Tag: Ulises Sierra

Vladimir Shishkin wins decision; Shohjahon Ergashev scores first round KO

Russian super middleweight Vladimir Shishkin dominated Ulises Sierra in the main event of a ShoBox card in Sloan, Iowa.

Undefeated Russian super middleweight Vladimir Shishkin turned in 10 workmanlike rounds against Ulises Sierra en route to a unanimous decision win at the WinnaVegas Casino & Resort in Sloan, Iowa (Salita Promotions). 

Two of the judges scored it 99-91, while another had it 100-90, all in favor of 28-year-old Shishkin.

Shishkin (10-0, 6 KOs) worked behind a steady slew of 1-2 punches as he won nearly minute of every round against an otherwise cagey opponent. While Sierra (15-1-2, 9 KOs) was never truly hurt in the fight, he lacked the consistency and, perhaps, even desire to truly make it a competitive fight. Indeed, Sierra, who has served as a sparring partner for the world class likes of Canelo Alvarez, Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward, seemed content on this night to simply pick up a paycheck.

After a couple of close rounds, Shishkin, who lives in Detroit and trains at the Kronk Gym, began to separate himself from Sierra in Round 3, landing a barrage of right hands to the head and body. Sierra responded by shelling up behind a high guard. That would become a repeated pattern throughout the night.

In Round 5, Sierra landed his best combination in the fight with a left to the body and head that momentarily stalled Shishkin’s momentum. But Sierra eased off the pedal and settled back into his low-energy ways, as Shishkin came back to land several hard rights before the end of the round. From then on, it was all Shishkin, who was effective, if somewhat dull, with his straight right hand leads. He used his jab sparingly and his hook was largely nonexistent. Still, against the listless Sierra, the right hand would prove to be more than enough. 

After the bout, it was reported that Shishkin had injured his left biceps prior to the fight, which may explain his limited offensive repertoire. 

On the undercard, highly regarded Uzbek lightweight Shohjahon Ergashev barely broke a sweat, sending Adrian Estrella to the canvas in Round 1 with a crunching left hand to the right ribcage. Estrella writhed on the floor, grimacing in obvious pain, as referee Paul Perry counted him out.

The official time of stoppage was 1:32

Ergashev, a stablemate of Shishkin, improves to 18-0,16 KOs. Estrella falls to 29-5, 24 KOs.

Also, undefeated junior bantamweight prospect Jarico O’Quinn decisioned Oscar Vasquez in an eight-rounder that was more competitive than what was reflected in the scorecards.

All three judges scored it 79-73 for the Detroit-based O’Quinn.

At the outset, O’Quinn (14-0-1, 8 KOs) got sucked into Vasquez’s preferred fight early on, on the inside. Vasquez (15-3-1, 3 KOs), Las Vegas, had the early momentum, bullying O’Quinn around the ring and landing some surprisingly clean overhand rights.

But O’Quinn began to get on track in Round 3, picking off Vasquez with quick counter while lying on the ropes. Few jabs were thrown by either man. O’Quinn used his superior size and speed to land frequent combination punches, even if they did not seem to visibly hurt the game Vasquez.

O’Quinn briefly flirted with a stoppage in Round 8 when he seemed to stun Vasquez for the first time in the fight with a straight right.

Originally, the fight was meant to be contested at the junior bantamweight limit, but both fighters both came in overweight. 

KO artist Shohjahon Ergashev headlines ShoBox card

Shohjahon Ergashev, the 140-pound contender from Uzbekistan, is scheduled to face Adrian Estrella in a 10-round bout Friday in Sloan, Iowa

Shohjahon Ergashev has passed every test so far. Next up is a tough Mexican.

Ergashev, the left-handed junior welterweight contender from Uzbekistan, is scheduled to face Adrian Estrella in a 10-round bout Friday in Sloan, Iowa, on ShoBox: The New Generation.

Ergashev (17-0, 15 KOs) appears to have unusual tools. He was an accomplished amateur — with a reported record of 202-14 — and the punching power suggested by his professional record. He can outbox you, he can knock you out.

Now all the Detroit-based fighter needs is a test against an elite opponent. Estrella isn’t that foe but he’s capable.

“I would like to fight the best possible opponents,” Ergashev said. “I’m coming to fight not simply to collect money and win the fight. Every time I’m in the ring, I want to destroy my opponent.

“I understand that there might be better boxers in my weight class, but I’m ready to fight them.”

Shohjahon Ergashev is pictued unloading on Zhimin Wang in 2018. Elsa / Getty Images

Ergashev, 28, said he continues to grow as a fighter under the direction of SugarHill Steward, who has started working with Tyson Fury.

“It has been a big difference for me as professional boxer during the last year,” he said. “I started listening. I was not listening before, I was just stepping in the ring and trying to knock my opponent out.

“Sugarhill didn’t allow me to continue sparring because I was not listening. But after my last fight, I started listening.”

He added that the addition of Fury hasn’t been a problem for him.

“That hasn’t affected me,” he said. “It has only helped me. Theotrice Chambers, Richard Phillips and the entire Kronk Gym team have taken over these past few weeks but Sugarhill is here with me now and will be in my corner on Friday night.”

Estrella (29-4, 24 KOs) will be moving back down to 140 pounds after losing a majority decision to Tony Luis at 147 in his most-recent fight. He has lost three of his past four bouts.

“This is a second chance for me,” Estrella said. “I was once 22-0 and now I’m back. I blew past Christmas and New Year’s and am so focused. I have been disciplined. I have done it before and I will get it done on Friday night.”

Vladimir Shishkin (left) faces Ulises Sierra in a scheduled 10-round bout. Dave Mandel / Showtime

In a co-feature featuring unbeaten fighters, super middleweight prospect Vladimir Shishkin (9-0, 6 KOs) faces Ulises Sierra (15-0-2, 9 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round bout.

Shishkin, a Detroit-based Russian, is coming off an eighth-round knockout of DeAndre Ware in August. He also works with Steward, the nephew of the late Emanuel Steward.

“Working with Sugarhill has been incredible for me,” he said. “I’ve been improving my strength and movement especially. He’s the best trainer I’ve ever had.

“I looked at the American stars … Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr. growing up and they are who I model myself after.”

Sierra, a 30-year-old from San Diego, has built a reputation as a good sparring partner but wants more than that.

“Andre Ward was my first big camp and I’ve sparred with a lot of champions,” he said. “But I’m not a sparring partner. I don’t have that mentality. I figure if I’m going to spar with someone, it might as well be with the best. I’ve been in three Canelo [Alvarez] camps. And I’ve also sparred with David Benavidez.

“I get to see how they train and what they do and what makes them great. Canelo is the best of them. Just his technique and his preparation. He’s always on point and works on everything he’s told to do. They are all great champions.

“This is a great opportunity for me. I never get the calls for shows like this, and I don’t know why that is. This is my chance to shine and could change everything for me.”