Results
- Gary Russell Jr UD-12 Tugstsogt Nyambayar (116-112, 117-111, 118-110)
- Guillermo Rigondeaux SD-12 Liborio Solis (112-115, 115-112, 116-111)
- Jaime Arboleda SD-12 Jayson Velez (112-115, 114-113, 114-113)
Round By Round
Gary Russell Jr vs Tugstsogt Nyambayar
Round 1: Russell throws a few quick jabs but none of them land clean. Russell feints and throws a left to the body that lands clean. Three more punches come from Russell that grazes Nyambayar. Straight left from Russell makes a little contact upstairs. Double left hand lead comes from Russell. Three more jabs come from Russell as he circles to his right. Nyambayar misses on a right hand. Nyambayar hasn’t been able to get off many punches so far in this fight because Russell is getting off first with blazing hand speed. Cuffing shot from Nyambayar makes Russell trip over Nyambayar’s feet, causing his glove to touch the canvas — no knockdown. Russell 10-9.
Round 2: Russell jabs up and down and then keeps Nyambayar out of range. Now Russell times a clean left hand, then another, Jab lands upstairs for Russell. Counter left lands well for Russell to the body as Nyambayar steps in. Nyambayar tries to flash a lot of head movement to give Russell a tougher picture. Double jab comes from Russell but don’t land. Both fighters trade jabs this time. Straight left from Russell scores upstairs, then a right hook moments later. Russell flicks several more jabs to end the round. Russell 10-9, 20-18.
Round 3: Russell misses on an opening jab. Nyambayar probing with his head to find space to step in to throw which seems strange since he’s the taller and longer fighter. Russell flashes a few more jabs and then lets go a left hand. Straight left lands to the body for Russell. Three more jabs come from Russell and Nyambayar can’t get off as he’s consistently trying to defend himself. Now Nyambayar throws a short combination but comes up empty. Clean right hook lands for Russell to the chin of Nyambayar. Jab to the body lands for Russell. Right hook lands again for Russell, who then throws a lightning quick combination as Nyambayar covers up. Russell 10-9.
Round 4: Jab comes from Russell to start the round, then a few more. Nyambayar presses forward but Russell gets off first again and backs Nyambayar off. Right hook from Russell misses wide. Clean combination lands for Russell along the ropes. Russell continues to keep Nyambayar off balance and his hands largely at home. Two hooks from Nyambayar miss and Russell looks to counter. Left hand from Russell splits the guard of Nyambayar. Nyambayar partially lands a right hand upstairs. Russell 10-9, 40-36.
Round 5: Nyambayar’s trainer strongly urges him to start throwing more punches. Jab from Nyambayar partially lands over the top as Russell measures. Russell gets back on his jab and then targets the body with a left hand. Nyambayar walks into a clean straight left from Russell. Nyambayar misses on a right and left hook as Russell ducks under. Straight left from Russell makes contact again. Right hand comes from Nyambayar but he doesn’t quite find the range. The fighters get tangled and Russell hits the deck again. Jab lands upstairs for Russell. Another left hand lands for Russell. Russell 10-9.
Round 6: Right hand lands for Nyambayar right away as he suddenly gets much more aggressive. Another right hand from Nyambayar makes good contact. Russell throws a fast combination and then steps to the side. Right hand gets in for Nyambayar again as he charges forward through Russell’s jab. Both fighters exchange punches with Russell in the corner. Hook and right hand misses for Nyambayar. Straight right from Nyambayar falls short too. Three jabs come from Nyambayar, I’ll put him on the board here. Nyambayar 10-9, 55-59.
Round 7: Russell steps forward and jabs and throws a straight left hand. Both fighters are standing in close range and exchanging hard punches now. Russell wants to fight in this round and is looking to mix it up here. Hard left lands to the body for Nyambayar. Jabs come from Russell as he steps to his right. Nyambayar misses on two punches that Russell manages to block. Counter jab lands for Nyambayar Russell steps forward and attacks upstairs and downstairs. Now Nyambayar fires back and trades with Russell. Russell throws a couple more punches and then trades with Nyambayar again. I think Russell takes this round but this gives Nyambayar more chances to land. Russell 10-9.
Round 8: Both fighters meet center ring and trade with Russell landing a clean right hooks. Quick flurry comes from Russell as Nyambayar is forced to cover up. Russell counters off the ropes again and then ducks a Nyambayar attack in the corner. Nyambayar misses on a lead right hand. Russell gets in a grazing left hand this time and then skips away along the ropes. Russell feints and then jabs and lands a straight left upstairs. Russell 10-9, 79-73.
Round 9: Nyambayar comes out looking to throws some hooks as Russell stands his ground behind a tight guard. Two more hooks comes from Russell, followed by a straight left hand. Nyambayar stalks forward and misses on an overhand right. Russell lands a jab upstairs. Left to the body lands for Nyambayar. Left hand from Russell misses this time as Nyambayar slips it well. Russell is just getting off too early and often for Nyambayar to really make an impression. Left to the body lands for Nyambayar, then a right. Two more shots come from Nyambayar as Russell stands in. Nyambayar 10-9.
Round 10: Quick combination comes from Russell to start the round. Nyambayar lands two good body shots as he ducks down low. Nyambayar misses on the next attack that ends with a right to the head. Russell jabs a few times and then pivots to center ring. Lead left hand lands for Russell upstairs. Nyambayar lands a jab but misses on a right, then lands an uppercut. Right to the body lands for Nyambayar Left hook gets in for Nyambayar and might’ve hurt Russell just a little — he certainly felt that one. More jabs come from Russell that don’t land but he’s keeping his hands busy. Counter right lands for Nyambayar. Now Russell lands a clean left hand. Close round but I’ll edge it to Nyambayar, 10-9.
Round 11: Both fighters trade but neither land much clean. Russell comes forward behind a high guard and lands a left to the body. Straight left lands upstairs for Russell this time. Another left scores for Russell. Short right hook gets in for Russell this time, followed by a short flurry to the body. Hard right hand lands to the body for Nyambayar. Clean three shots land for Russell, ended by a right hook to the chin. Russell comes forward some more and throws with both hands. Both trade towards the bell. Russell 10-9.
Round 12: Russell comes out and looks to go to the body but Nyambayar comes back with a couple thudding shots to the body. Russell flicks a couple jabs and then sticks a left hand. Nyambayar throws three punches but has them blocked. Lead left hand lands for Russell. Left hook lands to the body for Nyambayar. Three punches from Nyambayar split Russell’s guard. Counter right lands well for Nyambayar. Both fighters trade but neither land anything clean. Nyambayar flurries to end the round. Nyambayar 10-9 but I’ve got it for Russell overall, 116-112.
Guillermo Rigondeaux vs Liborio Solis
Round 1: Solis tries to get right on on Rigondeaux and throws a few shots including a several good body hots while Rigondeaux hides behind a tight guard. Solis is throwing punches in combination and Rigondeaux isn’t moving and boxing but rather just standing his ground in the pocket. Two clean left hands make good contact on Solis and get his strict attention. Rigondeaux is burying his head in Solis’ chest and trying to look for an opportunity to counter. Who is this guy?! Solis lands a clean shot in close and might’ve stunned Rigondeaux a little bit. Wow, this is the worst version of Rigondeaux I’ve ever seen, he’s looking WASHED! Rigondeaux gets strafed by a few more shots from Solis. Hard right hand from Solis shakes Rigondeaux badly at the bell. Solis 10-9.
Round 2: Rigondeaux gonna get knocked the fuck out fighting in this style. Start of the second round and Solis falls short on a right hand. Rigondeaux measuring with his jab but Solis gets off a meaningful shot first. Another lead right hand falls short for Solis. Counter left from Rigondeaux misses the mark. Rigo has remembered who he is and is turning ths fight into a snoozer’s pace. Counter left hand from Rigo makes partial contact. Rigondeaux misses on the next counter left. Right hand lands to the body for Solis. Counter left partially lands to the body for Rigondeaux. Boring round and the crowd isn’t feeling it. Solis 10-9, 20-18.
Round 3: Rigondeaux tries to pick off Solis attack by using an active jab but mostly to parry, not to really land anything with hit. Rigondeaux waiting on a counter left once Solis overcommits. Counter left hand make partial contact for Rigondeaux. Rigondeaux jabs and steps to the side. Oh god, I’m having flashbacks to the the Drian Francisco fight...Rigo has effectively neutralized any action in this round and Solis taunts him to come and fight. I don’t really know how to score this because Rigondeaux was effective in forcing his style of fight but he also didn’t really land much of anything himself. Rigondeaux 10-9.
Round 4: Solis steps forward but Rigo lands a jab. Right hand from Solis falls short stive as Rigo pulls away. Counter left from Rigo doesn’t land clean. Rigo grabs hold of Solis along the ropes. Al Bernstein just called this an ‘intriguing fight’ — he’s on the quaaludes. Both fighters stare at each other as Rigo refuses to lead as he’s insistent on getting a counter left hand opportunity. This fight sucks, honestly. It’s terrible. I guess Rigo landed a jab this round. Rigondeaux 10-9, 38-38.
Round 5: Rigondeaux stays on the back foot and the crowd is booing loudly. Straight left hand lands to the body for Rigo, who then steps to the other side of the ring, then pivots and walks back to the opposite side of the ring again...I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you all that I was thinking about re-writing the final season of Game of Thrones. Rigondeaux 10-9.
Round 6: ...It’s gonna have more dragons, less incest, better zombies, and celebrity guest appearances. Solis 10-9, 48-47.
Round 7: Ronnie Shields tells Rigondeaux he sucked in that last round because he didn’t throw any punches. Quite an understatement. Rigo throws a lead left and makes a little contact. Left to the body scores for RIgo this time. Hard shots from RIgo badly stagger Solis who falls into the ropes which hold him up! It’s ruled a knockdown. Another left lands for Rigo and Solis holds on. Overhand left lands again for Rigo, who then brings one down to the body. Solis falls short on a lead right hand to the head. Solis is stepping forward again and Rigo is bouncing from side to side, looking for escape routes. Rigondeaux 10-8.
Round 8: Solis measures with his left as he tries to line up a lead right that falls short. Another right hand lead falls short for Solis. Rigo continues to make Solis lead otherwise he’s not interested. Rigondeaux misses on a left uppercut. Rigo dancing circle around Solis but not throwing much. Rigondeaux 10-9, 67-65.
Round 9: How many more of these performances does Rigo have to put on before we pull him off the air for good? Nobody wants to watch this shit. Solis walks into a left hand to the body from Rigondeaux who then gets back on the move. Rigo does a full lap around the ring and then throws a jab to the body that misses. Right hand lead partially lands for Solis. Solis misses on the night lead right hand. Solis partially lands a couple more punches once Rigo touches the ropes. Clean counter left lands for Rigondeaux. Solis 10-9.
Round 10: Solis chases after Rigondeaux with little to show for it. Right hand lead misses upstairs for Solis. Counter left from Rigo picks off Solis. Hard left from Rigo badly stuns Solis after he pivots out the corner. Solis is badly shaken up but manages to keep his footing. Luckily for Solis, Rigondeaux is more than happy to get back to the snail’s pace. Hard straight left lands to the body for Rigondeaux, who then lands a left upstairs at the bell. Rigondeaux, 96-93.
Round 11: Rigo poses at center ring, daring Solis to lead. Solis falls short on a couple of jabs upstairs. Two big punches from Solis don’t find the target as Rigondeaux ducks along the ropes. Rigondeaux is cruising and barely even sweating at the pace of this fight. Rigondeaux dares Solis to throw and then makes him miss. Riveting stuff. Rigondeaux 10-9.
Round 12: Solis’ corner tells him he needs a knockout to win the fight. Two shots come from Rigondeaux to start the round but neither land. Solis misses on a left hook upstairs. Straight right from Solis makes partial contact. Solis misses on another hook aimed at the head. Jab lands to the body for Rigondeaux. Two wide hooks from Solis miss as Rigondeaux ducks underneath. Crowd begins to boo yet again. There’s been more boos then punches thrown in this fight. Rigondeaux is literally dancing at center ring and then throws a left to the body. Check right hook lands for Rigo this time. Rigo dances out the clock. Rigondeaux 10-9, 116-111. Shoot me.
Jaime Arboleda vs Jayson Velez
Round 1: Arboleda misses on two jabs and Velez scores one of his own. Both fighters trade and make partial contact. Hard combination comes from Arboleda ending to the body. Now Velez throws two shots than make some contact. Early in the fight both fighters have hit and been hit pretty clean. Lead right hand partially lands for Velez upstairs. Arboleda digs to the body with a left hand to the body. Clean right hand scores upsrairs for Velez, who then puts a right hand down to the body. Velez throws two more and he’s timing Arboleda pretty well. Right hand from Arboleda falls a little short at center ring. Velez continues to sscore pretty well but now Arboleda lands a shot down to the body while getting a warning from the referee to keep them above the belt. Right hand from Velez makes contact again, Arboleda gets in a left hand in return. I’m going with Velez to start the fight. Velez 10-9.
Round 2: Velez feints and then eats a jab from Arboleda. Velez lands a jab to the body. Hard left to the body scores for Arboleda. Hard left hook lands upstairs for Velez while Arboleda throws his own. Right hand from Velez makes partial contact, who then jabs to the body moments later. Two hard body shots land for Arboleda. Both fighters trade jabs at center ring. Now Velez lands a lead right hand again. Another body shot lands for Arboleda, and then Velez lands a clean right hand upstairs that gets the crowd’s attention, then another! Velez 10-9, 20-18.
Round 3: Three jabs come from Velez but none land clean. Now Velez lands a jab and a right hand. Velez gets back on his jab but then goes down to the body with a right hand. Velez throws three left hands this time, ending to the body. Velez scores yet another lead right hand upstairs. Arboleda comes forward and slips two shots from Velez. Left hook lands to the body for Velez but Arboleda gets in two quick body shots in close. Both fighters trade and land jabs. Straight right lands to the body for Velez who then misses on the follow up head shot. Arboleda lands a couple good body shots. Hard left lands to the body for Arboleda, then a few more with Velez on the ropes. I like Arboleda’s work down the stretch. Arboleda 10-9.
Round 4: This has been a close fight but the difference has been that Velez has been a little more consistent early. Arboleda comes out and misses on a big right hand. Velez looks to go down to the body but doesn’t land anything too well. Velez lands a clean jab upstairs at center ring. Left hook lands to the body for Velez. Arboleda comes forward and throws a couple body shots before Velez gets off a quick combiantion. Arboleda fires back but Velez isn’t give him a clear target to hit to the head. Double left hook lands for Velez, then Arboleda throws two hooks that might’ve landed a little heavier. Right hand lands upstairs for Velez again. Both fighters are trading and Arboleda staggers Velez with a shot that has him on shaky legs! Arboleda tries to strafe Velez along the ropes to end the round. Arboleda 10-9, 38-38.
Round 5: Jab lands for Arboleda to start the round. Clean right hand lands for Arboleda and knocks Velez back into a corner. Clean jab lands for Arboleda this time that knocks Velez back again. Velez tries to slip to the side and step off but he’s taken some punishment and still doesn’t seem to have sturdy legs. Shot from Arboleda make Velez stagger. Arboleda strafes Velez again along the ropes but Velez fires back to get himself back to center ring. Arboleda scores two shots with Velez on the ropes again. Velez grabs hold to get some reprieve. Velez lands a left to the body, then another moments later. Velez misses on a huge overhand hook that misses and makes him fall to the canvas. Arboleda 10-9.
Round 6: Stiff jab comes from Arboleda but doesn’t land clean. Two body shots from Arboleda fall a little short. Right hand lead from Velez misses this time. Arboleda throws hard shots and makes contact but Velez fires back and these two are going at it. Jab lands upstairs for Velez. Clean right uppercut lands for Arboleda, then another makes contact. Counter left hook makes some contact for Arboleda, who then gets in a jab moments later. Arboleda has Velez back on the ropes and Velez takes a couple shots. Velez throws some shots back now but he doesn’t seem to have much pop on his punches anymore. Clean combination lands for Arboleda. Velez throws back and lands a good hook. Both fighters trade to the bell. Arboleda 10-9, 58-56.
Round 7: Both fighters meet at center ring and trade a couple shots before Arboleda gets on the move a little bit. Jab lands for Arboleda. Velez misses on a left hook upstairs, then a straight right to the body moments later. Velez misses on a lead right hand. Now Velez partially lands a left hook upstairs. Arboleda lands a stiff jab before getting turned by Velez and pushed into the ropes. Velez throws a couple of shots but doesn’t land them well. Right hand gets in for Arboleda. Another right hand lands for Arboleda who misses on the follow up left hook. Left hook lands for Arboleda this time, though! Right hand scores for Velez. Arboleda 10-9.
Round 8: Straight right hand partially lands for Velez. Arboleda tries to pump the jab upstairs but misses on a big left hook aimed for the head. Counter right lands for Arboleda. Velez misses on two jabs to the body. Straight right lands to the body for Velez. Velez gets in a sloppy right that doesn’t have much sting on it. Short chopping right maes contact for Velez in close range. Clean right hand scores for Velez now. Velez is pressing against Arboleda on the ropes and Arboleda can’t lands anything well off the ropes. Velez 10-9, 75-77.
Round 9: Velez comes out with a right hand to the body. Now Arboleda goes to the body and head with his own right hand. Hard right hand lands over the top for Arboleda but Velez gets in one back that has Arboleda on the ropes! Jab lands for Arboleda. Velez misses on a big right hand lead. Now the fighters accidentially clash heads but both fighters keep throwing and both land clean shots on each other at center ring. Jab lands for Arboleda. Velez tries to go back to the body but seems to have a small cut around his right eye. Clean shots land for Arboleda to end the round which edge it in his favor. Arboleda 10-9.
Round 10: Velez comes out to center ring and looks to land a jab. Velez misses on a body shot as Velez grazes his head with a hook. Clean jab lands for Velez this time. Double left hook misses for Velez. Velez falls short on another right hand and Arboleda isn’t throwing much in this round. Shot from Velez staggers Arboleda and he stumbles across the ring! Both fighters are trading and both have been hurt at various points in this fight. Left hook partially lands for Velez. Velez 10-9, 94-96.
Round 11: Velez comes out with a quick left hook that doesn’t find the target. Arboleda tries to jab and keep his distance as he gathers himself from the last round. Jab lands to the body for Velez. Two body shots get in for Arboleda this time at close range. Both fighters are standing in close range and trying to throw. Both fighters continue to try to work on the inside but neither land many clean shots although Arboleda seems to be getting the better of it at the moment. Velez lands a left upstairs Two shots lands for Velez. I’m leaning towards Arboleda. Arboleda 10-9.
Round 12: Velez starts out with a couple quick punches but Arboleda is ready to meet him. Velez is coming forward and pressing Arboleda and lands a good left hand. Another shot from Velez seems to put Arboleda down but it’s rules a slip. Arboleda gets up and tries to trade with Velez and both fighters land. Right hand lands over the top for Velez. Right uppercut lands well for Velez and a right hand puts Arboleda down! Arboleda gets up and is ready to continue and comes out and Velez is throwing with both hands! Shots come from Velez and Arboleda ties him up! 30 seconds left and Arboleda is in retreat. Arboleda manages to tie up again and he might make it to the final bell. Shot from Velez staggers Arboleda again! Good fight! Velez 10-8. I’ve got for Arboleda by one point, 114-113.
Tonight at 9 pm ET on Showtime, Gary Russell Jr returns to defend the WBC featherweight title against Tugstsogt Nyambayar in the main event of a tripleheader from Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Wil Esco will be on the round-by-round call for all three fights tonight, so join us for the coverage and discussion!
The co-feature will see Guillermo Rigondeaux move down to bantamweight to face Liborio Solis for the vacant WBA “world” title, and in the opener, Jaime Arboleda and Jayson Velez will square off in a WBA 130-pound eliminator.
All three fights are set for 12 rounds. Check out our preview and staff picks ahead of the show!elez comes
Main Card (SHO, 9:00 pm ET)
- Gary Russell Jr (30-1, 18 KO) vs Tugstsogt Nyambayar (11-0, 9 KO), featherweights, 12 rounds
- Guillermo Rigondeaux (19-1, 13 KO) vs Liborio Solis (30-5-1, 14 KO), bantamweights, 12 rounds
- Jaime Arboleda (15-1, 13 KO) vs Jayson Velez (29-5-1, 21 KO), junior lightweights, 12 rounds