by David P. Greisman

It wasn’t going to be easy for Bryant Jennings and Maurice Byarm.

They were thrust into the main event of “Fight Night,” NBC Sports Network’s new boxing show, when the original headline bout was canceled. They were unbeaten heavyweights, prospects facing each other in a much brighter spotlight and on short notice.

It wouldn’t be easy for Jennings, but he was able to defeat Byarm by unanimous decision, winning 96-94 on two scorecards and 97-93 on the third.

Neither man threw much in the first round, Byarm landing just 5 of 22, Jennings going just 9 of 50, according to CompuBox.  The tentative beginning would subside in the third, a back-and-forth round that began with Jennings hurting Byarm with a right hand, only for Byarm to battle back with body shots.

Jennings retaliated with a combination, and then Byarm responded with a pair of one-twos, his southpaw left crosses landing each time. Jennings soon backed Byarm to the ropes and landed a right hand and left hook, but Byarm battled off with left hands.

Jennings continued to be the more active, more effective fighter through four, landing 63 of 204, compared to 33 of 145 for Byarm. Though Byarm was the bigger man, he was unable to impose his size, a heavier man throwing slow arm punches that either were easily evaded or didn’t damage. The fitter Jennings was drawing Byarm forward, then landing his crisper, cleaner combinations.

That all changed in the fifth, when suddenly it was Jennings who was less active. If Jennings was taking the round off, then Byarm was taking advantage. With less coming back at him, he began to turn into his punches more, sending strong left hands to Jennings’ solar plexus and digging rights to his side.

Neither was doing enough to get the other guy out. And neither had ever been past the sixth round before. That subsequently led to slower rounds from the two big men, Jennings sending out single shots or loading up on two or three, then Byarm dishing out jabs, left crosses and body shots during the less dangerous lulls.

“I was definitely slowed down,” Jennings admitted afterward. “He kept giving it to me in the body. That was very effective.”

Action picked up again in the eighth. Jennings came out with steam, landing several shots and forcing Byarm to the ropes. Byarm worked off the ropes with jabs and left crosses, only for Jennings to throw a looping right hand, followed soon afterward by a right uppercut and a left hook, then a right hand to the body.

“I actually did land quite a few heavy body shots,” Byarm said afterward. “I just didn’t expect him to take them as well as he did.”

Jennings took them, however, and Byarm’s second wind faded down the distance. Jennings finished stronger and with more energy — and with more points on the scorecards.

“That was a real test,” Jennings said afterward. “This guy came forward all night. 24 pounds over me. Heavy hitter. Southpaw. I give the guy his props, but at the end of the day, 12-0. This win here for me is big.”

Jennings, 27, from Philadelphia, is now 12-0 with 5 knockouts. Byarm, a 29-year-old also from Philadelphia but now fighting out of Washington, D.C., is now 13-1-1 with 9 knockouts.

On the undercard, Gabriel Rosado’s succeeded with his strategy to make the fight too rugged for his very rugged opponent, scoring a technical knockout over a game but clearly outmatched Jesus Soto-Karass in the fifth round of a 10-round junior middleweight bout.

The end of the bout came 2 minutes and 6 seconds into the round, referee Steve Smoger stepping in to save Soto-Karass from further punishment.

“I said I was going to put pressure on this guy. I’m a man of my word,” Rosado said afterward. “I wanted to make a statement that I’m ready for anybody out there. This guy’s never been stopped. I wanted to prove I could stop this guy.”

The action took place at arm’s length from the outset. Rosado targeted Soto-Karass with chopping right hands, left hooks and right uppercuts, hammering the head of a foe always leaning toward him. He also dug down to the body — Soto-Karass, usually a welterweight, was under-sized against a natural 154-pounder.

Soto-Karass, as usual, gave as full an effort as he could, but on this night that effort was being beaten out of him. Rosado used upper body movement and good defense to evade or block many of Soto-Karass’ shots, then put together thudding combinations that landed more often than not.

The fourth round was Rosado’s best, a three-minute demolition, an exhibition of uppercuts, hooks and body shots that could’ve been scored 10-8, even without a knockdown. Rosado landed 59 of 102 power punches in the round, according to CompuBox. Soto-Karass had been cut above his left eye in the third round. The blood was flowing now, one more unwanted disadvantage.

The bout wouldn’t last much longer. Rosado continued to force Soto-Karass backward in the fifth. A series of right hands sent him retreating to a corner, and Smoger stepped in soon after.

Rosado, 26, of Philadelphia, improves to 19-5 (11 KOs). Soto-Karass, 29, a Mexican boxer now fighting out of Los Angeles, falls to 24-7-3 with 16 knockouts and 1 no contest.

And in a swing bout between two unbeaten light heavyweights, Sullivan Barrera out-pointed Damar Singleton in what charitably could be described as six rounds fought at a particularly measured pace.

The scorecards were 60-54 (twice) and 59-55.

Barrera, 29, a Cuban boxer fighting out of Miami, is now 9-0 (6 KOs). Singleton, 22, of Toledo, Ohio, is now 8-1 (4 KOs).

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter at twitter.com/fightingwords2 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fightingwordsboxing, or send questions and comments to fightingwords1@gmail.com