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BoxRec Correction! Bosnian Prince Armin Mrkanovic Stops Mejia in Fourth, Wins WBA Title

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

In a bout result incorrectly reported on BoxRec, ‘The Bosnian Prince’ cruiserweight Armin Mrkanovic scored a fourth stoppage over Wilmer Mejia to win the vacant World Boxing Association Fedecaribe Cruiserweight title, a TKO 4 (3:00) when Mejia did not answer the bell for the fourth round, at club Plaza Valerio, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on March 31, 2019, in the main event of a 15 bout card. BoxRec incorrectly has the bout listed as a TKO 9 win for Mrkanovic in a scheduled nine rounder.



In preliminary prospect bouts to the main event: 12-0 Dominican bantamweight prospect Junior ‘Bombita’ Almonte scored a first round knockout over Angelo Munoz; 12-0 Dominican light heavyweight Sanderson Diaz scored a second round knockout over Johnny Encarnacion; and 9-0 Dominican female featherweight Dyana Vargas won a six rounder.



Mrkanovic, age 38, 10-3-1 with five knockouts, Queens, New York, by way of Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been trained by Arturo Gatti trainer Hector Roca his entire career, and also worked with noted trainer Don Saxby for this bout (Don Saxby is best known as the trainer of super lightweight contender Mikkel Lespierre). His BoxRec rating remains an underestimated 328th of 1,202 cruiserweights worldwide, most likely because while he has won at six rounds twice, in 2015 and 2018, he has never won a bout and remains unproven at eight rounds, having lost a controversial eight-round decision in a vacant Universal Boxing Federation All-Americas cruiserweight title bout to Josh Himes in 2017, in a bout fought in a strange location, the West Virginia State Penitentiary. Dominican southpaw Mejia, 22-11-3, Irvington, New Jersey, by way of the Dominican Republic, lost by corner retirement. Mejia remained on his stool between rounds, and refused to come out for the fourth round, giving up.

For Armin Mrkanovic, a knee injury early in his career in a Roseland Ballroom stoppage loss to retired journeyman Rayshawn Myers in 2011, and a four round unavenged decision loss to 25 loss journeyman Rayford Johnson in 2012 when his knee was probably not fully recovered, derailed his career, and contributed to his long road of recovery. Mrkanovic has won six of seven bouts since October 2012, the except being his unavenged loss to Himes. Rumors of a Rayford Johnson rematch, a Josh Himes rematch offer for his WBA Fedecaribe belt, or Mrkanovic seeking to become a last minute substitute in a higher level WBA regional title bout have swirled after his latest win, but remain unconfirmed.

Result: Armin Mrkanovic Win TKO 4 Wilmer Mejia, Cruiserweights (3:00)
Corner Retirement. Mejia quit on his stool, and did not come out for the fourth round.

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