Jake Carr Continues To Impress, Stops Zac Awad In Six

By Jake Donovan

Jake Carr continues to grow before the adoring eyes of his boxing public. The rising super middleweight prospect posted another impressive win in his ambitious career, breaking down Zac Awad en route to a 6th round stoppage Friday evening in Flemington, Australia.

Hardly one to shy away from a tough challenge, all of Carr's competition to date has come against far more experienced opposition. His last fight - a competitive decision win over Serge Yannick - proved his grit and sufficiently prepared him for future obstacles to overcome.

With that came little to no concern when Carr suffered a cut under his left eye in the opening round of Friday's contest. Awad came in with a reputation as a spoiler, and was confident of his chance to once again upset the apple cart.

Then came the second round, which provided sufficient separation in class between the two. Carr turned it up a notch after an already aggreessive first round, going on the attack in round two as Awad suddenly found himself waiting for an opening that never presented itself.

Such caution nearly proved disastrous for the veteran boxer, who suffered what appeared to be a broken nose in the third round,. Carr, known more for his aggression than true punching power, had knockout on his mind after having been extended the distance in each of his past three contests.

Awad righted the ship in round four and, while not winning the round, settled down enough to avoid an early exit. However, questionable tactics in round five suggested he was looking for a way out of the fight. Carr never grew unsettled, even as Awad continued to foul before being docked one point for excessive low blows.

The deduction meant the point of no return in terms of attempting to take a decision. The scorecards would never come into play, however. Carr achieved the desired knockout result he sought, pummelling Awad before forcing his corner - led by famed trainer Billy Hussein - to wave the surrender flag.

The official time was 1:13 of round six.

Carr rolls to 6-0 (3KO), scoring his first stoppage since last November. The means of victory is especially impressive considering Awad (18-4-1, 7KO) had never been dropped or stopped through seven years in the pro ranks.

Despite the upcoming winter holidays followed immediately by his 23rd birthday next month, don't expect Carr to slow down for a celebration any time soon. His next fight is already penciled in for next February, returning to the Melbourne Pavilion.

Friday's bout, along with the below-listed undercard, was streamed live on epicentre.tv.

UNDERCARD

Clarence Tillman is one of only two heavyweights to extend unbeaten Lucas Browne the full distance, going 12 rounds in dropping a decision in their Aug. '11 clash. History wasn't anywhere nearly as kind to the New Orleans-born New Zealander, as the 34-year old Browne scored a crushing 2nd round knockout in their rematch Friday evening in Melbourne, Australia.

The opening round suggested perhaps another rare night of boxing for Browne, who was patient early on while Tillman played the role of matador. It didn't take long for the unbeaten Aussie to find an opening, though. Once he did, the fight was all but over.

A pair of right hands put the defensive-minded Tillman down and out towards the back end of the second round. The referee began his count, but was interrupted by the journeyman's corner, who opted to end the fight on the spot and tend to their fighter's health as quickly as possible.

The official time was 2:23 of round two.

Browne rolls to 19-0 (17KO) with the win, scoring knockouts in four of his five ring appearances in 2013. The lone fighter to last the distance was granite-chinned former three-division champ James Toney, who dropped an uncompetitive decision in their 12-round affair this past April.

Tillman has now lost seven straight as he falls to 11-15-1 (6KO). A competitive fight was never expected, but Browne's camp wanted the opportunity to both stay busy and put another knockout on the board before transitioning from prospect to contender in 2014.

Jake Carr vs. Zac Awad - 10 rounds, super middleweight (UP NEXT)

Lucas Browne KO2 (2:23) Clarence Tillman

Matthew Lytwynenko UD6 Richard Campbell - Scores 60-54 (3x) Lytwynenko

Paul Watson MD4 Frank Ciampa - Scores 38-38 even, 39-37 & 40-36 Watson

Franko Valenzuela SD6 Daniel Smith - Result courtesy of Boxrec.com (no scores reported)