Former amateur standouts Hayato Tsutsumi (Tokyo) and Qais Ashfaq (London), met in a super featherweight contest scheduled for 10 rounds. Southpaw Ashfaq, a 2016 Olympian for the UK, was really up against it in facing the former youth world champion Tsutsumi. A right to the temple dropped Ashfaq in the second. Down again in the third, Ashfaq tried to weather the storm, but a follow-up barrage had him swaying in the breeze, prompting referee Leszek Jankowiak to step in and halt matters at 2:08 of the round. Tsutsumi improves 8-0, KOs, while Ashfaq falls to 13-4-1, 5KOs
Heavyweights Filip Hrgovic (Zagreb, Croatia) and London’s David Adeleye put on an entertaining scrap, scheduled over 10 rounds.
Hrgovic came out in the first with measured aggression, utilizing a left jab and mixing right hands to the head and body, keeping Adeleye on the defensive. The tide changed in the second, an Adeleye left hand causing a terrible cut on the right eye of Hrgovic. Hrgovic had a sense of urgency in the last 30 seconds of the round, pinning Adeleye to the ropes were both men went for it, throwing bombs as the round ended.
Between rounds two and three, the ringside physician examined the cut and deemed it okay to allow action to continue. Hrgovic controlled the first 2:50 of round three until a countering left from Adeleye snapped back the head of Hrgovic, drawing roar from the crowd.
Hrgovic sustained his methodical aggression in the the fourth, closing the round with a left – right combination which sent Adeleye backing into the ropes and blinking his eyes.
Outside of another last second flurry from Adeleye with Hrgovic on the ropes, it was Hrgovic who controlled the fifth with his volume of work and accuracy.
After receiving desperate pleas from his corner between rounds 6 and 7, Adeleye showed spurts of effort, but only spurts, likely allowing Hrgovic to steal the 7th as well.
After shaking Adeleye with a right to the temple early in the 8th, which drew a growl from the stunned fighter, a follow-up right dropped Adeleye 45 seconds into the round. Incredibly, Adeleye responded immediately and a minute later, had Hrgovic on wobbly legs, but could not put his foe down. The crowd was on its feet, cheering the candidate for round of the year, at least in the heavyweight division.
The conditioning of Hrgovic was evident as he easily controlled the ninth and tenth, Adeleye unable to mount a successful desperation surge at the end. The final tab was: 98-91 and 99-90 twice, all for Hrgovic, now 19-1, 14 KOs, and holder of the WBO Continental and WBA Continental Gold titles. Adeleye falls to 14-2, 13 KOs.
Former WBA featherweight champion Raymond “Savage” Ford schooled former title challenger and replacement opponent Abraham “Super” Nova over 10 tactical rounds.
Ford, Camden, NJ, expertly utilized his southpaw stance along with angles and strategic movement to nullify Nova’s aggression.
The Puerto Rican born Nova, Now based in the Dominican Republic, via Albany, NY, had a nice moment at the end of the 8th where he pinned forward against the ropes, finishing with a beautiful three-shot combination to the head of Ford, his best of the fight. In the 10th, Nova came forward relentlessly, his right hand cocked way behind him not even disguising his intent to throw a haymaker, which he did to little effect on several occasions.
In the end, the judges saw it. 96-94 and 97-93 twice, all for Ford who moves to 18-1-1, 8 KOs, while the hard luck Nova slides to 24-4-1, 17 KOs.
Opening the show, elongated lightweight Saudi, Mohammed Alakel took little time in stopping Indian Santosh Singh. A right cross glanced high off the temple of Singh, dropping him for the count, referee Andrei Cheveliov ending matters at 2:26 of the opening frame. Alakel improves to 5-0, 1 KO. Singh sags to 3-7, 1 KO.
