PBC on ESPN Results: Shafikov Batters and Stops Herring, Szymanski Decisions Campfort
By: William Holmes
Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) was broadcast from the Santander Arena in Reading Pennsylvania and featured two televised bouts with a rising prospect facing off against former world title challenger.
King’s Promotions was the lead promoter for the card.
Reading, Pennsylvania is not known for having nationally televised bouts, but they stacked the undercard with local fighters including former world title challenger Kermit Cintron
Photo Credt: Nabeel Ahmad/Premier Boxing Champions
The first televised fight of the night was between Wilky Campfort (21-2) and Patryk Szymanski (15-0) in the middleweight division.
Szymanski had the height and size advantage, and used it in the opening round with a steady diet of jabs followed by an occasional cross. Campfort had trouble finding his target with his punches in the first round, but was able to land an occasional body punch in the second. Szymanski jabs and right crosses were effective in the second.
Campfort pressed the action in the third round and had a good showing. He seemed to be feel comfortable taking the power shots of Szymanski and had some good body shots. Szymanski, however, took control in the fourth round with hard overhand rights that stunned Campfort and had him backing into the ropes.
Campfort continued to press in the fifth round and was likely able to win it with some thunderous right hands. Szymanski’s pace was slowing down and Campfort’s pace was picking up.
The sixth round was action packed and both boxers landed their fair amount of punches, but Campfort looked like the fresher man and his body work was paying off.
Szymanski was able to settle down in the seventh and eighth rounds and used his reach to his advantage by sticking with his jab and keeping Campfort away from his body.
A small mouse formed over the left eye of Campfort by the ninth round and he was unable to get in tight and land body shots like he was in the early part of the fight. Szymanski wisely stuck to boxing and avoided brawling in the final two rounds and used his jab well to close out the fight.
The judges scored it 98-92, 99-91, and 99-91 for Patryk Szymanski.
The main event was between ex United States marine and former Olympian Jemel Herring (15-0) and Denis Shafikov (36-2-1) in the lightweight division.
Shafikov and Herring both fight out of a southpaw stance. Herring stayed on the outside in the opening round and circled to his right for most of the round while sticking his jab in the face of Shafikov. Shafikov was able to land some hard body shots, but did not land enough to win the round convincingly.
Shafikov kept up the pressure in the second round and was not bothered by the jabs of Herring. He was able to catch Herring with a glancing right hook at the end of the second that sent Herring backwards in the ropes. He would have hit the mat if the ropes weren’t there and the referee ruled it a knockdown.
The third round was close, as Herring landed more punches but Shafikov clearly landed the harder shots. Shafikov’s corner was screaming at the referee and claimed Herring was landing low blows, but they appeared to be clean body shots at ringside.
Herring threw a high volume of punches in the fourth round and landed some hard body shots, but he was rocked by a straight left in the fifth round by Shafikov and was almost knocked down. Herring’s mouth was bleeding and wide open by the sixth round. Shafikov’s kept up his relentless pressure and battered Herring when his back was against the ropes.
Shafikov was able to open up a cut by the right eye of Herring in the seventh round and continued to batter his opponent from corner to corner. By the eighth round Herring hardly had any snap in his punches.
Shafikov had Herring on wobbly legs in the ninth round with some brutal combinations. There were some in the crowd who were calling for the referee to stop the fight, but Herring somehow was able to survive the round.
Shafikov opened up the tenth round with a hard over the top right hand, and Herring’s corner wisely stopped the fight. Herring had nothing left in his punches and was taking a lot of punishment.
Denis Shafikov wins by TKO at 0:36 of the tenth round.
Undercard Quick Results:
Kashon Hutchinson (1-0) defeated Robert Ramos (1-5-1) by TKO at 2:44 of the second round in the super lightweight division.
Miguel Martinez (2-1) defeated Antonio Allen (0-2) by unanimous decision with scores of 40-36 on all three cards in the super welterweight division.
Christian Carto (1-0) defeated Rahkeam Parker (0-3) by TKO at the end of the third round in the flyweight division.
Frank DeAlba (19-2-2) defeated Jonathan Perez (35-15) by TKO at 1:50 of the third round in the super featherweight division.
Kermit Cintron (37-5-2) defeated Carlos Garcia (10-16-1) by unanimous decision in the junior middleweight division with scores of 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.