ATLANTIC CITY — The highlight of the HBO undercard is the broadcast of the light heavyweight clash between Nathan Cleverly and Sergey Kovalav, already covered here. That leaves the other highlights as junior featherweight contender Jhonatan Romero vs. Kiko Martinez, also televised on HBO, and once-beaten junior welterweight prospect Thomas Dulorme (fighting at a catchweight just above 140). Dulorme's bout will air on HBO Latino, so if you prefer to wait to see it live, skip over the first entry.
One note: I missed the first half of lightweight Jonathan Maicelo's bout against Jose Alejandro Rodriguez to kick off the night, so I won't provide a full account. Maicelo won by 10th round knockout. Hey, man, they don't have any meal-level food in here at Revel's Ovation Hall, just snacks, and I needed to eat dinner. Stop persecuting me.
Results are in chronological order.
******
Dulorme pounded Frankie Figueroa relentlessly en route to an overdue 8th round stoppage. Based on Figueroa's experience, it sounded like a match-up that could reestablish Dulorme, but all Figueroa showed was an incredible capacity to soak up punishment. Figueroa couldn't or wouldn't pull the trigger, and had nothing on his punches when he did throw. Dulorme sneaked in a cheap knockdown in the 3rd by punching Figueroa as he was tripping to the canvas, then got a real one in the 5th on a combination concluded by a left hook. Unfortunately for him, by that time Dulorme had landed so many low blows that when he landed another while pursuing Figueroa, the ref docked him a point for a rare 9-8 round. He was flirting with a DQ, was Dulorme, but he got it under control for long enough to keep smashing Figueroa to the head so that by the 8th, the slaughter was called to a halt. Dulorme looked fast and strong, but it's hard to read too much into this win given Figueroa's condition.
******
Junior welterweight Yordenys Ugas had absolutely no problem decisioning John "Spidey the Boxing Poet" Williams, and the two judges who gave Spidey a round were being very kind. It's hard to say much more about the fight than that. Ugas, a Cuban refugee, was faster, stronger and more adept in the finer points of boxing, while Williams was merely sturdy and landed the occasional shot. The 10th and final round was the least monotonous, with Ugas suffering an unjust point deduction for low blows and Williams slugging it out just because. Ugas lost on ShoBox last year, so chalk this up to another win on the trail to get back to "prospect."
******
Featherweight Joel Brunker, an Aussie like one of the men in the main event, beat Mike Oliver over eight rounds, almost all of which were competitive and almost all of which Brunker probably deserved to win. The 78-74 cards across the board were fine, given Oliver's often showy pot shots with his back against the ropes. The problem was, Brunker's left hook was in Oliver's ribs all night. Oliver has shown a weak chin in the past, so you have to wonder whether Brunker's inability to hurt him speaks ill of Brunker's punching power, although the body shots appeared of the brutal variety. Brunker also endured a pretty bad cut, so he's got some heart, but I'm not sure what to make of him overall.
******
Kiko Martinez came out blazing from the very 1st round and got a great 6th round TKO over Jhonatan Romero. The fight could have been stopped a good minute sooner, because Romero had his back against the ropes with his hands down and wasn't punching back. That Romero found a place halfway through the assault to throw some hard shots was kind of amazing, but all it did was ensure he would take more punishment. That was dangerous to Romero's health, and scary. Martinez's pressure was ferocious, and while Romero's defense was solid, Martinez was throwing so many shots that some were bound to connect. Romero made a dramatic momentum-shifting adjustment in the 2nd, getting his back off the ropes, switching direction and moving his feet constantly. But while Romero was catching him flush, Martinez didn't give a shit about any of that and simply kept the pressure on. By the end of the 5th Romero was cut and swollen. In the 6th, he was clearly done, and the ref finally stepped in. Martinez has some good/not great wins on his record, like over Bernard Dunne, but more often than not he loses when he steps up big. So this was an upset victory that might be his career best. Afterward, he said he wanted Nonito Donaire. I think I'd rather see him face champ Guillermo Rigondeaux. I wasn't expecting much from this bout, but despite my qualms about the timing of the stoppage, it delivered the action.
