By: Robert Aaron Contreras
With splotches of bright crimson across his opponent’s face, Lionell Thompson (21-5, 11 KO) continued to touch up Scott Sigmon (34-14-1, 17 KO) with jabs and curling uppercuts until the end of the seventh round. The lacing was enough to convince Sigmon’s corner to throw in the towel, awarding Thompson the victory on Friday night from the Cannery Casino in Las Vegas.
Sigmon was an easy target from the beginning, tucked behind his stiff guard, constantly moving forward, even if ineffectively. Thompson prodded the crouching opponent: chipping away at the rolling white boulder of a man in front of him.
Photo Credit: Mayweather Promotions Twitter Account
Thompson was comfortable being crowded. He navigated the canvas, focused on putting jabs on the top of Sigmon’s head. He built up an early lead and never looked back.
At the end of a doubling jab, Sigmon attempted hurling back left hands after absorbing punishment, but Thompson by then would circle out of danger. The bull to Thompson’s matador, he began simply ramming into the winning boxer. It did not stop his face from opening up in the third round. Nor could it stop his nose from leaking later on.
Sigmon resorted to try talking Thompson out of his element in the sixth period. But he was simply met with more jabs. These by Thompson now being followed up with javelin right hands.
In the fateful seventh stanza, Thompson completely took away Sigmon’s only advantage: his forward moving momentum. Sigmon was simply being brushed in a zigzagging fashion from careening uppercuts, hooks, and other bludgeoning blows.
It was no surprise Sigmon’s corner did not throw him back out for another go.
The Mayweather-promoted card was not short on talent, but green as they are, Thompson was stuck at the top of the bill. At 34, and the winner of five of his last six, it would still take some of that matchmaking magic Floyd Mayweather was known for to push Thompson into the title picture. Beating a former sparring partner, who was decisioned by a 49-year-old Roy Jones Jr. would not cut it for most boxers.
Gabriel Duluc (15-3, 4 KO) def. Cameron Krael (16-15, 3 KO)
Gabriel Duluc, thanks to timely combinations, and lapses of inactivity from his opponent, shocked the house fighter Cameron Krael by way of a majority decision.
Krael, who has been represented by Mayweather Promotions since 2017, commanded the center of the ring for the entire 10 rounds. Though his punch output was not nearly as consistent.
Duluc’s winging punches were not pretty but they were enough to steal the opening round. And plenty more looping overhand rights kept Krael at bay over the next three rounds. By Round 3, the underdog’s punches grew sloppier—his arms dangling at his hips when not punching—but he maneuvered the canvas enough to avoid any significant damage.
Krael finally woke up in the fourth stanza. Pressuring his man to the ropes, he sent blinding straight right hands to the Duluc’s face.
The action was more tense in the fifth and sixth rounds: both men trading winging punches.
Krael still commanding the center of the ring in Round 7. But his punches had lost steam. And the three minutes consisted of instances of Robert Byrd prying the fighters off one another.
The two were merely fighting in spurts through the eighth period. The ninth frame provided Krael some hope when he brutalized Duluc’s midsection. The attack had him reeling for a moment but soon collected himself. Krael suddenly disregarding the body did not hurt.
And the rest of the way, included Round 10, Duluc fought well going backwards: short, quick, double jabs and successive chippy shots upstairs. Not exactly buzzing Krael, but a high enough output to to keep Krael’s gloves glues to his face and restrict returning fire.
Duluc has now won four straight while Krael creeps closer to a .500 record in his career.