Ontario, CA December 21st, 2019- Efe Ajagba 12-0 10KOs and Iago Kiladze 26-5-1 18KOs gave the fans something to cheer for when they exchanged knockdowns in a heavyweight firefight.
Ajagba landed a hard one-two combination dropping Kiladze hard to the canvas in the second round. Kiladze ate a right hand in the middle of the third round and almost went down, when Ajagba came in for the kill Kiladze landed a huge right hand to send Ajagba down on his back to a roaring crowd.
Kiladze went down in the fifth round again and looked on the verge of being knocked out when the ringside physician jumped onto the apron and called a halt to the fight.
“When I got knocked down, I didn’t see the punch coming. I tried to hit him with the left hook and that’s when I got caught,’’ Ajagba said. “He has a lot of experience and he’s a good fighter. This kind of fight will help me perform better in the future. This guy was a good fighter and he can take a lot of shots. I missed a lot of shots. Ronnie Shields, my trainer, kept telling me to work behind the jab and come back with the hook. It’s something that I have to learn to do. I made some mistakes, but I will go back to the gym and work on it. I’ll do better next time.”
Balderas Knocked Out in 10th Pro Bout
Karlos Balderas 9-2 8KOs hadn’t reached the spotlight given to his peers from the Olympics, he may have to wait longer now if it ever happens at all.
In what was supposed to be a showcase fight televised live on the big channel Fox. Balderas was stopped at 2:59 of the sixth round in a one sided drubbing at the hands of Mexican Rene Tellez Giron 14-1 8KOs.
A left hook from Giron got through in the third round sending Balderas down hard on his back. Referee Ray Corona drug his feet on the count allowing Balderas extra seconds to recover until the bell rang.
Giron couldn’t miss with the left hook, and Balderas couldn’t muster the offense to stop Giron’s momentum. Giron fired another left hook near the end of the sixth round dropping the former Olympian into a heap on the canvas. Balderas would beat the count but referee Ray Corona had finally seen enough and waived the fight.
“After I knocked him down in the third round, I saw his eyes were rolled back like he was hurt, but he has the heart of a lion,’’ Giron said. “He didn’t want to lose his undefeated record in front of his people. When he got up, I was like, ‘Wow! He got up! He’s up!’ So I kept on him and left everything in the ring. I’m really happy. Karlos had said he fought with the best and he was an Olympian. Well, I fought a lot of people too and you see the result.’’
Centeno, Montiel Duel to a Draw
Hugo Centeno 27-3-1 14KOs picked and pecked his way to a draw against Mexican opponent Juan Macias Montiel 21-4-1 21KOs. Montiel was the clear aggressor and Centeno the counterpuncher. Neither fighter made a lasting impact on the fans in Ontario and ended the bout even on scores of 97-93 Centeno, 96-94 Montiel, and 95-95 even.
Khamukov Shines in Swing Bout Action
Petr Khamukov got swing bout action given the early knockouts; and only needed two full rounds against opponent Maceo Crowder 2-3 1KO. Crowder hit the deck in the first from a Khamukov right hand and survived the round to be pummeled more in the second. Having seen enough Crowders trainer told the referee to call a halt to fight and saved his man for another day.
Tepora Knocked Out by Veteran Escandon
Oscar Escandon 25-5 17KOs pulled the upset over previously unbeaten Jhack Tepora 23-1 17KOs stopping him in the first round with a left hook to the body. Tepora fell to the canvas in a heap until the referee counted a full ten.
“This fight was very important to me because I know I needed to win if I wanted to continue forward with my career,’’ Escandon said.
Guajardo Scores Knockout
Opening the FS1 broadcast San Antonio’s Raymond Guajardo 5-0 4KOs scored a brutal first round knockout over Donnis Reed 3-5 2KOs of New Orleans. Guajardo landed a right hook that crumpled Reed leaving him down and out. A stretcher was brought in as a precaution to move Reed from the ring.
“I’m always looking to get my opponents out, so that we the first thing I wanted to do,’’ Guajardo said. “I think I had landed a hook before that and I saw I had hurt him, so that’s when I went in for the kill. Everything happened naturally after that.” Guajardo said after the fight.
