Tag Archives: Lipinets

Posted on 07/20/2019

By: William Holmes

The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada was the host site for tonight’s Pay Per View (PPV) Offering by Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC).

The attendance in the arena was still sparse as the televised portion of the pay per view started. A portion of the undercard was televised on Fox and featured a stoppage win by Caleb Plant over Irish Mike Lee.

The opening bout of the pay per view was between Juan Carlos Payano (21-2) and Luis Nery (29-0) in the bantamweight division.

Both boxers fought out of a southpaw stance, and Payano was winning the early rounds and nearly doubled the output of Nery. Nery was short with his punches going into the third round, but had a strong fourth round and appeared to be gaining confidence.

Nery continued to stalk Payano in the middle rounds and remained the aggressor. Payano was still landing some good shots, but Nery did not appear to be bothered by the punches of Payano.

Nery turned the punch output in his favor by the seventh round and landed some hard blows on Payano by the ropes. Nery continued to land the harder punches and keep Payano on the defensive in the eighth round.

The end of the fight came in the ninth round when Nery landed a left hook to the body that crumbled Payano. Payano was unable to get up by the count of ten and Nery scored an impressive body shot knockout.

Nery wins by knockout at 1:43 of the ninth round.

The next bout was between Sergey Lipinets (15-1) and last minute replacement Jayar Inson (18-2) in the welterweight division.

Lipinets was preparing to face John Molina Jr., but he pulled out three days ago and Lipinets had to adjust his strategy for a southpaw on short notice.

Inson landed two straight lefts early in the first round, but that may have been the only clean punches he landed in the entire night.

Lipinets applied pressure in the opening round and continued that pressure into the second round. Lipinets landed a beautiful left hook on Inson that sent him falling flat on his face.

Inson got up before the count of ten, but he looked to be in bad shape and the referee waived off the fight.

Lipinets wins by TKO at 0:57 of the second round.

The final fight on the undercard was between Yordenis Ugas (23-4) and Omar Figueroa Jr. (28-0-1) in the welterweight division.

Ugas started off strong and crisp counters on the forward moving Figueroa. Ugas scored a knockdown when a punch from him knocked Figueroa backwards with only the ropes to keep him up, scoring Ugas a knockdown.

Ugas continued to land heavy body shots on Figueroa in the second round, and was able to wither the pressure of Figueroa. Ugas out muscled Figueroa, and by the fourth round had outlanded him 62-42. Figueroa had a cut above his eye checked out by the doctor but was allowed to continue.

Ugas lost a point in the fifth round for holding onto Figueroa, and Figueroa had a better round. But Ugas was able to land some hard straight right hands on Figueroa when his back was against the corner in the sixth and reclaim momentum of the fight.

Ugas had an effective body attack in the seventh and eighth rounds, but was warned for a low blow in the eighth.

Figueroa simply was not able to mount an effective offense in the ninth and tenth rounds, as Ugas had him time countered.

Ugas wins the decision with scores of 119-107 on all three scorecards.

Posted on 03/25/2019

By: Ken Hissner

Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions and Lou DiBella’s DiBella Entertainment put on a televised card on Fox Sports live from the MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, MD. This event was promoted in conjunction with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). The main event featured an upset by Sergey “Samurai” Lipinets by Lamont “Havoc” Peterson in ten rounds. Afterwards Lamont announced his retirement.

In the Main Event former IBF and WBA Super Lightweight champion now welterweight Lamont “Havoc” Peterson, 35-5-1 (17), of D.C. was upset in a fantastic action fight by Sergey “Samurai” Lipinets, 15-1 (11), of RUS and Beverley Hills, CA, at 2:59 of the tenth round.

In the first round Peterson used his hand speed against the shorter Lipinets who had more power but landed fewer punches. In the second round Lipinets got inside landing right uppercuts to the chin having Peterson trying to cover up. Peterson landed a chopping right to the head followed by a left uppercut to the body.

In the third round Lipinets landed a 3-punch combination to the head and body. Having moved up two weight classes he looked much smaller but hits hard. In the final minute Peterson stopped fighting inside and got back to moving and countering. Lipinets landed a punch after the bell.

In the fourth round Lipinets showed his power punching getting Peterson moving away as Lipinets cut the ring off well landing well on Peterson. In the fifth round Lipinets landed well making Peterson run from him before coming back inside. Lipinets landed a right to the chin followed by a left to the body while Peterson landed a left hook to the body in return. Peterson landed a double left hook to the body getting the fans into it. Peterson warned for a low blow by referee Harvey Dock and then Peterson landed a right hand as the bell sounded early causing the Peterson corner to get upset with the timekeeper.

In the sixth round Lipinets landed several solid body shots then got a warning for another being low. It turned into an inside brawl by both fighters. In the seventh round Peterson landed a straight right to the chin while Lipinets came back with a solid left to the chin. The action was furious.

In eighth round both fighters picked up where they left off with Lipinets hurting Peterson with a right cross on the chin. drawing blood from the nose. Lipinets landed a right ending the round as Peterson walked on unsteady legs back to his corner showing swelling under his left eye.

In the ninth round Peterson got right back into an inside war with Lopinets. Lipinets landed three body shots. It was Peterson backing up Lipinets in the final twenty seconds of the round.

In the tenth round Peterson landed three body shots before Lipinets came back with one of his own. Lipinets landed punch after punch having Peterson in trouble driven into the ropes to the point he stumbled to the canvas after taking three more punches as his corner wisely threw in the towel ending the fight in a dramatic upset!

Peterson announced his retirement after the fight and thanked his many fans in the audience for their support over the years. Lipinets manager gave a lot of credit to new trainer Joe Goosen.

In the co-feature super lightweight Anthony “Hazardous” Peterson, 37-1-1 (24), of D.C. and Dominican Argenis Mendez, 25-5-2 (12), born in Brooklyn, NY, fought to a split draw over 8 rounds.

In the first round Mendez followed Peterson around the ring getting out jabbed. In the second round Peterson finally opened up with a 3-punch combination to the body. Peterson landed a right cross to the chin halfway through the round. Mendez continued to walk after him with little offense.

In the fourth through the sixth round Peterson continued using his speed of hand and foot making Mendez frustrated walking into punches. In the seventh round Peterson continued controlling the fight though Mendez finally scored punches when inside but not enough to win the round.

In the eighth and ninth rounds Mendez made it a fight as Peterson’s punch count lowered and his left eye was a little swollen. In the tenth and final round Mendez landed a triple jab followed by a right to the chin. Peterson kept moving in a close round.

Scores were Hazzard 96-94 Peterson, Gradowski 96-94 Mendez and Wallace 95-95. This writer had it 97-93 Peterson. Peterson took it well while Mendez was upset he didn’t win.

Super welterweight southpaw Jamontay “The Quiet Assassin” Clark, 14-1 (7), of Cinn., OH, defeated southpaw Vernon “Subzero” Brown, 10-1-1 (7), of Chicago, IL, over 10 rounds.

In the first round the taller Clark landed a double right hook to the chin. His jab controlled the round. In the second round Clark landed four punches to the head without return. Two southpaws against one another usually doesn’t make for a good fight. Brown cannot get inside Clarks reach.

In the third round a right hook from Brown almost put Clark through the ropes. Referee Chevalier took time getting Brown to a neutral corner before giving Clark and standing 8 count. Brown then jumped on Clark looking like it might be stopped until Clarks head cleared and took control.

In the fourth round it was all Clark until the final ten seconds when Brown rocked Clark with a right hook on the chin having him in trouble making him hold until the bell. In the sixth round Brown knocked out the mouthpiece of Clark. He chased Clark from that point on.

In the seventh round Clark got the better of an exchange in the first of a minute. Brown continued the chase and got the best of Clark when stopped running. In the eighth round Clark countered but Brown chased and did well when he caught up to him especially with the right hook in a close round.

In the ninth round Brown got Clark backed into a corner working the body well. Both fighters had slowed down at that point but were throwing leather. In the tenth and final round Clark starts the round using his jab well while back pedaling. Brown at the middle point got Clark on the ropes getting the better of it.

Scores were Hazzard, Jr. and Wallace 97-93 and Braslow 96-94 for the winner while this writer had it 96-93 for the loser.

In the opening bout Lightweight southpaw Cobia Breedy, 12-0 (4), of Barbados and Hyattsville, MD, Fernando “Chukito” Fuentes, 14-7-1 (4), of Hemet, CA,

In the first round Breedy goes from southpaw to orthodox getting the best of Fuentes in a wild swinging round especially southpaw. In the second round Fuentes goes well to the body. Breedy landed his best punch so far a left hook to the chin of Fuentes.

In the third round Fuentes walked into a Breedy overhand right on the chin. Breedy warned for hitting behind the back. Fuentes does the pressing landing a while left hook to the chin. He then missed with a left hook and got countered by a right from Breedy on the chin. In the fourth round Fuentes used his longer reach landing a combination to the chin.

In the fifth round Fuentes continues to lung in swinging wildly and got hit on the bridge of his nose by a Breedy right opening a small cut. In round six Breedy lunged into Fuentes banging heads causing a nasty cut on the eyebrow of Fuentes causing the fight to come to an early end by referee Dave Braslow in a scheduled 8.

Scores at the stoppage were 59-55 and 58-56 twice same as this writer at 58-56.

Middleweight Brandon “Bulldog” Quarles, 21-5-1 (10), of Alexandria, VA, lost by split decision to southpaw Aaron Coley, 16-2-1 (7), of Hayward, CA, over 8 rounds.

In the first round southpaw Coley landed a lead left to the chin of Quarles. The smaller Quarles fought out of a crouch while Coley prior to the bell again landed a straight lead left on the chin. In the second round Coley kept waiting for Quarles to come to him and countered him every time.

In the third round Coley continued to pick Quarles apart with his jab and straight left to the chin. Halfway through the round Quarles finally landed a short right to the chin and again just prior to the bell. In the fourth round Quarles kept coming in low with hands high when Coley landed a hard left to the ribs. Coley ended the round with a solid left to the chin.

In the sixth round Coley rocked Quarles with a right uppercut on the chin knocking the head back. Coley continued outboxing Quarles. In the seventh round Quarles landed a solid left hook to the chin in the first half minute. Coley’s best offense besides his jab was his left uppercut to the body.

In the eighth and final round Quarles knowing he is behind is throwing right hands with one landing on the chin at the halfway point of the round. Coley landed a right hook to the chin catching Quarles coming in.

Scores were 77-75 Quarles, 79-73 and 78-74 Coley as did this writer 78-74 Coley. Coley and the rest of us were surprised with Quarles getting a nod.

Super welterweight Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson, 3-0 (2), of Baltimore, MD, defeated Jaime Meza, 0-1 (0), of NIC out of Compton, CA, over 4 rounds.

In the first round both fighters missed while Meza did a 360 when Simpson dropped with a left on the chin within seconds of the start. Simpson is a nephew of Rahman. In the second round Meza landed a wild right to the head followed by several more punches. Simpson is countering well against Meza who continues to come forward.

In the third round Simpson continues to box well while there is no quit in Meza. In the fourth and final round Meza is throwing bombs knowing he is behind. Simpson finally goes to the body of the hands held high Meza. Simpson got a warning from referee Kenny Chevalier for low blow. Simpson landed a right hook followed by a left to the chin of Meza.

Scores were 40-36, 40-35 twice as did this writer have it 40-35.

Posted on 03/11/2018

By: Ken Hissner

Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions and Showtime featured 3-division world champion Mikey Garcia winning his fourth division title defeating IBF World Super Lightweight Champion Sergey “Samurai” Lipinets in the main event. The event was held at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, TX, Saturday night.

Photo Credit: Showtime Boxing Twitter Account

IBF World Super Lightweight Champion Sergey “Samurai” Lipinets, 13-1 (10), of KAZ, and Beverly Hills, CA, lost his title to the former WBO Featherweight, Super Featherweight and WBC Lightweight Champion Mikey Garcia, 38-0 (30), of Moreno Valley, CA, over 12 rounds.

In the first round almost a minute went by with little connecting. There were mostly jabs by both boxers with Garcia landing a couple of combinations. In the second round Lipinets does a lot of feinting and using the jab. Garcia landed several chopping rights to the head. With a minute left in the round Garcia rocked Lipinets with a right to the chin. Garcia had a bloody nose.

In the third round Lipinets opened up rocking Garcia who came right back with combinations. Lipinets kept his left hand low while Garcia had his up high. In the fourth round Lipinets landed an overhand right to the head. Referee Lawrence Cole warned Lipinets for a low blow. Garcia landed a lead right to the chin.

In the fifth round Garcia landed a triple left hook. Midway Lipinets landed several left hooks to the head. Garcia countered well. Lipinets ducked into a Garcia left hook. In the sixth round Garcia used his jab well. Lipinets landed a straight right. Garcia came back with a solid right to the head. Garcia landed a combination but got countered by a Lipinets left hook to the chin.

In the seventh round Garcia landed a chopping right and got countered by a right. A counter left hook by Garcia dropped Lipinets at the midway point of the round. Lipinets was up at eight and cut on the left eye brow. In the eighth round Garcia landed a lead right to the head. Lipinets drove Garcia against the ropes with a flurry of punches. Garcia landed a hard right to the chin just prior to the bell.

In the ninth round Garcia boxed well for the first half of the round. Lipinets landed a right followed by a left hook driving Garcia back a few steps. In the tenth round Lipinets kept the pressure on Garcia. At the midway point Garcia rocked Lipinets with a lead right to the chin. Lipinets missed a right and was countered by a Garcia left hook. Garcia ended the round with a right cross to the head of Lipinets.

In the eleventh round Lipinets landed a hard left hook to the head of Garcia. Lipinets came back with a combination to the head. Garcia landed several lead right hands to the head. Both boxers landed left hooks to the head. In the twelfth and final round Lipinets was looking for a knockout seemingly behind. Lipinets landed a solid left hook to the chin. Both fighters left it out in the final minute of the fight.

Judges scores Mark Calo-Dy 116-111 and Julie Lederman and Nelson Vasquez 117-110. This writer had it 116-111.

“I want to thank the beautiful fans in San Antonio for their support. He was very strong and prepared. There were moments I felt I may have hurt him but didn’t want to chance getting hit with an overhand right. I would like to go back to lightweight and unify and back to super lightweight and unify,” said Garcia. “I thought his experience won him the fight,” said Lipinets.

In a rematch the former IBF World Featherweight and IBF World Super Lightweight Champion Cuban Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy, 26-1 (13), of Las Vegas, NV, lost in a lopsided decision to the new champion Kiryl “Mad Bee” Relikh, 22-2 (19), of Minsk, Belarus, for the vacant WBA World Super Lightweight title.

In the first round Barthelemy with hands held high kept moving as Relikh chased. Relikh landed combinations when he was able to catch up with Barthelemy. Barthelemy ended the round with a pair of body shots. In the second round Relikh had Barthelemy on the ropes landing have a dozen unanswered punches.

In the third round Relikh landed more than half a dozen punches keeping Barthelemy on the ropes. Barthelemy landed a combination to the head of Relikh while in the middle of the ring. Relikh landed the best punch of the round a solid right to the head of Barthelemy. In the fourth round Barthelemy stayed in the middle of the ring quite a bit and got out punched when he did. Not much jabbing in the fight as both fighters are head hunting.

In the fifth round Barthelemy was warned about a low blow by referee Luis Pabon. Relikh got through the defense of Barthelemy with uppercuts and straight punches. In the sixth round Barthelemy landed a left hook to the head but got countered by Relikh with his left hook. Barthelemy forced by holding Relikh to go backwards into the ropes and to the canvas. Relikh continued to outwork Barthelemy.

In the seventh round for the third time in the fight Barthelemy warned for low blow and deducted a point. That didn’t stop Relikh from out landing him. In the eighth round Barthelemy landed a 3-punch combination to the head of Relikh. Relikh used a jab and left hooks with chopping right hands to body and head of Barthelemy.

In the ninth round Barthelemy fights in spurts while Relikh lands heavy handed punches. Barthelemy “shoe shines” at the end of the round trying to steal the round in the judge’s eyes. In the tenth round Relikh continued out working Barthelemy. Half way through the round both fighters were throwing punches at each other to the first delight of the fans. What may have looked like a good body punch by Barthelemy was low. A left hook by Relikh to the head of Barthelemy was countered with a flurry of punches.

In the eleventh round only in spurts does Barthelemy land left hooks to the body of Relikh. Barthelemy’s style is not entertaining to the fans and shouldn’t be to the judges. In the twelfth and final round Barthelemy switches from orthodox to southpaw and back. Relikh landed a double left hook to the body. Barthelemy comes forward but not throwing many punches as Relikh countered well. With five seconds to go once again Barthelemy lands a low blow and loses another point. It looked like a shut out for Relikh but since their first fight did and he lost you never know with judges.

Judge Palacano 118-109 Judge Ramos Judge Montoya. This writer had it 120-107.

“The difference this time was I did it with my new trainer. I am very happy and dreamed of this and now it is done,” said Relikh.

Posted on 03/08/2018

By: Bryant Romero

This Saturday will be another stacked night of boxing with two competing cards on Showtime and ESPN. Showtime will be presenting two world title fights at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas with Mikey Garcia (37-0, 30 KOs) looking to capture a fourth world title in a fourth weight class when he challenges IBF Jr. welterweight champion Sergey Lipinets (13-0, 10 KOs) in the main event. Garcia is looking to become just the third fighter in history to capture world titles from 126 pounds to 140 pounds if he is successful in defeating Lipinets this Saturday night.

Garcia is considered by many in boxing to be one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world and will be heavily favored to defeat Lipinets. While Garcia is certainly a very skillful fighter with boxing skills, punching power, and excellent technique, there is still a strong debate on whether Garcia is truly one of best in the world pound for pound. Garcia is a three-weight world champion but with Adrien Broner being his career best win to date, there is much left to be desired in the career of Mikey Garcia.

The 30-year-old Garcia losing two years of his career while he battled his former promoter Top Rank in court didn’t help matters when it came to his rise in the sport. Still, in his three fights back since his hiatus from the sport, he’s reminded the boxing world how good he is, but can he fulfill his career ambition in becoming one of the biggest names in the sport?

Reportedly turning down a Miguel Cotto and Jorge Linares fight to instead fight an unknown but dangerous champion in Sergey Lipinets may not seem like the smartest of business decisions. However, Garcia is happy with the path he’s taking, will look to make history against Sergey Lipinets, and will eventually set his sights on challenging one of the welterweight champions if he is successful this Saturday.

Lipinets will be looking to spoil all of the plans of Mikey Garcia and frankly he feels disrespected with all the talk of Garcia picking up his fourth world title. Lipinets though is very confident of victory and while he may be an unknown champion, he is a good strong fighter with a lot of experience as a kick boxer and has fought very solid opposition in just 13 pro fights as boxer. An argument can be made that Lipinets could be Garcia’s most interesting challenge to date.

On the undercard, features another world title fight in the 140 pound weight class when Rances Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KOs) takes on Kiryl Relihk (21-2, 19 KOs) for the vacant WBA super lightweight title in a rematch of their wild fight last May. The winner of this fight will put themselves in a strong position for a unification bout with the winner of the Garcia vs Lipinets main event.

Posted on 11/02/2017

By: William Holmes

Last Saturday night Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua was able to successfully defend his belt against an overmatched Carlos Takam, but looked less than impressive in doing so.

This Saturday night the WBC Heavyweight Champion, Deontay Wilder, will look to defend his title against Bermane Stiverne in a rematch of a fight that Wilder convincingly won the first time.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

Two other bouts will also be televised. Shawn Porter will look to get back into the welterweight title picture when he faces Adrian Granados in a WBC Welterweight Title eliminator. The first bout of the night will be for the vacant IBF Junior Welterweight Title and will be between Sergey Lipinets and Akihiro Kondo.

This card will take place at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York and will be televised live on Showtime.

The following is a preview of the three televised bouts.

Sergey Lipinets (12-0) vs. Akihiro Kondo (29-6-1); IBF Junior Welterweight Title

The opening bout of the night will be between Sergey Lipinets, a highly ranked prospect from Kazakhstan, and Akihiro Kondo, a tough rugged veteran from Japan.

Lipinets, at 28, is four years younger than Kondo but will be giving up about one inch in height. They both have notable power. Lipinets has ten career stoppage victories including four of his past five bouts. Kondo has sixteen stoppage victories including five straight KO/TKO wins.

Lipinets has been fairly active and fought three times in 2016 and once in 2017. Kondo fought twice in 2017 and four times in 2016.

Lipinets is also a former WAKO World Full Contact Kicking Boxing Champion at Light Welterweight.

Lipinets, despite only having twelve professional fights, has only faced on opponent with a losing record since the start of his professional career. He has already defeated the likes of Clarence Booth, Leonardo Zappavigna, Walter Castillo, and Haskell Rhodes.

Kondo has never fought as a professional outside of Japan. More specifically, he never fought outside of Korakuen Hall in Japan as a professional. His list of defeated opponents is less than impressive and includes boxers such as Komsan Polsan, Shogo Yamaguchi, and Ryuji Migaki. His losses were to Nihito Arakawa, Yoshitaka Kato, Tomoya Yamada, and Rick Sismundo.

Kondo will likely be a tough opponent that has the ability to go the distance, but his six losses in Japan are hard to overlook as well as his lack of a notable victory over a well known opponent. Lipinets should win, but he may have to box conservatively to avoid a shocking knockout loss and win a safe decision victory.

Shawn Porter (27-2-1) vs. Adrian Granados (18-5-2); Welterweights

Shawn Porter is another boxer looking to get back into title contention as he faces Adrian Granados in the welterweight division.

Porter is two years older than Granados but still in his athletic prime at the age of thirty. He will be giving up two inches in height and about four and a half inches in reach to the taller Granados.

Both boxers has fairly successful amateur careers. Porter was a US National Golden Gloves Champion while Granados was a Junior Golden Gloves National Champ.

Both boxers have been fairly inactive the past two years. They both only fought once in 2016 and once in 2017.

Porter has higher number of knockouts. He has stopped seventeen of his opponents while Granados has stopped twelve. Porter also has the better resume as a professional. He has defeated the likes of Andre Berto, Adrien Broner, Erick Bone, Paul Malignaggi, Devon Alexander, Julio Diaz, Phil Lo Greco, and Ray Robinson. His losses were to Keith Thurman and Kell Brook.

Granados lost a close fight to Adrien Broner and scored a big upset over Amir Imam. However, he has lost to the likes of Brad Solomon, Felix Diaz, Frankie Gomez, and a Joe Juan Fuentes.

Granados is a viable opponent because of his close fight with Adrien Broner and his upset victor over Amir Imam, but Porter is too experienced to lose a fight over an opponent like Granados at this stage of his career.

Deontay Wilder (38-0) vs. Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1); WBC Heavyweight Title

The man event of the evening is between Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne for the WBC Heavyweight Title. They previously met in January of 2015, a fight which went the full twelve rounds and saw Wilder win a comfortable decision.

Wilder was originally scheduled to face Luis Ortiz, but a positive drug test by Ortiz forced the cancellation of that bout.

Wilder will have a five inch height and a three inch reach advantage over Stiverne. He is also seven years younger than his opponent. Stiverne, at the age of thirty eight, will likely have a very hard time getting another title shot if he’s not successful on Saturday.

Wilder has unbelievable knockout power. He has stopped thirty seven of his opponents and the only man to take him to the distance was Bermane Stiverne. Stiverne has twenty one stoppage victories on his resume but has only won one of his last five fights by stoppage.

Inactivty will hurt Stiverne. This will be his first fight in nearly two years. He last fought on November 14th of 2015. Wilder fought twice in 2016 and once in 2017.

Both boxers have a decent amateur background, but Wilder is the only one of the two to have medaled in the Summer Olympics.

Wilder has defeated the likes of Gerald Washington, Chris Arreola, Artur Szpilka, Eric Molina, Bermane Stiverne, Malik Scott, Siarhei Liakhovich, Audley Harrison, and Kelvin Price. Stiverne has defeated the likes of Derric Rossy, Chris Arreola, Ray Austin, and Kertson Manswell. His losses were to Deontay Wilder and Demetrice King, who has a record of 11-15 at the time.

It’s hard to imagine Stiverne having a better shot now, at the age of thirty eight, than he did two years ago, especially with his inactivity. This wasn’t Wilder’s first choice for an opponent, but it’s an opponent that he should feel fairly confident that he can beat, again.

Posted on 07/15/2016

Lipinets, Nyambayar Thunder To Victory
By: Sean Crose

There were complaints that Friday’s PBC card on ESPN appeared to be pretty much the same as an old Friday Night Fights broadcast. For those who don’t know, Friday Night Fights, ESPNs boxing program of old, featured up and coming boxers and gave them international exposure. The PBC, on the other hand, was supposed to bring major bouts to “free” television. Needless to say, ESPNs PBC card on Friday featured up and comers rather than huge stars. So yes, the broadcast did look like an old FNF show. Truth be told, however, I always loved FNF, so I settled in for a fun night of boxing.

The evening showcased a Mongolian fighter who boasted a 5-0 record, all by knockout. Sure enough, Tugstogt Nyambayar stepped into the ring at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi as a featherweight who was off to a thunderous, if not high profile, start. His opponent, Rafael Vazquez, hadn’t fought since dropping a unanimous decision to Ryan Kielczewski the previous October. Still, with 13 knockouts out of 16 victories in a record consisting of 19 fights, it was clear Vazquez was more than just cannon fighter. Unfortunately for Brooklyn’s Vazquez, Nyambayar kept up his knockout streak by crushing his man in round one.

The main event, which featured 9-0 junior welterweight Sergey Lipinets facing off against Nicaragua’s 26-3-1 Walter Castillo. With a rich background in MMA and amateur boxing, Lipinets was clearly looking to improve his resume -which featured seven knockouts – with a sharp performance. Castillo, however, was known to be a high energy foe. After having one win, one loss and one draw in his last previous fights, Castillo would earn the career boost he needed with a win over the rising Kazakh.

Lipinets took to Castillo with his heavy fists early on, but Castillo remained game. Lipinets split his man’s lip in the third as his hard shots gave him an edge. Castillo, however, was not to be denied so quickly, for he started the fourth with a harsh assault on his foe. Sure enough, the fight started to even out. What’s more, Lipinets suffered a cut due to a clash of heads.

Lipinets nailed his man in the 6th so effectively that it looked like the proceedings might be coming to a close. Castillo survived, though, and remained competitive. Still, Lipinets connected with thunderous precision again in the seventh before banging Castillo against the ropes. Not one to relent, Lipinets swung away until Castillo began to look helpless, leaving the referee no choice, but to stop the fight.