DISASTER FOR DAVIES
Ohara Davies’ US debut ended in heartbreak - and a round - as he was dropped and stopped by Ismael Barroso, delivering the veteran his second crack at the 140lb WBA jewel.
Davies walked to the ring oozing confidence, but, as The Final Countdown blared across Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotel, he certainly wouldn’t have expected his own final countdown to come just 1:53 into round one.
Davies fell into a lousy shot, leaving a gaping hole for a vicious Barroso left hand. Once it wobbled OD, the Venezuelan threw it again, and again, and again… the Brit hit the deck.
He looked stunned, and although he leapt up to beat the count, he could barely gather his thoughts before Barroso swarmed him with some heavy artillery work. Down he went again.
He rose for a second time too, but with eyes like p***holes in the snow, and unable to respond to the commands of referee Celestino Ruiz, the fight was waved off. Take note, Tony Weeks.
A nightmare beginning to life as a Golden Boy fighter for Davies, who is now in a lurch that he may well struggle to get out of.
Barroso’s joy was met with a warm ringside embrace by Rolly Romero, whose nodding of the head hopefully signifies that he is ready to rock and roll with this rematch.
Now, a fight that didn’t sit high on my list of boxing interests last May is one I will definitely mark down as a must-watch.
Just imagine if, at 40-years-old, the world title that has long eluded Ismael Barroso finally lands in his arms. What a story.
To the main event, and an equally short night at the office for Vergil Ortiz, who finished Fredrick Lawson inside a round, albeit thanks to a shocking stoppage by referee Tony Weeks.
You’d think, considering the backlash after his Hall of Fame worthy woeful stoppage last May, Weeks would’ve had just a crumb of patience when watching a fighter land shots.
Clearly not.
Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty obvious 30 seconds into the fight in which direction things would go.
However, it renders the fight pointless if the referee is willing to halt proceedings exceedingly early based on how the fight may or may not play out.
As brutal as it sounds, you have to let fighters get hit.
It was a stiff Ortiz jab, followed by a flurry of unanswered shots to the head and body that Weeks felt was too much for 34-year-old Lawson.
Results wise, brilliant. However, after a 17-month absence from the ring, I’m sure a two-minute shakeout against a sitting duck will leave Ortiz feeling ever so slightly disheartened.
Ortiz and Oscar De La Hoya rounded off a bizarre night by calling for Tim Tszyu, even declaring they would be willing to travel down under for the shot at the WBO world title.
If that is to happen, let’s just hope that Tony Weeks steers clear.
Oscar Bevis
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Barroso dropped Romero in the third, and led on all three judges’ scorecards when referee Tony Weeks stepped in after a fairly insignificant flurry of shots from Romero.
Davies had fired shots at Romero in the wake of the fight, but also admitted he is unsure whether Barroso has a new lease of boxing life, or Romero is just genuinely not that good.
Either way, Davies cannot afford to let this one slip, as defeat number three undoubtedly slams shut the world title door once and for all. This isn’t time for games.
The importance and significance of this opportunity are certainly not lost on Davies and team, who travelled out during the festive period to ensure they are as acquainted with the Vegas clock as possible. After all, this is the British fighter’s US debut.
A win would land Davies in a brilliant spot, opening doors that he and his old overly bullish persona almost threw away during his unfiltered and outspoken days.
Whilst Davies tries to work his way into prime position, Saturday night’s card also sees the eagerly awaited return of Vergil Ortiz, whose 18-month layoff can be attributed to a horrific case of Rhabdomyolysis, a disease that can lead to either fatal or paralysing kidney failure.
Once a feared addition to a stacked 147 division, Ortiz is ready to earn his stripes up at 154 this weekend, with trainer Robert Garcia even eyeing up future 160lb bouts for the Texan.
Sitting on 19 wins and 19 knockouts, I won’t hesitate to say that this is a return you might just want to set that alarm for.
Oscar Bevis
