On what was an action-packed night in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, there was a night of first for the company.
There were stars that were born, there were new champions crowned, there were highlight reel moments and then there was an enthusastic and energetic crowd filled to the brim inside of the iconic location.
In terms of atmosphere there was something different about this fight versus some of the other events that the folks at Top Rank have held thus far.
The action got started in the best way possible as Nico Ali Walsh and Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. battled in six rounds of middleweight action.
That was one of the many tough fights to call in terms of the judges decision, as it seemed as if both combatants fared well. At the conclusion of the night though it was Carlos Guerra Jr. improving to a 6-1-1 mark with the split decision victory.
Then things moved towards the heavyweights and man oh man to be able to hear the power behind the punches of both Jared Anderson and Marios Kollias was an awe-inspiring sound.
It was this bout that set the tone for the slug fest that they were about to have, and they for sure put on one heck of a bout, but in the return to Top Rank Boxing it was The Real Big Baby gaining the Unanimous Decision Victory.
Fans in attendance got themselves riled up and the first knockout of the night coming from Keon Davis and the DB3 camp, as in his second fight the Juice Man delivered.
Impressing with his lighting fast hands Rohan Polanco was able to gain a knockdown of a very game Jean Carlos Torres in welterweight action. For those that are able to watch the highlights of the fights the hand speed by Polanco was the key to improving to a 15-0, 10 KOs record.
Prospect of the Year turning into title contender Abdulla Mason continues to cement his legacy as one of the guys to watch for in Top Rank with a victory against Manuel Jaimes in lightweight action.
Mason was able to land a punch right in the temple of Jaimes that sent the Stockton, Cali-native to the mat and gained the eventual victory.
The fastest KO of the night came from Juanmita Lopez De Jesus in his first fight made an immediate impact with the folks at Top Rank Boxing. It was within the first few moments of the first round that Lopez
De Jesus knocked out his foe for the first victory and KO of his career in an incredible way to start his boxing career.
Then it was the goosebumps moment of the night as Vito Mielnicki Jr. from New Jersey, with dreams of being on billboards and being in a place where he could fight for championship gold made that dream come true.
What was a bit of a pickle though was going up against an ultra-tough Connor Coyle as the duo gave the fans in attendance everything they had in all 10 rounds of action.
The fight between Vito and Connor was so close that the judges were unable to determine the winner, leaving many to wonder what the folks at Top Rank were going to do with these two incredible warriors.
Then it came time for the fights that got most of the world of Boxing talking as Xander Zayas took on Slawa Spomer in the battle of international boxers.
Slawa turned to be an incredibly though opponent for Xander, as that was another war between two great warriors.
The strategy by Xander is what helped him to retain the NABF and NABO Jr. Middleweight Title, as it was crushing blows to the body that led to the Puerto Rican star to a joyous celebration in front of friends, family and supporters in NYC.
Zayas had this to say after the battle:
“He withstood a lot of punishment, right from the opening round when we hit him with a jab and busted his nose. I tried attacking that nose and, of course, hitting the body as well. We knew that body punches were going to be key to the win. And that’s how it went down as I finished him in the ninth.”
It was in this moment when the breath of all in attendance was held as Denys Berinchyk took on Keyshawn Davis in the battle of the unbeatens. This was the moment of first as Denys was defending his belt for the first time, while Keyshawn was going for his first belt.
Fans are encouraged to give a view to our photo gallery from the fight:
With all the crowd in The Theatre at MSG all fired up the duo began to measure and see what the other had to offer.
Keyshawn with all the confidence and momentum on his side started his strategy of defeating Denys.
Though it wasn’t in the first round, it felt like a matter of time and a well placed body blow by The Business Man to be the moment to where he was in fact ‘The Man’ to capture the belt.
After the victory Keyshawn had this to say:
“It was an amazing feeling. Right before I knocked him out, I was hearing the crowd saying, ‘Norfolk! Norfolk! Norfolk!’ I was like, ‘I’ve got to knock him out now! Boom!”
“I never really had problems with awkward fighters. The only thing that was giving me trouble was how he kept jumping in and out. And he was a little faster than I expected. As the rounds went on, I got more comfortable in there and in the fourth round did it to him.”
“My son was here. I had to show up for my son, Keyshawn Jr. He was in the crowd watching me. It means a lot to me now. When he looks back at this day, he’s going to be proud of his father.”
“I want anybody who has the balls to step in the ring and fight me. There are two 135-pound champions that I would love to fight. If they have the guts to step in the ring with ‘The Businessman,’ tell them to send me a contract or I can send them one.”
Overall it was an epic night of fights and atmosphere, as not only fans but also guest of honor were in attendance to see the fight. Some of the dignitaries that were at the fight night included history maker Amanda Serrano, Movie star Rosie Perez along with singer Wisin.
The atmosphere along with the live performances made a memorable mark on those in attendance, and the great news for the folks at Top Rank is that with this momentum they now have themselves ready for the next fight.
Next for the folks at Top Rank is a trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the much-anticipated Beterbiev vs. Bivol 2 rematch.
To learn more about Top Rank Boxing and to stay up to date with all the events the company are going to hold fans are encouraged to click on the link below: