Levan Ghvamichava beats down Breidis Prescott in PBC main event

Breidis Prescott was as game as ever, but ultimately fell short against Levan Ghvamichava earlier this evening in the latest installment of Toe-to-Toe Tuesday.

A late-notice replacement, Prescott (29-8, 21 KO), started off fairly well, keeping pace with the aggressive Georgian and landing a bevy of body shots, but the momentum didn’t stay on his side for long. Ghvamichava (17-2-1, 13 KO) quickly established himself as the cleaner, heavier puncher as he walked Prescott around the ring.

Ghvamichava just seemed to have the edge in most aspects of the game; he moved better, put together his punches better, and seemed to affect Prescott far more than vice-versa. A 3-2 sent Prescott to a knee in the fourth and things quickly went downhill once the seventh rolled around. Ghvamichava stung him early and the Colombian’s legs never recovered. Prescott swung hard in desperation, but suffered a left hook knockdown and then fell twice from slight shoves. A heavy combination in the corner sent the referee into action for the stoppage.

It’s hard not to feel for Prescott, who’s suffered some raw deals since the Khan knockout, but Ghvamichava was just the better fighter.

Unbeaten prospects Mark Hernandez and Thomas Hill put on an entertaining scrap in the middle feature, duking it out for eight competitive rounds.

In a fight chock-full of rapid exchanges, Hernandez (8-0, 2 KO) was just a little bit sharper, landing hard rights to the body and left hooks behind them. Hill (6-1, 1 KO) was aggressive, but didn’t have much to offer offensively besides rapid flurries to the body. Hernandez showed off better defense and shot selection, not to mention the barest hint of superior power.

There was some slight controversy in the seventh when Hill lost a point for a shot on the beltline, but Hernandez had a very large beltline and his reaction to the punch seemed genuine.

In any event, the deduction didn’t wind up making a difference as Hernandez took the fight on scores of 79-72, 78-73, and 77-74, the last of which matched my own score.

With some seasoning, I could see both men being decent contenders, although their lack of power is concerning.

The opening feature saw unbeaten knockout artist Malcolm McAllister cruise past Brazil’s Gilberto “Yoruba” Pereira, ultimately forcing the latter to call it quits between the seventh and eighth rounds. Mcallister (8-0, 8 KO) maintained a casual air throughout, punishing Pereira (12-3, 9 KO) on the inside with powerful uppercuts and compact hooks.

Though Mcallister showed incredible confidence in his ability and some real pop in his hands, that flippancy didn’t always work in his favor, as Pereira forced him to the ropes and ripped to the body on multiple occasions. Admittedly, he absorbed every head and body shot without trouble and ultimately dished out far more damage than he received in the many phone booth engagements.

In short, a decent performance but one with some minor red flags.

For quick results and round-by-round coverage of the night’s proceedings, click here.