BRUCE Carrington picked up the vacant WBC Interim featherweight title in New York’s Madison Square Garden Theater last night, widely outpointing Namibia’s Mateus Heita over 12 rounds.
The three judges all agreed it was a domination, with Mark Consentino and Tom Carusone giving Heita just one round at 119-109. Steve Weisfeld was even less charitable, scoring it a shutout 120-108 to the Brooklyn boxer.
It was a feel-out opener as Heita got the double jab popping and Carrington dropped a few feints to see what his African foe would react to. Undeterred by the size of the task, Heita slipped a few second-round body shots in as ‘Shu-Shu’ slid off the ropes.
Heita’s sneaky right uppercut was proving to be a valuable weapon on the inside. He wasn’t using it often enough, however. Referee Harvey Dock told Carrington off for some elbow and palm pushing at the close of the fourth. Carrington’s comfort levels increased across rounds five and six as he loosened the limbs and started using his additional skills.
The ESPN commentary team believed Heita was finding out in real time the gap in class as his pre-fight confidence gently melted away in the New York ring. Heita had been 12 rounds twice before but seemed reluctant to extend himself as the visitor’s corner asked for more activity and body work.
Boxing within his talent, there was no need for Carrington, 28, to extend himself unnecessarily. The onus was on Heita to make changes. Tim Bradley was not as impressed, imploring Bruce to “put on a show” in round nine. Carrington drifted through the final third of the fight, coasting home.
“I’m 100 per cent ready [for a full world title], I see Espinoza in the crowd, I want to fight you, I want to fight Nick Ball,” roared Bruce Carrington, now 16-0 (9 KOs) and knocking on the door of the top tier, IF he can lure one of them into the ring.
Travelling back to Windhoek with some minor credit in the bank, Mateus ‘The Beast’ Heita went out with a whimper, falling to 14-1 (9 KOs). Earlier in the broadcast, he was compared to previous African imports and given Top Rank’s previous form, he will likely be brought back as an opponent for a prospect in the near future.
