Early results From Indio, CA

Uzbeki welterweight and former amateur world champion, Ruslan Abdullaev met 19-fight veteran and late substitute, Kevin Johnson, in only his third pro fight, scheduled for eight rounds. Johnson took this fight on Tuesday. Both fighters took turns employing their speed. The shorter Abdullaev used a very fast jab and overhand right while Johnson used his longer jab and a lot of foot feints. The fight settled into a pattern where Johnson actually utilized his pro experience just enough to frustrate Abdullaev and keep him guessing. The shorter Abdullaev had to work hard for the judges to see it: 80-72 and 79-73 twice, raising his record to 3-0, 1 KO. Johnson loses his sixth straight, falling to 12-8, 8 KOs.

Welterweight Joel Iriarte dropped Eduardo Hernandez with a vicious left hook to the body, just as the 10-second warning sounded for the end of round one. Hernandez beat the count and immediately took his rest on the stool. Iriarte couldn’t repeat the trick in the second, though he tried, as Hernandez proved tough as nails.

In the third round, that toughness wilted as a left high on the temple dropped Hernandez, referee Thomas Taylor stopping it immediately as Hernandez had eaten a boatload of punches before that moment. The time was 2:06 of the third, Iriarte rising to 9-0, 8 KOs. Hernandez falls to 8-5, 5 KOs.

Opening the DAZN telecast was a middleweight clash between young upstart Grant Flores and cagey veteran Courtney Pennington, scheduled for eight. Pennington made Flores work for everything he got in this bout. The taller Flores threw everything at The 38-year-old Pennington, who would often switch between Orthodox and southpaw stances trying to confuse his younger foe.

A multi-punch combination dropped Pennington along the ropes early in the seventh round. Pennington’s guile and experience got him through the rest of the round. Pennington actually took the initiative to start the eighth round, firing away and forcing Flores backward. At the round’s and fight’s end however, Flores had Pennington teetering along the ropes only to be saved by the bell, preventing the knockout win for Flores. The judges saw it: 80-71 twice and 79-72 for Flores, now 12-0, 9 KOs. Pennington now falls to 17-10-3, 7 KOs.

Lady flyweight Adriana Pineiro outworked the shorter Gloria Munguilla over eight rounds to move to 9-0, 1 KO. Munguilla falls to 8-2.

Super middleweight Javid Ramirez Beltran took a six round decision over Brian Agustin Arregui to move to 15-0, 7 KOs. Arregui falls to 11-7, 7 KOs.

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