Khurtsidze Breaks Down Hunter For TKO Win in Hollywood
By Francisco Salazar
(Hollywood, California) - Middleweight contender Avtandil Khurtsidze's nickname is "The Tornado."
It could also be "The Lumberjack" as he chopped down his opponent for another stoppage win.
Khurtsidze systematically broke Eddie Hunter down throughout the fight, eventually getting the win in the fifth round at the famed Florentine Gardens.
The bout headlined an 11-bout Bash Boxing/ Lights Out Promotions hybrid card.
Khurtsidze was coming off a first round technical knockout win over Allen Conyers on July 23 in New York City. The win over Conyers was his first fight in over two and a half years.
During the first round or so, Khurtsidze had some difficulty dealing with the height and reach of Hunter. Hunter also used his athleticism to keep Khurtsidze at the end of his punches.
Midway through the second round, Khurtsidze began to slip under Hunter's punches, effectively countering to the head and body.
Within the first 20 seconds of the third round, Khurtsidze dropped Hunter with a combination to the head. Hunter got up and fought back, but was stunned by a Khurtsidze right hand at the end of the round.
As the bout progressed, Khurtsidze landed more at will and put Hunter on the defensive. As the bout progressed in the fifth, Hunter had a difficult time keeping Khurtsidze away from him. As Khurtsidze landed more at will, Hunter's corner saw enough and threw in the towel. Referee Ray Corona waved the fight over at 2:13.
It was Khurtsidze's sixth victory in a row since his 12 round unanimous decision loss to Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam in October of 2010.
The Georgian-born Khurtsidze improves to 29-2-2, 18 KOs. Hunter, who resides in Seattle, falls to 10-11-2, 4 KOs.
Super welterweight prospect Stanyslav Skorokhod stopped David Lopez in the second round. The Ukrainian-born Skorokhod (8-0, 6 KOs), who trains at the nearby Wild Card Gym, was on the offensive from the opening bell, battering Lopez (4-11-3) with lefts and rights. In the second round, a right uppercut from Skorokhod produced an abundant amount of blood that gushed out of Lopez's nose.
Skorokhod continued to batter him until Lopez's corner threw in the towel, prompting referee John McCarthy to wave the fight over at 1:46.
Junior lightweight Alimkhan Jumakhonov won a four round split decision over Davon Smith. Both fighters had their moments in the evenly-matched fight. The southpaw Smith, who was making his professional debut, pressed the attack, landing to the body. As the bout progressed, Jumakhonov (1-0-1) was able to land right hands to the head of Smith, who slowed down as the fight progressed. One judge scored the bout 40-36 in favor of Smith, while the other two judges scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Jumakhonov.
Junior middleweight Urmat Ryskeldiev knocked out late-sub Bernardo Guereca in the first round. A left hook by Ryskeldiev (10-3-1, 6 KOs) to the stomach of Guereca dropped him to the canvas. Guereca (17-22-1, 4 KOs) writhed in pain on the canvas as referee Ray Corona waved the fight over at 2:27.
Lightweight Percy Peterson won his first pro fight in seven tried, decisioning Miniu Shin over four rounds. Peterson (1-5-1) beat Shin to the punch during most exchanges throughout the fight. Peterson dropped Shin (1-1) with a left hook in the second round. Shin got up and was greeted by a right hand to the head that stunned him again. He was able to make it out of the round and had his moments in the third round. Peterson swung momentum back in his favor in the fourth round, landing at will and continuing to bruise Shin's left cheekbone. All three judges scored the bout in favor of Peterson, 40-35, 40-35, and 39-37.
Junior featherweight Juan Roman was successful in his professional debut, defeating Gabriel Braxton by unanimous decision. Roman took the initiative early on, beating Braxton (1-6) to the punch in the first half of the fight. Braxton had his moments in the third round, landing overhand right hands to the head of Roman. He was not able to follow up, as he became tired in the last two rounds, allowing Roman to score at will up until the final bell. All three judges scored the bout 39-37 in favor of Roman.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He ca be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing