Jarrett Hurd (25-3-1) and Jeison Rosario (24-4-2) are both men that needed a win. This clash of two former world title-holders was meant to reignite careers and carry them through a higher weight division. Broadcast on ProBox TV and Youtube via ProBox Promotions, it was also meant to give them a unique platform to shine.
Instead, the veteran fighters fought to a disappointing split-decision draw over their shared ten rounds, with the scores reading as 95-95, 96-94 and 94-96.
Certainly, both men were aware of the stakes and fought like it; Hurd in particular – whilst not turning back the clock – looked to be in his best shape in years. Using a sharp, disciplined jab, Hurd was able to keep Rosadio firmly at bay for intervals throughout the fight.
Similarly, Rosario was applying pressure in a mature display, slowly increasing his output to trouble Hurd. Neither fighter could truly figure the other out en route to the draw, with speed and power not able to best one another.
Meanwhile, the co-main event was a more simple affair, with bantamweight prospect Michael Angeletti (12-0) besting the tricky Geraldo Valdez (16-2) to earn a unanimous decision victory over ten rounds.
The tall and rangy Angeletti had his best moments when utilising his natural physicality to his advantage, keeping the Dominican at range. However, Valdez put the pressure upon the young American, using his veteran knowledge to push Angeletti into scrappy exchanges.
The clean and effective work of Angeletti was more appealing to the judges, who granted Angeletti the unanimous decision win; although, Valdez struggled to see the final bell.
A fixture of the ProBox Events Center, Dominic Valle (10-0) could not reignite his KO streak at super-featherweight, instead providing a unanimous decision win over dynamite Colombian Kevin Piedrahita (9-2).
Despite having losses on his record, all of ‘Dinamita’s wins came by way of knockout and Valle must’ve been firmly aware of this, choosing to manoeuvre his opponent to a points victory instead. Nevertheless, the Floridian looked mature and co-ordinated throughout.
Fellow Floridian Tristan Gallichan (5-0-2) acquired the second draw of his short career, this time against Cuba’s Renny Viamonte Mastrapa (3-1-1). It was a true 50-50 fight, where the judges saw it impossible to separate either man; it ultimately came down to preference.
Gallichan was the aggressor in the tactical bout, with Mastrapa demonstrating a uniquely Cuban skillset and bravado in spades. With the result, the stock of both fighters has been raised from early on, with little to blemish their records. Either fighter could definitely reappear on a ProBox card in the future.
Skilled but inactive Kazakh heavyweight Ivan Dychko (14-0) wasted no time with Craig Lewis (15-8-1), matching Zhilei Zhang’s (27-2-1) record of two rounds in disposing of the American.
Lewis has taken the likes of Carlos Takam (40-8-1), Junior Fa (20-3) and Jermaine Franklin (23-2) the distance, but Dychko had little time to play with his food. It was an effortless performance from the amateur stand-out, who needs to be more active in order to enter the fold of the heavyweight division.
Once again, ProBox assembled a quality card with plenty of names, from those once at the peak of the sport to the up-and-coming fighters of tomorrow.
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