The Most Exciting Fights of the Second Stage of the Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix

The second stage of the “Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix” is poised and about to begin.

It’s an intense round of 16 that promises great an ction and excitement. The fights will now be at a higher level and truly electrifying, as the surviving competitors from the four different divisions will give their all in the ring at the Global Theater in Riyadh. The avowed goal is to secure one of the eight tickets to the quarterfinals.  The fights will be broadcast live on http://DAZN.com/wbc

Naturally, some matchups stand out. This second stage will feature clashes between contenders who are undoubtedly serious candidates to fight for the great “José Sulaimán Trophy.” Below, we highlight the most notable fights to follow in this second phase, which are sure to thrill you.

Featherweights: High-Voltage Duels

In the smallest division of the tournament, the “featherweights”, special attention should be paid to the fight between Mexican “Héctor “El Sepulturero” Munguía” and American “Héctor Lee”.

Munguía was aggressive from his first bout, advancing to the next round by technical knockout over Nigerian Idris Timileyin Gbadamosi. His devastating punches were so brutal that the referee had to intervene in the final seconds of the fight.

For his part, Lee took care of Argentine Juan Manuel Albornoz, though it was anything but easy, as it went to the judges’ scorecards, who gave him the win by majority decision.

Another standout in the same division was French “Yoni Valverde”, who dominated his opponent, Australian Runqi Zhou, from start to finish. Yoni showed great class in his boxing with good combinations that he finished with power punches.

Although Valverde’s victory was by unanimous decision, he was very close to knocking out Zhou on more than one occasion during the fight. Now, the Frenchman will face American “Tyshawn Denson”, who also imposed his conditions by defeating Ghanaian Enoch Tettey Tetteh by unanimous decision.

“Ayubkhon Bakhtiyorov” of Uzbekistan proved to be a torment for his first opponent. With veritable explosives in his fists, he made Frenchman Djamal Hadjab suffer throughout the fight, to such an extent that in the final moments, the referee decided that further punishment was unnecessary. His next opponent will be Colombian “Jhon Bolaño”, who defeated American Jermaine Hardison by unanimous decision.

That’s not all. Another Mexican joined the list of “punchers”: “Brandon Mejía Mosqueda” only needed three rounds to put Bishara Sabbar of Jordan on the canvas. Punches with colossal force earned him his ticket to the round of 16. His next opponent is British “Gully Powar”, who defeated American Japhethlee Llamido by unanimous decision.

Super Lightweights: Liver Hooks and Stunning Knockouts

Let’s move on to the “super lightweight” division, where Colombian “Carlos Utria” relentlessly punished his opponent, Dominican Elianel Guerrero, with liver hooks that ultimately finished him off. Now, Utria will face “Alan David Crenz” of Argentina, who won by unanimous decision against Filipino Crisalito Beltrán.

Argentine “Alan Dutra” gave us arguably the most chilling knockout of the first round, finishing off American Criztec Bazaldua with a terrifying left hook that sealed the fight. Now, Dutra’s path crosses with “Mujibillo Tursunov” of Uzbekistan, who defeated Nigerian Michael Adesodun by unanimous decision.

Middleweights: The Power of the Mexicans

In the “middleweights”, Venezuelan “Isaac Torres”, based in Colombia, secured one of only two knockouts in the division. He won by technical knockout in the fifth round: a straight right to the jaw of Nigerian Rasheed Adeyemo sent the African to the canvas. Although he got up and received the standing eight count, the referee did not allow him to continue. Torres now has his sights set on French “Lancelot Proton de la Chapelle”.

The other knockout in the division was courtesy of Mexican “Saulo Morales”. It’s no surprise; of his 15 career wins, 14 have come by knockout. On this occasion, he defeated Shakul Samed of Ghana, who was an Olympian at the Tokyo 2020 Games. It was a quite dramatic fight in which Morales was knocked down in the second round and was also behind on the scorecards. Even so, in the final round, he suffocated his opponent to the point that the referee intervened and stopped the punishment. Now, the Mexican will face Ukrainian “Petro Frolov”.

Heavyweights: Dynamite Clashes

We arrive at the “heavyweights”, where Bosnian “Alija Mesic” opted for counter-punching, something not characteristic of most heavyweights, in addition to his devastating power. Only one round was enough for the third man in the ring to stop the fight against Denzel Onyango Okoth of Kenya, securing Mesic’s ticket to the round of 16. His next test will be against “Keaton Gomes” of South Africa.

The Mesic vs. Gomes duel could be an early final, as Gomes has genuine dynamite in both hands. A whirlwind of punches ended Mexican Roberto Medina Aguirre’s aspirations in this tournament. Keaton Gomes’ onslaught lasted only one round.

Also in the heavyweights, American “Devon Young” delivered an impactful knockout to Ukrainian Pavlo Yuskiv. With three consecutive right-hand punches, he put him on the canvas in just 2 rounds. His next challenge will be Argentine “Jonathan Exequiel Vergara”, who won by unanimous decision against American Steven Torres.

These are the duels to pay special attention to in the second stage of the Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix.