Mykquan Williams looks sharp in victory over Yeis Solano

Junior welterweight prospect Mykquan Williams defeated Yeis Solano by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.

The fight was strange in some ways but no one would argue about the outcome.

Junior welterweight prospect Mykquan Williams outboxed, outworked and outslugged Yeis Solano to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Wednesday at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Williams (16-0-1, 7 KOs) had success both inside and outside, landing cleaner punches than Solano (15-1, 10 KOs) and making the determined Colombian miss a high percentages of his shots with slick defense.

Solano had his moments with a high work rate, particularly in the first half of the fight, but didn’t do enough to win in the end.

Williams put Solano down in the eighth round with a right hand to Solano’s right shoulder, which seemed to be more a result of poor balance than the power of the punch.

Then the fighters, referee Danny Schiavone and members of the Connecticut Boxing Commission served up a weird final round.

Schiavone docked Solano for a low blow early in the round and he later ruled a knockdown when Williams hit the canvas, which would’ve made it a 9-8 round for Solano.

However, after the final bell, the commission overruled the referee on both counts: no point deduction, no knockdown. And the commission seemed to be correct. The “low blow” actually hit Williams’ belt line and he went down after he was cuffed around the neck by Solano’s arm.

Thus, a 9-8 round for Solano evidently became a 10-9 round for one of the fighters. (The officials scorecards weren’t available at the time this article was posted.)

The final scores were 97-92, 96-93 and 96-93, all in Williams’ favor. That means that Williams would’ve won even if the 9-8 round in Solano’s favor had stood (94-93 in Williams’ favor on the second and third cards).

The CompuBox stats also favored Williams, who outlanded Solano 200 (of 646) to 147 (519) overall and 188 (of 542) to 124 (of 394) in power punches.

Williams is from Hartford, Conn., about a 45-minute drive to Uncasville.

In a preliminary bout, Aram Avagyan (10-0-2, 4 KOs) and Jose Nunez (11-0-2, 4 KOs) fought to a majority draw in an eight-round junior lightweight bout.

Mykquan Williams looks sharp in victory over Yeis Solano

Junior welterweight prospect Mykquan Williams defeated Yeis Solano by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Wednesday in Uncasville, Conn.

The fight was strange in some ways but no one would argue about the outcome.

Junior welterweight prospect Mykquan Williams outboxed, outworked and outslugged Yeis Solano to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Wednesday at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Williams (16-0-1, 7 KOs) had success both inside and outside, landing cleaner punches than Solano (15-1, 10 KOs) and making the determined Colombian miss a high percentages of his shots with slick defense.

Solano had his moments with a high work rate, particularly in the first half of the fight, but didn’t do enough to win in the end.

Williams put Solano down in the eighth round with a right hand to Solano’s right shoulder, which seemed to be more a result of poor balance than the power of the punch.

Then the fighters, referee Danny Schiavone and members of the Connecticut Boxing Commission served up a weird final round.

Schiavone docked Solano for a low blow early in the round and he later ruled a knockdown when Williams hit the canvas, which would’ve made it a 9-8 round for Solano.

However, after the final bell, the commission overruled the referee on both counts: no point deduction, no knockdown. And the commission seemed to be correct. The “low blow” actually hit Williams’ belt line and he went down after he was cuffed around the neck by Solano’s arm.

Thus, a 9-8 round for Solano evidently became a 10-9 round for one of the fighters. (The officials scorecards weren’t available at the time this article was posted.)

The final scores were 97-92, 96-93 and 96-93, all in Williams’ favor. That means that Williams would’ve won even if the 9-8 round in Solano’s favor had stood (94-93 in Williams’ favor on the second and third cards).

The CompuBox stats also favored Williams, who outlanded Solano 200 (of 646) to 147 (519) overall and 188 (of 542) to 124 (of 394) in power punches.

Williams is from Hartford, Conn., about a 45-minute drive to Uncasville.

In a preliminary bout, Aram Avagyan (10-0-2, 4 KOs) and Jose Nunez (11-0-2, 4 KOs) fought to a majority draw in an eight-round junior lightweight bout.

Video: ‘ShoBox’ celebrating its 20th anniversary

Video: TV analyst Steve Farhood discusses ‘ShoBox’ as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

“ShoBox: The Next Generation” has been around so long that the prospects it first showcased have all retired.

The Showtime boxing series, which focuses on up-and-coming young fighters, debuted in 2001, meaning it is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

ShoBox analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood has played an integral role in the series. In this video clip, Farhood looks back at the past two decades and discusses what has allowed the series to endure.

https://youtu.be/c8-_w6qLCkQ

“I would make the argument that today as we speak in 2021, it’s more important than it’s ever been because prospects need to fight so it’s very important for ShoBoxto give them that opportunity, because without fights they don’t grow and without grassroots boxing, boxing doesn’t grow,” Farhood says in the clip.

Eighty-three fighters who have appeared on ShoBox have gone on to win world tittles, according to Showtime. Among them: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Tim Bradley and Nonito Donaire.

The series resumes tonight (Wednesday), with unbeaten junior welterweight prospects Mykquan Williams and Yeis Gabriel Solano facing off in a scheduled 10-rounder. The telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

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Video: ‘ShoBox’ celebrating its 20th anniversary

Video: TV analyst Steve Farhood discusses ‘ShoBox’ as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

“ShoBox: The Next Generation” has been around so long that the prospects it first showcased have all retired.

The Showtime boxing series, which focuses on up-and-coming young fighters, debuted in 2001, meaning it is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

ShoBox analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood has played an integral role in the series. In this video clip, Farhood looks back at the past two decades and discusses what has allowed the series to endure.

https://youtu.be/c8-_w6qLCkQ

“I would make the argument that today as we speak in 2021, it’s more important than it’s ever been because prospects need to fight so it’s very important for ShoBoxto give them that opportunity, because without fights they don’t grow and without grassroots boxing, boxing doesn’t grow,” Farhood says in the clip.

Eighty-three fighters who have appeared on ShoBox have gone on to win world tittles, according to Showtime. Among them: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Tim Bradley and Nonito Donaire.

The series resumes tonight (Wednesday), with unbeaten junior welterweight prospects Mykquan Williams and Yeis Gabriel Solano facing off in a scheduled 10-rounder. The telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

[lawrence-related id=17143]

 

 

Fight Week: Angelo Leo vs. Stephen Fulton on Showtime

Fight Week: Angelo Leo defends his 122-pound title against Stephen Fulton on Saturday.

FIGHT WEEK

Angelo Leo defends his 122-pound title against top contender Stephen Fulton on Showtime.

MYKQUAN WILLIAMS (15-0-1, 7 KOs) VS.
YEIS GABRIEL SOLANO (15-0, 10 KOs)

  • When: Wednesday, Jan. 20
  • Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Junior welterweight (140 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Martino Jules vs. Pedro Marquez Medina, featherweights; Jose Nunez vs. Aram Avagyan, featherweights
  • Prediction: Williams UD
  • Background: Solano will be traveling to Williams’ backyard and moving up to 140 pounds to face him in a matchup that is competitive on paper. Solano reportedly had an amateur record of 118-12 for his native Columbia, where the southpaw fought his first dozen fights as a pro. He then went to Mexico for two bouts and made his U.S. debut in June of 2019, defeating Elias Araujo by a split decision. He hasn’t fought since. Williams, a former amateur standout from Hartford, Conn., has fought at 140 or above his entire pro career. He relies more on his quickness and athleticism than power. And it has worked for him, although he’s coming off a draw with Tre’Sean Wiggins in October 2019. He has been out of the ring since then. This is a big opportunity for both fighters, who moved into the ShoBox main event when a fight between Patrick Cora and Hurshidbek Normatov fell out.

***

ANGELO LEO (20-0, 9 KOs)
VS. STEPHEN FULTON (18-0, 8 KOs)

Stephen Fulton defeated Arnold Khegai by a unanimous decision in January. Amanda Westcott / Showtime
  • When: Saturday, Jan. 23
  • Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Junior featherweight (122 pounds)
  • At stake: Leo’s WBO title
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: Fulton 1½-1
  • Also on the card: Vic Pasillas vs. Raeese Aleem, junior featherweights; Rolando Romero vs. Justin Pauldo, lightweights
  • Prediction: Fulton UD
  • Background: This matchup was set for Aug. 1 at the same venue but Fulton had to pull out days beforehand after testing positive for COVID-19. Leo fought Tramaine Williams instead, winning a wide decision and the vacant 122-pound title. Fulton, fully recovered, finally gets his shot at Leo and the belt five-plus months later. Leo, a pressure fighter with a murderous body attack, gave a strong performance against the capable Williams. The product of Albuquerque won by scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111. However, most observers see Fulton as a bigger threat than Williams. The Philadelphian is a quick, clever technician who will use all of his assets – including excellent footwork – in an attempt to neutralize Leo’s relentless attack. The contrast in styles and high stakes makes for an interesting 50-50 matchup.

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