Real Deal Boxing: Sergey Kuzmin vs. Jeremiah Karpency & Josué Vargas vs. Victor Vazquez RBR

Breaking news: Yoan Boyeaux came in overweight and they ultimately called his scheduled 8-rounder bantamweight co-featured bout with unbeaten Ghanaian kayo artist Duke Micah off (postponed, actually - off the card, regardless)

 

Round 1

Kuzmin is rowing his jab out at Karpency's face, then leaning the right half of his body inside with a drilling right hand on the chest. Karpency is bouncing clockwise around Kuzmin, lightly pawing with the right jab, his flabby love-handles jiggling and then crunching into a series of folds as he bends forward at the waist to bow into Kuzmin and press his wrists into the Russian's pecs to brace against him and push off to reset. Karpency is caught with a right hand and turns his back on Kuzmin while running into & out from a corner, getting tagged a couple more times. Kuzmin is pushing a jab and Karpency is throwing weak southpaw shoeshines on the backfoot.

10-9 Kuzmin

 

Well, this is a step down from Amir Mansour, against whom Kuzmin showed three rounds of "blah" in his last outing. He needs to really impress here if he's to regain any of his prospect shine.

 

Round 2

Kuzmin is painting the face of Karpency with the left jab, sometimes landing it on the brow and sometimes dabbing it across his cheekbone. Kuzmin is lining up the jab on the widow's peak and doubling up on it to distrat Karpency, not throwing with much speed, just in multitudes without much delay between, and is able to sneak in a couple of right hand blasts that shake Karpency up and force him to retreat. Karpency isn't mounting any offense except slaps on the sides in the clinches (which he is frequently initiating). A few slapping right hooks on the hip from mid-range by Karpency. A bit of juking & jiving by Karpency on the ropes, body-feinting and dipping slightly in to one side and then reeling back into the ropes as Kuzmin jabs at him.

10-9 Kuzmin

20-18 Kuzmin

 

Canceled, or at least postponed. It has only been reported on Ghanaian media outlets (nowhere else), in the last couple of hours. Boyeaux was four pounds overweight.

 

Round 3

Kuzmin is pushing down on Karpency's back with both arms. Karpency is ducking low and sniping at the body with left hand leads. Kuzmin is pumping in body shots with both hands and then chasing Karpency across the ring with heavy jabs on the face, making him wince and stagger. Karpency diving in with his lefts and pulling straight out, getting caught with jabs. Glove touch at the end of the round, Kuzmin acknowledging Karpency's guts.

10-9 Kuzmin

30-27 Kuzmin

 

Round 4

Kuzmin is lumping two-pieces onto the protruding gut of Karpency. Pecking jabs on the chin from Kuzmin as Karpency yanks himself from the pocket in straight lines. Karpency blinking them off, though Kuzmin's jab even at medium-low speed is visibly buzzing him. Kuzmin doubles a jab and charges in with a right uppercut on the belt line. Karpency falls and sells the blow as low, even though his trunks are hoisted pretty high. That was a belly (or in Jeremiah's case, gunt) shot, IMO. The ref is skeptical about Karpency's claims. He doesn't give him a ten count but doesn't give him a lot of time for these shenanigans, either. He's asked to walk it off, else forfeit. Time in. Kuzmin is marching his man down shoveling underhanded lefts into the body after reaching in with a long jab. Karpency rallies at the bell, going up on tiptoes and clambering up Kuzmin with a combo, punctuating with a couple of gavels on the face. Kuzmin laughs & nods appreciatively.

10-9 Kuzmin

40-36 Kuzmin

 

Round 5

Kuzmin is jabbing the face and ramming his right hand down the pipe into the chest and throat of Karpency. Lots of wrestling. Kuzmin imposing his superior brawn and forklifting Karpency around the ring. Karpency able to leverage his girth by snuggling in low and driving his shoulders into Kuzmin to skid to a halt and slap the body. Heavy underhanded body shot by Kuzmin, and Karpency goes to a knee, sucking wind. He's up but moments later Kuzmin drops him again with a right uppercut and left hook combo downstairs. Karpency takes a longer count, then runs for the remaining 10 seconds, and is saved by the bell.

10-7 Kuzmin

50-43 Kuzmin

 

Jeremiah about to quit, methinks.

 

I can't believe this guy was so hyped at one point. Based on this and the Mansour performance, I'd tip Kuzmin to get stopped early by Tyson Fury. Not the version that fought Wladimir Klitschko, either. A four-months-ago, three-hundred-pound version rolling off the couch.