By: Rich Lopez
It was indeed a Friday the 13th for Shobox which took place at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. That’s only because there were no spectators in attendance due to the Coronavirus disease. Still, the show moved forward for the viewing TV audience only. Four fights were televised and overall it was a good night of boxing.
In the main event, Brandun Lee (19-0, 17 KO’s) scored a third round TKO over Camilo Prieto (15-3, 9 KO’s) in a super lightweight bout. In round one, both fighters were feeling each other out. Towards the end of the round, Lee took charge and landed two straight right hands on the head of Prieto that were the most significant punches in the round. In round two, Lee continued to stay busy and come forward. He landed right hands and left hooks on the head of Prieto that was causing damage. Prieto was not doing anything or firing back any punches in return. In round three, Lee came out firing power right hands that landed on the head of Prieto. Prieto just tried to survive with his guard up. Lee threw combinations to the head and body that stunned Prieto. Lee then threw a barrage power shots at Prieto which prompted the referee to stop the fight. Lee scored a TKO in round three with a time of 2:34. As the other fights on the telecast went to distance, Lee turned up the notch and got the stoppage in the fight. Lee looked good once again and hopefully next time we will see him against a higher caliber fighter. Either way Lee was the big winner of the night. He got more exposure to TV audiences as all other US boxing cards were cancelled this weekend and many more will going forward.
In the co-feature, Brian Norman, Jr (17-0, 14 KO’s) won a seventh round technical decision over Flavio Rodriguez (9-2-1, 7 KO’s) in a welterweight bout. In round one, both fighters started out fast with Norman getting the better of the exchanges. He landed quick punches to the head and body of Rodriguez. In round two, both fighters traded shots in the middle of the ring. It was a very close round with Norman getting a slight edge. In round three, both fighters were fighting in close quarters once again with Norman seemingly getting the edge. In round four, both fighters were competitive in another close round. In round five, Rodriguez landed the better punches with effective shots to the head and body of Norman. In round six, Norman put the pressure and pushed Rodriguez to the ropes. Both men traded punches on the inside with Norman outworking Rodriguez. In round seven, both fighters collided heads which caused a cut on the forehead of Rodriguez. The fight was called off at 57 seconds of the seventh round and went to the scorecards. The scores were 69-64, 68-65 (twice) for Brian Norman, Jr. Norman looked good and was forced to go more rounds this time against a tougher opponent.
In an action packed lightweight bout, Alejandro Guerrero (12-0, 9 KO’s) won a hard fought eight round majority decision over Jose Angulo (12-2, 5 KO’s). In the opening round, Angulo showed quick hands and landed body shots on Guerrero. Round two was a better round for Guerrero. He applied pressure and landed right hands to the head of Angulo. However, Angulo came back and exchanged punches with Guerrero. In round three, Angulo kept the fight in the middle of the ring and outworked Guerrero. He landed straight punches to the head and body of Guerrero. In round four, Guerrero spent most of the round moving around and backing up. Angulo had an effective round moving forward and staying busy. In round five, Angulo had another good round. He boxed well and used his left jab effectively. Angulo also displayed good side to side movement. In round six, Guerrero landed a right hand that stunned Angulo. Both fighters traded shots on the inside and it was a very close round. In round seven, Angulo boxed well as he continued to work the body of Guerrero. Towards the end of the round, Guerrero landed straight right hands to the head of Angulo that hurt him. Guerrero finished out the round strong. In the final round, both fighters exchanged punches in the middle of the ring. Angulo was more tired and Guerrero landed hook shots to the head of Angulo that stunned him. Guerrero went for the knockout but Angulo hung in there and made it to the final bell. The final scores were 76-76, 79-73, 78-74 for Guerrero by majority decision. Guerrero won but it was a tougher fight than he expected.
The opening bout of the card was also entertaining and a battle of unbeaten featherweights. Aram Avagyan (10-0-1, 4 KO’s) won a tough eight round majority decision over Dagoberto Aguero (15-1, 10 KO’s). In the first round, Avagyan started the round strong by establishing a quick jab. In an exchange between the two fighters, Aguero landed a right hand on the chin of Avagyan that dropped him. Avagyan managed to get up and Aguero finished the round strong landing hooks to the body of Avagyan. In round two, Avagyan came out strong again and both fighters exchanged blows. Aguero landed a straight right hand to the chin of Avagyan that floored him once again. Avagyan got up and was able to recover. The fight then turned around. In round three, Avagyan made a comeback. He finished the round strong with landing body punches on Aguero. In round four, Avagyan kept a busy work rate and outworked Aguero. Avagyan did a good job landing body shots on Aguero throughout the round. In round five, Avagyan continued to outwork Aguero. In round six, Aguero came back and landed some good right hands on Avagyan but Avagyan still outworked him. In round seven, Aguero was noticeably tired and kept holding. Avagyan poured on the pressure on Aguero. Avagyan landed a right hand to the chin that hurt Aguero. Aguero stumbled and dropped down on his knee but the referee didn’t call it a knockdown. In the final round, Avagyan continued the pressure. Aguero landed a flurry of punches that landed on Avagyan but that was his only moment. Avagyan still out landed Aguero. The final scores were 75-75, 76-74, 77-74 for Avagyan by majority decision. A good comeback for Avagyan who tasted the canvas twice in the fight but managed to fight his way back to earn a decision.