Sadriddin Akhmedov might be a new one to watch after he scored a seventh-round stoppage win over Raphael Igbokwe in a middleweight bout Friday at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.
Akhmedov started at a measured pace but increased his output as the fight progressed. Known for his body punching, Akhmedov also proved he was able to take a good punch, suffering a cut over his left eye during the fight. Despite the damage, Akhmedov overpowered Igbokwe with his heavier punches, as Igbokwe lacked the skills to outbox someone with Akhmedov’s power.
The fight, however, had its rough moments. Akhmedov, who trains with Abel Sanchez – the former trainer of Gennady Golovkin – showed flashes of brilliance but slowed in the second half, allowing Igbokwe to rally. In the seventh, Akhmedov poured on the pressure with a wild flurry that ultimately led to the stoppage, which came with 52 seconds left in the round.
Akhmedov improved to 15-0 (13 KOs), while Igbokwe dropped to 17-6 (7 KOs).
After the fight, Akhmedov revealed plans to campaign at junior middleweight moving forward.
Junior welterweight Karlos Balderas, a former 2016 U.S. Olympian from Santa Maria, California, made his debut under 360 Promotions with a sixth-round stoppage of Cesar Villarraga, of Bogota, Colombia. The time of the stoppage was also 52 seconds into the round.
Balderas, coming off a loss to Nahir Albright, faced a determined opponent in the 39-year-old Villarraga, who stayed busy and traded punches with him throughout the fight. Though Villarraga was relentless with his output, Balderas landed the cleaner shots. A head clash in the fourth round disrupted the action, but Balderas closed the frame strong with a left hook-right hand combination, his best work and most notable action to that point.
The fifth round saw both fighters trade major shots, with Balderas showing signs of fatigue. However, Balderas, fighting just 30 minutes from his hometown, delivered in the sixth. A sharp jab set up a straight right hand that dropped Villarraga. Though Villarraga beat the count, Balderas closed the show moments later.
After the fight, Balderas dedicated the victory to Israel Vasquez, who accompanied him during his professional debut and recently passed away from cancer. Balderas improved to 15-2 (13 KOs), while Villarraga fell to 11-11-1 (5 KOs).
Welterweight Jorge Maravillo, of Salinas, California, and Damoni Cato-Cain, of Oakland, California, fought to an eight-round draw in a competitive, back-and-forth bout.
The judges scored it 77-75 for Cato-Cain, 77-75 for Maravillo and 76-76.
Cato-Cain started strong, but the momentum began to shift midway through. Maravillo landed a telling left hook to close the fourth round and carried that energy into the fifth – his best round of the fight. The final two rounds saw Maravillo effectively use his distance, walking Cato-Cain down, but neither fighter took full control of the contest. The draw felt like a fair outcome.
Maravillo remained unbeaten at 10-0-1 (8 KOs), while Cato-Cain’s record now stands at 8-1-2 (7 KOs).
Women’s junior bantamweight Perla Bazaldua, of Los Angeles, stopped Mollie Backowski, of Colorado, in the first round at 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Bazaldua, 19, dropped Backowski, 34, with a left hook early in the fight and dominated the action. The referee halted the bout when Backowski was unable to mount any offense. Bazaldua, making her pro debut, moved to 1-0 (1 KO), while Backowski fell to 0-4.
Angel Carrillo, of Oxnard, California, outboxed a durable Josua Torres, of Simi Valley, California, to earn a four-round unanimous decision.
All three judges scored it 40-36 for Carrillo.
Carrillo, 19, improved to 4-0-1 (2 KOs). Torres, 33, slipped to 0-2-2, though his record does not reflect his skill or toughness.
Featherweight Fidencio Hernandez earned a four-round unanimous decision over Josaphat Navarro, of Laguna Hills, California.
The judges scored it 40-36, 40-36 and 40-35 in favor of Hernandez.
Hernandez, who went the distance for the first time as a professional, improved to 3-0 (2 KOs). Navarro, 33, fell to 1-3-1.
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.
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