ORLANDO, Fla. — Some savvy boxing managers avoid representing heavyweights because the unpredictable effects of a single punch can permanently damage records, reputations and careers.
So while Gurgen Hovhannisyan was thankful to leave the Royal Caribbean Resort in Orlando on Friday with a win that kept him with a spotless record after seven games, his The defensive holes need to be fully scrutinized as he continues to play.
Hovhannisyan defeated Las Vegas’ Patrick Mailata by majority decision score of 76-76, 77-75, 77-75 on the Most Valuable Promotions card.
Hovhannisyan, who lives in Los Angeles, is trained by veteran corner Joe Goossen, whose team has high hopes for the Armenian.
However, his limited focus on defense held him back in both the fourth and fifth rounds as he controlled the tempo of the fight with heavy right hands that kept Mailata awake and thoughtful.
Hovhannisyan’s mistake nearly cost him the match in the sixth when he was driven to the ropes with a punishing power combination and then ate a hard left that put him in trouble again. Dilemma.
When he suffered another neck-breaking blow in the seventh inning, Goosen chided him: Hovhannisian Back to the corner before the eighth. He responded with injuries to his body and head before fatigue ended the game.
Initial action precedes live coverage on DAZN, which includes the night’s main event: the WBA interim bantamweight title fight between Antonio Vargas and Winston Guerrero.
Previously, Venezuelan Vladimir Macayo, 18-1 (14 KOs), eliminated former featherweight title challenger Oscar Escanton in the second round 27-9, solidifying his status as The WBA’s seventh-ranked lightweight contender.
Escandon, the 2016 interim featherweight champion who lost to champion Gary Russell Jr. in 2017, saw his fight end when Maccayo landed a devastating right hand to the liver. The game ended in just 26 seconds.
Eighth-ranked Lucas Bahdi, who won the MVP, was there to watch the game and hopes he can play against Makayo next.
Florida junior middleweight Jocksan Blanco, 8-0, defeated Jeeva, 14-2, by majority decision, 76-76, 77-75, 77-75 Jeovanny Estela.
Dominican Republic’s junior welterweight Hendri Ceden, 15-0, showed off a sharp jab and quick hands in a 23-6 victory over Mexico’s Luis Hernand Luis Hernandez Ramos won by unanimous decision with scores of 79-73, 78-74, 78-74. 79-73, hit the back of Ramos’ head in the third round, and knocked down Ramos’ mouthpiece in the fifth round.
Lance Pugmire is an American senior writer at BoxingScene and an associate producer at ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first with the Los Angeles Times, then The Athletic and USA Today. In 2022, he received the Nat Fleischer Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America for career excellence.
