Weekend Roundup: Smith Digs Deep To Beat Vlasov, Ajagba and Ennis Win by KO

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 *Photo Credit: Top Rank Boxing 

Joe Smith Jr. is the new World Boxing Organisation World Light Heavyweight champion, landing a career-high 174 power punches, with 68 power shots landed in the last two championship rounds, to win the vacant title by 12 round majority decision over Maxim Vlasov in the main event at Osage Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Saturday, April 10, 2021.

Smith, 27-3 with 21 knockouts, Tulsa, Oklahoma, won the belt long-held by Sergey Kovalev, who might try to win it back now. This was a real bomb for bomb veteran versus veteran war in heated punch exchanges in a fight of the year candidate. Smith outlanded Vlasov 226 total punches to 214, while Vlasov landed more power shots 187 to 174. Vlasov, 45-4 with 26 knockouts, Samara, Russian Federation, found himself waist-deep in a nonstop war, but Smith had the overall Edge in the last two rounds in what amounted to a toe to toe thriller. Jabwise, both men were not technical fighters. Smith landed 52 of 280 jabs, while Vlasov landed 27 of 252 jabs thrown. Against WBC and IBF world champion Artur Beterbiev, or WBA world champion Dmitry Bivol (who Smith has already fought) both Smith and Vlasov would not be able to win rounds on technical skill as brawlers.

Result: Joe Smith Win Majority Decision 12 Dmitry Bivol, Light Heavyweights

Smith wins vacant World Boxing Organisation World Light Heavyweight title        

Scoring: 114-114 draw. 115-113, 115-112 for Smith. Referee: Gary Ritter

Smith joins WBO World Super Featherweight champ Jamel Herring, Long Island champs

 In an undercard highlight-reel knockout, heavyweight Efe Ajagba took advantage of Brian Howard’s left hand down style to land a power overhand right which sent Howard to the canvas lights out knocked out. Ajagba, 15-0, 12 knockouts, Stafford, Texas, in fact knocked out a bloated cruiserweight in Howard, 15-5 with 12 knockouts, Loganville, Georgia. Howard had gotten lucky in recent years, knocking out Carlos Negron, Alex Guerrero and Garrett Wilson in the first round, knocking out 8-0 Shawndell Winters in two, and also outpointed dangerous Phil Williams in eight rounds. Against top-flight opponents, Howard, who is now 40 years old, is 0-5 and has been knocked out four times. The 6’6″ giant Ajagba towers over most opponents, and Howard, after this loss, should call it a career, because he is not going to make it in the heavyweight division, pandemic or not, even as an opponent.

 Result: Efe Ajagba KO 3 Brian Howard, Heavyweights (1:29) Referee: Tony Crebs

In a candidate for knockout of the year, in the main event at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, “The Philadelphia Assassin”, welterweight Jaron Boots Ennis, 27-0, 25 knockouts, ended Sergey Lipinets, 16-2-1 with 12 knockouts, Woodland Hills, California, with a brutal uppercut right-hand knockout. Lipinets landed some overhand power shots and a nasty low blow. Lipinets, with limited reach, tried to wage war inside.

Ennis, who had a 74 to 67-inch reach advantage, landed overhand shots with some wild swings, eventually timed Lipinets, a former 140-pound world champion, perfectly on the inside, and took him out terminator style. Ennis outlanded Lipinets 91 to 48. For Lipinets, down in the fourth, and out in the sixth, the major issue with the Joe Goosen fighter was not training, discipline, or heart, it had to do with work rate. Ennis outworked Lipinets and tagged him too often. Lipinets got caught on the inside and went down once.  When a full impact power shot on the inside lands standing motionless or coming in, as Juan Manuel Marquez did with Manny Pacquiao, down and out you go, with no hope of getting up.

 Result: Jaron Ennis KO 6 Sergey Lipinets, Welterweights (2:11)

Stone cold one punch knockout, back first, down and out. Referee: Arthur Mercante Jr.

 Other Notable Weekend Results

Trey Lippe TKO 3 Jason Bergman, Heavyweights (1:27) Bergman incurred ankle injury

Lippe 17-0, 17 Knockouts, Tulsa, Oklahoma, son of the late Tommy “The Duke” Morrison

Jeremiah Milton TKO 1 Jayvone Gafney, Heavyweights (1:19) Milton 3-0 Vegas fighter

Gafney was knocked out on his feet face forward draped over the ring ropes, old style KO.

Eimontas Stanionis Win 12 Thomas Dulorme, Welterweights

13-0 Stanionis represented Lithuania at 2016 Rio De Janeiro Summer Olympic Games

 Evan Holyfield Win Nicholas Compton, Middleweights

6-0 boxing son of Evander Holyfield former ranked number one USA Tae Kwon Do fighter

Elijah Sa’lesui KO 4 Hunter Sam, Heavyweights. Hit Sam fell out of ring, 20 counted out!

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