In Top Ranks chief support bout, the No. 4 WBO and No. 7 ranked WBC featherweight contender Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington scored an eighth-round TKO victory over Brayan De Gracia (29-4-1, 25 KOs) on Saturday night, June 8th, at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden.
Carrington was initially scheduled to face Enrique Vivas, but Vivas had to withdraw due to a delay in obtaining his visa. As Vivas stepped out, the hard-hitting Panamanian boxer Brayan De Gracia stepped up to the challenge.
In the opening round of the scheduled 10-round bout, De Gracia was aggressive as he pressed forward and threw the left hook and combination shots. Carrington calmly defended himself with the high guard while looking for opportunities to catch and counter his opponent.
De Gracia continued to be active in the second round, but he only landed a small percentage of his punches. In the closing seconds of round 2, Carrington closed out the round by landing a big left-hand shot.
In the fourth round, Carrington once again closed out the round in strong fashion by landing a three-punch combination followed by a big right hand. With 48 seconds left to go in the fifth, Carrington scored a knockdown when he landed a combination of shots.
The action picked up inside the pocket in the sixth as Carrington pressed forward while primarily utilizing the left hook and the right hand. In the final seconds of the seventh round, Carrington landed a combination of punches as he scored knockdown number two.
Near the end of the eighth, Carrington proceeded to connect with a flurry of shots that forced the referee to step in and put a halt to the contest. As Shu Shu Carrington celebrated his victory, he casually walked close to the ring ropes and made eye contact with Naoya Inoue.
The current undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue appeared to be an interested ringside observer. During the post-fight press conference, Shu Shu Carrington spoke about Inoue’s presence.
“It’s interesting that he’s here. He came to watch, and he’s leaving right now. So, obviously, he came to watch me. I’m ringing bells, and I’m making noise. That’s what we plan on continuing to do in our career. I want to make that fight happen sometime soon.”
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (12-0, 8 KOs) has mentioned Inoue’s name multiple times in past interviews, and that’s definitely a fight everyone wants to see in the future. In regards to his immediate future, Shu Shu Carrington said he is ready to face any of the current champions who hold a belt at 126.
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