Yakubov Edges Foster III For WBC US Title
Promoter Gary Jonas put on an exciting show at the ProBox TV Events Center in plant City, Florida Friday night. The main event saw a crossroads matchup between two world class super featherweights as Muhammadkhuja Yakubov (Isfara, Tajikistan) battled William Foster III (New Haven, CT) in a scheduled 10-rounder for the vacant WBC US title.
This match was a fast-paced, high energy, Mutt & Jeff affair, with Foster sporting a 6-in height advantage. The diminutive southpaw Yakubov pressed hard to try to get inside the lanky Foster’s orthodox reach and work the body.
Foster changed up speeds, working the jab and occasionally landing the right hand.
Round three saw Yakubov land some good body shots. The Tajiki fighter was a study in perpetual motion, while Foster seemed more fluid and relaxed in his approach.
Between rounds six and seven, Foster’s corner implored him get some respect and force the issue against his foe. This tactic seemed to pay dividends as Foster pressed the action and had his best round to that point.
The remaining three rounds were give and take with each man having their moments, making the rounds seemingly difficult to score. Overall, according to the punch statistics, Foster threw 126 more punches, but landed six less. Judge Parker, Jr. saw it 95-95, while judges, Jackson and Ross saw it 98-92, for Yakubov, the new WBC US super featherweight champion, now 23-1, 12 KOs. Foster sags to 19-3, 11 KOs.
In the co-main event, super lightweights Shinard Bunch (Trenton, NJ) and Starling Castillo (Dominican Republic), threw down in a scheduled 10-round clashed.
The southpaw Castillo came in to this bout boasting and astounding 631 amateur fight career in the Dominican Republic. Castillo’s technical style was able to nullify Bunch’s athleticism for the first half of the fight. Bunch seemed to have trouble finding his offensive rhythm. It became painfully evident that Bunch hadn’t fought a southpaw in four years. The sixth round saw several awkward clinches, culminating in both fighters falling to the canvas in a heap. Bunch finally found success in the eighth round, landing some powerful shots to both head and body, Castillo seeming to wilt if ever so slightly.
Castillo closed the show controlling the 10th round which saw Bunch finishing with swelling all over his face. In the end, two judges tabbed it 98-92, while the third judge saw it 99-91, all in favor of Castillo, who improves to 20-1-1, 13 KOs. Bunch drops to 21-3-1, 17 KOs.
Coming back from his first loss and a 16-month layoff, Marques Valle made the move up a division to middleweight and plowed through previously undefeated power puncher, Luis Georges (Haiti). A multi-punch combination to both head and body dropped Georges for the count at 2:07 of the opening stanza. Valle is now 11-1, 7 KOs, while Georges loses his first at 12-1, 10 KOs.
Power punching Filipino Weljon Mindoro, (Dumingag, PI) set out to finish Dormedes Potes (Ft. Lauderdale by way of Colombia)
as quickly as possible in a scheduled eight round middleweight clash. Mindoro did his homework, having learned that Potes was stopped in his prior fight with a left to the body. Midway through the first, that very punch dropped Potes, who somehow managed to survive the round. Two more trips to the canvas in the second by Potes were ruled slips by referee Frank Santore, Jr.
In the third, Potes absorbed more body shots and slowly walked backwards across the ring and took a knee, as Mindoro gave chase and tried to land a right uppercut. The voluntary knee was correctly ruled a knockdown. Again, the tough as nails Potes survived the round. However, that toughness gave way to survival mode as Potes’ corner waved it off before the start of the fourth round. The “Triggerman” now moves to 15-0-1, 15 KOs. Potes falls to 14-8-1, 10 KOs.
Gary Antonio Russell, Washington, DC, tangled with Dervin Rodriguez, Bogota, Columbia in a scheduled eight round super bantamweight clash. The southpaw Russell, did his best to control Rodriguez with jabs, hooks and lead left uppercuts. For his part, Rodriguez relentlessly came forward, occasionally landing some telling blows of his own. Russell didn’t run however. Rather, he looked to walk Rodriguez into punches with solid success. Russell took the initiative to close the eighth and final round strong, rocking Rodriguez with a combo to the head, but was unable to finish him. All three judges saw the bout with identical scores of 80-72 for Russell, now 21-1, 13 KOs, while Rodriguez falls to 11-3-1, KOs
To open the show, Hawaiian native Noah Timoteo made quick work of Nicaraguan trial horse Alexander Taylor. Timoteo was busy for the first half of the opening round, exclusively relying on his left jab and hook. When he started adding right crosses and left hooks to the body, it was all over as a right to the body dropped Taylor who fell with a delayed reaction. Referee Christopher Young reached the count of 10 at 2:34 of the opening session. Timoteo starts is pro career at 1-0, 1 KO. Taylor falls to an astounding 21-49-2, 5 KOs
Kenneth Sene, of Lauderhill, FL took on Narek Hovhannisyan, Vanadzor, Armenia, in a six round super lightweight contest. Hovhannisyan had things pretty much his way throughout the bout, against the durable Sene. The judges were in agreement at 60-53, for Hovhannisyan, who begins his career at 1-0. Sene falls to 4-3, 1 KO.
Durango, Colorado’s Andrew Flamm and Yonkers, New York’s Miguel Mendez threw down over four hard-fought rounds. The judges saw it as follows: 39-36 twice while the third judge saw it 38-37, for the debuting Miguel Mendez, now 1-0. The hard luck Flamm falls to 1-2.
Kenyan Valle scored a clear-cut four round shutout, 40-36, in his pro debut against Lai Thang, in a super super bantamweight bout.
The taller Floridian Valle, controlled the action with his jab and combinations against the shorter Texan. Valle starts out 1-0 while Thang falls to 2-4.
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