One punch can change the trajectory of a fight in an instant. Ask Marcos Escudero.
The Argentine seemed to be on his way to a one-sided decision over Joe George on the Angelo Leo-Tramaine Williams card Saturday in Uncasville, Conn., when, in the final seconds of Round 9, George landed a left uppercut that put Escudero flat on his back and ended his night.
The official time of the stoppage was 3:00.
George (11-0, 7 KOs) defeated Escudero (10-2, 9 KOs) by a controversial split decision in November, the most-recent fight for both men.
On Saturday, in a scheduled 10-round light heavyweight bout, Escudero outworked George from the opening bell, pounding his body and head as George rested with his back against the ropes much of the fight.
Not all the punches got through but more than enough did for Escudero to control the fight.
George had his moments before the dramatic ending, landing a sharp jab and some power shots, but he generally threw one punch at a time and was on the defensive most of the way.
The end came out of nowhere. Escudero ducked under a right hand. At the moment, with his head low, George uncorked a perfect left uppercut that launched Escudero onto the canvas and hurt him badly.
He didn’t come to close to getting up.
Just like that, George turned what seemed to be a bad night into a knockout of the year candidate and a spectacular victory. Not a bad start for the first card on Showtime in months.