By Keith Idec
Shohjahon Ergashev tore through Sonny Fredrickson in what was supposed to be step up in class Friday night.
The powerful southpaw from Uzbekistan stopped Fredrickson in the third round of a junior welterweight bout scheduled for eight rounds in Verona, New York. Ergashev’s victory was the first of three bouts broadcast by Showtime as part of a “ShoBox: The New Generation” tripleheader from Turning Stone Resort Casino.
The undefeated Ergashev, 26, has knocked each of his 12 professional opponents. Only one of his 12 bouts has lasted beyond the third round.
The 23-year-old Fredrickson, of Toledo, Ohio, lost for the first time as a pro (18-1, 12 KOs).
An aggressive Ergashev wobbled Fredrickson by landing a left hand with just under two minutes to go in the third round. Fredrickson went down a few seconds later, but referee Benjy Esteves ruled that Ergashev pushed him down.
As soon as the action resumed, Ergashev drilled Fredrickson with a straight left hand that hurt him again. He continued to blast Fredrickson with left hands until Esteves stepped in to save the disoriented Fredrickson, who was still standing, at 1:58 of the third round.
Ergashev buzzed Fredrickson with a right hand at about the one-minute mark of the second round. He started showboating toward the end of the second round, but landed punches in between raising his arms and shuffling his feet.
Ergashev established himself as the harder puncher almost immediately. He landed a straight left hand that knocked Fredrickson backward, into the ropes, early in the first round and seemed to affect Fredrickson with several other shots later in the first.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
