Efe Ajagba vs. Stephan Shaw: LIVE updates, results, full coverage
Jonathan Rice defeated Guido Vianello by a technical knockout in the seventh round after the Italian couldn’t continue because of a cut over his left eye in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout.
Vianello (15-7-1, 10 KOs) seemed to have outworked Rice (15-7-1, 10 KOs) for most of the fight to build a lead on the cards.
However, in the sixth round, Rice landed a straight right that caused a gruesome cut below Vianello’s left eyebrow. The ring doctor, who was summoned after the seventh round had begun, said Vianello couldn’t continue.
The ending was bizarre. Referee Benjy Esteves initially ruled that the cut was caused by a clash of heads, which would’ve sent the fight to the scorecards. However, a member of the Oneida Indian Nation Athletic Commission essentially ordered Esteves to check the replay, which indicated the cut was caused by a punch.
Thus, Rice, who took the fight on a few weeks notice, was declared the winner.
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Abraham Nova (22-1, 15 KOs) put Adam Lopez (16-4, 6 KOs) down twice and defeated him by a unanimous decision in a 10-round 130-pound fight.
The scores were 98-90, 98-92 and 97-91. Lopez went down in the fifth and sixth rounds.
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Heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba is scheduled to take on Stephan Shaw tonight (Saturday) at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York on ESPN and ESPN+.
Also on the card, Guido Vianello will face Jonathan Rice in a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout. And Adam Lopez will face Abraham Nova in a 10-round 130-pound bout.
The main portion of the show is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The main event will take place later in the broadcast.
Boxing Junkie will post the result of the main event immediately afterward. Simply return to this post and refresh when the time comes. We’ll also post the results of other featured bouts.
Full coverage – a fight story, photo gallery and analysis – will follow on separate posts the night of the fight and the following day.
Enjoy the fights!