By: Sean Crose
Brandon Rios, 34-4-1, faced the 27-6-3 Ramon Alvarez at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas on Saturday night as part of a card broadcast live by the DAZN streaming service. Rios, who has fought several great bouts against Mike Alvarado in a career that has featured fights with major opponents such as Manny Pacquiao, Tim Bradley, and Danny Garcia, looked less than impressive in the first round against the older brother of the famous Canelo Alvarez. The man was able to assert himself however, and engage in a toe to toe battle that ended up going over eight rounds. Both men traded bombs and took some incredible shots. In the end, however, it was the veteran Rios who was able to carry the day, stopping his man in the 9th round.
Photo Credit: DAZN Boxing Twitter Account
After local 5-0 Nico Hernandez won a dominant victory over Josue Morales, 8-7-3, middleweight titlist Claressa Shields faced off against Scotland’s 5-2 Hannah Rankin. Rankin was certainly game, but Shields essentially dominated the bout. Although not a power puncher, Shields had the strength and skill set to get the best of her opponent regularly throughout the bout. Rankin came to Kansas to win and she did well when she was able to get on the inside. Shields, however, was able to maintain range and dominance throughout the match. The American star proved capable enough to walk out of the ring with a unanimous decision victory.
It was time for the main event. Brooklyn’s charismatic Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller stepped into the ring with a bright future before him. The 22-0-1 American also had an undefeated foe before him. Bogdan Dinu, an 18-0 Romanian policeman, had a history of high end sparring and an appreciation for a golden opportunity in the fight game. All he had to do was get past Miller. That, however would be no easy task.
The first round saw Dinu look perhaps surprisingly good. The man worked the distance well, even though Miller was able to land thudding shots to the body. Dinu continued to look impressive in the second thanks to impressive footwork and an effective jab. Miller looked quite strong in the 3d by virtue of a thunderous body attack. A slightly low blow sent Dinu to the mat, though it was not ruled a knockdown. A body-head combination sent Dinu down in the fourth. Dinu got up, but Miller sent him right back down. Dinu was subsequently unable to beat the count. Miller stepped out of the ring with an impressive, albeit expected, win. By fighting – and winning – regularly, Miller is situating himself for an inevitable world title shot.