Joseph Elegele Scores Hard Fought Unanimous Decision
Victory Over Phil Lo Greco In Main Event Of Premier Boxing Champions: The
Next Round On Bounce From The Lakeland Center in Lakeland, FL
Dauren Yeleussinov and Devaun Lee Fight To Split Decision Draw
Craig Baker Stops Steve Lovett In Final Seconds Of Eighth
Round
Credit: Dave Nadkarni/Premier Boxing Champions
LAKELAND, FL. (June 13, 2016) - Exciting super welterweight Joseph
Elegele (16-2 11 KOs) showed his strength and power Sunday night in the
main event of Premier Boxing Champions: The Next Round on Bounce TV as
he went toe-to-toe with Phil Lo Greco (27-3, 15 KOs) for 10
hard-fought rounds from The Lakeland Center in Lakeland, FL. Both
combatants left it all in the ring, exchanging punches throughout the bout
with close rounds that left the audience wanting more.
Elegeleof nearby Winter Haven, FL
started the bout coming forward, slightly stunning Toronto's Lo Greco with
several flurries of punches that set the tone for a hard fought back and
forth battle. The action picked up in round two as Lo Greco came in on the
attack early in the round, pinning Elegele against the ropes and continuing
to pepper him with punches to the body and the head.
Despite being taken aback by the
attack, Elegele came roaring back in the final seconds of round two and out
of the corner to kick off round three. Lo Greco remained in the pocket, not
afraid to continue to throw wide left hooks as the fighters traded punches back and
forth.
As the fight continued, Lo Greco
backed Elegele up against the ropes, smothering him with punches despite
Elegele's four-inch height advantage. But round six was completely
controlled by Elegele as he threw a combination of bruising punches that
very well could have sent Lo Greco to the canvas. However Lo Greco remained
in the pocket. In the 10th and
final round, Lo Greco came out strong, outworking Elegele, but with less
than 20 seconds to go in the bout, Elegele stunned Lo Greco with a barrage
of punches up against the ropes. Judges scored the bout 97-95 and
96-94 twice, all for Elegele, the winner by unanimous decision.
The second televised bout saw two
former amateur standouts Dauren Yeleussinov (5-0-1, 4 KOs) of Kazakhstan,
who now fights out of Brooklyn, and Devaun Lee (7-2-1, 3 KOs) of
Queens, NY in an eight-round middleweight bout that ended in a split draw.
Yeleussinov wasted no time in the first round as he kicked off the fight by
throwing multiple left hands, one to the body and two to the head of Lee.
Lee escaped the round unscathed and
despite spending the majority of the second round against the ropes, he was
able to let his hands go and catch Yeleussinov with multiple shots. The
30-year-old Yeleussinov went on the attack in the sixth round, pinning Lee
against the ropes, once again with a barrage of punches. Judges scored the
bout at 79-73 for Yeleussinov, 78-74 for Lee and 76-76, ending the
bout in a split draw.
In the opening televised bout,
Australian prospect Steve Lovett (15-1, 12 KOs) battled Craig
Baker (17-1, 13 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight showdown that
ended with an explosive knockout. Baker of Baytown, TX was sent to the
canvas in round four following a big left hook thrown by Lovett, but Baker
was the more active fighter throughout the fight as he was up on all three
of the judge's scorecards going into the eighth and final round. With only
three seconds to go in the bout, Baker sent Lovett to the canvas with a
hard right hand that ended the bout.
Here is what the participants had
to say about their respective performances Sunday night:
JOSEPH ELEGELE
"I wasn't
surprised because he's a tough fighter, he's a Canadian and Canadian
fighters are tough. He came to fight. It was a good fight.
"It's hard
for anyone to find an answer for a straight left, but I was surprised he
kept walking through it.
"I hope
this win puts me on the next level. I'm ready for the top fighters. I know
there are some things I can work on, but I am ready for the top fighters.
"I'm not
sure what's up with my left hand. It hurt me when I was throwing it,
but I'm a warrior. I've been through too much in life to let a little left
hand hurt me. It could be falling off and I'm still going to throw
it."
PHIL LO GRECO
"It was his
hometown. The score could have gone either way. I hurt him in the second
round. He was out and the ref could have stopped the fight. That is no
excuse. I will fight anyone, anywhere.
"I felt I
was pushing the fight. I am disappointed in the decision.
"It's up to
the fans if they want to see me again. People see that I will fight
anywhere and anyplace. I enjoyed tonight."
DEVAUN LEE
"I don't
agree with the draw, I think I won the fight. I would have been comfortable
with a split decision. He worked, but I landed clean shots and I landed
heavier punches. I feel like I won the fight. He has power, but he wasn't
powerful enough to stop me.
"Next, I'm
ready for whatever they put in front of me. I would do it again."
CRAIG BAKER
"Lovett is a strong guy and
he's a hell of a competitor. He came to work and he tested me, so it is
what it is, man.
"This is awesome, man. This is
what I sweat and kill myself in the gym for. This win means the world to
me.
"He never hurt me tonight. We
stayed patient I do what we do. This is the biggest win of my career, but I
won't rest until I get a title.
"I'll fight whoever next. I'll
be back in the gym soon and getting ready for whoever the put in front of
me next.
"Fighting on a Premier Boxing
Champions card is amazing. I'm grateful to get the opportunity and I hope
to be back on PBC fighting again."
# # #
The fight card was promoted by
King's Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra: La Cerveza Mas Fina.
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