LAS VEGAS – Eric Priest once again went all ten rounds to land a win.
The undefeated middleweight prospect turned away the challenge of Luis Arias to earn a unanimous decision victory. Scores were 99-90, 99-90 and 96-93 for Priest in their Golden Boy Fight Night on DAZN co-feature Friday evening from Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Priest used his jab as a rangefinder in the opening round. It set up straight right hands, several of which found the mark and caught the attention of Arias.
Action picked up in round two, though not all of it was legal. Priest – a 26-year-old prospect from Overland Park, Kansas – continued to initiate the majority of the exchanges, while Milwaukee’s Arias, now based in Vegas, moved forward and sought to catch Priest with sneaky right hands.
Time was called near the end of the second, when the 34-year-old Arias was deducted a point for repeatedly hitting on the break.
Priest came out firing in the third, to which Arias struggled to adjust. The unbeaten prospect slammed home several right hands, which drew a collective “ooh” from the crowd every time he landed. Arias tightened up his defense to minimize the impact but could only offer an occasional flicking jab to the chest and upstairs.
Arias opened up his offense more in the middle rounds. Priest was briefly on the defensive as Arias connected with his jab and a modest assortment of straight punches through the guard. The end of the fifth saw Priest go back on the attack, though Arias was prepared for the shift and avoided getting clipped with any game changing punches.
Priest changed that in a big way in the seventh. Every jab and right hand he threw drew a rise out of the crowd, particularly the ones that found their mark. Arias enjoyed modest success with counter shots but never to where he could keep Priest at bay.
Time was called as Arias was issued a final warning from referee Allen Huggins to keep it clean. The pep talk worked as he increased his punch output but was still being outworked and outlanded by his fresher and younger foe.
Both boxers fought largely behind their respective jabs as action slowed in the eighth. Arias was able to better keep pace, although he was breathing heavy towards the end of the round. Priest was content to use his stick and preserve his energy for a strong finish.
The strategy worked in the sense that Priest was the far fresher of the two down the stretch. Arias lunged with his punches in the ninth while Priest comfortably fought at his desired pace.
A right hand by Priest sailed over the guard of Arias and landed early in the tenth and final round. Arias spent most of the rest of the bout fighting in reverse but crashed home an overhand right inside the final minute of the fight. Priest withstood the shot and steadied himself as stood his ground during the closing seconds.
Priest, 16-0 (8 KOs) went the ten-round distance for the fourth straight time. He now has just one knockout in his past seven starts.
Once an amateur standout full of promise in his early years, Arias, 22-5-1 (11 KOs) has fallen on hard times. He is now 4-5-1 over his last ten fights dating back to a 2017 defeat to former two-time middleweight titlist Daniel Jacobs. Friday’s setback snapped a modest two-fight win streak, though he hasn’t posted a win of substance since a June 2021 upset over Jarrett Hurd.
Federico Pacheco overcomes Calvin Barnett’s frustrating antics, remains unbeaten
Federico Pacheco was extended the six-round distance for the first time but preserved his unblemished record in the process.
The undefeated heavyweight prospect trumped Oklahoma’s Calvin Barnett over six rounds. Scores were 58-55 across the board for Los Angeles’ Pacheco, the younger brother of red-hot super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco, 23-0 (18 KOs).
Action was slow and lumbering for the most part, though the 21-year-old Pacheco did his best to force the action. Barnett, 5-3 (2 KOs) went to his back of tricks and gimmicks early, which created an awkward affair.
Time was called late in the third round, as Barnett complained about rabbit punching. Pacheco did not appear to be guilty of the infraction but channeled his frustration and landed a series of power shots in the closing seconds.
Referee Raul Caiz Jnr grew tired of Barnett’s antics in a hurry. Barnett, 5-3 (2 KOs) constantly complained to the third man but was himself guilty of holding and hitting, for which he was deducted a point.
Pacheco committed to his body attack in the fifth. Nearly every combination began with a power shot downstairs. Barnett began to slow and was unable to produce any substantive response.
A right hand upstairs by Pacheco, 9-0 (6 KOs), drew a rise out of the passionate crowd in the sixth and final round. Barnett took the shot well but failed to return fire. Instead, he spit out his mouthpiece while under attack to buy himself time with a little more than a minute left in the fight. Pacheco closed out strong, though he managed to eat a left hand in the final five seconds.
“It was a good learning experience for me,” Pacheco told BoxingScene. “It was a little awkward for me to fight a guy who didn’t want to fight back. We had a job to do and I just stayed focused on what I needed to do.”
Pacheco confirmed he will be ringside for Diego’s upcoming showdown with Trevor McCumby on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
Joshua Edwards picks up second early knockout in six weeks
It was another quick hit for Houston’s Joshua Edwards, a heavyweight newcomer who barely needed two minutes to take out Alex Rhodes, 2-2 (1 KO).
A barrage of power shots had Rhodes in trouble before a right hand sent him to the canvas while he was trapped in a corner. Referee Robert Hoyle ended his count at eight and waved off the contest at 2:08 of the first round.
Edwards, 2-0 (2 KOs) scored a second-round knockout in his pro debut just six weeks ago on a Gabriela Fundora card in Oceanside, California. The 25-year-old heavyweight is a stablemate of Darius Fulghum, 14-0 (12 KOs), who faces Uzbekistan’s Bektemir Melikuziev, 15-1 (10 KOs) in the main event.
Cayden Griffiths remains a knockout, every time out
Cayden Griffiths wrapped up his first year in the pro ranks with his perfect knockout-to-win ratio intact.
The 19-year-old welterweight stopped Edgar Gutierrez in the fourth round. A left hook put Gutierrez, 3-3 (2 KOs) down for the full count to produce the end at 1:15 into the fourth round of the DAZN opener.
The bout threatened to go rounds as Griffiths, 5-0 (5 KOs) was content to box early. Gutierrez refused to make it an easy night’s work but a single left hook changed that dynamic in an instant. Griffiths slammed home the shot across Gutierrez’s chin to put him flat on his back as he was counted out by referee Allen Huggins.