It is good to be back at MSG. Never get tired of coming to the Mecca of boxing. Top Rank Boxing on PR weekend is always fun. Looking forward to all the festivities.
Jordanne Garcia vs Nisa Rodriguez
Rodriguez the bigger fighter and sharper puncher. Garcia was coming forward but smothered her own work on the inside. There was a lot of grabbing on the inside. Mostly initiated by Garcia. But Nisa fought through it and cruised to an easy UD.
Lemir Isom-Riley vs Ali Feliz
Feliz is a young upcoming prospect with some promise. Feliz bombed Lemir out in one round. Knocked him down and continued to pummel him with hard flurries. The knockdown came from a left hook. A right hand from Feliz finished off Isom-Riley.
Antonio Dunton El Jr vs Ofacio Falcon
Not a lot of punches were landed, but Falcon had the edge. It was a rough fight early though, a lot of rough housing. Falcon dropped Dunton El Jr in the second round. Fight was very rough, but Falcon controlled that fight and cruised to an easy UD.
Jahi Tucker vs Quincy LaVallais
(Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
This was a fight I was interested in, as LaVallais is a former Xander opponent and Tucker has been adamant about wanting to fight Zayas. So, I was interested in seeing how Jahi looked against the same fighter. It was quickly shown that there were levels between both fighters. LaVallais is tough, but he was clearly outmatched by Tucker. Jahi was the faster, more aggressive, and overall, more skilled fighter. He lit Quincy up with combinations and hurt him a couple times. It was a dominant performance by Jahi who earned an easy UD.
Andy Velasquez vs Christopher Rios
This turned out to be one the best fights of the night. It was a back and forth with both fighters getting decent work in. Andy landed his shots, and Rios answered back. Andy was fighting well off the backfoot, but Rios did an excellent job pressing forward and landing shots. It was fairly even throughout the fight, but Velasquez had slightly better work and won via MD.
Tiger Johnson vs Tarik Zaina
(Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
Tiger is coming off a much-needed KO victory, and I was interested in seeing how he looked in this fight. Unfortunately, this fight was very dull. Tiger boxed up Zaina pretty well, even buzzed him early. But Zaina had a very wild style, which made the fight rough at times. There were many lulls, and Johnson won an easy UD in a very ho hum fight.
Bruce Carrington vs Bryan De Gracia
(Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
This was a fight I was looking forward to, as Naoya Inoue was in the building to watch this fight. De Gracia took the fight on short notice and had a good showing in the first couple rounds. He was able to pressure Shu Shu, and even land some solid shots. By the fourth round though, Shu Shu had BDG figured out. He was able to walk him down while avoiding his shots and landing sharp lefts. Carrington unloaded body punches and knocked BDG down in the fifth round. De Gracia was able to get up, but Shu Shu kept unloading shots. He continued punishing BDG, and before the ref finally waved it off at the end of the eighth.
Xander Zayas vs Patrick Teixeira
(Courtesy: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
It took until midnight, but the main event finally commenced. This was Zayas big step-up fight, and it is time to see what level Xander is at. Teixeira had not fought at 154 in 3 years, and it showed. He looked sluggish and powerless, while Xander was sharp and snapped his head back over and over. Teixeira was in survival mode, as Xander tagged him at will. The fight did make people question Xander’s power though. Patrick was a sitting duck, and he did not get hurt once. Still, Zayas did what he had to do and won a lopsided UD. Xander made the heavy PR crowd happy. Afterwards Zayas said he wanted a title shot soon. The names he mentioned he wants to fight: Erickson Lubin, Josh Kelly, and Vito Mielnicki Jr.
Overall, it was an exceptionally long night of fights. There were some good fights, and some ho hum fights. The atmosphere was great though, and the crowds were rocking. That will always make for a good event. Until next time.