Rolando Romero scores dominant seventh round knockout of Anthony Yigit

Rolando “Rolly” Romero predicted he would knock out late alternative opponent Anthony Yigit within the first spherical.

Though Romero didn’t money in on his name, he did rating three knockdowns en path to a dominating seventh-round knockout on Saturday night time within the Showtime-televised co-feature of the Jermell Charlo-Brian Castano undisputed junior middleweight world title battle at the AT&T Heart in San Antonio.

Romero was imagined to defend his WBA interim light-weight belt towards Yigit and whereas Romero was proper on the 135-pound division restrict at Friday’s weigh-in Yigit was a stunning 140.2 – 5.2 kilos chubby. Yigit paid an undisclosed amount of cash for the battle to go on and was ineligible to say the interim belt and Romero couldn’t lose it.

“I fought a tricky man who wasn’t in my weight class,” Romero mentioned. “I fought a 140-pounder and I f—— stopped him. Easy as that.”

It was the second battle in a row that Romero’s foe was over the load. In January, Jason Pauldo was 138.6 after which a pound heavier at 139.6 on his second try and was changed by standby opponent Avery Sparrow, who was 136 and received stopped by Romero within the seventh spherical.

However although Romero (14-0, 12 KOs), 25, of Las Vegas, was at a measurement drawback, he dominated the awkward battle from the outset, twice nailing Yigit within the opening body. A left hand backed him up within the opening seconds of the battle and a proper hand appeared to harm him with about 50 seconds left.

The battle received messy within the second spherical, which pressured referee Rafael Ramos to pause the bout and implore each fighters to field cleanly following stretches of wrestling and holding.

“Man, I’ll inform you, European fighters are all the time awkward for everyone,” Romero mentioned. “They received fully totally different type over than over right here.”

Within the third spherical, Romero caught Swedish southpaw Yigit (24-2-1, 8 KOs), 29, with an errant elbow that opened a reduce beneath Yigit’s left eye.

Within the fifth spherical, Romero obtained one other lecture from Ramos after he flung Yigit to the mat in an more and more messy battle after which Ramos took some extent when Romero hit Yigit on the break. Simply because the bell rang to finish the spherical Romero dropped Yigit onerous with a proper hand. Yigit beat the rely and received the remaining interval to get better.

Yigit made it by means of the sixth spherical however not the seventh, when Romero knocked him down twice for the knockout. He caught Yigit with a clear counter proper hand to drop him onerous for the primary knockdown of the spherical.

“At that time I knew it was over,” Romero mentioned. “I swear, I believed it was over (on the finish of the fifth spherical). However after I dropped him that first time I knew it was going to be over quickly. It was an attractive proper hand. It was a pleasant quick one, a six-inch one, like a Bruce Lee shot.”

Moments later, Romero landed left hook throughout a flurry to knock Yigit down once more, which brought about Ramos to waved off the battle at 1 minute, 54 seconds.

Spherical 7 stoppage for @SignUp4KOs 🤜 #RomeroYigit pic.twitter.com/2xta8omInQ

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) July 18, 2021

Subsequent, Romero needs to battle Gervonta Davis, who holds a secondary junior welterweight belt in addition to a secondary light-weight title.

“I need Gervonta Davis at 140. I’m prepared for it,” Romero mentioned. “I’ll cease him. I’m gonna knock him out. I do know it’s (real looking to make the battle). I do know what he can do. However I do know what I can do. I’m loads stronger.”

Romero, who’s a part of the Mayweather Promotions secure, was initially scheduled to battle Austin Dulay (14-2, 10 KOs), 25, of Nashville, however a bit of over every week in the past he dropped out of the battle resulting from a knee damage suffered in coaching. Yigit was slated for a light-weight bout on the untelevised undercard and was on standby in case Romero or Dulay couldn’t go.

Yigit, preventing for the primary time in 25 months, got here into the battle having received three bouts in a row since dropping by seventh-round stoppage resulting from a severely swollen eye left in a vacant junior welterweight title bout towards Ivan Baranchyk within the World Boxing Tremendous Sequence in October 2018.

Vidal tops Aleem in slugfest

Up-and-coming middleweight Amilcar Vidal outslugged Immanuwel Aleem to win a aggressive and ferocious majority resolution within the Showtime opener.

Vidal received the nod 97-93 on two scorecards with the third decide scoring the battle 95-95 in a battle that took just a few rounds to get going with Vidal stalking and Aleem shifting.

However then it changed into a firefight within the fourth spherical. They exchanged photographs all through the toe-to-toe body with Vidal (13-0, 11 KOs), 25, a Uruguay native preventing out of Coachella, California, ripping physique photographs and proper fingers to move and Aleem additionally touchdown onerous photographs upstairs.

Within the sixth spherical Aleem received off to a superb begin. He backed Vidal into the ropes and landed a number of good punches, however Vidal turned it round when he visibly damage Aleem with a robust left hook to the physique with about 30 seconds left. Vidal then nailed him with extra head and physique photographs because the spherical ended.

Thrilling 10-round scrap between @AmilcarVidalJr1 and @Loco_Manolo_ to kick off the night time #VidalAleem pic.twitter.com/X9C5DiVakg

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) July 18, 2021

“That was the job, to work on the physique,” mentioned Vidal, who was preventing in america for the third time.

The eighth spherical was one other action-packed body with every touchdown clear photographs, though it was Aleem who rocked Very important twice with left hooks, as soon as early within the spherical and once more within the waning seconds.

They continued to blast away within the all-action ninth spherical and 10^th rounds to complete off what was a tremendously thrilling and aggressive battle.

“He was undoubtedly a tough rival,” Vidal mentioned by means of an interpreter. “All hats go off to Aleem. The primary couple of rounds I might say it was fairly even till I fund my distance within the final couple of rounds, and that’s the place I feel I took the battle.

“I consider I used to be a good winner, however I’m not right here to argue concerning the rating. I could have misplaced my manner in a few rounds, however I regained management of the battle.

“Like I advised you earlier than the press convention, it’s about going step-by-step. We took a significant one tonight, and now my promoter (Sampson Lewkowicz) will let me know what’s subsequent. I’ll be prepared. We’re good and cozy at 160 kilos. Uruguay can relaxation straightforward realizing Amilcar Vidal is right here to remain.”

In keeping with CompuBox, Vidal landed 205 of 571 punches (36 %), together with touchdown 73 physique photographs, and Aleem related with 183 of 647 (28 %).

It was a tricky loss for Aleem (18-3-2, 11 KO), 27, of Richmond, Virginia, who was aggressive all through and will make the case for a victory in his first battle with coach Ronnie Shields. Nonetheless, he dropped 1-3-1 in his final 5 bouts as he tried to rebound from a majority 10-round resolution loss to Ron Ellis in December 2019.

Aleem would love a rematch.

 “I believed that was in my favor,” Aleem mentioned. “I didn’t really feel like he received seven rounds. I anticipated him to be robust however after we fought on the within within the later rounds, I believed I received these. After I was shifting early on I didn’t suppose he had something on me. I believed I received the later rounds too. If we are able to, I’d like to run it again.”