A night of light heavyweight dramatiics
Looking back at ESPN's 'Friday Night Fights'
tomdonelson@blackathlete.com •
View all articles by Tom Donelson, BASN Staff Reporter
POSTED: Jul 25, 2010
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Ramos boxed and moved against the ever forward moving Vargas and for the first six rounds, he consistently out maneuvered Vargas while out punching him.
Vargas' aggressive style did very little to slow Ramos down and he simply became a target for the quicker Ramos.
Vargas managed to connect on a couple of punches in the final round but it was too little, too late since Ramos was playing four corners over the last minute and half.
Hardly a stimulating affair and Ramos showed slick boxing style but rarely did he have Vargas in trouble. He won an easy decision in a fight that was not very hard to judge.
OTHER BOUTS
Beibut Shumenov was defending his WBA light heavyweight title in which he acquired after having only ten professional fights. He defended his title against undefeated Ukrainian fighter Viascheslav Uzelkov.
In the first round, Shumenov pursued Uzelkov and appeared effective until the two minute mark when Uzelkov produced a flash knockdown with a short left hook.
Shumenov got up and continued his attack as Uzelkov covered up. Did his aggressiveness over the final 30 seconds keep this a 10-9 round as opposed a 10-8?
Over the next two rounds, Shumenov's best defense was his offense as he attacked, attacked and attacked with jabs and right cross, one of which nailed Uzelkov at the end of the third round.
In the fourth and fifth round, Shumenov continued to press the action as Uzelkov seemed content to hold his hands up. Going into the second half of the fight, Shumenov's biggest weakness was his defense as he often eschewed it in favor of aggressiveness.
But Uzelkov lack of activity allowed Shumenov to score almost at will. He maintained his defensive strategy but after the ninth round, it became obvious that he needed to step his pace or risk losing his first fight as well as his first attempt at a championship.
Shumenov did not allow his opponent to breathe and kept the pressure on as Uzelkov retreated over the championship round. His actions dominated the fight as he continued round after round to pursue his opponent, who after gaining a first round knockout, failed to take advantage of his experience.
Uzelkov came into the fight as a top ten light heavyweight but on this night, the less experienced Shumenov showed the Ukrainian fighter what it took to win a championship.
The key punch of the fight was Shumenov's knockdown of Uzelkov at the end of the third round as he showed his opponent that he could not be hurt and he would keep coming forward.
Uzelkov remained on the defensive as he chose a strategy that cost him any chance of a championship.
But he showed the boxing world that he may not have the talent of the elite light heavyweights, he had heart as he refuse to lose this fight.
Shumenov's heart and will to win allowed him to keep his title with a unanimous decision and Uzelkov left the ring with his first lost and top ten rating in jeopardy.
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