Panin Slides By Toler & Gorham Stays Unbeaten
In a fight devoid of any real exciting action, Quashawn Toler (17-2, 12 KOs) took on Vlad “Super Bad” Panin (18-1, 10 KOs) in a ten-round welterweight contest at the Red Owl Arena in Houston, Texas.
“Tentative” was the word to describe both men in the early rounds. Toler threw plenty of jabs in an attempt to box. However, he didn’t follow up with any meaningful combos. Panin was the more aggressive fighter. However, he seemed hesitant to let his hands go.
It was much the same in the middle rounds, as Toler continued to fight with negative body language. Finally realizing he was in the ring with someone offering little to no punch resistance, Toler stepped on the gas in the last three rounds and punched with authority. Unfortunately for him, it was a case of “too little, too late.” The judges were unanimous in scoring the fight for Panin by unanimous decision (97-93, 96-94, 98-92). Given how close this fight was due to inactivity, neither man deserved the win.
GORHAM GRINDS OUT A HARD-EARNED WIN OVER FLORES
Fighting in his hometown of Houston, Texas Breyon “Grind Time” Gorham (16-0, 13 KOs) battled Wilfredo Flores (10-2-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round junior welterweight contest.
Despite fighting on enemy territory, Flores got off to a good start, dropping Gorham with a right hook with seventy-five seconds left in the opening round. Dusting himself off, Gorham went to work in rounds two and three, applying steady pressure and scoring with shots to the head and breadbasket.
Both men had their share of success in the middle rounds. However, Gorham was landing with some sneaky and effective shots on the inside that were starting to wear Flores down. The final rounds saw Gorham take charge as Flores could not keep up with the Texan’s pace and work rate.
Ultimately, the judges were on one accord in scoring the fight for Gorham by unanimous decision (78-73, 78-73, 78-73). Surviving some shaky moments early, the victor passed his first real test as a pro.
