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Amari Jones Defeats Vincenzo Gualtieri
In IBF Middleweight World Title Eliminator
Making a statement victory in front of his hometown crowd
and still undefeated, knockout artist Amari “The Reaper”
Jones (17-0, 15 KOs) stopped former world champion Vincenzo
“Il Capo” Gualtieri (25-2-1) of Germany in the third round
of their scheduled 12-round IBF Middleweight World Title
Eliminator. Headlining his first-ever DAZN event, Jones
showcased his jab effectively and systematically broke down
Gualtieri, who showed resilience throughout the bout. In the
third round, Jones scored two knockdowns: first with a
crushing right hand to the temple and then with a
devastating right uppercut. The referee waved off the fight
at 2:29 of the round. The event took place at SAP Center and
streamed live worldwide on DAZN.
“I made a statement tonight that needed to be made,” said
Amari Jones. “I proved that my win against veteran Luis
Arias wasn’t a fluke by going out here and knocking out an
experienced former world champion. Coming into the fight, I
knew he [Gualtieri] was an awkward fighter, knew his way
around the ring, and that it was going to take some time to
settle into the fight. I didn’t think it’d be that quick,
though. I started to put my shots together really well.”
Continued Jones, “after the first round, I came back to my
corner, and Virgil [Hunter] told me that Gualtieri had
already shown me everything he had. It was only a matter of
time after that. I was trying to set up traps for him to
fall into. He was blocking shots well, but I knew if I could
sneak my right hand through his guard, I could put
combinations together. I finally landed my shots, and it
knocked his equilibrium off. I’m an ultimate finisher. I put
the combos together and hit him in the body, went back to
his head, and finished him. I’m not doing this for no
reason. A star was made tonight, and I put the middleweight
division on notice.”
In the co-main event, undefeated cruiserweight Robin “ROBZ”
Safar (19-0, 13 KOs) captured the WBC Silver Cruiserweight
Title with a hard-fought victory over Argentina’s Yamil
Peralta (18-2-1, 10 KOs) in a grueling 12-round battle that
went the distance. Safar overcame adversity after suffering
his first knockdown in the second round. The tightly
contested bout saw Safar edge out Peralta via split
decision, with judges scoring the fight 116-111 for Rudy
Barragan and 114-113 for David Soliven, while Melissa
McMorrow scored it 114-113 in favor of Peralta.
“I didn’t plan for the fight to go the distance," said
Safar. "I wanted to get him [Peralta] out of there in the
later rounds. He was an awkward fighter. I have to give him
props; he was a tough opponent with an unorthodox style.
Although I had him on his back foot for most of the time, I
feel like I waited too long to put the pressure. We live and
we learn.”
Continued Safar, “I did get dropped in this fight. That was
the first time ever for me getting dropped. It was a little
flash knock down, but I had to recuperate and adapt. We came
back and won the fight. That’s all that matters. I want to
fight the top dogs. I want Noel Mikaelian."
Also on the televised DAZN card, rising contender Darius "DFG"
Fulghum (15-1-1, 13 KOs) stopped Miami-based Yoanki Urrutia
(17-3, 7 KOs) in their light heavyweight bout when a
debilitating body shot prompted Urrutia's corner to throw in
the towel at the end of the third round. In a jaw-dropping
stoppage, Las Vegas' Tristan "Sweet T" Kalkreuth (17-1, 12
KOs) took on cruiserweight Marco Canedo (8-4-1, 5 KOs) of
Michoacán, Mexico. Scheduled for 10 rounds, Kalkreuth
finished things early with a sixth-round knockout at 0:51.
Opening the DAZN broadcast with a firefight, Jordan Fuentes
(7-0, 2 KOs) of Fresno, Calif., competed in a six-round
super flyweight bout against Dante Hernandez (3-2, 3 KOs) of
Jalisco, Mexico. The action-packed match went the distance,
with Fuentes securing the victory by scores of 60-54, 60-54
and 59-55.
In the preliminary bouts, Jose Medrano (3-0, 2 KOs) of
Salinas, Calif., made a splash with a fourth-round knockout
win over Anel Dudo (4-9-1, 1 KO) of Aurora, Colo., in a
four-round super featherweight fight, finishing at 0:44.
Jordan "The Patriot" Panthen (12-2, 10 KOs) is the new WBA
Continental middleweight titlist after defeating Jean Rivera
(10-3, 1 KO) of San Juan, Puerto Rico, by knockout. Panthen
dropped Rivera multiple times before securing the stoppage
in the third round at 1:30. John “Scrappy” Ramirez (17-1, 9
KOs) of Los Angeles defeated Lucas Fernandez (14-5-2, 9 KOs)
of Rosario, Argentina, in a 10-round super flyweight contest
by scores of 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91. Opening the evening,
Enkhmandakh Kharkhuu (8-0, 3 KOs) of Los Angeles defeated
Adrian Herrera (10-5, 8 KOs) of Jalisco, Mexico, in an
eight-round super flyweight matchup. The judges scored the
bout unanimously for Kharkhuu by scores of 77-75, 80-72 and
78-74.
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