By: Sean Crose
Saturday’s main event at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut was a scheduled twelve round welterweight affair between the 18-0 Custio Clayton and the 16-1 Sergey Lipinets. The bout was presented by Premiere Boxing Champions and was aired live on Showtime. The first round was a rather slow, feeling out affair. The second round, though not stagnant, was not particularly eventful. Lipinets threw – and landed – more shots in the third.
Lipinets continued to press the action in the fourth. Clayton, however, struck Lipinet’s body in the last minute of the round. The fifth was a close, rather interesting three minutes, with both men having their moments. The sixth, too, was close, tough Lipinet’s body work may have told the tale.
Clayton, who had been moving effectively throughout the bout, continued to employ sound footwork in the seventh, though the accumulation of Lipinet’s shots over the previous rounds might have been starting to slow him down. By the eighth it was clear that, if Clayton threw more punches, it might be a different kind of fight.
The ninth started off with Clayton effectively employing his jab while avoiding Lipinet’s body shots. Clayton continued to perform well throughout the round. By the end of the tenth, Clayton was found standing before Lipinets and landing well. If Lipinet’s overhand rights weren’t able to find a home in the eleventh, Clayton may well have taken the round handily.
The twelfth and final round saw both men fight in the respected forms they had throughout the very close bout. Clayton moved and clipped his man, Lipinets pressed forward and fired with heavy hands. The judges ended up scoring it 115-113, 114-114 and 114-114…a draw.