Elijah Pierce Stops Plania; Jones And Brady Jr Dominate
In the biggest fight on the biggest stage of his career, super bantamweight Elijah “The Wolf” Pierce (18-2, 15KO) blasted Mike Plania (28-3, 15KO) with a highlight reel knockout.
Plania came out looking to collect the bonus money for scoring a first-round knockout. He landed the right hand and attacked the body relentlessly. It did not get any easier for Pierce as Plania continued to hunt him down with hard punches throughout the second round.
It was beginning to seem like Pierce was about to get run over. Then in the third round, he used Plania’s forward momentum against himself by landing a perfectly timed left hand that sent Filipino crashing to the canvas.
The crowd went crazy, as The Wolf scored the only stoppage of the night. In the post-fight interview, he called out unified champions Naoya Inoue and Marlon Tapales. A performance like this on a major platform could earn him even bigger financial opportunities down the line.
OSHAE JONES SCORES A FLAWLESS VICTORY OVER MIRANDA BARBER
In a showcase fight, junior middleweight Oshae Jones (4-0) easily dominated Miranda Barber (3-5, 1KO).
This was an overmatched contest, and it was evident early as Jones, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist, went to work behind the jab before unloading hard body shots. She continued ripping off three and four-punch combinations against Barber, who looked like a deer in headlights.
Things didn’t get any easier as Jones was fighting in hyper-energy mode. She landed brutal, head-snapping uppercuts and hooks on her opponent’s chin. It was a very competitive contest as Jones’ skillset was too much, and she continued to attack Barber with ruthless aggression.
The final bell sounded as all three judges had it 80-72 in favor of Jones. This fight proved it is time to take the gloves off a little and put the Olympian up against stiffer competition.
HAVEN BRADY JR OUT GUNS ANDRES RODRIGUEZ
In an action-packed junior lightweight contest, Haven Brady Jr (10-0, 4KO) went on an offensive surge to take away the 0 of Andres Rodriguez (9-1, 5KO).
This was a fan-friendly contest from the start of the bell as both men elected to fight in a phonebooth. The taller Rodriguez came to fight as he took punches but landed some hard shots to the body. He managed to force Brady up against the ropes before landing sneaky uppercuts.
Brady turned it around quickly with quick combinations to the pit of the stomach. Moreover, he found a home for the straight right hand and used footwork to elude return fire. Fighting in front of the Georgia crowd, Brady went into a different gear and landed countless uppercuts that brought the crowd alive.
In the final round, the fans got their money’s worth as both fighters threw punches like video game characters with unlimited energy. Rodriguez connected with a few good right hands. Yet, Brady closed the show with those eye-catching uppercuts. All three judges saw it 60-52 in favor of Brady. The young man did a good job but needs to be more defensive minded.
