Shakhram Giyasov continues his rapid—and punishing—ascension from young prospect to rising contender.
The first fight of the year for the 2016 Olympic Silver medalist from Uzbekistan earned his latest win in vicious style, scoring a one-punch 3rd round knockout of Nicaragua’s Wiston Campos.
A left hook to the body right at the bell put Campos down and out at 2:59 of round three in their DAZN-USA livestream preliminary bout Saturday evening from a makeshift outdoor venue in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The bout marked the first piece of ring action for Giyasov since a 1st round knockout 51 weeks ago in Hermosillo, Mexico. The unbeaten junior welterweight has fought just one round in 16 months, but didn’t need to take a round or two in order to immediately make his presence felt.
Campos proved to be an inviting target, offering little offense as Giyasov never stopped charging forward. The 27-year old Uzbek—who now lives in Brooklyn, New York—kept his chin tucked and his opponent well within punching range, landing punishing right hands and body shots. Campos didn’t have any response other than to move in reverse in hopes of minimizing the incoming.
The relentless pressure of Giyasov reaped dividends in round three. Right hands continued to land—along with much of his offense, as he was 54-of-129 (42%) according to Compubox numbers. The final punch to connect was a left hook downstairs just as the bell sounded. Campos remained on the canvas well beyond the ten count in falling to 31-8-6 (19KOs), going just 10-of-82 (12%) in total punches.
“I felt his liver on my knuckles,” Giyasov said of the knockout blow as he improves to 10-0 (8KOs). “That’s when I knew that he wasn’t getting up and that the fight was over.”
Headlining the five-fight telecast, long-reigning undisputed welterweight champion Cecilia Brækhus (36-0, 9KOs) defends her crown versus unified junior welterweight titlist Jessica McCaskill (8-2, 3KOs) who moves up in weight.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
