Getty Vasiliy Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla face off during their official weigh-in .
Headlined by pound-for-pound darling Vasyl Lomachenko and filled to the brim with exciting young fighters, Top Rank’s debut card on ESPN+ is one that provided some big time knockouts.
The main card got underway shortly after 11 pm ET and featured a pair exciting knockouts from some of the best fighters on the planet. The undercard started at 8 pm ET and featured some exciting up and coming prospects along with a pair of MONSTER knockouts courtesy of Guido Vianello and Arnold Barboza Jr.
We were live at the Staples Center in Los Angeles bringing you results throughout the night. Keep it here for live results, updates and analysis. Want to watch the fight live? Start your free trial here and watch it on ESPN+.
Main Event: Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Anthony Crolla
GettyVasiliy Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla pose for photos.
Despite the gameplan and confidence Crolla had heading into the fight, his scrappy nature wasn’t enough to overcome the otherworldly boxing talent that is Vasyl Lomachenko. Crolla simply looked uncomfortable from the jump and was unable to establish any comfortable position with Lomachenko displaying his trademark excellent footwork. A brilliant display of technical boxing, Lomachenko further cemented his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
Round 4
Loma comes out the aggressor in the fourth and is looking for the finish here. Crolla once again on the ropes getting battered by a flurry of Lomachenko punches. Crolla escapes but catches a vicious left that puts him on the canvas for good. That’s the fight ladies and gentlemen.
Round 3
Loma is by far the much more active fighter to start and is mixing up his shots well. Crolla is unable to find any openings against Loma and promptly gets rocked and battered up against the ropes by Loma. Crolla is taking a lot of damage here in the third without throwing combinations back. Crolla just looks like he cannot get a read on Lomachenko here. Loma once again has Crolla on the ropes and battered him to the point where the ref had to step in and give Crolla a standing eight. Crolla is saved by the bell. 10-9 Loma.
Round 2
Crolla starting to look a bit more active here in the early second round. both fighters still very much respected on another and feeling things out. Loma is continually stalking him around the ring while Crolla can’t seem to find a way in around Lomachenko’s excellent footwork. Crolla has started to work the body a bit more here but needs to find more consistency there. Just as Crolla seemed to be finding his footing, Loma lands a nice combination that clearly shook Crolla. He isn’t wobbled, but definitely on his bicycle trying to get his head straight. Another 10-9 Loma round.
Round 1
A lot of feeling out in the first round, Crolla seems content to stay at a distance and looks to be trying to use his size and length to keep Loma at bay. Nothing much happening in the early going with Loma taking his typical slow first round to feel an opponent out. Crolla looks a little too timid in the early going and needs to make Loma uncomfortable. First round ends with little action, promising for Lomachenko. Loma takes the round 10-9.
Main Card: Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Tommy Karpency
GettyGilberto Ramirez and Tommy Karpency pose for photos during their official weigh-in.
Gilberto Ramirez put on a dominant performance against Tommy Karpency in the co-feature event. This was Ramirez’s debut at light heavyweight and he looked absolutely stellar. He brutalized Karpency showing that his power holds up despite the jump up in weight and is now in line to face some of the light heavyweight elite. With the win, Ramirez moves to an extremely impressive 40-0 on his career.
Round 4
Karpency looks to be fading here and taking significant damage. At this point, he is just covering up and throwing some “get away from me” punches towards Ramirez. After a competitive first round, Karpency doesn’t look to have much left in the tank against the dangerous striker. Ramirez is just throwing the kitchen sink at Karpency who has absolutely no answer at this point. He is still standing but looks to be a shell of the fighter he was in the first. In between rounds, Karpency’s corner decided to throw in the towel after the fighter had simply been battered too heavily for the past three rounds.
Round 3
Ramirez is now fully the aggressor and while Karpency is landing counters, Ramirez is landing cleaner shots and piling up some damage. Ramirez would go on to throw tons of shots but Karpency is doing a solid job here at avoiding damage and keeping himself in the fight. He will need to make some major adjustments as Ramirez seems to have a strong read on him as the fight heads into the final minute of the third. Credit Karpency for being able to take a punch but this fight could end soon unless Karpency starts showing some adjustments. Another 10-9 Ramirez.
.@RamireZurdo looking sharp in his first rounds as a light heavyweight @espn+
#LomaCrolla
Round 2
Karpency was once again unafraid to take the fight to Ramirez. However, as the second round wore on, Ramirez started to find his space and began landing more effective strikes, especially to the body. Ramirez definitely has found his groove by Karpency is not afraid to keep pushing forward, answering with some solid shots of his own. Karpency is showing off his sturdy chin and at some big shots from Ramirez but kept coming forward at the end of the round. Mark that one down for Ramirez in a 10-9 affair.
Round 1
The two fighters start off by wasting no time feeling one another out. Karpency looks much more composed than expected coming out of the game. Unafraid to stand and trade with the dangerous Ramirez, Karpency, the bigger man, seems comfortable wading through whatever Ramirez throws in order to land punches of his own. Karpency is really taking the fight to Ramirez and after a lackluster first round from the former super-middleweight champion, Karpency likely took that round 10-9.
Undercard: Mike Alvarado vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.
GettyArnold Barboza Jr. and Mike Alvarado pose for photos during their official weigh-in.
The last undercard fight on the night gave us an electric matchup that sent Staples Center into a frenzy for the homegrown Arnold Barboza Jr. With the win, Barboza secured the NABF Junior Super Lightweight Title and moves his record to an extremely impressive 21-0 with 10 KO’s over a veteran and experienced fighter. If there was any doubt before, Arnold Barboza is here to stay and looks to be one of the most exciting prospects in boxing.
.@jrBarbozaArnold KNOCKS OUT ALVARADO!
#LomaCrolla
Round 3
Alvardo looks a bit more aggressive heading out in the third but left himself wide open to a number of huge counters from Barboza that sent him crashing to the canvas mere seconds after the round started. Alvarado would try to make the count but the referee would call off the fight. Barboza showed impressive power given his track record and notches hands down the biggest win of his career.
Round 2
Barboza immediately starts off the round by showing off his lightning quick hands. Seemingly everything he throws is finding its way past Alvarado’s guard and the veteran fighter looks to be confused as far as how to land just about anything on Barboza. As the round goes on, Barboza is starting to pick him apart at will. Specifically, Barboza’s long looping body hooks are doing an excellent job at setting up his power shots to the head. The uppercut has been working extremely well for Barboza so far and might be his most effective power punch. Another very solid 10-9 round for Barboza.
Round 1
The bell rings and both fighters press to establish a position in the center of the ring. After a slow start, Barboza starts opening up his hands and starts landing some solid shots to the body and head of Alvarado. As the round goes on, Barboza looks to be teeing off on Alvarado and seems to have his timing down on point as whenever Alvarado pushes in to close distance, Barboza lands an extremely solid combination. A clear 10-9 round for Barboza.
Underard: Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Cristian Olivas
Janibek Alimkhanuly improved his record to 6-0 while picking up the WBC Continental Americas and WBO Global middleweight belt in a resounding win over Cristian Olivas. Two judges score the fight 100-90 while the third judge ruled the fight 99-91. With the win, Janibek should be primed for a huge step up in competition after a dominating performance.
Round 10
Olivas is coming out of the games in the final round pressuring hard and very clearly hunting for the finish. So far behind on the scorecards at this point, his only shot at winning is a stoppage here in the tenth. Olivas might have spent himself a bit too early and Alimkhanuly looks to be once again in command of the round. Janibek is just landing at will here as both fighters stand and trade down the stretch. Score that round 10-9 Alimkhanuly. Heading to the judges, I have the fight score 98-92 Alimkhanuly.
Round 9
Olivas comes out strong once again and is doing a much better job of cutting off Alimkhanuly’s footwork. Alimkhanuly is still able to slip out and bounce around Olivas but Olivas looks to have his timing finally down here. Olivas is really applying pressure here and Alimkhanuly is looking a bit gassed and is breathing heavy. Both fighters would end the round trading shots with Alimkhanuly taking the fight to Olivas a bit more at the end. I’ll give this round to Olivas as well, 10-9.
Round 8
A bit more action to start the eighth frame and Olivas actually looks to be taking the fight to Alimkhanuly. Significantly out-landing him early on, Olivas is finally implementing the short body hooks and uppercuts he has been failing to throw into his gameplan. Alimkhanuly is doing some damage of his own but the Olivas is the far more active fighter in the round. Surprisingly, Olivas might have snuck away with that one, I’ll be generous and go 10-9 Olivas.
Round 7
Alimkhanuly is having some fun with Olivas now and is starting to really pick his spots for nice power shots. Olivas looks to be a bit more active in the seventh, but it hasn’t helped that Alimkhanuly looks to be in an entirely different class of fighter. Overall a relatively boring round as Alimkhanuly knows he is well ahead on the scorecards and just needs to stay upright to pick up a win.
Round 6
Alimkhanuly’s footwork is still excellent and he is dancing around Olivas landing solid jabs that he is starting to follow up with heavy combinations to the head. Olivas isn’t throwing any thing of substance and really hasn’t the entire fight. Alimkhanuly keeps finding a home for nearly everything he throws. For what it is worth, Olivas is showing a ton of heart in taking a pretty solid beating through six. With four rounds to go and another 10-9 for Alimkhanuly, I have the fight scored a dominating 60-54 in favor of the Khazakstani fighter.
Round 5
Outside of working body shots into his initial pressuring push, Olivas really hasn’t made any adjustments to his gameplan. Content on keeping a high guard, his head down, and leaning up against Alimkhanuly, he hasn’t started working in many punches and gets tagged whenever he opens up. Olivas is fighting very tentative and clearly respects the fact that Alimkhanuly is straight up outclassing him in the ring. ALimkhanuly is really finding a home for the uppercut and is using it well to fend off Oliva’s pressure. Once again 10-9 Alimkhanuly.
Round 4
More of the same in round four. Olivas pressures but Alimkhanuly once again is able to use his footwork to circle out of the corners and deliver big power shots. ALimkhanuly finally gets the crowd’s support after landing some heavy shots and has gotten the crowd back into the fight. For the first three rounds, boos had been raining down due to the lack of much actual substance in the fight. Olivas is pressing but ALimkhanuly has an answer for everything and looks to just be a step ahead of Olivas. Once again, score that round 10-9 Alimkhanuly.
Round 3
Olivas opens up the round by finally throwing some body shots to go with his forward pressure. However, Alimkhanuly is doing a great job at using his footwork to slide around Olivas and pepper him with hard shots. Alimkhanuly’s uppercuts, in particular, are starting to find a home here in the third round as he has snapped Olivas’ head back on more than one occasion. The action would quiet down but Alimkhanuly clearly took that round as well. Score that another 10-9 for Alimkhanuly. Through three rounds, I have the fight scored 30-27 Alimkhanuly.
Round 2
Olivas once again takes center ring but Alimkhanuly is comfortably circling and starting to land a bit more effectively. As the round goes on, Olivas is starting to turtle up more and more while Alimkhanuly is starting to find his range and pepper Olivas with hard straight punches. Olivas is still pressuring Alimkhanuly, but not throwing nearly enough to win a round. Not much would change and the round would end much the same way it started. Chalk that up as a resounding 10-9 round for Alimkhanuly.
Round 1
Olivas takes the center of the ring early but Alimkhanuly is moving well and showing some very solid footwork so far. The fighters are trading punches but not landing much of significance so far. Alimkhanuly looks to be the more composed and precise striker but neither fighter is making a big push early. Both look mostly content to just feel one another out and throw some jabs to help keep distance. Tough call due to the inactivity on both sides but that round looked to be 10-9 Alimkhanuly.
Underard: Guido Vianello vs. Lawrence Gabriel
GettyGuido Vianello looks on before fighting Luke Lyons.
Guido Vianello came out and ended the fight before it even began in a blistering 49 seconds. With a win, Vianello now moves to 3-0 with 3 KO’s and looks to be a raw but intriguing prospect in the heavyweight boxing division. With some incredibly heavy hands, it will be interesting to see how he fares with a much-needed step up in competition.
Round 1
The big boys come out and Vianello is the immediate aggressor pressuring Gabriel around the ring. Vianello lands a flurry of massive shots less than a minute into the fight and puts Gabriel down.
In 49 seconds @vianello_guido finishes Lawrence Gabriel 😲
#LomaCrolla
Gabriel’s corner throws in the towel despite him beating the count with time to spare, ending the fight.
Underard: Alexander Besputin vs. Alfredo Blanco
Alexander Besputin and Alfredo Blanco pose for photos during their official weigh-in.
Highly touted up and coming prospect Alexander Besputin (13-0, 9 KO’s) took down Argentinian veteran Alfredo Blanco (20-8, 11 KO’s) in a 10 round USBA welterweight title fight. Two judges scored the bout 100-90 Besputin with the third judge scoring the fight 99-91 Besputin. Having utterly dominated Blanco, Besputin looks to be in line for a major step up in competition at the welterweight level.
Undefeated contender, Alexander Besputin, takes the unanimous decision 🥊
#LomaCrolla
Round 10
Heading into the final round, Blanco needs a stoppage desperately. However, he just doesn’t seem to have enough left in the tank to do anything noteworthy and his punches have little to no power behind them anymore. He’s definitely a bit more aggressive but Besputin lands another heavy flurry of punches in response to a single solid hook from Blanco. Blanco slips after throwing a reckless hook and once the fifth stands back up, he seems to be actually doing a bit of damage to Besputin. However, just as things start to look up for Blanco, Besputin responds with two HEAVY flurries of punches leading into the bell. While Blanco made a valiant push at the end, that round likely went 10-9 Besputin once again. At the end fo the fight, I have it scored 100-90 Besputin.
Round 9
The ninth frame starts with both fighters throwing but neither really landing much. Besputin gets called for an eye poke on Blanco, giving Blanco a couple seconds to regain his composure. Besputin seems angry after the call and his punches look to have a little bit of extra juice. At 12-0 with 9 KO’s, Besputin is very clearly hunting for the knockout. Blanco doesn’t seem to have much left in the tank while Besputin looks like its the first round. Stalking Blanco and landing at will, that seemed to be yet another resounding 10-9 round for Besputin. Heading into the final frame, I have the fight scored 90-81 Besputin.
Round 8
Besputin comes out throwing BOMBs and seems to be looking for the finish. He’s tagged Blanco repeatedly but the Argentinian simply will not go down. Blanco seems to be firing back and landing decent shots for the first time since the second round but, once again, Besputin responds with more punches and harder punches. Besputin’s jab has masterful all fight and it is really starting to stifle Blanco now. Blanco is clearly tired and those stiff jabs are clearly stumbling him in his tracks. The two fighters open up towards the end of the round and Blanco actually seems to be finally doing a bit of damage. However, Besputin closed the final 10 seconds strong and almost certainly won yet another round 10-9.
Round 7
Blanco is once again against the ropes to start the round but seems to have a bit more bounce in his step. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be enough as Besputin is in a rhythm right now that Blanco is simply not equipped to handle. Besputin starts to land some more big shots to the head of Blanco but the Argentinian simply refuses to go down. As the round heads into the final minute, Besputin lands another beautiful combination to the head of Blanco. If it seems like this fight is all Besputin, that’s because Blanco hasn’t done anything noteworthy so far. Another 10-9 Besputin Round. At this point, I have the fight scored 70-63 Besputin.
Round 6
Another start to the round, another Besputin bull-rush to force Blanco to the corner. Despite having a significant reach advantage (73″ – 68″) he cannot establish any range. Besputin is easily able to get inside his long reach and is ripping him with hooks to the head and body. Blanco looks to have a bit of a second wind in this round but thus far has been simply outclassed by Besputin. Another round, another 10-9 Besputin score.
Round 5
Besputin once again comes out hot and lands a big shot to Blanco’s body, backing him up into the corner once again. Besputin seems to have really found his comfort zone here and is patiently waiting and picking his shots. Despite the heavy shots, Blanco seems to still have his wits about him, despite being visibly tired. Blanco is throwing sloppy reckless shots that Besputin is countering beautifully. Once again, if Blanco lands, Besputin comes back hitting him harder. Chalk that one up to yet another round for Besputin – who looks to be running away with the fight.
Round 4
Besputin immediately comes out and forces Blanco back into the corner, picking up the fight where it left off at the end of the third. Besputin seems to be really establishing his gameplan here and is landing big power combinations on Blanco up against the ropes. The action would die down for the bulk of the round with infrequent combinations. Whenever Blanco lands, Besputin comes back and hits him considerably harder. Another round for Besputin.
Round 3
Besputin ONCE AGAIN takes the center of the ring and looks to be stalking Blanco around the ring. Besputin seems to have found some comfort with the range and backs Blanco into the corner landing a heavy hook. Blanco responds with some solid shots to get out of the corner but Besputin continues to stalk and pressure him up against the ropes, landing heavy shots to the head. Besputin is starting to work more body shots in and seems to be finding more openings to the head as the round goes on. As the round comes to a close, Besputin lands another big straight right. A very convincing round for the undefeated product out of Oxnard, CA. Through three rounds, I have the fight scored 30-27 Besputin.
Round 2
Besputin once again assumes the center of the ring to start the second round. After some more feeling out, Besputin lands a nice combination and is continually stalking the longer Blanco. Besputin lands another big shot but Blanco responds with a few nice shots of his own. Blanco slips with 30 seconds left in the round but outside of that there really isn’t much more action as the round comes to a close. Besputin once again looked like the more active fighter and while it wasn’t a convincing round, you get the feeling he came away with that one as well.
Round 1
Besputin comes out taking the center of the ring. The fighters are tentative to engage early on before Blanco opens up and lands a nice combination. As the round goes on, the fighters are starting to unload wild hooks that are occasionally landing and doing noticeable damage. Besputin is clearly the more active fighter but Blanco has arguably landed the bigger shots. Tough round to call but based off activity alone it looks like Besputin may have come away with that round.
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