Subriel Matias got it right this time.
The junior welterweight contender, who lost a close, but unanimous decision to Petros Ananyan in 2020, broke down and then stopped Ananyan after nine rounds in their rematch Saturday night in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“This was my defeat. I wanted to avenge this loss,” Matias said afterward.
Matias (18-1, 18 KOs) got off to a strong start but faded in the first fight with his Armenian rival.
That wasn’t the case on the Gary Russell Jr.-Mark Magsayo card Saturday. The fighters fought toe-to-toe from beginning to end in another slugfest but Matias clearly landed more and harder punches than he rival.
Thus, Ananyan (16-3-2, 7 KOs) began to slow down by the middle of the fight, at which time Matias’ hard shots were taking a significant toll.
The biggest punch of the fight came in Round 9, when the Puerto Rican landed a left hook in the final seconds that put Ananyan onto the canvas and hurt him.
Ananyan was able to get up. However, the ring doctor who examined him after the round didn’t like what she saw and had the referee stop the fight.
Matias, ranked No. 2 by the IBF, has now won three consecutive fights since the loss to Ananyan. Ananyan, who trains in Los Angeles, is now 3-3 in his last six fights.
