Roiman Villa has proven that perseverance can pay off.
The welterweight competitor from Venezuela was outmatched by Rashidi Ellis in the first half of their match but delivered a fierce rally — including two knockouts in the final round — to beat the undefeated Rashidi Ellis first. that by majority decision in a 12-round title elimination match.
One referee scores 113-113, a draw. However, the other two backed Villa 114-112, every six inning. Boxing Junkie scored a 114-112 goal for Ellis.
Ellis (25-0, 15 KOs) controlled the first six rounds with a continuous jab, multiple hits, precision, and the ability to use her feet to avoid harm.
He seems to be on his way to a one-way win. However, Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) had a different opinion.
Villa’s relentless pressure paid off in the second half of the match, when he began to land hard, punishing Ellis’ head and body blows to get back into the fray.
The Venezuelan won the final round, when he knocked Ellis twice — once from a left hook in the middle of goal and again with a series of shots in the final seconds — to won the score 10-7.
That proved to be the difference on the scoreboard in the first significant defeat of 2023.
“I know that quick fighters like him get a little tired sooner or later and that’s what I took advantage of,” Villa said in the ring afterwards.
Ellis, stunned by the goal, wants a rematch.
“I think I’m ordering the fight,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened. … I completely disagree with this decision. I won most of the rounds.
“Yeah, he took down, but other than that, I won most of the rounds.”
