Azat Hovhannisyan W10 Eduardo Baez... On the Zuffa Boxing 05 undercard in Las Vegas, Armenia’s “Crazy A” Azat Hovhannisyan had to do it the hard way, but he fought through adversity to claim a majority decision win on his first Zuffa Boxing appearance. Hovhannisyan faced Mexico’s Eduardo Baez in a 126-pound featherweight matchup, and looked to be in trouble after the opening round when he appeared to injure his left arm. Baez appeared to pick up on his opponent’s issue, and put his foot on the gas and unloaded power shots as he comprehensively outstruck the Armenian through the first two rounds. The third and fourth saw “Crazy A” gradually adapt his style to accommodate his injury, as he started to fight more competitively. But with Hovhannisyan clearly still only able to throw power with one hand, Baez continued to boss the action.
However, round five saw Hovhannisyan turn up the aggression as he drew Baez in, then looked to counter with big right hands as he seemed to settle on an alternative fighting style that worked for him. And, as the middle rounds played out, the action became much closer to call with Hovhannisyan enjoying some success with his right hand, while Baez’s work became increasingly more scrappy. And, despite fighting almost with one arm for much of the fight, Hovhannisyan battled all the way through to the final round to claim a majority decision verdict, with the judges scoring the fight 95-95, 96-94, 97-93 to give Hovhannisyan the 23rd, and perhaps the hardest-earned, victory of his fifteen-year career.
Alexis De La Cerda KO3 Ervin Fuller III... Alexis De La Cerda added an early candidate for the Zuffa Boxing highlight reel with a huge one-shot knockout of Ervin Fuller III in their featherweight matchup. The two undefeated 126-pounders went head-to-head with a combined record of 20-0, but it was De La Cerda’s punch power that proved the difference-maker as he starched Fuller with a sledgehammer of a short right hook that sent his man face-first into the canvas late in the third round. Fuller actually started the fight well, and may have edged the opening three minutes. But De La Cerda started to find his rhythm in the second as he loaded up with shots and went toe to toe with Fuller through round two. Then, in the third, De La Cerda hit the jackpot. After drawing Fuller into a close-quarters exchange, the 22-year-old from Federal Way, Washington unloaded a huge right hook that connected clean and ended the fight instantly. It gave De La Cerda the ninth win, and fifth knockout, of his undefeated career, as he claimed a statement win on his Zuffa Boxing debut.
Tony Hirsch Jr. W8 Robert Meriwether III... Tony Hirsch Jr. won the battle of the unbeaten lightweights as he defeated Robert Meriwether III via majority decision after eight action-packed rounds in their 135-pound matchup. The pair came out of the gates at full throttle and immediately went toe to toe in a breathless opening three minutes as they met in the center of the ring and traded combinations. Hirsch’s shots to the body looked particularly effective early on for the Zuffa Boxing debutant, while Meriwether appeared to have the slight edge in speed. It set things up for a high-octane encounter as Hirsch continually pushed the pace on Meriwether and refused to let “King” get a free shot. Through the fight, Hirsch’s greatest successes came from working behind his excellent jab, while Meriwether performed best from range, where he could put his shots together. But with most of the action coming in close, it became a battle of wills as the pair traded heavy combinations on the inside, both switching from head to body to excellent effect during the contest. And, as the fight wore on, it appeared that Hirsch’s work was more effective as he took charge of the closing rounds. With two rounds to go, Meriwether’s father, Robert Meriwether Jr., told his son that he needed to finish the fight. But despite pushing hard to find a fight-changing shot, he couldn’t break the relentless Hirsch, who ran out the majority decision winner with scores of 76-76, 76-75, 78-74. It improved “The Phantom’s” record to 8-0-2, while Meriwether suffered the first defeat of his professional career to take his record to 10-1.
Jorge Maravillo TKO5 Elias Diaz... California welterweights went head to head as undefeated Jorge Maravillo recovered from a sluggish start to stop Elias Diaz in the fifth round of their 148-pound matchup. Diaz started the stronger as he pushed the pace and connected with heavy shots through the first six minutes. One right hand over the top connected clean mid-way through the second round as the 32-year-old found his range the better of the two in the early going. Over the course of a competitive first four rounds, Diaz’s shots carried the greater weight as he edged Maravillo in terms of scoring shots landed as he opened up an early lead on the scorecards. But that all changed in the fifth when Maravillo, spurred on by his corner to let his hands go, did exactly that as he rocked Diaz with a huge right hand that forced the San Diego native to hold on. Maravillo kept the pressure on and eventually overwhelmed Diaz, who went to the canvas and took an eight count. Diaz beat the count, but was still badly rocked and, after Maravillo closed in and unloaded more power shots, referee Thomas Taylor stepped in to wave off the fight and spare Diaz any further punishment. It gave Maravillo the TKO victory as the undefeated 26-year-old improved his record to 12-0-1 with the ninth stoppage win of his career. Zuffa Boxing color commentator and pound-for-pound great Andre Ward said it best: “It ain’t how you start. It’s how you finish.”
Troy Nash W8 Bryan Rodriguez... In the opening bout of the evening, Colorado Springs featherweight Troy Nash added to his Zuffa Boxing debut win with a second victory, courtesy of a majority decision verdict over Bryan “Pretty Boy” Rodriguez. Fighting in his first career eight-rounder, Nash took the first couple of rounds to take a look at 19-year-old Rodriguez, and flashed some impressive hand speed as he offered a glimpse of his slick boxing. A Texas native, Rodriguez walked forward almost constantly in search of openings, but Nash controlled the range smartly off the back foot and scored more consistently as he beat the teenager to the punch throughout the contest. Rodriguez attempted to pick up the pace and intensity through the final three rounds, but Nash showcased some soldi defensive skills as he made his man miss, then punished him with well-timed counters. By the end of the penultimate round, Nash was putting his shots together beautifully as he landed cleanly with some eye-catching multi-punch combinations. Surprisingly, one judge scored the fight even at 76-76, but the other two cards more accurately reflected the action, with totals of 79-73 and 80-72 in Nash’s favor, as the undefeated Colorado native improved his record to 7-0-1 with a smart, controlled performance.
