Watching a smooth Cuban boxer transition from the amateurs to the pro game is always a pleasure. Kevin Hayler Brown is now 7-0 (3 KOs) after his latest win. Based in Las Vegas, the 31-year-old doesn’t necessarily have time on his side. Eric Armit watched the Camaguey native win the WBA Continental super-lightweight last Friday.
Kevin Hayler Brown WON PTS 10 Esteuri Suero
Cuban Brown marched on with a unanimous decision over Suero in Florida last weekend. Both were cautious over the first three close rounds as they worked to establish their jabs. Brown increased his work rate from the fourth and with that and his more accurate punching, he took control.
Suero continued to be competitive, but Brown was quicker, backing away from Suero’s leads and coming back with hard counters. In the ninth, a pair of rights put Suero down heavily. He was up quickly, but when under pressure, he held to stop Brown scoring.
Following a couple of warnings, the referee deducted a point. To complete the disaster for Suero, he was down for the second time in the round from a burst of short punches. Suero survived the last round, but Brown was a winner on scores of 98-89, 96-91 and 95-92.
Brown was coming off a win over 18-1 John Bauza and is progressing well. Suero was lucky not to suffer another disqualification. He had been deducted three points for fouls in losing to Starling Castillo and was deducted two points and disqualified in the fifth round against Floyd Schofield last year.
Hendri Cedeno WON TKO 6 Idalberto Umara
Cedeno took the fight to Umara in the first and just kept applying pressure, coming in behind his jab with straight rights and hooks to the body. Umara boxed well on the back foot but just could not get off the ropes and was too busy defending to do much attacking.
Umara managed to break the cycle in the third, connecting with a series of hooks and uppercuts and a right hook shook Cedeno. Cedeno was back in charge in the fourth and fifth. He continued to force Umara to the ropes and land to the body with both hands, shaking off Umara’s counters.
The relentless pressure was breaking Umara down. He was looking arm weary, throwing less and less and he did not come out for the seventh. Cedeno won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental title in his first fight scheduled for 10 rounds. Cuban Umara had lost a split decision to Kevin Hayler Brown in May.
Lenier Pero WON PTS 10 Detrailous Webster
Pero boxed his way to victory but is lucky not to be thrown out for low punches. Pero had Webster hurt in the first and then continued that momentum using his advantages in height and reach, landing right jabs and heavy lefts to build a big lead.
Webster fought back and had a good eighth. It still looked safe for Pero, but low punches in the ninth cost Pero two point deductions. He outscored Webster in the last two rounds to win by scores of 96-92 and 98-90.
Pero has scored three first-round wins in his last four fights and stopped previously unbeaten Viktor Vykhryst, but his Number Five rating with the WBA is ridiculous. Webster appeared in his first fight scheduled for more than six rounds.
Gurgen Hovhannisyan WON KO5 Dajuan Calloway
Hovhannisyan won by fifth-round KO, but the real hero was the guy who made the ring! Between them, Hovhannisyan and Calloway weighed 718 lbs/51 stone/326 kgs!
This one was fought at a slow lumbering pace with the 6’7” Hovhannisyan having a 4” height edge but giving away 124 lbs to the 6’3” 421 lbs Calloway. Hovhannisyan did enough to take the first three rounds, although Calloway connected with a couple of hard rights.
Hovhannisyan used his reach to do the scoring in the fourth, but was wide open to Calloway’s jabs. In the fifth, Hovhannisyan forced Calloway to a corner and landed three rights to the head that had Calloway sliding to the canvas. Hovhannisyan connected with a left when Calloway had a knee on the floor.
The referee counted out Calloway as the underdog made no effort to get up. Gurgen has scored seven wins by KO/TKO but only just scraped past 6-2 Patrick Mailata on a majority decision in December. Calloway had won his last four fights.
Christopher Diaz W PTS 8 Jose Meza
Former WBO featherweight title challenger Diaz bounced back from his loss to Henry Lebron in December with a points victory over Meza. The scores were 79-73 twice and 80-72 for Diaz. Four of Diaz’s five losses have come against current, past or future title holders. Meza’s losses have all come on points.
Live on DAZN, April 26 Eubank Jr vs. Benn. Over 30 years of rivalry and hatred all comes down to this! A bloodline born to settle the score, hatred in their blood. Eubank Jr vs. Benn, live on DAZN April 26.
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