The first day of the WBC Grand Prix tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia saw the opening round in the featherweight division, yielding the following results:
Muhamet Qamili (Italy) W Ihor Semonchuk (Ukraine): In what was a bout of alternating dominance, the Italian fighter secured victory via unanimous decision. Qamili improved his record to 15-0, seizing his opponent’s undefeated record and advancing to the subsequent stage of the tournament.
Yoni Valverde (France) W Zhou Runqi (China): Valverde earned a unanimous decision after implementing a disciplined and offensive fight plan. The French fighter maintained control of the action throughout and thereby propelled himself into the next round.
Ayubkhon Bakhtiyorov (Uzbekistan) W Djamal Hadjab (France): The fighter from Uzbekistan demonstrated his power and affirmed his potential as a tournament winner by defeating the valiant Hadjab. He sent his opponent to the canvas in the first round with a forceful combination. In the second round, he landed a solid blow that put the Frenchman in a compromised position.
Zholdas Zhengissov (Kazakhstan) W El Yazid Ezzaidani (Spain): Zhengissov achieved victory after a challenging start. In the second round, he put El Yazid in a precarious situation, securing the tournament’s first knockout and qualifying for the next round.
Holy Dorgbetor (Ghana) W Oleksandr Solomennikov (Ukraine): In what was one of the most emotionally charged moments of the evening, the fighter from Ghana secured victory in an exceedingly close contest. Holy was awarded the win by split decision.
Bekizizwe Maitse (South Africa) W Rodolfo Puentes (Colombia): Maitse ensured his passage to the next round through a brilliant performance. The fighter from South Africa won five of the six rounds and handed Rodolfo Puentes the first defeat of his professional career.
Tyshawn Denson (USA) W Enoch Tettey Tetteh (Ghana): The fighter from the United States of America showcased his defensive qualities to earn a comprehensive victory by unanimous decision.
Yusuf Adisa W Carlos Andres Arteaga Orona: The bout concluded in a draw, and the Enhanced Scoring System was employed for the first time to determine Yusuf Adisa as the victor.
Hector Munguía Jr. (Mexico) W Adijat Gbadamosi (Nigeria): An aggressive first round saw Munguía engaging at close range with a tight guard, while Gbadamosi attempted to utilize his greater height. Munguía forced the action and began to shift the momentum in his favor. Despite the African fighter’s bravery, Munguía managed to knock him out in the sixth round to advance to the next stage of the tournament.
Brandon Mosqueda (Mexico) W Bishara Sabbar (Jordan): The Mexican fighter initiated the first round displaying his elusive style, connecting with strong combinations from an organized guard and evading blows with significant waist movement. By the second round, Mosqueda further tipped the scales in his favor, landing solid punches that sent Sabbar to the canvas on two occasions. Sabbar rose from the canvas with the clear intention of returning to the fight; however, Mosqueda came out more aggressively for the third round, achieving victory by knockout.
Gullraj Singh Powar (United Kingdom) W Llamido Japhethlee (USA): What began as a bout of alternating dominance culminated with the fighter from the United Kingdom controlling the action through his powerful power punches. Japhethlee displayed his gallantry, attempting to regain ground in the final round; however, Singh Powar secured the victory via identical scores of 59 to 55.
Jhon Sebastian Bolaño Mendoza (Colombia) W Jermaine Dervon Hardison (USA): Despite his shorter reach, Jhon Sebastian Bolaño managed to penetrate Jermaine Dervon’s guard to land the more effective blows. Based on an active offense, the Colombian fighter succeeded in handing Jermaine his first professional defeat with powerful combinations. Consequently, the Colombian fighter qualified for the next round of the WBC Riyadh Season Grand Prix.
Iman Lee (USA) W Juan Albornoz (Argentina): The reserve fighter Juan Albornoz stepped forward to face Imán Lee. The Argentinian fighter forced the action, while Iman Lee had to recalibrate his approach to secure victory by majority decision.
Angel Sauceda (Mexico) W Maikel Ordosgoitti (Venezuela): The southpaw Mexican fighter engaged in a power-for-power duel against Maikel, who fell to the canvas in the third round. The Colombian fighter rose valiantly; however, it was insufficient, as the Mexican fighter secured victory by unanimous decision with identical scores of 58-55.
