The WBC Grand Prix semifinals took place today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sixteen fighters over four weight classes took each other on for the right to advance to the finals. All semi-final bouts were scheduled for six rounds and five judges were utilized for scoring.
Mujibillo Tursunov (Uzbekistan) took on Danylo Lozan (Ukraine) in a scheduled six-rounder at super lightweight. Tursunov entered this tournament as one of the favorites while Lozan exhibited heavy hands in the first two fights of this tournament. His heavy-handedness however, couldn’t put a dent in Tursunov who was busier and cut Lozan over both eyes by the end of the scheduled six. The final score read 57-57, 59-55 twice and 58-56 twice, all for Tursunov.
Carlos Utria (Colombia) shocked Ntethelolo Nkoksi (South Africa) when he suddenly exploded a right-left combination to the head of Nkosi, which stiffened his legs and forced him to retreat to the far ropes for support. It appeared he was going to take a knee, but instead, he wrapped his right arm around the ring ropes and took several more clean shots to the head, forcing referee Hector Afu to rescue Nkosi at 1:38 of the first round. Utria moves on to meet Tursunov in the super lightweight finals.
Featherweight Muhamet Qamili (Italy) crushed Yoni Valverde, Jr. (France) with A thunderous left hook which dropped him in a heap. Despite beating the count, Valverde, Jr ate several more unanswered punches prompting referee Joel Scobie to step in and stop the action at 2:26 of the opening round.
Bekizizwe Maitse (South Africa) and Brandon Mejia Mosqueda (Mexico) battled into the fifth round when a Mosqueda left hook to the body dropped Maitse to a knee. Maitse decided to battle back after rising, but it was to his detriment as another savage left hook to the body dropped him for the count. The time was 2:52 of the fifth round. Mosqueda will meet Qamili in the featherweight finals.
Middleweights Carlos Sinisterra (Colombia) and Derek Pomerleau (Canada) battled on even terms for six back and forth rounds. After four rounds, the fight was even at 38-38 on four of the five judges cards, courtesy of the WBC’s open scoring system. Sinisterra was ahead 39-37 on the 5th judge’s card. Both men laid it all on the line over the last two rounds knowing the fight was in the balance. In the sixth round, an accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the right eye of Sinisterra, but after a close examination, the ringside physician ruled it safe enough to let the fight go to its natural conclusion. In the end, the scorecard’s read: 57-57, 58-56 thrice and 58-57 for the winner by majority decision Derek Pomerleau.
Dylan Biggs (Australia) and Lancelot de la Chappelle (France) waged a tactical battle over six seesaw rounds. Biggs wasn’t at all troubled by the southpaw stance of de la Chapelle. There was no quit in de la Chapelle, despite the hole he found himself in round after round. Final scores were 60-54, 59-55 twice and 58-56 twice, all for the winner Dylan Biggs, who will now meet Derek Pomerleau the middleweight finals.
Keaton Gomes (South Africa) and Ahmed Krnjic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) met in the first of the two heavyweight semi-final bouts. For the second straight match, Gomes was outweighed by over 50 lb, yet all three of his prior fights ended in knockout. Gomes’ game plan appeared to not only be power but speed due to his smaller size. After four rounds, three judges had to fight dead even and two judges Krnjic ahead by two points.
Gomes worked to get a second wind and right at the bell ending the fifth round, he landed a Titanic right hand straight to the face of Krnjic which buckled the big man’s knees. They fell into a clinch and Krnjic didn’t go down. Each man hurt the other in the sixth and neither had anything left at the final bell. The decision was split: 57-57, 58-56 Gomes, 59-55, 58-56 twice for Krnjic.
Dante Stone (USA) and Kevin Christopher Ramirez (Argentina) met in the final fight of the night to see who would face Ahmed Krnjic in the heavyweight final. Easily the smallest entrant in the heavyweight bracket, Ramirez came in just under the cruiserweight limit at 199 lbs! So what happened 20 seconds into the fight? He dropped the 261 lb Stone onto the seat of his pants with a straight right! Stone wasn’t hurt but rather squared up when he got hit. He seemed to take the second round, and then each man took turns employing their tactics over the next two rounds. After four complete rounds, two judges head Stone ahead by a point, two judge’s head Ramirez ahead by three points and one had Ramirez ahead by a point. It was anyone’s fight to win over the next two rounds. Once again, the decision was split 58-55, 57-56 for Stone, 57-56 twice for Ramirez and 58-55 for the winner… Kevin Ramirez, who will now face an even bigger man on Ahmed Krnjic in the finals.
It all goes down on December 20th in Ryadh!
