By: Hans Themistode
No matter what, Demond Nicholson was determined to not be Edgar Berlanga’s 17th straight first-round knockout win.
The highly touted super middleweight prospect began drawing comparison’s to a young Mike Tyson after he continued to bulldoze the competition. In the case of Nicholson, the fringe contender vowed to not only survive Berlanga’s early onslaught but also flat-out win.
Well, after sharing the ring with Berlanga earlier tonight, Nicholson (23-4-1, 20 KOs) got the first part of his prediction correct.
The boxing world watched closely as the opening bell rang. With the amount of attention Berlanga (17-0, 16 KOs) has received for ending all of his contests in the first round, there was reason to believe his streak would continue. For Nicholson however, he did everything in his power to stay upright during the opening frame.
While Berlanga landed several big shots, Nicholson never budged as he proved to be more durable than his record indicated. With Berlanga entering the second round for the first time in his young career, the deleterious knockout power he’s displayed carried into the frame as a hard shot sent Nicholson down to the canvas.
Although his legs were clearly not yet underneath him, Nicholson rose to his feet and continued to press on. As the frame came to an end, it was as if the rest of their contest was played on a perpetual loop. Berlanga would march forward at the beginning of every round as Nicholson attempted to play defense. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Berlanga would land a shot that would send Nicholson to another dimension.
Still, despite the ongoing punishment, Nicholson continued to rise to his feet and push the young prospect like never before. While he proved to be game, Berlanga easily cruised to a unanimous decision victory.