Carlos Adames and Lester Martinez win the boxing weekend
WBC title successes for both men, plus Conlan bows out and Liddard's learning curve
Carlos Adames Won Pts 12 Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams
In the flagship main event of the weekend, Dominican demolition man Adames had to settle for a wide points win over a tough, but outgunned, Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams.
Headlining in the Caribe Royale, Orlando, Florida, Adames dropped Williams with a double right hand in the second, yet appeared slightly buzzed himself later in the session.
Williams was resilient. Adames was more experienced and effectively bullied the Florida resident, using his superior shot selection and durability to pick off the rounds round after round and retain his WBC middleweight title.
Adames was docked a point late on for low blows, but it mattered little. Overall, a good old-fashioned dust-up between throwback fighters, ending with a clear winner.
On the Florida undercard, Omari Jones used his size and weight advantages to dominate Christian Gomez over eight rounds.
Corey Marksman was too fast and sharp for southpaw Jaycob Gomez. Marksman claimed a unanimous decision and a Matchroom contract.
Teremoana Jr knocked out Curtis Harper in round one with a crisp right hand.
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Michael Conlan Lost Pts 10 Kevin Walsh
Heartbreak for Conlan, boxing in front of a minuscule Belfast crowd, beaten by a mediocre opponent. There was some debate after the event over the scoring, but even if Mick had got the decision, it was clear the old magic had gone.
At his peak, a fight with someone as basic as Walsh wouldn’t even have been close. This version of Conlan, now 34, struggled to pull the trigger or find his timing.
The bout was a dire spectacle, resulting in a split-decision win for American visitor Walsh, who has been backed by a good team, following early-life adversity, and deserves his moment in the limelight. He won’t, however, trouble anyone half decent.
George Liddard Won Pts 12 Tyler Denny
A really good learning fight for Liddard, who went home with his British and Commonwealth middleweight titles, plus an IBF fringe belt for ranking purposes following a points victory over Tyler Denny.
Going the full distance for the first time, Liddard sold a lot of tickets in the Copper Box Arena and at 23 years old is blossoming into a really nice fighter.
He was able to box early and was forced to fight late by West Midlands veteran Denny, a former European champion whose best days are behind him. Liddard was well worth his win, by scores of 116-112 across the board.
On the London undercard, classy southpaw Giorgio Visioli needed the full 10 rounds to overcome the stubborn resistance of Levi Giles. Visioli dropped Giles on the way to his English lightweight title victory.
Jimmy Sains had his hands full with Derrick Osaze, prevailing by majority decision. Emmanuel Buttigieg bounced back from point deduction adversity to stop Jake Goodwin in round nine.
Lester Martinez Won Pts 12 Immanuwel Aleem
Picking up the WBC super-middleweight Interim belt technically makes Lester Martinez the first world champion from his proud Central American nation.
We’ll not quibble over the title and, instead, let him enjoy his night after a quality win over the resurgent Aleem, who more than played his part in this raucous Pro Box affair.
The buzzing Guatemalan crowd was packed in close to the ring, giving off the feel of a fight from the past. Even in the quieter early rounds, they cheered every shot thrown by Martinez, whether it landed clean or scraped Aleem.
This was the first time Martinez had gone the full route; such was his punching prowess. He’ll be all the better for it when chasing down the likes of Canelo, Diego Pacheco, a Christian Mbilli rematch or other.
Image Credits: Boxing Scene, Breaking News dot ie
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There was also a decent Puerto Rican card on Thursday! Felix Parrilla is definitely a fighter to keep an eye on! :)