David Morrell Jr. added another stoppage to his ledger with a 4th round TKO over a game Alantez Fox. The 5-0 Cuban native flurried as Fox was trapped on the ropes to close round 1 after landing a couple of solid shots in the early goings. Morrell got the best of a left hook exchange around the midway point along with several short punches on the inside during the second frame. Round 3 saw Fox take the lead early but that didn’t last long as David brought a measured attack to Fox roughing him up in the trenches and landing a few huge upper cuts snapping Alantez’s neck back in the last 3O or so seconds. More sneaky short lands dropped Fox and Morrell Jr. proceeded to pour on the punches as Fox’s corner made his way to the apron to stop the fight in the 4th round. The official attendance for the PBC on FOX event at the Minneapolis Armory was a boisterous 3,410.
Lightweights José Valenzuela and Austin Dulay gave the lively audience some entertainment while it lasted anyway in co-feature. José Valenzuela scored 3 knockdowns but Austin Dulay still managed to land flush late in the first round. Valenzuela cutting the ring off from jump-street attacking the body with both hands & hitting Dulay to the head with heavy punches at will. The referee listened to the advice of the ringside doctor stopping it two seconds in to round 4 via TKO. The 11-0 (7KOs) Valenzuela definitely looked the part of a young boxer on the come up at an already deep lightweight division.
The San Juan de la Maguana product Alberto Puello improved his record to 20-0 (10 KOs) by beating VeShawn Owens of Minneapolis, MN. Owens brought his normal hard-hat pressure from the first bell possibly winning the 1st round although Puello landed a clean combo that could’ve stolen round. In the 2nd round Puello showed his fast hands & accurate combos on the move. Owens was cut above his right eye in the third round from an accidental head clash. More fluid punching from the 140-pound mandatory in the WBA, Puello starting to take its toll a bit as his right hooks & left crosses kept finding a home. In the 6th round Puello couldn’t miss adding an upper cut only strengthening his barrage. VeShawn’s steady diet of pressure continued throughput thus giving a decent test for a legit contender like Alberto. Scorecards read 98-92, 100-90, & 99-91 all for Alberto Puello.
In the main event of the FS1 prelims Richardson Hitchins of Brooklyn, NY faced 1-loss Malik Hawkins from Baltimore, MD. It was Hitchins jabs & overhand rights that got the job done. Round 7 was the most entertaining two-way round of an otherwise one-sided affair. Hitchins two-punch quick combos to the head and body created more than enough separation for victory. The judge’s scorecards read 97-93, 100-90, and 96-94 all in favor of Hitchins, who moved to 13-0.
Suray Mahmutovic, 3-0-1 fighting out San Francisco, CA had a close fight with Chino Hill from Davenport, IA 6-0-1 (5 KOs). Not much action thru 2 rounds but in round three Chino Hill landed left hook resulting in a knockdown. Hill followed it up with hard rights to body & few other good lands. Two left hooks to body & one upstairs by Mahmutovic earn him the fourth round. One scorecard had it 39-38 for Mahmutovic overruled by two judge’s 38-38 making it a majority-draw. Also, in the FS1 opener prospect Hector Luis Garcia 14-0 (10 KOs) defeated Isaac Avelar via unanimous decision 78-73.
Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio & Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio