WASHINGTON – Kyrone Davis eased back into action Saturday on the Gervonta Davis-Hector Luis Garcia undercard at Capital One Arena.
The veteran middleweight ended a 13-month layoff by out-working journeyman Cristian Rios throughout their non-televised eight-rounder. Davis pressed the action for much of their nondescript contest and won by scores of 80-72, 80-72 and 79-73.
The Wilmington, Delaware native improved to 17-3-1 by winning his first fight since WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez stopped him in the seventh round of their November 2021 bout at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
The 39-year-old Rios (23-16-3, 7 KOs) fought back in spurts and mostly took Davis’ head shots well, though Davis occasionally backed him up with right hands. The southpaw from Argentina still slipped to 2-9 in his past 11 fights.
Two fights later Saturday, welterweight Keyshawn Williams dominated another Argentinean journeyman, Gustavo Vittori, in their six-round bout.
Williams (11-1-1, 2 KOs), of Lanham, Maryland, shut out Vittori (27-12-1, 12 KOs) by the same score, 60-54, on all three cards.
Earlier Saturday, perhaps the most promising prospect on Floyd Mayweather’s promotional roster scored a quick knockout.
Washington’s Jalil Hackett dropped Joel Guevara twice in the first round and stopped him 2:22 into their scheduled four-round middleweight match. The 19-year-old Hackett knocked Guevara to one knee with left hooks in both instances.
Guevara, of Charleston, West Virginia, got to his feet after each knockdown. Referee George Marshall Cunningham determined that he shouldn’t continue after the second knockdown.
The 35-year-old Guevara (4-9-1, 3 KOs) was knocked out in a fourth straight fight. He has been stopped inside the distance in six of his past seven bouts overall.
In the first fight Saturday, Mia Ellis stopped Karen Dulin just before the first round of their scheduled four-rounder ended.
Baltimore’s Ellis – stronger, taller and much younger – landed a straight right hand that knocked Dulin to the seat of her trunks toward the end of the first round. A stunned Dulin got up and attempted to continue.
Ellis swarmed her, however, landed another right hand and Cunningham understandably stepped between them and halted the action at 1:58 of the first round.
The 22-year-old Ellis improved 6-1 and recorded her fifth knockout. The 47-year-old Dulin, of Newport, Rhode Island, dropped to 5-26-1 and suffered the third knockout defeat of her 13-year pro career.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
