By Gary “Digital” Williams
Photos: Mike Greenhill

Fightnews.com

Undefeated WBA Interim Light Heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol of St. Petersburg, Russia scored a crushing-round TKO over a game but outmatched Samuel “The Main Event” Clarkson of Cedar Hill, TX to retain his title in the main event in front of 2, 159 fans and a Showtime ShoBox national television audience at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, MD.

Bivol started off very aggressive and dropped Clarkson twice with right hands in the first round. Clarkson to make a bout of it but was totally outgunned as Bivol patiently broke Clarkson down. Bivol would land a crushing left-right combination that would send Clarkson down to the canvas for the third and final time as referee Harvey Dock would stop the bout at 1:40 of the fourth round.

“I thought I would take four to five rounds to get going,” Bivol told reporters through his interpreter and manager Vadim Kornilov. “I was looking for the knockout and I hope everyone got what they wanted to see.”

Kornilov added, “A new star was born tonight.”

Bivol looks for an opportunity to face WBA Regular Light Heavyweight champ Nathan Cheverly in the near future. Bivol is now 10-0, eight KO’s. Clarkson falls to 21-4, 12 KO’s.

In the co-feature, undefeated Baltimore, MD welterweight Malik “Iceman” Hawkins put in a dominating performance stopping previously undefeated Carlos Soto of Torreon, Mexico at the end of the second round.
Hawkins found a home with his right hand and repeatedly battered Soto with it, causing a huge welt over Soto’s left eye. Eventually, the ringside physician, Dr. Doug Frankel, looked at the eye and ruled Soto unfit to continue.

“I saw that I was faster than him and I was looking to take him into deep water and make him work at my pace,” Hawkins told Fightnews. Hawkins remains undefeated at 11-0, eight KO’s. Soto falls for the first time and he is 13-1-2, seven KO’s.

In the first ShoBox TV bout, undefeated Baltimore, MD super bantamweight Glenn Dezurn won an eight-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Leroy Davila of, East Windsor, NJ.
The two participated in some brutal exchanges in close throughout the bout. Dezurn seemed to landed the harder blows in many of those exchanges. Midway through the bout, Davila altered his game plan to include side-to-side movement. However, Dezurn was successful in cutting the ring off. The two talented boxers ended the contest with a fierce eighth round that saw both men land crushing shots.
All three judges — Lynne Carter, John Gradowski and Don Risher — scored the bout 78-74 for Dezurn, who is now 9-0, six KO’s. Davila is now 5-1, three KO’s.

In his pro debut, Hasim Rahman, Jr. of Baltimore, MD needed just 40 seconds to stop equally debuting heavyweight Ralph Alexander of Lanham, MD. With his father, two-time world heavyweight champ Hasim, Sr. working his corner, Rahman, Jr. pummeled Alexander in Alexander’s corner with lefts and rights before referee Bill Clancy stopped the bout.

Nineteen-year-old prospect and super featherweight Ruben Villa of Salinas, CA was very impressive in stopping tough Luis Diaz of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Villa, a former two-time national Golden Gloves champion who lost to Shakur Stevenson in the 2016 Olympic Trials, showed solid accuracy as he battered Diaz throughout the contest eventually stopping Diaz at 34 seconds of the sixth round.
Villa is now 5-0, three KO’s. Diaz loses for the first time and he is 2-1, one KO.

Another 19-year-old junior lightweight prospect, Michael Dutchover of Midland, TX scored a TKO at the end of three rounds when opponent Eder Amaro of Matamoros, Mexico could not come out for the fourth round.
Dutchover was able to cut the ring off successfully throughout the bout and land piercing left jabs to Amaro’s face. Eventually, Amaro’s corner threw in the towel at the end of three. Dutchover remains perfect at 4-0, four KO’s while Amaro drops to 2-3, one KO.

Heavyweights Joey “The Tank” Dawejko of Philadelphia, PA and Rodney Hernandez of Modesto, CA fought to an entertaining eight-round split decision draw. Defense was not a factor in this contest as both men slugged their way through the bout, landing hard shots to the head and body throughout the contest. Hernandez suffered a bloody nose in the sixth round that helped turn his white trunks into crimson.
Judge Risher scored the bout for Dawejko, 77-75 while Gradowski judged in favor of Hernandez, 78-74. Judge Carter saw the draw, 76-76. Dawejko’s record is now 17-4-4, 10 KO’s. Hernandez is now 10-5-2, two KO’s.

The opening bout on the card saw undefeated heavyweight Sergey Kuzmin of St. Petersburg, Russia stop Keenan Hickman of Baton Rouge, LA at the end of three rounds. Early in the third, Hickman suffered an injury to his left arm. Hickman continued the bout but was knocked down by a Kuzmin left hand. Hickman finished the third but was unable to leave his corner for the fourth round. Kuzmin remains undefeated at 10-0, seven KO’s while Hickman, who took the bout on very short notice, falls to 5-2-1, two KO’s.

In the walkout bout, Baltimore light heavyweight Travis “Seveer” Reeves won an eight-round unanimous decision over Taneal “Spider” Goyco of Philadelphia, PA. Reeves landed the cleaner and sharper punches and kept Goyco off balance. Goyco was tough and stayed upright but Reeves was in complete control. Judge Carter scored a shutout for Reeves, 80-72 while judges Gradowski and Risher saw the bout 78-74 for Reeves, who is now 14-2-2, seven KO’s. Goyco is 9-10-1, four KO’s.