By: Sean Crose
David Morrell Jr 7-0 pitted Aidos Yerbossynuly 16-0 Saturday night in the Showtime card main event streamed live from Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The match was scheduled for 12 and was for the WBA super middleweight title. However, before Morrell and Yerbossynuly had their moment in the ring, middleweight Fiodor Czerkaszyn 20-0 knocked out Nathaniel Gallimore 22-5-1 in the scheduled 10th round.
The first round is an emotional process, although Gallimore may have been the more active of the two. Czerkaszyn asserted himself as the more active fighter in the second half. By the third installment, it became clear that Gallimore simply didn’t throw enough punches in the fight. Czerkaszyn continued to be able to keep Gallimore in control in the fourth installment. The Ukraine-born Czerkaszyn maintained range in the fifth.
Season six saw Gallimore unable to land effectively – which was one of his main problems throughout the fight. The seventh match was a rough round, with the fighters struggling in the ring. Czerkaszyn landed well on his man in season eight, though Gallimore appeared to remain unscathed. The boxers traded skins in the exciting 9th round, though Gallimore simply didn’t seem to punch as hard or as effectively as his opponent. In season ten, the truth was clear – Czerkaszyn was simply the better of the two boxers. Needless to say, Czerkaszyn walked out of the ring with a well-deserved decisive victory.
Next, former 23-3-1 world player Jeison Rosario takes on Brian Mendoza 20-2 in a scheduled 10-round middleweight match. Rosario went after her man for the first time. A beautiful body shot knocked Rosario down in the second minute. Rosario beat the count, then managed to stand her ground until the bell rang half a minute later. Rosario was back in the third round, actively moving into his man and landing well.
Rosario continued to chase success into the fourth inning, although Mendoza had some of his good shots. However, nothing compared to the shot he fired on Thursday that knocked Rosario to the ground. A loud thunderclap turns off the lights. Mendoza continued to make a cross to the left, but Rosario was there in time. To his credit, Rosario got up from the mat, although he immediately began to stumble, causing the referee to stop the game.
It’s time for the main event. Morrell started combining his punches well in the first round. Yerbossynuly didn’t seem to have a real answer and it was worth wondering at the time how long the fight could go on. Morrell displayed impressive defense in the second while Yerbossynuly spun and missed repeatedly in an almost cartoonish fashion. Morrell then rocked his man with a great headbutt as the wound rounded down.
Yerbossynuly moved forward in the third round, but he was defeated. He continued to be beaten in the fourth round. However, Yerbossynuly continued to have his best round in the fifth round, pressuring his opponent and firing shots with urgency. However, the Kazakh face is a bloody mess. Morrell brutally shot Yerbossynuly in season six. By the seventh round, the fight had changed course, as it was no longer a blow. Yerbossynuly is continuing to land and adjust the tempo of the game with effective attacks.
With the fight being such a grueling job, it’s no surprise that the match was slower in the round of 16. Yerbossynuly was rocked in the final seconds of season nine. His gloved hand touched the carpet, but the referee deemed it a slip. Morrel hurt the man again in the tenth, but somehow, somehow, Yerbossynuly kept things competitive.
Yerbossynuly was dropped heavily at the beginning of the twelfth and final round. However, the Kazakh warrior got up and continued to fight. However, the referee withdrew the point later in the half because of Yerbossynuly’s excessive possession of the ball. That didn’t matter – a shot with a sledgehammer knocked Yerbossynuly to the ground and died seconds later. After such incredible violence, it was touching to see Morrell help his bloody opponent into the corner after the knockout.
