ORLANDO, Florida – Some astute boxing managers avoid representing heavyweights because of the unpredictable, single-punch effects that can forever scar a record, reputation and career.

So while Gurgen Hovhannisyan was thankful to leave the Caribe Royale Orlando resort on Friday with a victory that kept his record spotless after seven bouts, his defensive vulnerabilities require a full vetting as he continues on.

Hovhannisyan edged Las Vegas’ Patrick Mailata by majority decision scores of 76-76, 77-75, 77-75 on a Most Valuable Promotions card.

The Los Angeles-based Hovhannisyan is trained by veteran cornerman Joe Goossen, whose team has high hopes for the Armenian.

However, his limited attention to defense got him backed up in both the fourth and fifth rounds as he otherwise controlled the fight’s tempo with his heavy right hand, which kept Mailata aware and deliberate.

Hovhannisyan’s lapses nearly cost him the bout in the sixth when he was backed to the ropes by a punishing power combination and then ate a hard left that sent him reeling again.

When he suffered neck-snapping strikes again in the seventh, Goossen scolded him as Hovhannisyan returned to the corner before the eighth. He responded with hurtful body and head shots before fatigue set in to close the bout.

The preliminary action preceded DAZN’s streamed coverage, including the night’s main event, the WBA interim bantamweight title fight between Antonio Vargas and Winston Guerrero.

Earlier, Venezuela’s Fradimil Macayo, 18-1 (14 KOs), enhanced his standing as the WBA’s No. 7-ranked lightweight with a second-round knockout of former featherweight title challenger Oscar Escandon, 27-9.

The finish of Escandon, a 2016 interim featherweight belt holder who lost to titlist Gary Russell Jnr in 2017, arrived when Macayo planted a destructive right-handed liver shot. The fight was over just 26 seconds into the round.

No. 8-ranked Lucas Bahdi, promoted by MVP, was in attendance to watch the bout with hopes that he’ll fight Macayo next.

Florida junior middleweight Jocksan Blanco, 8-0, surprised Jeovanny Estela, 14-2, by majority decision, 76-76, 77-75, 77-75.

Junior welterweight Hendri Cedeno, 15-0, of the Dominican Republic, displayed a sharp jab and rapid hands to distinguish himself against Mexico’s Luis Hernandez Ramos, 23-6, claiming victory by unanimous decision with scores of 79-73, 78-74, 79-73 after jarring Ramos’ head back with a third-round blow and knocking out his mouthpiece with a fifth-round punch.

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.