Key highlights from the WBC Boxing Grand Prix quarter-finals
Standout fights and fighters from the WBC Boxing Grand Prix Phase 3
Phase 3: The quarter-finals of the WBC Boxing Grand Prix delivered thrilling upsets and spectacular knockouts across nearly nine hours of commercial free boxing on DAZN as the crowd at the Cool Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia saw 32 fighters from 15 different countries in four different weight classes attempt to stamp their ticket to the tournament semi-finals.
“We saw a compilation of great talent from all over the world. The boxers that fought tonight will be local heroes when they come back home,” said WBC President and tournament organiser Mauricio Sulaiman. “This is something that just keeps getting better. I can’t wait for the Semifinals in October, and then the Grand Finale in December.”
All 16 fighters who advanced will compete in the WBC Boxing Grand Prix semi-finals in October on a date to be determined.
Here is a recap of the historic night in Riyadh:
Fight of the Night:
Middleweight:
Carlos Sinisterra Colombia (13-1, 10 KOs) vs Ephrem Bariko France (12-1, 6 KOs)
Bariko dominated the first two rounds and started the third with strong, precise combinations that were hitting the target. However, everything turned in an instant as the Colombian standout cornered Bariko and rained down blows that the Frenchman couldn’t withstand.
Sinisterra won by knockout will now face Canada’s Derek Pomerleau in a middleweight semi-final clash that promises to be one of the best fights of the Grand Prix tournament.
Pomerleau (14-0, 11 KOs) defeated Ukraine’s Dmytro Rybalko with a devastating four punch combo that earned him the TKO win in round two and a spot in the semis.
Upset of the Night
Featherweight:
Muhamet Qamili Italy (17-0, 7 KOs) vs Troy Nash USA (5-1, 1 KO)
The upset of the night was made possible by the WBC’s enhanced scoring system, which allows judges to gauge the decisiveness of each fighter’s performance in each round as a tiebreaker in the event of a draw.
That was the case during the most anticipated fight of the night, which also delivered perhaps its most unexpected result in a battle between undefeated prospects.
The three judges scored the bout 58-56 in favor of Nash, 58-56 for Qamili and 57-57 respectively. In any other contest, the fight would have been declared a split draw. However, the enhanced scoring system revealed that two judges saw it 5-4 and 4-2 in favour of Qamili, who went down to his knees and hugged his team after having his hand raised.
“Troy Nash is a future superstar. It was his fifth fight, and his opponent was very tough in a close fight. He will learn and come out better from it,” Sulaiman said after the fight.
Breakout of the Night
Heavyweight:
Kevin Ramírez Argentina (11-0-1, 4 KOs) vs Piotr Lacz Poland (14-1-0, 10 KOs)
Argentina’s Kevin Ramirez, a natural cruiserweight fighting in the heavyweight division for this tournament, prevailed in a close enhanced scoring system decision over Poland’s Piotr Lacz, who outweighed him by 18 pounds after the official weigh-in on Tuesday.
Ramírez, who works as a trash collector to fund his boxing career, swept the judges off their feet with decisive rounds that showcased his effective combinations and an overall superior effectiveness in landing punches throughout the fight.
The Buenos Aires native will now face USA´s Dante Stone in what will be an even more daunting challenge in the semifinals. Stone weighed in at 257.9 pounds for his quarterfinal fight, while Ramírez did so at 204.
