Batyrzhan Jukembayev Impresses As Hackett Wins with Ease
In a junior welterweight showdown Batyrzhan Jukembayev (21-1, 16KO) narrowly escaped with a split decision victory over Hugo Alberto Roldan (22-2-1, 7KO).
Roldan came in looking to play spoiler as his awkward movement and punching angles dropped Jukembayev in the first round. Moreover, he landed a compact punch that hurt the Kazakhstani in the second round.
Once Jukembayev settled down and started cutting off the ring and fighting behind the jab, he started taking control of the fight. In addition his counterpunches were sharper and at times stopped the Argentinian in his tracks.
As the fight continued, it was ugly as there was a lot of holding and wild punches, as Jukembayev allowed Roldan to move around freely before hugging him after missing a haymaker. Despite both fighters’ lack of activity in the closing rounds, Roldan’s constant backpedaling was costly down the stretch as one judge scored it 97-92 in his favor. The other two judges had it 96-93, and 95-94 for Jukembayev.
This was a hard fight to watch as Jukembayev must learn how to deal with awkward fighter’s by throwing more combinations and attacking the body.
KAREEM HACKETT SCORE AN EASY VICTORY CLAY WATERMAN
In a battle of undefeated light heavyweight prospects, Kareem Hackett (12-0, 6KO) pitched a shutout against Clay Waterman (11-1, 8KO).
Blessed with a seven-inch reach advantage, Hackett used that jab to perfection like a paintbrush, and Waterman’s face was the canvas. As his confidence grew per round, Hackett also started landing the straight left hand to the pit of the stomach of his Australian opponent.
Waterman tried to turn up the pressure by forcing the Canadian into the corner to try landing some hard shots. Yet, Hackett quickly turned things around with vicious body shots that stopped the Aussie’s momentum.
This quickly became a glorified sparring session as Hackett’s foot placement, punch accuracy, defense, and ring IQ were too much for Waterman, who made no adjustments in this fight.
When the final bell sounded, one judge saw it 99-91, and two saw it 100-90 in favor of Hackett. This was an impressive showing, and by capturing the WBA Inter-Continental title, he proved ready to move on and challenge someone within the top 15.
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