Sunday, May 01, 2016

Jack, Bute Battle To Majority Draw in WBC Super Middleweight Clash; . DeGale Defends IBF Super Middleweight Title in DC!

The world super middleweight picture got a little clearer Saturday night in two very competitive bouts at the DC Armory in Washington, DC in front of a crowd of 4,135.

The main event saw WBC champion Badou Jack "The Ripper" of Las Vegas, NV by way of Stockholm, Sweden battle former world champion Lucian Bute of Laval, Quebec, Canada by way of Romania to a 12-round majority draw.

Both men threw solid shots at each other, however it looked as if Bute got off to a better start early in the contest.  By the midway point, however, Jack started to take control of the bout, stunning Bute with a straight left hand.  Bute managed to land a sweeping overhand left in the sixth that kept him in the bout.   As the bout headed towards the championship rounds, Jack seemed to put on the pressure as Bute tired. However, Jack did not do enough to earn the victory outright, according to the judges.  Local judge Steve Rados saw the bout for Jack 117-111.  Judges Omar Mintun, Sr. and Glen Crocker both saw the draw at 114-114.  Jack remains WBC champion and is now 20-1-2, 12 KO's while Bute is 32-3-1, 25 KO's.

In the co-feature, IBF Super Middleweight titleholder James "Chunky" DeGale of Harlesdon, England successfully defended his crown with a tough 12-round unanimous decision over Rogelio "Porky" Medina of Hermosillo, Mexico.

DeGale used his long reach and quick hands to land shots from distance throughout the contest.  However, the very game Medina was able to get inside and pound away at DeGale's midsection.  The two traded shots back and forth in the middle rounds and both men landed flush uppercuts and hooks.  By the end of the bout, DeGale seemed to slow down by staying on the ropes as Medina continued to put on the pressure.  However, DeGale did enough early in the bout to get the win.  Judge John Madfis scored the bout 115-113 while judges Tony Paolillo and Steve Gray saw the contest 117-111 for DeGale, who is now 23-1, 14 KO's while Medina falls to 36-7, 30 KO's.  Beltway referee Malik Waleed was the third man in the ring.

The plan is for Jack and DeGale to meet later this year to unify the WBC and IBF titles.

In other undercard bouts not previously posted, Chris "Young King" Pearson of Dayton, OH won a 10-round unanimous decision over Joshua Okine of Silver Spring, MD.  Pearson started off very well in the bout but tired late, giving Okine a little bit of a reprieve.  All three judges (David Braslow, Wayne Smith and Paul Wallace) scored the bout 98-92.   Pearson is now 17-1, 11 KO's while Okine falls to 22-6, 15 KO's.

Super lightweight Sharif "The Lion" Bogere of Las Vegas won a dominant 10-round unanimous decision over Samuel Amoako of Silver Spring.  Bogere used solid hand and foot speed to keep Amoako at bay throughout the contest.  Amoako seemed happy to survive the contest as all three judges scored a shutout for Bogere, 100-90.  Bogere is now 28-1, 19 KO's and Amoako falls to 17-10, 14 KO's.

Undefeated Brooklyn, NY light heavyweight Carlos Gongora scored a second-round TKO over Zacharia Kelley of Lawton, OK.  Gongora blasted away at Kelley from the opening bell and scored two knockdowns in the second round before referee Kenny Chevalier stopped the bout at 1:50.  Gongora is now 6-0, four KO's while Kelley is 5-14, five KO's.




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