Romero Wins WBA Belt Over Barroso; Barthelemy And Sim Jr Claim Tough Victories
The hands of fortune continue to shine on super lightweight fighter Rolando “Rolly” Romero (15-1, 12 KOs) as he wins his his latest duel with Ismael Barroso (24-4-2, 22KO) for the vacant WBA Regular title.
Despite the glaring age difference, Romero, 27, found himself on the backfoot from the word ‘go’, resulting in him tasting the canvas in the third round. Rolly spent most of his time skittering around the ring like a high-strung forest deer. When he did throw offense, it took all his resolve, and he never presented a meaningful sustained attack or adjustment throughout the fight.
Rolly took it upon himself to push Barroso to the canvas after hurting him in the ninth. Barroso got back up, and while pinned in the corner, referee Tony Weeks hopped in and called a halt to the action. This was a head-scratching decision considering Barroso was likely up on the cards and not absorbing much of any damage at the time of the stoppage. Nevertheless, with the spoils of war, Rolando “Rolly” Romero is now the WBA super lightweight champion.
RANCES BARTHELEMY EDGES OMAR JUAREZ FOR THE VICTORY
In this battle of super lightweights, veteran fighter Rances “Kid Blast” Barthelemy (30-2-1, 15 KO’s) took on the challenge of Omar “El Relampago” Juarez (14-2, 5 KO’s). After crossing the finish line, Barthelemy, 33, managed to edge Juarez, 23, over ten rounds on the judges’ scorecards.
To open the match, Kid Blast held Juarez at bay with his movement, jab and length. Yet, around the fourth and fifth rounds, El Relampago began finding his own offense range. From those middle rounds to the end, Juarez provided the meaningful pressure but was not able to significantly hurt or stun the seasoned boxer. This appeared to be his downfall, resulting in his second loss by way of 95-95, 97-93 and 98-92. With the win, Barthelemy lives to fight another day.
KENNETH SIMS JR WINS A BRAWL AGAINST BATYR AKHMEDOV
To open the telecast, super lightweights Kenneth “Bossman” Sims Jr (20-2-1, 7 KO’s) and Batyr Akhmedov (9-3, 8 KO’s) presented an all-action firefight. Yet, when the final bell sounded on this absolute barnburner, Bossman claimed the victory by way of majority decision.
Right from the opening bell, Akhmedov and Sims tore into each other with a supreme ferocity. Sims opted to try to be the more polished boxer by sitting in the pocket and picking his shots while Akhmedov poured pressure on like his life depended on it. The pressure that Akhmedov applied was sufficient enough to completely close his right eye but not enough to dampen his skill or will. As a result, Bossman was able to secure the majority decision win in what is certainly a candidate for Fight of the Year.
