Ekow Essuman Defends Welterweight Title From Ben Vaughan
WBO #9 ranked contender Ekow “The Engine” Essuman (21-1, 8KO) defended the European welterweight version of the WBO title against undefeated southpaw Ben Vaughan (10-1, 3KO).
To start, it looked like the challenger was going to be overwhelmed and taken out early. “The Engine” displayed how he acquired the nickname as he applied relentless pressure from the opening round. By the second round, Essuman had blood-stained white trunks due to a busted nose he handed Vaughan. As bad as it looked, this did not deter the challenger. As much as Essuman is known for his volume, he is also criticized for his lack of defense. Bloody and battered, Vaughan still put together blistering combinations to make this an exciting fight.
By the third round, Vaughan started to make this an even matchup! He never threw one punch at a time. Every offensive drive consisted of combinations, most of which would land flush. Essuman continued his output, but was forced to regroup at times, especially when the challenger would end a flurry with a signature left-hook to the body. As each action-packed round ended, the level of conditioning between the two fighters was evident. While Vaughan kept up the pace, he looked visibly fatigued in the latter half of the fight. Meanwhile, Essuman always seemed to look rejuvenated before every round.
The pressure from Essuman and his conditioning was impressive. As the final round ended, the champion still looked fresh while the challenger had a busted nose and a closing left eye, which prompted the referee to examine a couple of times in previous rounds.
Vaughan wanted to show he had the bigger engine than “The Engine”. However, he just didn’t have the same longevity. The final scorecards of 97-93, 97-94 and 95-95 proved how close this fight was as Essuman retained his title by majority decision.
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