In the co-main event of Stevenson-Yoshino, Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson (14-0, 14 KOs) handed George Arias (18-1, 7 KOs) his first defeat as a pro with a third-round TKO.
In the third, the 23-year-old native of Toledo, Ohio, switched to southpaw and began picking up the pace with violent combinations.
A left uppercut followed by a right hook from Anderson wobbled Arias toward the end of the round. Arias, who had suffered a cut above his left eye, went to his corner at the sound of the bell. But his team, after seeing his condition, informed referee David Fields to put a halt to the fight.
“I’m the best heavyweight in the world,” Anderson said. “I don’t give a f*ck what nobody is talking about. You hear me? I made that look easy, man, because he helped me make it look easy. He wasn’t throwing punches for real. I kept my defense right. My jab was on point. It was an easy night.
“I want those top names. I want those top contenders. Everybody who keeps calling people out, put my name on the list now. I’m not ducking. I’m not running. And you goin’ to catch this smoke.”
Anderson is talented and has a lot of ability. If I’m Top Rank, I will keep him busy. He could be ready for the best heavyweights in the world, but they should get him some more seasoning.
Plus, he’s young, so his team should take their time with him.
“The Business Man” handles his business against Yigit
U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis (8-0, 6 KOs) faced his stiffest challenge, and he passed with flying colors.
The 24-year-old standout defeated former world title challenger Anthony Yigit (26-3-1, 10 KOs) via TKO in the ninth round of their scheduled 10-rounder.
Davis took the center of the ring at the opening bell and began walking down Yigit, who was uncomfortable with the pressure. By the third and fourth rounds, Davis exuded confidence, landing single shots to the body before easily evading return fire and often doubling and tripling punches with a single hand in round five.
In the seventh round, Yigit began talking trash in a desperate attempt to get Davis to abandon his game plan, but it was to no avail as the native of Norfolk, Virginia, began punishing Yigit with combos. The continued offense from Davis forced referee Benjy Esteves Jr. to end the fight at 21 seconds of the ninth.
“It was fun,” Davis said. “We were both talking trash. He kind of brought that anger out of me today, but I had to find a way to control it, and we got the victory.
“I really just asked ‘BoMac’ what to do. He told me to start moving to my left more, to use more feints, and to let him come to me so that the knockout can come.”
Davis called out Frank Martin after the fight, but that fight might be too soon for Davis. Plus, Martin is with PBC, so that fight probably won’t be happening anytime soon.
Heavyweights: Polish power prevailed tonight as Damian Knyba (11-0, 7 KOs) scored an eighth-round TKO over Curtis Harper (14-9, 9 KOs). In the opening round, Harper was deducted a point for hitting Knyba while referee Harvey Dock called for a break. Nevertheless, the 6-foot-7, 258-pound heavyweight punished Harper for the rest of the fight. Time of stoppage: 2:38.
Middleweights: Former amateur standout Troy Isley (9-0, 4 KOs) defeated Roy Barringer (9-4, 6 KOs) via eight-round unanimous decision. Isley began the fight aggressively, but Barringer stood his ground in the center of the ring and landed his own share of power shots. But, by the third round, Isley began to impose his will with straight right hands and counter shots. Scores: 79-73 and 80-72 2x.
Featherweights: Brooklyn’s Bru
Junior Welterweights: Kelvin Davis (8-0, 5 KOs), the older brother of Keyshawn, scored a lopsided six-round unanimous decision win against Nelson Morales (3-5). Scores: 60-54 2x and 59-55.
Welterweights: Antoine Cobb (1-0-3, 1 KO) and Jaylan Phillips (1-2-3, 1 KO) fought to a majority draw following four rounds of action, the third straight draw for these two combatants. Scores: 40-36 Cobb and 38-38 2x.
Leave a Reply