So kid, you want to be a boxer. And why not? Just look at Floyd Mayweather with his fancy cars and big house, or Manny Pacquiao the superstar politician of The Philippines. Who wouldn’t want that life? Downside? Sure there’s a downside, but maybe you will never have to see that. There’s the struggle to get to the top and stay there. There’s the heartbreak when you realize that maybe you don’t have what it takes. Not everyone can be a champion, even if there are eight or so World Champions in every weight division.

Just look at Victor Manuel Cayo. He’s been at this for almost seven years now. Always so close to the top. But just when the dream seems in reach, someone comes along that knocks him back down to earth: Marcos Maidana in 2010, Lamont Peterson in 2011, Nate Campbell in 2012, and now Emmanuelle Taylor in 2013.

Victor Cayo came into the ring looking like a champion. What does that mean? Well, you know. Someone was carrying a belt behind him. And his head was held high. That is always important. But that’s not how he left. The look on his face could only be described one way, the destruction of a man’s pride. He looked dejected. Emmanuel Taylor, on the other hand or more correctly the other side of the ring, looked like the new champion of the world. It was his night, and he was relishing in the fact that he had scored himself a big win. Yes, a big win against the man who lost against Maidana, Peterson, and Campbell. Nonetheless, it was a big win for a fighter who has not gone up against the likes of Maidana, Peterson, and Campbell.

The fight itself looked as though it was going in Cayo’s direction for most of it. In the first round Cayo’s output was double that of Taylor. Near the end of the round, he landed a hard right to Taylor’s head. Cayo was controlling the first half of the second round. But it was in the second round that Cayo’s weakness was first seen. Taylor staggered Cayo and backed him to the ropes. He held him there on the ropes as he threw combination after combination. It was starting to get obvious that Cayo lacks defensive capabilities. Sure, the best defense is an offense, but it’s always good to have some defense.

Cayo decided that it would be good to use a little more movement in the third, stepping out of the way of Taylor’s punches, but he often found himself stepping back and right into the ropes. Taylor staggered Cayo again. And then, Taylor found himself on the canvas. Oh no, it’s not what you think. Cayo didn’t put him there. Taylor, possibly looking for the KO, swung with such force that he spun himself and fell.

There wasn’t much of a change in the fight until the fifth round. Cayo was dropping his hands, which didn’t seem like such a good idea for a man who already was having trouble. But then, Cayo knocked Taylor to the canvas. The tide seemed to be turning in Cayo’s direction, energizing his fans in the room. In the sixth, Cayo and Taylor were trading shots in the center of the ring. Cayo knocked Taylor back. Taylor stayed right in there, and before the round was over staggered Cayo with a hard shot. In the seventh, Cayo was going to the body. Taylor was moving to get away. Cayo kept the pressure up throughout the round. It truly looked as though Cayo had taken control of the fight.

But that’s not how it ended. Like the Fates that had decided the destinies of ancient Greek warriors, it seemed that someone had decided Cayo’s fate as well. Taylor looked re-energized in the eighth round. He pressured Cayo to the ropes. Keeping the pressure up, throwing combinations, Cayo went down. Cayo survived the count. As soon as referee Benjy Estevez gave the signal, Taylor jumped right back in on the already shaky Cayo. Benjy Estevez wasted no time in stopping the fight.

Emmanuel Taylor, enjoy your day. You earned it. But also, remember that look on Cayo’s face at the end of the fight. So many fighters have suffered great defeats, some to battle back to the top and others to fade away. And Cayo, hold your head up. You gave us one hell of a fight.
 

And what did Magomed Abdusalamov learn? If anything, maybe it is that boxing truly is a dangerous sport. Victor Bisbal in the first round came out like one of the Furies of Hell. He was pressuring Abdusalamov with a combination of punches and his superior weight. Bisbal was taking his attack to the body and hurt Abdusalamov in that first round, backing him to the corner and landing several shots. Even in the second round, Bisbal was landing whenever Abdusalamov tried to move in. Bisbal was effectively keeping him out.

Abdusalamov seemed to get the message. In the third, he landed a hard shot to the chin, stopping Bisbal. Landing right after right, Abdusalamov was able to wear down Bisbal. Bisbal tried to pick up the attack in the fourth round, but Abdusalamov staggered him once again. Then in the fifth, Abdusalamov staggered Bisbal early. He kept up the pressure, Bisbal went down. He looked out before he even went down, his knees buckling on him in slow motion. Abdusalamov got the TKO victory, as well as taste for what it is like to go beyond the fourth round.


Results for the Undercard:

Lightweight Scott Burrel won the unanimous decision over Edgardo Torres. Two judges scored the fight 60-53, while one scored it 60-54.

Middleweight Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna won by unanimous decision against Joshua Snyder. The scores were 58-54, 58-54, and 57-55.

Junior Middleweight Samuel Rogers won the unanimous decision over Ivan Ziglar. The judges scored the fight 59-55, 60-54, and 58-56.

Junior Middleweight John Jackson knocked out Francisco Alexis Pena in less than one minute in the first round.

I would like to thank the people at Sampson Boxing for putting together a competitive fight card. This is what we as fans want.