power punches and earned a sizeable advantage. He landed 59-6 in body shots. Coming off a 16-month layoff and making his debut at 160 pounds, Gallimore didn’t pose much of a threat, landing just 24 percent of his power punches, but showed heart and toughness to get through all 10 rounds.
“I started a little slow out there tonight,” said the Jamaican-born Gallimore, who now fights out of Chicago. “I can’t get my date. He was stronger than me and they gave him a fight. That’s how it is. It’s not my night. He never hurt me in the war. He hit me with some good shots, but I wasn’t hurt or worried at any point that I couldn’t continue.”
With two consecutive wins in the United States after the only fight in Europe, Czerkaszyn is eager to continue his journey stateside.
“I’m ready for the big stage,” he said. “Get me ready for the World Cup, because I only have three weeks before this fight. But this is my chance. This is the next step. I will be back.”
It was announced on television that the main event of the undefeated fighters will end the network’s 2022 boxing series. On Saturday, December 17, top contender Michel “La Zarza Ali” Rivera (24-0, 14 KOs) will take on Derrick James-trained Frank “The Ghost” Martin (16-0, 12 KOs) in a 12 – around hur weight. title eliminator on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® in an event presented by Premier Boxing. More details on the card will be announced at a later date.
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