Harrison vs Charlo 2: The Undercard Action

This afternoon, there were some fights at Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA.,  that weren’t televised or if they were, it was shown on FS1.

Here is a quick recap of those fights in case you missed them.

Hugo Centeno Jr. (27-3) vs. Juan Macias Montiel (21-4)

This was a good fight to finish off the FS1 telecast as Hugo Centeno Jr looked to put on a performance that would lead to him getting a bigger fight in the future. This was a hard fight for both men as early on, Centeno Jr. switching from southpaw to conventual was giving Montiel problems. Then in the middle rounds, Centeno Jr. started to drop his arms and that’s when Montiel took that opportunity to land some big straight right hands that hurt his opponent quite a few times. In the 8th, a Centeno Jr…..

..right hand opened up a nasty cut on Montiel and it seemed like the end was near but it was far from over as Montiel kept coming forward. In the end, the fight went to the scorecards and the judges saw this one 97-93,96-94,  95-95 making this one into a draw.

Jhack Tepora (23-0) vs. Oscar Escandon (25-5)

In what was labeled a “special attraction”, Oscar Escandon did not get the memo that he was the underdog because he came out looking to end things quickly. When the two fighters met in the middle of the ring, I noticed Tepora was breathing really hard as if he was nervous about the televised fight. It was a left hook to the body by Escandon that landed, sent Escandon to the canvas which led to the end of the fight as he was unable to get up. Oscar Escandon wins by first round knockout.

Eimantas Stanionis (9-0) vs. Julio Cesar Sanchez (11-2)

Stanionis is a tough young fighter who sticks to the basics when in the ring. He started the first round with a hard, stiff left jab along with a thudding left hook to the body. Although Sanchez was claiming it was not hurting him, midway into the first round, his mouth was wide open. In the second round, it was more left hooks to the body but then followed by an overhand right by Stanionis. In the third, Stanionis scored a knockdown with the left hook to the body. Once Sanchez got up, Stanionis swarmed him and the referee jumped in to stop the fight. Eimantas Stanionis wins by third round TKO.

Andre Dirrell (33-2-1) vs. Juan Ubaldo Cabrera (24-2)

It’s been a little while since we saw Andre Dirrell but here he was fighting on a non-televised fight against Cabrera. In the first, Dirrell controlled the fight with his jab and distance. Same in the second but in the third round, a combination of left and right body shots sent Cabrera to the canvas for the first knockdown of the fight. The fourth round was a little slow but it picked right up in the fifth when Dirrell landed a big left hook which sent Cabrera to the canvas once again. Cabrera got up but the referee stopped the fight shortly after. Andre Dirrell wins by fifth round knockout while also possibly setting himself up for another big fight in the light heavyweight division.

Raymond Guajardo (4-0) vs. Donnis Reed (3-4)

This one didn’t take long as Guajardo landed a vicious left and right hook which knocked out Reed prior to him hitting the canvas. This was a first round knockout for Raymond Guajardo. One thing to note, Guajardo needs to work on where his hands are when mixing it up inside as he was really open to get countered and as he moves up in competition, this can become a problematic.

Justin Cardona (3-0) vs. Archie Weah (3-13)

Justin Cardona is getting his career started and he will be ones of those developmental projects. Cardona has solid fundamentals but he was head hunting too much which saw him miss body punching opportunities and was countered by his opponent. Weah did not do much to merit a victory which is why Justin Cardona scored the unanimous decision victory with all three scorecards reflecting 40-36.

Petr Khamukov (4-0) vs. Maceo Crowder (2-3)

An afternoon of knockouts continued as Khamukov landed a vicious overhand right toward the end of the first round knocking down Crowder. In the second round, Crowder complained to the referee about his right eye but the fight continued. At the end of the second, Crowder did not get up from the stool giving Khamukov the second round knockout victory.

This afternoon at the Toyota Arena, fights started as early as 1pm Pacific. The names on the fight card won’t sound familiar other than Andre Dirrell but I have seen enough to know that there is plenty to be excited about in the upcoming year for some of these young fighters on the earlier portion of the card.