Redkach earns decision over Luis in tough fight

Redkach earns decision over Luis in tough fight

Ukrainian export Ivan Redkach was looking to make a statement in his major American television debut, headlining the inaugural 2014 broadcast of ShoBox: The New Generation. But though he earned a ten-round decision against Canadian Tony Luis, he proved that he might still be at least a year away from being ready to step in against the top guys at 135 pounds.

Redkach (16-0, 13 knockouts) jumped on Luis right at the opening bell, hurting his opponent a bit. Luis (17-2, 7 KOs) later countered Redkach well enough to force Redkach’s glove to touch the canvas, but it would be the first of many things that referee Randy Phillips missed. Redkach later hit Luis with a good right hand that earned him a knockdown at the close of the round.

It was from there that Luis made a change in attack and took over the fight for the next few rounds. He gave Redkach no room to punch, pushing him to the ropes where he was able to outwork his favored opponent. Redkach showed a bit of an amateur attack, leaving lots of openings for Luis to exploit.

Redkach got back on track in the fifth round, which was a frame that could have swung either way. Redkach hurt Luis in the opening seconds of the sixth, staggering him before the two butted heads badly, resulting in a deep cut in the forehead of Luis. Though blood was running down his face, Luis still fought a very determined fight, even landing some good hard shots at the end of the round. The two engaged in a back and forth seventh round that could have gone either way, though momentum seemed to favor Redkach.

From there, Redkach more or less controlled the action, edging the eighth and ninth rounds before an all-action tenth round could have swung in favor of Luis on the strength of cleaner and more effective punches. The scores didn’t reflect the closeness of the bout, as they read 99-90, 97-92, 97-93, all in favor of Redkach.

Redkach will benefit from the learning experience and should go back to the drawing board with lots to work on.

Referee Randy Phillips was a nuisance throughout the evening, particularly in the main event as he was overly involved and always far too close to the action. On these cards in the Midwest, they don’t work with as deep a roster, which unfortunately meant that we got to see Phillips in all four bouts as the man in charge.

GIF image courtesy of @ZProphet_MMA

Previously unheralded Frank Galarza turned the tables on prospect John Thompson, stopping him in the second round of a scheduled eight-round junior middleweight contest. Thompson (14-1, 5 KOs) of Newark, NJ, a previous ShoBox participant, boxed well in the opening round, keeping Galarza on the outside with his jab. Brooklyn’s Galarza (12-0-2, 8 KOs) didn’t waste any time in the second round, hurting Thompson with a right hand in the opening seconds. Galarza followed up, finishing Thompson with a huge left hook that dropped Thompson down in a heap. Galarza did the most to improve his stock on an evening that featured four televised bouts.

Middleweight Antonio Douglas of Burke, Va., earned a workmanlike eight-round unanimous decision over a game but outclassed Marquis Davis of Tampa, Fla. Douglas went for the home run in the first 30 seconds, trying his best to get Davis out of there early. Davis (8-1-2, 5 KOs) did a good job covering up, and the fight then took on a pattern of Douglas outworking Davis round by round. Douglas (12-0, 7 KOs) utilized a series of dirty tactics throughout the fight, following through with elbows and forearms, leading with his head, though it hardly earned him any warnings from referee Randy Phillips. Douglas didn’t seem to possess the kind of world class power that many touted him to have, as Davis never seemed bothered by any of the clean punches that landed, of which there were nearly infinite. Douglas finally backed Davis up in the final thirty seconds of the fight, but it came too late to follow up on it for a knockout. The judges ruled in favor of Douglas by scores of 80-72 twice and 79-73.

Junior welterweights Maurice Hooker and Abel Ramos opened up the 2014 season of ShoBox in an entertaining back-and-forth eight round majority draw.

Hooker (12-1-1, 9 KOs), of Dallas, Tex., was the much classier boxer, but his lack of conditioning nearly cost him. Ramos (8-0-1, 4 KOs), an Arizona based fighter who previously had never gone more than four rounds, appeared to be in better shape as he overcame the skill deficit by stalking Hooker, who seemed out of gas after five rounds. Hooker utilized the ring very well early on, forcing his opponent into a position where he could do little damage as he popped him with his jab at a distance. As Hooker’s legs began to tire, Ramos came on late, landing wide hooks that troubled Hooker, particularly in the final two rounds. Had Ramos been a fighter with experience going eight rounds, Hooker may have fared worse. Instead, both fighters get away from the fight with a draw, with scores of 76-76 twice overruling the 77-75 score in favor of Hooker.

-Mark E. Ortega / @MarkEOrtega

-Managing editor at www.BehindTheGloves.com