Hot welterweight prospect Janelson Bocachica maintained his perfect record but he had to work for it.
Bocachica defeated fellow prospect Mark Reyes Jr. by a majority decision in a give-and-take 10-round bout Wednesday night at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Two judges had Bocachica winning (97-93 and 96-94) while the third had it a draw (95-95) in a fight that was difficult to score. Boxing Junkie scored it 96-94 for Bocachica.
The fighters, both known for their power, came out winging hard punches in a wild and entertaining first several rounds. Many of the shots – from both of them – were on the money but neither appeared to be hurt at any time.
They began to slow the pace in the fourth round, which turned out to benefit Bocachica (17-0, 11 KOs). The Detroit fighter used his long jab and outworked a suddenly inactive Reyes (14-1, 12 KOs) to control the middle rounds.
However, Reyes, from Tampa, Fla., rallied in the last few rounds by picking up his work rate and landing some eye-catching shots. Bocachica, apparently convinced the fight was in the bag, did little in the final round.
The fight was the first scheduled 10-round for both Bocachica and Reyes, who are 22 and 24, respectively.
In preliminary bouts, light heavyweight prospect Vladimir Shishkin (12-0, 7 KOs) of Russia defeated Sena Agbeko (23-2, 18 KOs) of Ghana by a wide unanimous decision in a 10-round bout.
And Abraham Montoya (20-2-1, 14 KOs) of Mexico defeated Alejandro Guerrero (12-1, 9 KOs) of Irving, Texas, by a majority decision in an eight-round