By Rick Reeno
The main event of tonight's Showtime Championship Boxing card from the DCU Center in Massachusetts saw WBC cruiserweight champion Wayne Braithwaite (21-0-17K) take on WBA cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck (30-2-21K). This is the first time that the crusierweight belts are being unified in almost twenty years. The last crusierweight to unify the titles was Evander Holyfield.
Mormeck won a coin toss for the choice of gloves that both fighters will use and the choice of who enters the ring last. Mormeck went with Everlast boxing gloves. Both fighters are big punchers and have never been down as pros.
Round 1 - Braithwaite starting with the jab and switched from the southpaw and orthodox stance and coming in with bodyshots. Mormeck lands a big right. Mormeck lands some bodyshots against the ropes on Braithwaite. Braithwaite with a big right to the head, now left to the body, Mormeck with a big right at the bell. Big round for Braithwaite.
Round 2 - Braithwaite comes out jabbing from the southpaw stance. Mormeck gets Braithwaite against the ropes and lands some big bombs, Braithwaite look stunned and holds on. Ref breaks them and Braithwaite gets away. Big right by Mormeck. Left by Braithwaite. Braithwaite jabbing to try and set up some shots. Round for Mormeck.
Round 3 - Braithwaite getting caught with those rights and comes back to the body of Mormeck. Braithwaite still targeting the body of Mormeck with some big shots. Three punch combo by Braithwaite. Braithwaite gets warned for grabbing behind the head. Hube body shot by Braithwaite, straight right by Mormeck. Mormeck beating to the body and head on Braithwaite against the ropes. Braithwaite lands a left, Mormeck with a right. Close round for Braithwaite.
Round 4 - Braithwaite with a 4 punch combo. Both guys start to do some body work. Braithwaite keeping his distance and jabbing. Mormeck looking for the body. Braithwaite now going to the body and trying to get his big right hand in. Close round for Mormeck.
Round 5 - Braithwaite jabbing. Combo by Braithwaite, combo by Mormeck. Mormeck trying to walk Braithwaite down. Big combo by Mormeck on Braithwaite against the ropes. Left, right and anothe left on Braithwaite by Mormeck and Braithwaite looks stunned. Mormeck just keeps landing bombs against the ropes to the head and body of Braithwaite and Braithwaite just hangs on. Braithwaite looks tired. Huge round for Mormeck.
Round 6 - Braithwaite coming back with the jab. Mormeck gets Braithwaite back against the ropes and lands some big bombs to the head and body. Mormeck now smothering Braithwaite and lands a huge combo. Braithwaite is backpeddling with Mormeck stalking him around the ring. Braithwaite with a big bodyshot. Three punch combo by Mormeck on Braithwaite against the ropes. Big bodyshot by Braithwaite and another, huge right hook by Braithwaite and now a three punch combo by Braithwaite to end the round. Close round for Mormeck.
Round 7 - Mormeck jumps on Braithwaite and Braithwaite lands some huge bodyshots to Mormeck's body and now land a hook to the head. Combo by Braithwaite. Huge right hand by Mormeck drops Braithwaite for the first time in his career. He beats the count but he is very hurt, another big right by Mormeck, combo by Mormeck. Braithwaite holding on for dear life. Mormeck with a huge combo and another, Braithwaite holding on. Big two point round for Mormeck.
Round 8 - Mormeck stalking Braithwaite and looks like he is going to try to get the kill. Braithwaite with a combo, Mormeck with a right. Braithwaite warned for holding, ref says he will take a point. Braithwaite now jabbing. Braithwaite keeps on holding and now the ref is taking a point. Huge right by Mormeck and now a combo, overhead right by Braithwaite. Several big bombs by Braithwaite and Mormeck is backing into the ropes, Braithwaite is cut and bleeding above the left eye. Mormeck with a right. Another two point round for Mormeck.
Round 9 - Ref breaks them to cut tape off the hand of Braithwaite. Mormeck with a huge combo, uppercut and Braithwaite holds on as he is stunned. Mormeck now going to the body. Big left by Mormeck and now a right. Two big bodyshots by Braithwaite, right by Mormeck. Combo by Braithwaite, Mormeck now looks tired. Bodyshot by Braithwaite and Mormeck comes back with the right again. Close round for Mormeck and Braithwaite is very behind in points now.
Round 10 - Braithwaite jabbing, combo by Mormeck. Braithwaite now leading as Mormeck looks tired. Right by Mormeck. Left by Braithwaite and a right by Mormeck. Bodyshot by Braithwaite, right by Mormeck. Three punch combo by Braithwaite. Braithwaite not taking advantage of Mormeck being tired. Punch on top of the head of Braithwaite almost drops him again. Round ends and Braithwaite wins the round.
Round 11 - They come out with Braithwaite leading again. Combo by Mormeck. Braithwaite jabbing and now lands a combo. Three punch combo by Braithwaite. Now a combo by Mormeck. Mormeck now landing his jab at will. Close round for Braithwaite.
Round 12 - Braithwaite's corner tells him he needs a KO to win. Braithwaite with a combo, Mormeck looks like he is going to coast this round and staying away as he must know he is far ahead. Braithwaite to the head and body, but Mormeck with a huge right that rocks Braithwaite. Braithwaite starts dancing in order to taunt Mormeck and Mormeck lands a two punch combo. Mormeck now taunts Braithwaite and lands some more jabs at will. Round ends and a close round for Mormeck.
I have Mormeck winning it big to unify the titles, official scores are coming up.
Official scores are 114-112, 115-111 and 116-110 for the winner and unified WBC and WBA cruiserweight champion Jean-Marc Mormeck. Braithwaite gets the first loss of his career.
Luis Collazo (25-1-11K) defeated WBA "regular" welterweight champion Jose Antonio Rivera (37-4-1-24K) to win the title by split decision. Scores were 115-113, 115-113 for Collazo and 115-113 for Rivera.
Junior middleweight Roman Karmazin (33-2-1-21K) won a 12 round majority decision over former two time middlweight champion Keith Holmes to become the mandatory challenger to IBF junior middlweight champion Kassim Ouma.
Featherweight Elio Rojas (11-0,10K) defeated Angelo Torres (12-12-3-3 K) by way of 6 round unanimous decision
Undefeated cruiserweight Steve Cunningham (17-0-9K) gained a split decision over Guillermo "El Felino" Jones (31-3-2-24K). 96-94 and 97-93 for Cunningham on two cards. 97-93 for Jones on the third card.
Welterweight Miguel Angel Rodriguez (26-1-21K) defeated Luis Maysonet (32-10-25K) by way of a 5th round KO.
Cruiserweight and former WBA champ Lou Del Valle (35-3-1-22K) defeated Dan Sheehan (10-32-4K) by way of a unanimous decision.
