Juan Carrillo decided to keep his undefeated streak as casual as a walk in the park, putting Quinton Rankin to sleep with a loving two-punch lullaby in the main event. Yes, Carrillo (who boasts an impressive record of 12-0, 9 KOs) must have thought he was in a Rocky movie after shaking off a slight stumble in his first fight. I rose like a phoenix, or more accurately, like a phoenix. He's a really competitive guy.
Fortunately, Rankin came to the weigh-in in scorching fire and brimstone heat, but he learned that he could weather any storm, especially when faced with a human storm named Carrillo. The drama peaked in the third round, when Carrillo, perhaps mistaking Rankin's chin for the “Press here to end fight” button, stuffed Rankin at the 27-second mark with a less than polite uppercut. He fired two cuts.
Meanwhile, in the co-main spectacle, Shojahon Ergashev (who screams “I'm really good at this” with an incredible record of 24 wins and 1 loss, 21 KOs) turns Juan Huertas into a not-so-happy piñata, and just in time ended the party. 2 minutes into the first round. I mean, why does it take so long? Ergashev clearly doesn't like overtime, but he reaffirmed his place in the super lightweight division with a KO victory that screamed “back to business.”
But wait, there's more fun! It looks like Hussam Al Mashadi (9-1, 8 KOs) had dinner reservations and was meeting Dauris Prescott before you could say “check me out!” finished the game. After a right hand, a flustered referee, and a flurry of referees, Prescott continued to protest the fight being over at 1:47 of the opening round, perhaps because he wanted to see how the second round would go.
In a turn of events that made everyone shrug their shoulders, William Townsell (currently 7-1, 5 KOs) decided that smoother than a buttered slide was the way to get the better of Nadim Salloum. . Townsell racked up points in what can only be described as boxing volleyball, and Salloum looked like he was going for a shot that was probably in a different zip code.
And don't forget the appetizers that night. Vladimir Shishkin (16-0, 10 KOs) played a game called “How many punches can Mike Guy take by the end of the day?” Spoiler: The match ended at 2:14 of the seventh round, with Shishkin probably retaining his valuable position in the rankings, but everyone was hoping for a little more shine.
At the evening's kickoff, Josiah Shackleford decided that Antwion McCollough needed a quick introduction to the canvas, ending his education session not once, but twice, at 1 minute 28 seconds into the first round.
Dmitry Sarita, who plays Captain Obvious, declared it a great night for boxing in Detroit. Truly one of the greatest showcases in boxing history, with Shishkin looking to win the title, Ergashev returning to the spotlight with an elbow, and Carrillo proving he's not here just to win the entry trophy. At least it was the most entertaining showcase.
