Yesterday’s fight night featured 2 boxing events in which Ardreal Holmes (13-0, 5 KOs) took on in Texas for the first time in 2023 Ismael Villarreal (12-1, 8 KOs) and David Adeleye (11-0, 10 KOs) fought for the vacant WBO European heavyweight belt against Ukraine's Dmytro Bezus (10-1, 5 KOs).
In the first one, the main event was scored by two judges in favor of Holmes, while a third judge gave Villarreal the edge in aggression. Holmes, who was significantly taller than the little Villarreal, had a straightforward strategy: utilize his jab to keep his opponent on the outside, throw enough combinations to rack up points, and when Villarreal managed to get inside, just hold him.
Throughout the majority of the fight, Villarreal was the aggressor, and in the 10th round, when he finally fought wildly in an effort to defeat Holmes, he had a few strong moments. That, however, was insufficient to prevent the Bronx native from suffering his first failure.
In the co-main event, a close 10-round featherweight fight between Edward Vazquez (14-1, 3 KOs) of Forth Worth, Texas, and Misael Lopez (14-2, 5 KOs) of Colorado ended in a split decision. The second-round knockdown of Lopez by Vazquez proved to be the decisive moment in the fight.
In the second event, David Adeleye advanced in his developing career by winning his first belt in the paid divisions.
The vacant WBO European championship in the highest category was on the line between the two, but Adeleye emerged victorious by halting his opponent in the second round. Referee Bob Williams stopped the fight after one minute and 48 seconds of the second round.
The visiting Bezus was knocked out in the first round by a jab, but in the second round, a right hand and a left hook proved to be the winning combination.
In the co-main event, Mark Chamberlain (12-0, 8 KOs) retained his IBF European lightweight championship with a victory inside the ring. The Italian fighter's downfall began when he was briefly stunned in the second round before the Portsmouth puncher finished off Vairo Lenti (10-5-1, 1 KO) in five rounds.
Image Credit: Showtime