Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Brandon Adams is headed to another tournament final. The junior middleweight Adams secured his spot by defeating Francisco Veron via unanimous decision on Friday night in the co-feature of OTX Boxing 10 at the OTE Arena.
The judges scored the bout 95-94, 98-91, and 96-93, all in favor of Adams.
Adams (25-3, 16 KOs) is no stranger to tournament success, having previously won “The Contender” TV show and reaching the finals of the Boxcino tournament in 2015. Now, Adams advances to the finals of the OTX junior middleweight tournament.
Adams applied relentless pressure from the opening bell, causing blood to trickle from Veron’s nose in the first round. The 35-year-old veteran shook Veron (14-1-1, 10 KOs) with a powerful left hook in the third round, setting the tone for the fight. Despite Veron’s efforts, the younger fighter struggled to match Adams’ size, power, and experience, but continued to keep up with him in terms of volume.
Adams, full of confidence, danced into the fifth round, continuing to wear down Veron with patient and calculated aggression. In the seventh round, Adams rocked Veron again, eventually sending him to the canvas. Veron protested the knockdown as a slip, but Adams had the momentum on his side.
By the eighth round, both fighters had landed 76 punches, but Adams’ shots were more damaging. The final scores reflected the close nature of the fight, with Veron’s volume clashing with Adams’ power.
Adams proved that his story of having success in tournaments is not getting old, yet.
Andreas Katzourakis secured a split-decision victory over Robert Terry in the other OTX junior middleweight tournament semifinal. The judges scored the fight 98-92, 93-98, and 98-92 for Katzourakis.
Katzourakis (14-0, 10 KOs) struggled early as Terry (12-1-1, 4 KOs) used his movement and boxing skills to frustrate him. Terry, known as “The Tiger,” implemented a touch-and-move strategy that Katzourakis found difficult to counter. However, Katzourakis began to find his rhythm in the middle rounds, cutting off the ring and landing a big left hook in the fifth.
As the fight progressed, Katzourakis pressured Terry, who lacked the power to keep him at bay. Although Terry’s high punch output secured him some early rounds, the middle rounds were closely contested, and Katzourakis’ pressure began to tell. By the seventh round, Katzourakis was bleeding from a cut under his left eye, and the fight became increasingly grueling. In the tenth and final round, both fighters exchanged punches, with Katzourakis bleeding from the mouth and Terry landing cleaner shots.
Katzourakis’ victories in the OTX tournament have been hard-fought, with a majority decision win over Kudratillo Abdukakhorov in the first round and now a split decision over Terry.
Adams and Katzourakis will meet in the finals, with the winner claiming the OTX junior middleweight tournament title.
In other action, lightweight Maliek Montgomery (19-0, 17 KOs) of Macon, Georgia, stopped Oscar Escandon in the second round of their scheduled eight-round fight. Montgomery appeared to break Escandon’s nose with a left hook, prompting referee Ansel Stewart to stop the fight at 1:39 of the second round. After the fight, Montgomery called out WBC titleholder Robson Conceicao.
Super middleweight prospect Donte Layne (4-0, 4 KOs) continued his rise with a first-round knockout of Noah Kidd (8-11-2, 5 KOs). Layne dropped Kidd with a lead right hook after a clinch, though Kidd protested the count, holding the back of his head. Referee Malik Waleed counted him out.
In the opening bout, junior lightweight Gustavo Rivera Rio (10-1, 7 KOs) survived an early knockdown to win a six-round unanimous decision over Carlos Dos Santos Rocha (3-6, 2 KOs). Rivera Rio, who was dropped in the first round, responded by flooring Dos Santos Rocha with a body shot in the second round. This was Rivera Rio’s first fight since losing a split decision to Alexander Espinoza in May.
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