Carlos Utria proved that he was no garden variety Colombian puncher with a padded record.
The unbeaten 22-year-old came out of the WBC Boxing Grand Prix tournament as a prospect-turned-contender to watch. He completed his brilliant run with an 8-round, unanimous decision over Uzbekistan’s Mujibillo Tursunov. Scores were 77-75, 77-75, 77-75, 78-74 and 78-74 for Utria in their 140lbs finale Saturday on DAZN from Boulevard City Global Theater in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
came out to a strong start and immediately made his presence felt on a seemingly unsuspecting Tursonov. The heavy-handed Colombian properly used his jab to set up his power shots. His most telling blow was a monster uppercut that not only snapped back the head of Tursonov but left the unbeaten Uzbek with a broken nose for the balance of the fight.
Blood continued to flow but Tursonov tried to turn things around in the 2nd round. He found favor through his aggression – effective or otherwise – though his awkwardness also left him in position to catch a headbutt and a mouse under his right eye for his troubles.
Utria was never out of punching range, though a blessing and a curse. Tursonov was rewarded by one judge who inexplicably had him ahead through three rounds (29-28). Utria led on the rest of the cards (30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28), as should have been the case given he consistently landed the cleaner and more telling blows.
Utria applied subtle movement throughout the 4th round, to offset Tursonov’s come-forward approach. His jab was not as prevalent, as he pot-shotted from long range while Tursonov continued to apply pressure and aimed to exploit openings which came at a premium.
Tursonov enjoyed arguably his best round of the fight in the 5th, though Utria was still first to the punch during most of the exchanges. Tursonov closed the round strong with a right hand, which Utria unsuccessfully tried to sell as a rabbit punch.
The brief momentum shift was enough of a wakeup call for Utria, whose underrated boxing skills were on display throughout round six. Tursonov’s offense dramatically slowed as his offense shifted from constant pressure to ineffective plodder. Utria found success from long range and exhibited remarkable stamina for a boxer who’s gone six rounds just twice before.
Tursonov was still mathematically in fight, though his chances were slipping away heading into the final two rounds. Utria led 58-56 on four of the five cards, while the dissenting judge had it 57-57 through six.
Utria entered uncharted territory at the start of the 7th round. He went six rounds in two of his previous three contests after having never been extended beyond the 2nd round prior to 2025. His stamina was unaffected as he continued to box from the outside, while Tursonov stood directly in front of him hoping to land his right hand up top.
The combination punching of Utria consistently caught the incoming Tursonov, who took his attack downstairs. Utria shook off a left hook body shot to land a perfectly placed right uppercut through Tursonov’s leaky guard.
A clash of heads forced Tursonov to paw at his eye in the first minute of the final round. Action resumed, though both fighters essentially stayed the course. Tursonov reached with his punches and was forced to play defense when the more composed Utria threw and landed in combination.
An emotional moment saw Utria share his victory with Tursonov, 9-1 (2 KOs), appreciative of everything he gained from the tournament.
“I spent most of my year here in Saudi Arabia,” Utria told DAZN’s Claudia Trejo. “I will look back with fondness and nostalgia when I’m watching this tournament next year.”
With the win, Utria earned a $100,000 first-place prize and the Jose Sulaiman Trophy. He will now also enter the WBC top 10 in the 140lbs division and is assured a shot at its silver title in the coming year.
