Edgar Berlanga Decisions Jason Quigley; Cusumano and Mati Collect Stoppages
Super middleweight Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (21-0, 16KO) got a solid win over former world title challenger Jason Quigley (20-3, 14KO).
Berlanga started early by working behind the jab, trying to box his way inside as Quigley did a good job of boxing at mid-range. Inspired by the home crowd, The Chosen One found a home for the left hooks and landed a chopping right hand that dropped Quigley in rounds three and five.
In the second half, Quigley was boxing very well off the back foot and landed several overhand rights. The Irishman found a home for counter right hands as his opponent’s head never moved off the center line.
In round twelve, Berlanga turned up the volume on those punches. He attacked Quigley relentlessly with right hands and left hooks to score two knockdowns. The crowd roared at the final bell, knowing their fighter was victorious.
Two judges saw it 116-108, and one judge’s scored it 118-106 in favor of The Chosen One.
JOE CUSUMANO WINS AN ALL-ACTION WAR AGAINST ADAM KOWNACKI
In a heavyweight version of Rock ’em Sock’em Robots, Joe Cusumano (22-4, 20KO) picked up the biggest win of his career against Adam “Babyface” Kownacki (20-4, 15KO).
Cusumano landed repeated right hands in the first round that dropped Kownacki, who narrowly beat the count. With the fight looking as if it was over, Babyface surprisingly survived by roaring back with body shots.
The crowd was on their feet the entire fight as both men landed bombs. Kownacki relentlessly attacked the body before landing the right hand. Cusumano couldn’t miss with the right hand, taking advantage of the lack of head movement from the New Yorker.
The seventh round was filled with drama, as Cusumano landed a brutal right hand that stunned his opponent. As the corner was close to stopping the fight, Kownacki fired back with a combination that sent Cusumano against the ropes.
In round eight, Cusumano closed the chapter on Kownacki’s career after landing a flurry of punches that forced the corner to throw in the towel.
RESHAT MATI OVERCOMES ADVERSITY TO STOP DAKOTA LINGER
Junior middleweight prospect Reshat Mati (14-0, 8KO) remained undefeated by scoring a huge stoppage victory over a tough-as-nails Dakota Linger (13-6-1, 9KO).
From the sound of the bell, Mati was in high gear, pumping the jab, working the angles, and landing combination punches with ease. The athleticism from the Staten Islander was on point as he was able to land and get out of the way of any return-fire from Linger.
Mati was in a groove but seemed to have hurt his left hand after landing a bone-crushing left uppercut. Immediately, he went on a bicycle until the pain went away but continued landing counter-right hands, taking advantage of Linger’s lack of head movement.
In round nine, Mati ripped off a flurry of unanswered shots that forced the referee to step in and bring a halt to the fight as the crowd erupted. Mati overcame adversity to capture the victory in front of the hometown crowd.
