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Chris
Colbert Earns Statement
TKO Win Over Jaime Arboleda
Photos: Amanda Westcott - SHOWTIME
Undefeated interim
WBA Super Featherweight Champion Chris “Primetime” Colbert
scored a statement knockout victory Saturday night, dropping
tough contender Jaime Arboleda three times en route to the
11th round win live on tonight’s SHOWTIME BOXING: SPECIAL
EDITION from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. in an
event presented by Premier Boxing Champions.
At the end of an action-packed ninth round, the flashy
Colbert (15-0, 6 KOs) sent the WBA No. 4 ranked Arboleda
(16-2, 13 KOs) to the canvas for the fourth time in his
career when he caught him with a vicious left hook. Arboleda
survived, but in round 11 Colbert knocked Arboleda down
twice early in the round and followed up with an
unanswered flurry that convinced referee Steve Willis to
stop the fight at 1:37 of the penultimate round.
“I dominated the whole fight,” said Colbert. “I probably
gave him two rounds, but that was by choice. I just wanted
to build his confidence because I knew I was going to stop
him in the later rounds. I came to show the 130-pound
division that I can punch. I’m here and I’m here to stay.
“I’m more than just a flashy boxer. I can stand in there and
bang. I know there were close rounds in the fight, but I
understood that as it was happening. It was part of the game
plan. I knew what I was doing. I was wearing him down to
knock him out late. I did what I said I’d do.”
Colbert was docked a point for a low blow in the eighth
round and at the time of the stoppage all three judges
scored each round identically and had Colbert ahead 98-90.
"I just kept my head up after the deduction and kept coming
strong,” said Colbert. “I had to come out here and put on a
dominating performance. I talk a lot, so I had to make sure
I backed it up.”
The Panamanian Arboleda was the much busier fighter in
Saturday’s main event, throwing almost 300 more punches
(709-411) than Colbert. However, Brooklyn’s Colbert
out-landed Arboleda 184-153 and relied heavily on his
lightning quick hand speed and stylish defense to stymie
Arboleda’s attack.
The 24-year-old Colbert, who was making his SHOWTIME debut
in his first televised main event, proved that he is a
legitimate threat in the talent-heavy 130-pound division.
In the co-main event, talented up-and-coming super
lightweight prospect Richardson Hitchins (12-0, 5 KOs)
remained unbeaten, scoring a split-decision victory over
former world champion Argenis Mendez (25-6-3, 12 KOs). Two
judges scored the 10-round contest 98-92 and 99-91 in favor
of Hitchins, while one judge scored it 97-93 in Mendez’s
favor.
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native Hitchins, who represented his
parents’ home country of Haiti in the 2016 Olympics, used
his superb jab to counteract Mendez’s power punches. The
23-year-old Hitchins landed 57 of his 198 jabs thrown
compared to Mendez’s 12 of 90. Mendez landed 80 of his 256
power punches, including 44 shots to the body, compared to
Hitchins’ 60 power punches landed out of 135 thrown. Mendez
came on late in the fight and was more active over the
second half of the bout, but was unable to overcome Hitchins’
jab.
“I rate my performance a B-plus,” said Hitchins, who fights
out of the Mayweather Promotions stable. “I think I might
have lost one round. I could have gotten an A if I put a
little more hurt on him, but I knew his defense would be
tight. I’ve watched him since I was a kid. I knew he was a
smart fighter. With the amount of experience I have compared
to him, it was a great performance.
“Now I have my first world champion under my belt just 12
fights in. It’s a tremendous honor. I haven’t been boxing as
long as he’s been professional. I’m proud of myself.”
In the telecast opener, Ronald Ellis (18-1-2, 12 KOs) was
victorious by fifth-round TKO after 37-year-old veteran
contender Matt Korobov (28-4-1, 14 KOs) suffered a
fight-ending injury in his second straight appearance. In
the fourth round, Korobov injured his left Achilles and
prior to the start of the fifth round, the fight was stopped
upon the advice of the ringside physician.
At the time of the forced stoppage, Korobov was ahead on two
of the judges’ scorecards, with the third having it even
after the four completed rounds. Over the first three
rounds, Korobov landed two more punches than Ellis (22-20)
and in the fourth round, Korobov upped his output, throwing
a fight-high 56 punches with 11 connects.
The bout was contested at super middleweight after the
31-year-old Ellis came in five pounds above the middleweight
limit at Friday’s official weigh-in. In Korobov’s last bout,
he suffered a left shoulder injury and was unable to
continue against Chris Eubank Jr.
“I know he dies out in the later rounds so I was going to
step on it in the second half of the fight,” said Ellis, a
native of Lynn, Mass. “It’s been a while and I know that
this wasn’t my best performance. He’s awkward, he’s a
southpaw. He wasn’t giving me that much but I was trying to
beat him by a few punches each round. I heard the announcers
say that I wasn’t throwing as much as I usually do but I was
giving what I was getting. After I heard that, I stepped it
up. Once I saw that his leg was hurt, I was nervous we were
going to the scorecards because he might have grabbed early
rounds.”
In non-televised undercard action, highly regarded
featherweight prospect David Navarro scored a first-round KO
for the second time in as many professional appearances. The
21-year-old Los Angeles native opted to forgo the chance to
represent the U.S. at next summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo,
and has since displayed his power with two first-round KOs
in the span of two months.
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