Women’s middleweight Nisa Rodriguez scored a technical knockout at 52 seconds into Melody Popravak’s second round on Tuesday night to win She received her first career suspension.
The fight was co-featured on BoxingInsider’s Final Card of 2024, taking place at Sony Hall in New York, NY and broadcast live on DAZN.
Rodriguez, 34 years old from Bronx, New Yorka slow start allowed Poplawak to push her to the brink in the first round. However, Rodriguez nearly knocked the 39-year-old Poplavak to the ground when he landed a powerful right hand with 30 seconds left on the frame. Snellville, Georgia, There was a flurry of confusion that seemed to shake Poplawak as the round ended.
Rodriguez carried her momentum into the second round, landing clean right hands and left hooks that caught Poplawak, who struggled to move his head and absorbed the punches cleanly. Although Poplawak never hit the canvas, he was overwhelmed and fought with will, tenacity and everything else, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
Rodriguez, a member of the New York Police Department, was cheered on by an animated group of colleagues as she celebrated her first career knockout.
Poplavak, who hails from Brooklyn, New York, dropped to 2-2-1 (1 KO) while Rodriguez improved to 3-0 (1 KO).
Middleweight Jacob Solis of New York City fought to a draw with Daniel Jefferson of Florissant, Missouri.
The judges scored Jefferson 40-36, Solis 39-37 and 38-38.
Solis, 33, struggled to find his rhythm against Jefferson; left handed Who kept him off balance throughout the fight. Jefferson seemed to slow down in the third round, allowing Solis to pick up the pace, but Solis, a 6-foot fighter, was unable to establish proper distance. Solis repeatedly missed on overhand rights, giving Jefferson a chance to rally late in the final round.
Solis now has a 5-0-1 record (5 KOs) and is the first long-distance finish in his career. The 34-year-old Jefferson currently has a record of 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss.
After the fight, promoter Larry Goldberg said the rematch would be a six-round bout on February 20. Jefferson played on two weeks’ notice.
Donte Layne of Long Island, New York, extended his knockout record to six with a fourth-round TKO victory over Pachino Hill of Davenport, Iowa.
Hill became the first opponent to defeat Ryan in the first round, providing some veteran experience with 1:02 left in the fourth quarter.
Lane knocked Hill down with a body shot in the third round, causing Hill to react sluggishly. In the fourth round, Hill’s right hook hit the temple again, and Ryan followed up with a series of punches, forcing Hill to kneel down on one knee, and then the referee waved.
Lane, 21, improves to 6-0 (six KOs), while Hill, 28, drops to 8-8-2 (six KOs).
Junior welterweight Terrell Bostic of Wyanchi, N.Y., defeated Carlos Marrero of Bridgeport, Conn., winning an eight-round unanimous decision.
The judges scored it 78-74, 80-72 and 80-72 in favor of the 33-year-old Bostick, who was wearing Kobe Bryant-style Lakers boxers. Bostic’s versatility was too much for Marrero, also 33, and his no-nonsense style focused on breaking his opponent’s will. However, both fighters were limited in punching power, which was a recurring theme in this fight.
Bostic relied on his fundamentals to attack effectively on the back foot while occasionally pushing forward to secure the round. Both fighters have shown impressive form at this level.
After the game, Bostic revealed that he injured his right hand during the game.
Bostic improved his record to 14 wins and 2 losses (2 KOs), while Marrero dropped to 8 wins, 9 draws and 3 (1 KO).
In the opener, lightweight Kobe Khalil Williams of Brooklyn, New York, stopped Deontae Williamson of St. Louis in the first round of a four-round contest to improve his record to 4-0. Loss (3 KOs). At 1 minute and 22 seconds into the first round, the game was stopped by the referee.
Williamson, 26, knocked down the 25-year-old Williamson with a left hand from a southpaw stance just over a minute into the round. Moments later, Williams was knocking Williamson to the body with a combination of right and left hooks, forcing him to his knees. The referee called off the fight as Williamson headed to the canvas.
Lucas Ketelle is an honorary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the author of Inside the Boxing Ropes (available on Amazon). Contact him via X @LukieBoxing.
