Lightweight Eric Hernandez of Ashburn, Virginia, won an eight-round unanimous decision over Dewayne Zeigler of Montgomery, Alabama, in the main event of ProBoxTV’s Prospect Series last Saturday at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, Maryland.
The scores were 79-73, 80-72, and 78-74, all for Hernandez.
Hernandez, 12-1 (5 KOs), started strong in round one as Zeigler, 12-2-1 (5 KOs), used his jab to feel things out. Hernandez, 30, is two years younger than Zeigler but both fought with patience as they looked to land a perfect shot. The result was an uneventful first round.
In the second, Hernandez put Zeigler on the ropes, landing right hooks to the body and uppercuts that clearly bothered Zeigler. Zeigler didn’t throw much, but his punches had power, while Hernandez varied his attack in round three, moving and trading in short bursts. By round four, Hernandez’s jab was less effective as he began exchanging punches with Zeigler, who landed shots that started to have an impact.
In the fifth round, Hernandez continued to throw punches while Zeigler walked forward with his hands high, not offering much offense. Hernandez outboxed Zeigler in the sixth as Zeigler continued his forward pressure with little output. By the final round, Hernandez was comfortably ahead and opted to trade with Zeigler in the last half of the round. After the fight, Hernandez had noticeable swelling around his left eye.
Hernandez is now riding a four-fight win streak since his lone career loss to Maynard Allison in May 2017. Zeigler, with the loss, is now on a two-fight skid after winning his first 12 bouts.
Junior lightweight Frankie “The Franchise” Scarboro Jnr, 9-0 (7 KOs), of Cheverly, Maryland, won an eight-round unanimous decision over fellow unbeaten prospect Wayne Lawrence, 7-1 (4 KOs), of Toledo, Ohio.
The scores were 78-74, 77-75, and 78-74, all for Scarboro.
The bout, which included some pre-fight trash talk on social media, saw 28-year-old Scarboro, who ProBox TV’s Chris Algieri noted had faced tougher competition earlier in his career, start strong with a sharp jab. Early in the fight, both fighters tangled and hit the canvas. A right hand from Scarboro in round one pushed 23-year-old Lawrence back to the ropes, his advantage in speed offset by his rival’s superior strength.
Lawrence had some good moments in round two, showcasing his hand speed, but Scarboro bullied him to the ropes toward the end. The third round was close and tense.
In the fourth, Lawrence continued to attack while the bigger Scarboro fought in spurts. Through four rounds, the fight appeared even; two rounds apiece. The fifth was gruelling and close, with Scarboro rallying late and appearing to rock Lawrence at the end.
By the seventh, both fighters were feeling the effects of the earlier pace, with Lawrence possibly outworking Scarboro. In the eighth, Lawrence landed a right hand early, but Scarboro’s size and power slowed him down as the round went on.
This was Scarboro’s second consecutive win over an undefeated fighter.
Junior bantamweight Jordan Roach, 2-0 (1 KO), recorded the first knockout of his pro career, stopping 37-year-old Robert Ledesma, 3-13-2 (2 KOs), of San Antonio, Texas.
The 21-year-old younger brother of WBA junior lightweight titleholder Lamont Roach Jnr is trained by his father, Lamont Roach Snr, and dropped Ledesma with a right hook to the body in round one. After Ledesma got back to his feet, Roach landed a short right uppercut that caused his opponent to stumble. A left hook to the body sent Ledesma down for a second time. Roach continued his body assault to score a third knockdown before another left hook to the head caused another fall, prompting referee Eric Irizarry to stop the fight at 2:59 of the first round.
Welterweight Benjamin Johnson, 2-0 (2 KOs), of Springdale, Maryland, knocked out 25-year-old Igor Santos, 0-4, of Brazil in the first round. Johnson, 19, also trained by show promoter Roach Snr, came out aggressively, landing a right hand in close that sent Santos to a knee. Santos was unable to beat the count, with the stoppage coming at 1:20 of round one. Johnson has yet to see the second round as a professional.
Welterweight David Whitmire, 7-0 (5 KOs), of Washington D.C. won a four-round unanimous decision over Nelson Morales, 5-17 (2 KOs), of Scranton, Pennsylvania. All three judges scored it 40-36 for Whitmire, 19, against the 32-year-old Morales.
Amateur phenom Cornellio Phipps 4-0 (2 KOs), 19, of Oxford, Pennsylvania, won a six-round unanimous decision over Gary Hampton, 5-2, of Fort Worth, Texas. Phipps won with scores of 59-55, 59-55, and 58-56.
Welterweight Maximus Garland, 7-0 (8 KOs), stopped Gil Garcia, 5-8 (3 KOs), via a fourth-round knockout. Garland landed a clean punch, and though Garcia continued forward with his hands down, referee Dave Braslow stopped the bout at 2:45, despite Garcia appearing to take the shot well.
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