Mario Barrios mantém o título WBA Super Lightweight com nocaute sobre Ryan Karl; Regis Prograis e Isaac Cruz marcam vitórias paralisadas
Telecast atrasado do evento principal e co-principal desta noite será transmitido exclusivamente no SHOWTIME® no sábado, Novembro 7 em 9 p.m. ET / PT
Clique AQUI para fotos de Esther Lin / SHOWTIME
Clique AQUI para fotos das promoções de Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather
SAN ANTONIO – Novembro 1, 2020 – Gervonta “Tanque” Davis entregou um candidato a nocaute do ano sobre o campeão mundial de quatro divisões Leo Santa Cruz na luta mais significativa de sua carreira, mantendo seu título WBA Lightweight e ganhando o título WBA Super Featherweight sábado à noite no SHOWTIME PPV® no Alamodome em San Antonio em um evento apresentado pela Premier Boxing Champions. Foi o primeiro grande evento de boxe com fãs presentes desde que COVID-19 forçou a suspensão dos EUA. esportes em março com uma multidão anunciada de 9,024.
Foram os dois lutadores’ estreia do evento principal pay-per-view, e Davis (24-0, 23 KOs) e Santa Cruz (37-2-1, 19 KOs) entregou uma guerra de ação que manteve os fãs de pé do início ao fim. A luta, que foi contestado em 130 libras, vi os dois lutadores no bolso e pressionaram a ação. Foi na sexta rodada quando ocorreu o momento decisivo da noite, como Davis encontrou uma abertura para pousar sua marca registrada uppercut esquerdo, um tiro de nocaute que Santa Cruz nunca previu. Davis provou que é um dos perfuradores mais poderosos do esporte, deslumbrando a multidão. Assista ao KO AQUI.
“O uppercut não foi a chave para entrar na luta, mas me adaptei ao que ele estava trazendo,” disse Davis de Baltimore. “Eu sabia que ele era mais alto e agachado e avançando. Uma vez que ele avançou, Eu tentei acertar e fazer ele correr para o tiro. Ele estava lá para isso. Ele soca, mas ele não tenta sair do caminho. Não havia nenhum lugar para ele ir naquele nocaute porque eu o coloquei no canto.
A força e o ataque corporal de Davis de 25 anos foram a diferença quando ele pousou 55 por cento de sua força socos para 29 por cento para Santa Cruz, quem estava tendo seu melhor round da luta no sexto round antes do soco decisivo. O Davis mais forte atraiu Santa Cruz de 32 anos para um tiroteio como 34 de Davis’ 84 socos acertados foram tiros no corpo.
“Leo é um guerreiro duro e um forte lutador mexicano,” disse Davis, que é promovido pelo grande Floyd Mayweather. “Ele veio pronto para mim. Eu fui o melhor lutador esta noite. Quero manter os dois cintos. Qualquer decisão que eu e minha equipe venhamos a tomar, nós vamos com isso. Eu não estou me esquivando ou evitando ninguém. Eu sou uma estrela do pay-per-view. Todo mundo sabe que sou o número um e mostrei isso esta noite.”
“Não conseguimos a vitória, mas estou bem,” disse Santa Cruz, who was taken to a nearby hospital for observation.
Davis vs. Santa Cruz was a rare clash in boxing history in which world titles in two weight classes were at stake. Other notable instances in recent boxing history are the 1988 Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Donny Lalonde fight for the light heavyweight and super middleweight titles, eo 2014 Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana rematch for the super welterweight and welterweight championships.
Na co-metragem, San Antonio’s hometown favorite Mario Barrios (26-0, 17 KOs) kept his unbeaten record intact and retained his WBA Super Lightweight title with a sixth-round KO over a game and bloodied Ryan Karl (18-3, 12 KOs) on Halloween night. Assista ao KO AQUI.
The fight broke open in the sixth round when Barrios landed a straight right hand that sent Karl down for just the third time in his career. Karl’s problems were further exasperated after an accidental clash of heads created a brutal cut on his forehead which proved to be too much to cope with. The 25-year-old Barrios smelled blood and closed the show in emphatic fashion, landing a left hook that sent Karl down and out at 2:23 of the sixth round. No momento da interrupção, Barrios was ahead on all three scorecards (48-47 e 49-46 duas vezes).
In the all-important sixth round, Barrios landed 29 da sua 58 power punches against a very tough Karl, que jogou 60 punches per round but landed just 18 percent of those punches.
“This fight is for everybody who came out here in San Antonio tonight,” said Barrios following the win. “I told them we’d get this first title defense, and I hope everyone enjoyed it. I was just being patient and picking my shots. I started to really land them and got him out of there. I was ready to go a hard 12 rounds, but my patience helped me get him out of there. I listened to what Virgil [Caçador] was telling me in the corner. It was great to get the job done here at home”
“I feel fine but it was a hard shot that I got hit with,” said Milano, Texas’ “Vaqueiro” Karl. “It was a tough, good, close fight. It was a good headbutt. I was bleeding pretty good but overall I feel fine. I’m not a sore loser. Eu venho para lutar, that’s what I expected. So congratulations to Mario on the win. We’ll move on from here.”
Former world champion Regis Prograis (25-1, 21 KOs) took the first step to getting back on top of the 140-pound division, scoring a third-round stoppage of Juan Heraldez (16-1-1, 10 KOs) in the second bout of the night. Watch the stoppage AQUI.
Na terceira rodada, the fight changed in an instant as Prograis took advantage of Heraldez keeping his hands too low by landing his most dangerous weapon, a dynamite left hook that sent Heraldez sprawling to the canvas. When Heraldez got back to his feet, PROGRAMAS, who was born and raised in New Orleans but now fights out of Katy, Texas, sensed his opponent was in danger and pounced on Heraldez, forcing referee Rafael Ramos to step in and stop the action at 1:23 of round number three.
Na Sexta-Feira, PROGRAMAS, who lost a 140-pound title unification fight to Josh Taylor last October, weighed in over the 140-pound limit.
“I’ve been out of the ring for a year so I think that had some effect on me not making weight,” said the 31-year-old Prograis. “Não há desculpas, but the bubble also had some effect. Mainly it was the layoff though. My body wasn’t adjusted to making the weight again.
In the buildup to the fight, Prograis repeatedly stated he felt he was still the best in the world at 140 pounds and vowed to get his belt back.
“I still feel like I’m the best at 140,” Prograis reiterated to SHOWTIME’s Mauro Ranallo following the fight. “I’m going to keep proving it every time I fight. Me and Josh Taylor had a close fight, and I think if it had happened in the U.S. I would have won. We know that one day we’ll have to rematch at 140 or 147.”
The Las Vegas-based Heraldez, who is signed to Mayweather Promotions, was disappointed he didn’t get the chance to continue the fight despite landing just 12 total punches landed compared to Prograis’ 35.
“I just thought it was an early stoppage,” ele disse. “I was just getting warm, loose. He stunned me, but I don’t think they should’ve stopped the fight.”
In the pay-per-view telecast opener, Mexico City’s Isaac Cruz (20-1-1, 15 KOs) wasted no time in getting the fans on their feet, scoring a stunning first-round knockout of Diego Magdaleno (32-4, 13 KOs) só 53 seconds into the night’s action. Assista ao KO AQUI.
The diminutive but powerful Cruz came out swinging immediately after hearing the opening bell, using his vicious uppercut to knock down the 34-year-old Magdaleno for the 11th time in his career inside of 30 segundos. Só 20 seconds after Magdaleno got to his feet, Cruz again unleashed a barrage of punches with Magdaleno against the ropes, finishing him off with back-to-back right uppercuts. In a short night of work, Cruz managed to land 21 de 31 socos, 20 of which were power shots.
With the win in the IBF Title Eliminator, Cruz puts himself in position to challenge lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez down the line.
“The new Mike Tyson from Mexico was born tonight,” said the 22-year-old Cruz. “I thought it would go longer, but my natural instinct is always to go for it in the first round. I have confidence that I could win the world title right now. I thought it was a statement win. From now on, hopefully everyone will know my name and I’ll get the big fights. I would love a Teofimo Lopez fight. I’m very motivated right now. If he’s tough enough to take it, bring it on.”
The announce team for the SHOWTIME PPV telecast was led by the most experienced and decorated boxing team on television. Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer served as host for the evening. Versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo handled blow-by-blow action alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and four-time world champion Abner Mares. Two Hall of Famers rounded out the telecast team: boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer, e o locutor mundialmente conhecido Jimmy Lennon Jr. Além, former world champion Raúl Marquez and sportscaster Alejandro Luna served as expert analysts in Spanish on Secondary Audio Programming (SAP).
The executive producer of the SHOWTIME PPV telecast is four-time Emmy award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The director is Bob Dunphy, son of legendary Hall of Famer Don Dunphy. The pair has been guiding SHOWTIME Sports’ flagship series SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® since its inception in 1986 and has produced the three highest-grossing pay-per-view events of all time (Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-McGregor, Mayweather-Canelo).
Davis vs. Santa Cruz was promoted by Mayweather Promotions, TGB Promoções, GTD Promotions and Santa Cruz Boxing Club.
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