PBC on FS1 results: Sergey Lipinets knocks out Lamont Peterson in 10th round, Peterson retires

Sergey Lipinets’ second fight at 147 pounds went a lot better than his first tonight on FS1, but for Lamont Peterson, the end is here.

Lipinets (15-1, 11 KO) stopped Peterson (35-5-1, 17 KO) in the 10th round of tonight’s PBC main event, and after the bout, the 35-year-old Peterson announced his retirement from boxing following a second straight stoppage loss.

“It’s been a long career, but today is the day. I’m thankful for the support throughout my career,” Peterson said in the ring. “I love y’all. I’m sure it’s time for me to hang it up. I appreciate y’all, thanks a bunch. I couldn’t go out in a better way; at home, main event. But this is gonna be the last time you see me in the ring. Thanks for everything.”

Peterson started well in this fight, looking pretty much like his usual self, staying active, banging to the body, and building an early lead against Lipinets.

But the 30-year-old Lipinets, who struggled badly in his welterweight debut last August and hired new trainer Joe Goossen after, hung in there, and gradually began to break the older man down. He tagged Peterson hard with a right hand in the eighth round, and had Lamont reeling.

Peterson survived the eighth, but the momentum was with Lipinets. In the 10th, he nailed Peterson late and caught up to him, dropping him hard to the canvas. Peterson’s lifelong trainer, Barry Hunter, threw in the towel immediately to save his fighter.

It was a compassionate move by Hunter, who as much a father figure as he is a boxing trainer to Lamont Peterson, and pretty clearly the right call. Peterson was done, and even though the round would have ended and he was back on his feet, there was no more left to give.

The official time of stoppage was 2:59 of round 10.

“He hit me with some good shots, I hit him with some good shots,” Peterson said. “It just kinda came out of nowhere. Recently, that’s been happening some, and that kinda tells you something.”

Lipinets said he feels good at the weight now, and that he believes this fight showed he’s a real contender.

“I feel great at 147 pounds. I feel strong,” Lipinets said through a translator. “Just now I fought a guy who is not an easy guy to fight. Lamont Peterson is an excellent fighter. Fighting guys like that, I find out where I fit at 147. Lamont is a great, excellent fighter, unbelievable skills. That shows me where my holes are and what I can do to cover them up.”

With the win, Lipinets puts himself into the pot for the high-level fights at welterweight. PBC have titleholders Errol Spence Jr (IBF), Keith Thurman (WBA), and Shawn Porter (WBC), plus Manny Pacquiao and Danny Garcia, so five of the top six names in the division, outside of Top Rank’s Terence Crawford, who has the WBO belt.

Lipinets may not get a fight with any of those guys directly out of this, but he’s a name in the mix of potential opponents for all of them, alongside other PBC welterweights like Andre Berto, Omar Figueroa Jr, Yordenis Ugas, and Jamal James, plus they have other guys like Devon Alexander, Adrian Granados, Josesito Lopez, and Robert Guerrero.

For the fight, Lipinets landed 264 of 986 (27%) total punches, and 189 of 593 (32%) power punches. The numbers were just as good for Peterson, who landed 303 of 972 (31%) total punches and 188 of 502 (38%) power shots. Peterson out-landed Lipinets to the body, 94-38, but despite some good work was never able to break him down. It was a very active fight from an offensive standpoint, and good entertainment for the fans.