Main Events Boxing at Resorts International Casino – Atlantic City, NJ
Joe Latti
Brick City Boxing
ATLANTIC CITY – There was a buzz surrounding Resorts International Casino on Friday night before Curtis Stevens (26-4, 18 ko) took on Pat Majewski (21-3, 13 ko) in the main event of the evening. The house was surprisingly divided as each fighter heard their share of cheers and boos from the crowd in Atlantic City, NJ.
Curtis Stevens (26-4, 18 KO) TKO over Pat Majewski (21-3, 13 KO)
Stevens, looking to avenge his stoppage loss to Gennady Golovkin in his last fight, looked as focused as ever with a dominating first round TKO of Majewski. Ten seconds into the fight Stevens landed a stiff jab which sent Majewski to the canvas, instantly setting the tone for how this bout was going to play out. When referee Lindsey Page let the fight resume, Stevens went right back to work on Majewski by backing him into the ropes and dropping him again with a fierce combination, even landing two more blows before Page could step in to begin his ten count. A dazed Majewski was up by four, nodding for the fight to continue. Stevens led the charge again, backing Majewski to the ropes and dropping him with a solid left hook, forcing the referee stoppage just 46 seconds into the first round.
The future for Curtis Stevens is bright once again in a 160 pound division that is flooded with great talent. The most appealing fight for Stevens would be WBO titleholder Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin. Stevens was asked about the match up, and basically stated that if the numbers and politics aligned, he would agree to the bout.
Thabiso Mchunu (14-1, 9 KO) UD over Olanrewaju Durodola (15-2, 14 KO)
The opening nationally televised fight of the night was a good one, with two solid fighters squaring off in a 10 round bout for the vacant NABF Cruiserweight title. There was a significant height disadvantage for Mchunu, but that proved not to be a factor for the south paw out of Natal, South Africa. Mchunu was busy for the duration of the fight, landing more punches than Durodola, and scoring the only knockdown of the fight during the second round. Durodola gave a resilient effort the rest of the fight, but could not do enough to swing the bout in his favor as it was officially scored 98-91, 97-92, and 96-93, all in favor of Mchunu. Brick City Boxing scored the bout 96-93 in favor of Mchunu as well.
Mark Rideout (4-0-2, 1 KO) vs Fred Latham (4-0-1, 2 KO) – DRAW
The heavyweight bout of the evening featured two well matched fighters out of Pennsylvania. Each fighter landed their share of punches in a rather uneventful 4 round fight, ultimately being scored a 38-38 draw by all three judges.
Hasan Young (5-1-1, 2 KO) UD over Justin Johnson (5-6-4)
Hasan Young vs Justin Johnson
Young dominated this six round light welterweight bout from start to finish, dropping Johnson twice in round two, once in round five and once in round six, eventually winning a wide-margin unanimous decision.
Wellington Romero (2-0, 1 KO) TKO over Ismael Serrano (1-1)
Romero gave the most impressive performance of this under card with a dominating stoppage, 1:29 into the first round. The southpaw was a 2012 Olympian, fighting for the Dominican Republic – and looks to have an extremely bright future.
Roberto Acevedo (8-1, 5 KO) TKO over Ilshat Khusnulgatin (10-1, 6 KO)
The upset of the evening, Acevedo charged Khusnulgatin from the start and never looked back. The strategy proved to be successful as Khusnulgatin was noticeably hurt, then eventually dropped by a big right hand with 2:09 in the first round, forcing referee Lindsey Page to stop the fight immediately.
Wilky Campfort (16-1, 9 KO) Split Decision over DeCarlo Perez (11-3-1, 4 KO)
Campfort took the split decision victory over Perez in a well-fought 8 round Junior Middleweight bout. The judges scored the fight 77-75 and 78-74 for Campfort, and 77-75 for Perez.
Venroy July (16-1-2, 6 KO) UD over Sevdail Sherifi (9-3-3, 8 KO)
The opening bout of the night, Sherifi got off to a good start out of the gate, but the southpaw July took control of the final few rounds ultimately being awarded the unanimous decision.