ESPN continued its Middleweight Boxcino Tournament on the April 18, 2014 edition of ESPN2′s Friday Night Fights.
ESPN is currently holding two Boxcino tournaments, one in the Lightweight division and one in the Middleweight division. Both tournaments will have their final bouts on May 23 on ESPN.
Each of tonight’s semifinal bouts were scheduled for eight rounds, but with one caveat: if a fight ends in a draw after the eighth, it will be continued for a tie-breaking ninth round.
The winner of both tournaments will be awarded a special ESPN Boxcino belt.
Brandon Adams (14-0, 9 KOs) vs. Raymond Gatica (14-3, 9 KOs)
Brandon Adams, aided by his slick counterpunching ability, outpointed Raymond Gatica in the semifinals of the Boxcino tournament.
Gatica, who in previous fights has swung for the fences as soon as a fight begins, began calmly. Gatica’s reach advantage allowed him to walk Adams down without a jab or any head movement, stepping out of range every time Adams let go of his hands.
In the third round, Gatica began to push forward, smothering both Adams and himself on the ropes. From this position, however, Adams was able to land left hooks and right hands, allowing him to control the fight from thereon.
As the fight continued, Adams grew more comfortable with his offense, landing powerful right hands and calmly boxing into the eighth and final round.
Two judges scored the bout 78-74 and 78-74 for Adams, while one judge scored it 77-75 for Gatica. The fight was a clear victory for Adams and a score of 77-75 is lamentable.
Vitalii Kopylenko (23-1, 13 KOs) vs. Willie Monroe Jr. (17-1, 6 KOs)
Willie Monroe Jr. won an easy unanimous decision over Vitalii Kopylenko in the semifinals of the Boxcino tournament.
From the opening rounds, Monroe quickly turned the bout into a boxing match, using his feet to keep Kopylenko off balance and stepping in for the occasional combination.
In the second round, Monroe landed a powerful left hand before stepping away from Kopylenko’s counterpunch. The Russian Middleweight, who trains with WBO Junior Welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov, was unable to find the much shorter and left-handed Monroe.
Kopylenko was a bit more successful in the middle rounds, but most of his punches were still ducked and slipped by Monroe.
Monroe continued setting traps for Kopylenko, allowing Kopylenko to step forward and be the recipient of many counterpunches.
Monroe controlled the fight into the eighth and final round, withthe judges scoring the bout 78-74,79-73, and 79-73.
The finals of the Boxcino Middlweight tournament will have Willie Monroe Jr. taking on the undefeated Bryan Adams.
Clash of Heavyweights
ESPN2 also aired a Heavyweight bout before the semifinals of its Boxcino Middleweight tournament.
Nat Heaven (9-0, 7 KOs) knocked out Donavan Dennis (9-1, 8 KOs) in the first round of a planned six-round heavyweight bout. While both fighters were in the midst of a feel out process, Heaven landed a thunderous right hand as Dennis was coming forward.
Dennis hit the ground immediately, struggling to get up before the ten-count. The damage, however, had been done. The referee subsequently stopped the fight as Dennis was clearly unable to continue.
