At Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the boxing scene was set for an evening of surprising twists and truly fierce competition.
The main event saw a major upset as Ryan Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs), who was overweight and therefore ineligible to win the title, defeated the reigning WBC World super lightweight champion Devin Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) by majority decision. Despite Garcia’s initial weight issue, he managed to secure the victory through crucial knockdowns, with scores of 114-110, 115-109, and one judge scoring it 112-112.
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In the co-main event, Arnold Barboza Jr. (30-0, 11 KOs) faced off against Shawn McComb (18-2, 5 KOs) for the WBO Inter-Continental super lightweight title in a closely contested bout that ended in a disputed split decision. McComb displayed skillful boxing, but Barboza was given the nod with scores of 96-94 and 97-93 in his favor, and one score of 98-92 favoring McComb, leading to discussions among fans and analysts about the fairness of the decision.
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The fight card also featured John Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) taking on David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) for the WBA Interim World Super Fly title. Jimenez dominated with consistent body work and aggressive tactics, earning a unanimous decision with scores of 117-111 twice and 116-112, showcasing his strength and tactical execution.
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Another significant bout saw Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) face Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1, 12 KOs) in a match that was halted in the seventh round due to a nasty cut from an accidental headbutt. Melikuziev was ahead on the scorecards at the time of the stoppage, leading to a technical decision in his favor with scores of 79-73 twice and 78-74.
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Image Credit: Golden Boy