By: Sean Crose
The 7-0 David Morrell Jr squared off against the 16-0 Aidos Yerbossynuly Saturday night in the main event of a Showtime card broadcast live from the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The fight was scheduled for 12 and was for the WBA super middleweight title. Before Morrell and Yerbossynuly had their moment in the ring, however, 20-0 middleweight Fiodor Czerkaszyn threw down with the 22-5-1 Nathaniel Gallimore in a scheduled 10 rounder.
The first round was something of a feeling out process, though Gallimore may have been the more active of the two. Czerkaszyn asserted himself as the more active fighter in the second. By the third it was clear that Gallimore simply wasn’t throwing enough punches in the fight. Czerkaszyn continued to be able to keep Gallimore from taking control in the fourth. The Ukrainian born Czerkaszyn maintained range in the fifth.
The sixth saw Gallimore unable to land effectively – which had been one of his major issues throughout the fight. The seventh was a rugged round, with the fighters taking to grappling in the ring. Czerkaszyn landed well on his man in the eighth, though Gallimore appeared to remain undamaged. The fighters traded leather in an exciting 9th, though Gallimore appeared to simply not punch as hard and as effectively as his opponent. In the tenth the truth was apparent – Czerkaszyn was simply the better of the two fighters. Needless to say, Czerkaszyn walked out of the ring with a well deserved unanimous decision win.
Next up, the 23-3-1 former world titlist Jeison Rosario battled the 20-2 Brian Mendoza in a scheduled 10 round middleweight affair. Rosario took to pursuing his man in the first. A beautiful body shot sent Rosario down in the second. Rosario beat the count, then found a way to stay standing until the bell rang half a minute later. Rosario came back in the third, aggressively moving in on his man and landing well.
Rosario continued his pursuit successfully in the fourth, though Mendoza landed some good shots of his own. Nothing compared to the shot he fired in the fifth that put Rosario down and out, however. A thunderous uppercut turned out the lights. Mendoza followed through with a left cross, but Rosario was already on the way down. To his credit, Rosario got up off the mat, though he immediately began stumbling about, leading the referee to stop the fight.
It was time for the main event. Morrell started putting his punches together well in the very first round. Yerbossynuly appeared to have no real answers and it was worth wondering at that point how long the fight might last. Morrell showed impressive defense in the second while Yerbossynuly swung and missed repeatedly in near cartoonish fashion. Morrell then rocked his man with a terrific uppercut as the round wound down.
Yerbossynuly came forward gamely in the third, but he already looked beaten up. He continued to be beaten up in the fourth. Yet Yerbossynuly went on to have his best round in the fifth, pressuring his opponent and firing shots with urgency. Still, the Kazakh’s face was a bloody mess. Morrell brutally sniped at Yerbossynuly in the sixth. By the seventh the fight had changed course, as it was no longer a blow out. Yerbossynuly was landing and evening out the tempo of the match through effective aggression.
With the fight being such a grueling affair, it was little wonder that the action was slower in the eighth round. Yerbossynuly was rocked in the final seconds of the ninth. His gloved hands touched the mat, but the referee ruled it a slip. Morrel hurt the man again in the tenth, but someway, somehow, Yerbossynuly kept things competitive.
Yerbossynuly was dropped hard at the beginning of the twelfth and final round. The Kazakh warrior got up, however, and proceeded to fight on. Yet the referee took a point off later in the round for Yerbossynuly’s excessive holding. It didn’t matter – a sledgehammer shot put Yerbossynuly down and out seconds later. After such incredible violence, it was moving to see Morrell help his blood drenched opponent to the corner after the knockout.