Report/Photos Scott Foster at ringside
Unbeaten WBO #4, IBF #7 super lightweight Richardson Hitchins (17-0, 7 KOs) outboxed WBC #6, WBO #11 Jose “Chon” Zepeda (37-4, 28 KOs) over twelve one-sided rounds on Saturday night at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. 25-year-old Richardson Hitchins was taking a large step in class with Zepada, the victor of a brutal candidate for fight of the year in 2020. Hitchins outclassed Zepada from the onset with a technical, albeit defensive style, and each successive round was a carbon copy of the last. Scores were 119-109 and 120-108 2x.
Unbeaten super welterweight Conor “The Destroyer” Benn (22-0, 14 KOs), returning to the ring for the first time in 17 months, went ten rounds with Rodolfo “Sinaloita” Orozco (32-4-3, 24 KOs). Orozco stole some of the middle rounds before Benn finished in style, hurting Orozco badly in the ninth and again in the tenth. Scores read 96-94 and 99-91 2x, all for Benn.
In a unification battle for the WBA, WBC and WBO female welterweight titles, Sandy Ryan (6-1-1, 2 KOs) and Jessica McCaskill (12-3-1, 5 KOs) fought to a controversial ten round draw. The fight developed into a see-saw fight, with both fighters swapping the early rounds, but Ryan appeared to wrest control in the 5th, dominating the mid rounds behind her jab and good bodywork. McCaskill rallied in the ninth and tenth and may have secured her title belts during this final push, with the judges eventually declaring the bout a draw. Scores were 97-93 McCaskill, 96-94 for Ryan with the third judge providing the determinative score, 95-95.
Unbeaten WBA #2, IBF #8, WBC #10 middleweight Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams (15-0, 10 KOs) outpointed former GGG opponent Steve Rolls (22-3, 12 KOs) over ten rounds. Scores were 97-93 3x.
If Rolls had fought with the urgency that was needed and let his hands go a bit more he could have pulled the upset.
Ammo is NOT going to become a world champion. NOT. However, I think power matching him with another fugazi (Berlanga) makes a lot of sense to me. The winner can keep his contract to DAZN. The loser can go home and get his shine box.
It’s “shoe shine box”
Williams is delusional if he thinks he can capture a middleweight title! As he entered the ring the commentators were really high on him…as the fight progressed, then ended, all that enthusiasm was gone!
Ammo is a punk.
Only in Maxwell Frost’s acid dropping, pot smoking district. WOW !! The 2023 Robbery of The Year. Sandy Ryan was MF robbed. If this fight took place in Polk County, I guarantee that Ryan would have won.
I don’t know about anything you’re referencing, but yeah, this fight wasn’t even close. Any judge that scored it 7 rounds to 3 in favor of McCaskill should never be allowed to judge without being reviewed by an optometrist followed by a drug screening. Or just never be allowed to judge again. This fight wasn’t all that close; I had it 8-2 in favor of Ryan.
Curious what others thought of Ryan vs McCaskill? I thought McCaskill was boxing well on the inside (albeit throwing less punches than Ryan) but Sergio Mora and the DAZN crew were giving her no credit at all…
I always turn the sound off when Mannix is commentating. The Latin Snake also bites.
The DAZN commentary that I get is consistency mediocre.
Shameful robbery in favor of McCaskill. Didn’t do anything to get any credit or deserved the win. Sandy Ryan fought a beautifully. She outfought and outpunched McCaskill for 95% of the fight. It wasn’t a complete beating but pretty close to it.
On the other hand, this type of decisions happen all the time un the UK. 99% Of the time a visiting fighter goes to the other side of the pond, they’ll get robbed if they don’t KO the local fighter.
I’m not saying it’s ok, but that nothing but the truth.
Boxing fan66
99% really??
Did AJ get a gift decision against Usyk in the UK?
Did Warrrington get a gift decision against Lopez in a close fight in the UK?
Did Witter get a gift decision against Bradley in the UK?
Did Burns get a gift decision against Crawford in Scotland?
You’ve got your facts and stats wrong and confusing with the US
where Fury, Lewis, Khan, Schultz, Turpin and many other visiting fighters have been robbed.
I always laugh when people dog judging from other places than the US. First and foremost, bad judging happens EVERYWHERE. Boxing scoring is darn near insane and judges have zero accountability. However, I’ve seen more bad scorecards in the US than every other country combined times two. I’d also fess up that it could be because I have seen more fights in the US than anywhere else by a big number, so maybe everywhere else is just as bad.
Just as much cheating goes on here in the United States for our fighters as it’s done in the UK for their fighters. Look at what they did to the foreigner.Barroso against the American Rolando Rolly Romero and look at what they did to Lomachenko in his biggest fights in the US. As an American seeing it at my local sports pub all of us were cheering for our nations champ McKaskill but all we saw was Sandy Ryan giving Jessica Mckaskill a solid beating. Everyone in the sports pub booed Jessica McKaskill and the crooked decision. This goes down as another black eye for boxing here in the states just like Haney vs Lomachenko. Heck here in the states they even scored the first Fury vs Wilder fight a draw forcing Tyson Fury to have to brutally and viciously knock out Deontay Wilder twice. I think that Inue, Usyk, Joshua, Lomachenko and Fury as good as they are need to boycott the US because our American boxing system here is just as crooked as in Germany, the UK or even Afghanistan. Unless you are the A side you don’t get the decision win in the US as a foreign fighter and as even as the A side only the foreign fighters are the only ones allowed to get a loss while the US fighters are universally protected as A sides no matter how bad they lose to a foreign B side boxer. Boxing is a corrupt sport. This is just the latest example this year.
Judging by your post, your opinions are very biased and your only outraged when your favorite fighters didnt get the favor. You bring up Fury and his “viciously” KO of Wilder and not mention any of his “actual cheating”.
Its not necessary cheating if a judge dont side with your favorite fighter, its more of a bias for a certain style, personality, and more so nationality. A simple and Childish rant.
Fury’s “actual cheating?” Are you Deontay’s Uncle? Beating the tar out of a guy is cheating?
Agree with you but nothing new under the sun ! Boxing is a money thing and actually US and British promoters are in command that’s why the robberies are on this side of the boxing map..
Remember when German promoters Universum und Sauerland were very powerfull !! You had to kill their fighters to get a win in Germany lol !!
Sanders versus Wlad Klitchko
Orozco is beyond tough but it is sustained beatings like this one from Benn where fighters are in danger of getting seriously hurt.
Benn looks better now and he and Oroszco got some cheers from US fans. Me and the boxing fans watching in on TV at the sports pub all cheered for Sandy Ryan. Sandy won a lot of US fans tonight despite getting a bogus draw against McKaskill. Joe Joyce got exposed and knocked out again against Zhang. Zhang is really exciting and hits hard. Zhang can win over a crowd anywhere on the planet because he is an exciting heavyweight and can usually get the knockout victory also. Win or lose the fans are starting to support Zhang more and more. I don’t know Zhang will win the heavyweight championship someday but currently Rolando Rolly Romero hokds a world championship so why not Zhang. Anything is possible when you can punch like he can at heavyweight!
Boring fights all round, Hitchins is hard sell… he will put u to sleep watching.
I agree Hitchins is a “hard sell”. I recall years ago watching an HBO fight, Larry Merchant said, if you hear a fighter say: “its about “hit and don’t get hit, it’s time to run for the exits.”
I went to sleep before the fight Bcuz I already knew how it was going to end lol
A good win by Hitchins, and I shall continue keeping an eye on this guy’s boxing skills.
Boxing skills????
Agree E MAN…..Hitchins has a great jab ..good foot movement….good looking prospect….
Hitchins is more effective than ludes or ambien! Better keep him out of Vegas, he’ll put the whole city to sleep!
Here’s my best lekaren imitation…… I called it early by saying Hitchens was going to win by unaminous decision!!!!!! I just patted myself on my back.
If Zepeda won the fight, I am 100% sure there would have been far more comments summarizing a great job to Zepeda – including my comment about a thumbs up to Zepeda.
There was only one (1) thumbs up about Hitchins’ solid victory (whether you like/hate his boxing style or his confidence).
Another quiet and/or sad moment for boxing fans after a “certain fighter” wins.
Zepeda- crowd pleasing style. Hitchens – boring and a loud mouth nothing more nothing less. Race baiter.
Looking forward to the day when I don’t have to see McCaskill fight again…….
Bored fight
Yeah E-Man, they won’t stop the vitriol it’s sadistically, psychotically, barbarically, enviously, and sadly in some organisms DNA structure. No surprise here. Carry on…
DMV and E man, the forever race baiters. Why cannot it just be Hitchens is boring as fk? Why cannot it not be he has a big mouth? Did anyone on here say anything about race? Nope, just you two race baiters. Guess what? I took the bait, and call you both out for being the chef that stirs the pot. Hitchens may be an accomplished boxer, he has the pedigree, amateur experience, and even a good promoter that will take the chance of putting him on the main event, but you know as well as I do, until he starts knocking fools out or brawling that he ain’t going to be a household name. So let’s call it for what it is and not make up agendas of your fake oppressed pursuits in your mindless posts.
Boring fighters don’t generate a lot of buzz. Knockouts sell. I understand appreciating skillful fighters and dull, sleep inducing fighters earn their money especially when fighting dangerous fighters. But when “certain fighters” don’t receive positive press or calls to fight on ESPN, DAZN etc you shouldn’t be surprised.
Your certain fighter just fought the main event on DAZN???? What you think this guy is PPV material? Don’t think so.
What a boring card. 2023 will go down as one of the worst years ever in the sport. Maybe 2-3 fights that were worth watching. Horrible
Hitchins is a cure for insomnia. It is not often I switch off half way through the main event!!!
A lot of robberies in woman’s boxing these days allways in favor of the US or Brit fighters.. Enough is enough..