On this Day in Fistiana... 1/19/13 Kovalev vs. Campillo

On this Day in Fistiana…

  Sergey Kovalev vs. Gabriel Campillo

January 19, 2013

Sergey Kovalev topples Gabriel Campillo at Mohegan Sun

By Alex Pierpaoli

Originally posted at BillyCBoxing.com

Stoppage victories were the theme of the night at Mohegan Sun when 6 fights on the 8 bout card ended by

way of the knockout. Russian light heavyweight Sergey Kovalev scored an impressive third round technical kayo win over Spain’s Gabriel Campillo in the main event of the night. The co-feature ended even quicker than that when Brownsville, Brooklyn’s middleweight Curtis Stevens crushed New Haven’s Elvin Ayala in just half a round. Both fights were televised on the NBC Sports Network as part of a Main Events/CES/Sampson Boxing promotion.

One hundred seventy-five pound Sergey Kovalev, of Chelyabinsk, Russia, took advantage of the slow-starting Gabriel Campillo, of Madrid, Spain, with a pressuring, combination-punching attack from the start of the first. Campillo picked up the pace in the second but without major power in his fists Campillo couldn’t keep Kovalev away or make him think twice about being so aggressive. By the end of the second it was clear Kovalev’s hard lefts and rights were hurting Campillo. In the third Sergey Kovalev dropped Campillo three times before referee Mike Ortega halted the bout at the 1:30 mark. With the impressive stoppage the unbeaten Kovalev is now a force to be reckoned with at 175 and improved his record to 20-0-1 (17). In defeat Campillo fell to 21-5-1 (7).

Middleweights Elvin Ayala and Curtis Stevens both needed to score an impressive win in front of a television audience. It took Brooklynite Curtis Stevens just about a minute to make just that sort of statement with a monstrous left hook that sent Ayala staggering along Queer Street. Beating the count, Ayala was allowed to continue but Stevens was relentless and despite now fighting at a lighter weight class, the former light-heavy and super middle still has his power and ended things at 1:10 of the opening round. Stevens secures himself a top ten ranking at middleweight with the victory and moves to 23-3 (17) while Ayala drops to 26-6-1 (12).

Super featherweight Jason Sosa, of Camden, NJ, upset local favorite Joseph “Chip” Perez, of East Hartford, via fourth round TKO of a scheduled 6 rounder. The fast-paced bout featured good exchanges in the early going but it was clear by the end of the first when Sosa scored a flash knockdown that Sosa was landing heavy and Perez needed a change of strategy. Spending too much time with his back along the ropes, Perez paid dearly for it as Sosa landed with heavier and heavier blows. In the fourth Sosa landed a well-timed cannon-blast of a right hand that sent Perez crumpling backwards. The referee stopped the action at 2:10 of the fourth. In defeat Perez dropped to 10-2 (3) and Jason Sosa improved to 8-1-3 (3).

In the final bout of the card local female bantamweight sensation Michele Shelito Vincent, of nearby New London CT defeated Nydia Feliciano of the Bronx, NY. Feliciano boxed beautifully in rounds one and two, using smart consistent circling to bedevil Vincent and a hard overhand right to make her think about pressing forward. But by the end of round two it was “Shelito’s Way” of using hard left hooks to the head and belly of Feliciano to slow her down a step and break up her rhythm that took effect. The final half of the fight was peppered with exciting exchanges that saw the colorful aggression of Vincent cave-in the clever, speedy boxing of Feliciano. When the decision comes after 6 it is unanimous for Shelito Vincent, 59-55, 58-56 x 2, BCBoxing had it 58-56, or 4-2 for Vincent in rounds. In victory Shelito Vincent continues to impress, improving to 7-0 and the gutsy Nydia Feliciano drops to a deceptive 5-4-3.

Lightweight Edwin Cotto, of neighboring Willimantic, CT, debuted with a stoppage victory over Ian James of Brooklyn, NY. Cotto thrilled his enthusiastic cheering section with a heated first round in which James tried repeatedly to land a big right hand but paid for it. Cotto connected with a speedy left-hook right-hand combination that scored a knockdown in round two. Again in the third James was ruled down when he touched the canvas with both gloves to keep his balance after another hard bolt from Cotto. In the final frame referee Mike Ortega called things off when Cotto sent James reeling backwards into his arms. Ian James returns to Brooklyn at 2-5-1 (1) and Cotto is now 1-0 (1).

Welterweight Jimmy Williams of New Haven, CT debuted with a 4^th round TKO over Noel Garcia of Springfield, MA. Williams’ speedier hands and feet kept Garcia on the defensive in round one but Garcia turned it up in the second. Williams scored a knockdown off a speedy counterpunch in round three and in the fourth he lowered the boom on Garcia at :39. Noel Garcia returns to Massachusetts at 2-16-1.

Super middleweight, Marcus Upshaw, Jacksonville, FL, defeated Vladine Biosse of Providence, RI, by eighth round TKO. The taller, longer-limbed Upshaw survived Biosse’s early pressure and used straight rights and uppercuts to breakdown and finish Biosse off. Marcus Upshaw improves to 15-8-1 (7) with the 8th round stoppage victory while Vladine Biosse drops to 14-2-1 (7).

In the opening bout of the night, Brooklyn heavyweight Jarrell Baby Boy Miller tussled with Joey Dawejko of Philadelphia, PA. After four rough and tumble rounds and a couple of point deductions the undefeated Miller moved to 4-0-1 (4) in picking up a unanimous draw, 37-37 x 3,  while Dawejko leaves with a record of 7-1-2 (3).