Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada– A shocker in the main event of Friday Night Fights’ season opener as underdog Mauricio Herrera (16-1, 7 KOs) hung tough and won a unanimous decision over the pressure fighting Russian prospect, Ruslan Provodnikov (17-1, 11 KOs).
Prior to the bout, Provodnikov vowed to not change his fan favorite, all-pressure style in meeting the unheralded boxer from Lake Elsinore, California, Herrera and, over the first half of the fight, that seemed like a wise decision.
As the fight went on, despite ugly and discolored swelling under his left eye that hampered his vision, Herrera managed to amp up his offense and land a good number of shots on a Provodnikov who was more focused on offense than defense. By the end of the bout, Herrera was working his jab and landing some effective combinations, despite the Russian’s still-constant pressure.
Final scores were: 116-112, 116-112, and 115-113, all for Herrera . The Boxing Tribune disagreed with the judging, scoring the bout 116-112 for Provodnikov.
In the televised opener, Former Olympian, Demetrius Andrade (12-0, 8 KOs), scored a unanimous eight round decision over a competitive Alberto Herrera. Despite some wide punches and a porous defense, Andrade took the initiative and managed to take a solid decision over his rival. Judges’ scorecards were: 80-72, 80-72, and 79-73. The Boxing Tribune also scored the bout 80-72 for Andrade.
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