Written recap by Dylan Bowker and photo credits to Charles Penner of Combat Captured.
Shaw Conference Centre provided a great platform for pugilism as the Edmonton faithful roared their approval all night. KO Boxing 84, from top to bottom, offered up multiple different aspects of the sweet science to ensure December 14th was a memorable night of fights.
The WBO-NABO and NABA Super Middleweight titles were at play in the main event as Erik Bazinyan locked up with Adrian Luna Flores.
Bazinyan asserted himself immediately with a consistent jab and almost instantly began putting together combos. Some of Flores’ sweat landed on me from a solid connection in the opening frame. Flores was able to string together some combos and get a rhythm going but the ring generalship was squarely in Bazinyan’s favour for the bulk of the contest. Multiple shots to the body and head eventually resulted in Flores being dropped several times in Round four. The bout was eventually waved off by the referee during the fifth frame after a series of unanswered punches. Bazinyan hoisted his two championships up as he basked in the glow of this statement win in a top of the marquee, championship prize fight.
Artur Ziyatdinov and Ricardo Marcelo Ramallo were the co-main event feature of the evening. Utilizing the jab as a range tool and defensive savviness were key in Ziyatdinov establishing himself early on. Ramallo felt the canvas a couple times in the second round and Ricardo’s cornermen threw in the towel during R3 at 1:22. Artur also punctuated his stoppage victory with quite the flashy backflip after the bout.
Sadriddin Akhmedov scored a big first round KO over Eliud Melendez Rocha at the 1:22 mark. A big right dropped Rocha, Eliud rallied back to his feet, and was again put to the canvas with a multi-punch combo that halted the proceedings.
Local favorite/ highly touted Boxer Raffaele Santoro edged out a dominant unanimous decision over Mario Bedolla Orozco. Santoro was able to pierce through Orozco’s guard and time Mario’s entries well with counter punches. Orozco found a modicum of success in the third with his overhand right. In the end though, it was an irrefutable consistent performance that netted the UD for the highly regarded Santoro.
The story of Oleksandr Voytenko and Marco Cruz Gonzalez unfurled as a successful debut effort for Voytenko. The TKO in round two was scored after what seemed like a twenty punch, video game combination. The ref mercifully halted the action and Voytenko’s inaugural professional effort saw him secure an emphatic win.
Stan Surmacz Ahumada and Guillermo Cassas was an interesting styles clash. The lankier build and rangier approach of Ahumada leant itself better to the fight than the more stout build/ compact striking of Cassas. Ahumada began piecing up Cassas and the number two became prevalent in the rest of the fight. The faceplant stoppage came at 2:22 of round two on the second knockdown with Ahumada standing tall.
Hamza Khabbaz vs Jesus Emmanuel Villa took place at 149 lbs and the pace was fairly frenetic from start to finish. Khabbaz had a greater connectivity rate all throughout and dictated the pace. Both men were just dropping bombs on eachother with minimal consideration for the clinch game. Khabbaz seemed like his pace was waning a bit towards the tail end but he still went for that finish even in the final minute of the fight. Hamza Khabbaz ended up with a unanimous decision win when all was said and done.
The opening fight of KO Boxing 84 had a combined weight of almost 600 pounds. You knew the way that Nick Dragich and Ken Frank came out for this one that the judges would not be a factor in the call. A big left from Dragich with huge bombs following up for good measure caused an injury to Frank. Frank’s was bleeding profusely and his nose also took on the shape of Harry Potter’s forehead scar. 1:14 of Round two was the time of Dragich’s dramatic KO win.
Before KO Boxing’s 84th installment wrapped up, the organization was already promoting their next event. March 2019 is the projected next stop and KO Boxing 85 might be getting quite the headliner. Though not set in stone, Jelena Mrdjenovich is negotiating a bout with Heather Hardy which would effectively establish the world’s best women’s boxer at Featherweight. Hopefully terms can be reached in these negotiations so this fight of tremendous international importance can come to fruition on YEG soil.
Shaw Conference Centre is looking to change its name to Edmonton Convention Centre the very first day of the new year. Though the billing of the venue is set to change, it seems the legacy of KO Boxing will continue at that location for years to come.