When word spread that Juan Urango was set to defend his IBF Jr. Welterweight title against two time former champion Randall Bailey, fireworks were expected. Mixing Urango’s iron chin and straight forward attack along with Bailey’s explosive punching power figured to be a recipe for destruction. While the ending result may have been anti-climatic, the action that transpired in between was undoubtedly compelling. In front of a raucous crowd at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Urango was able to defeat Bailey by way of 11th round TKO despite a few shaky moments of his own.
In the early going Bailey seemed to control the contest with his superior reach, as he timed his Columbian foe coming in. Right hands were the early recipe for success for Bailey and he appeared to take the first round. In the second Urango pressed forward and began touching Bailey to the body, but not without taking some shots of his own. A late rally along the ropes seemed to steal the round for Urango but the action was nip and tuck.
Bailey began asserting himself in the third as he started to pick Urango apart with accurate right hands and left hooks to the body. The Miami native seemed to be in solid shape as his advantages slowly began coming to the surface. Desperate for something big to happen, Urango came out firing leather in the early 4th. It was power vs. power as Urango ripped punishing shots to the body while Bailey returned the favor with right hands of his own. Urango began bearing in heavily towards the end of the round and his punches appeared to be having a serious affect on Bailey.
Bailey fought a much smarter round in the 5th as he backpedaled a bit and lead Urango in, catching him with piercing right hands. Still it was Urango’s pressure and body punches that punctuated the frame.
High drama ensued in the 6th as Bailey caught Urango coming in and dropped him hard with a thudding right hand. Urango appeared to be out but despite being dazed he was able to rise to his feet before the count of ten. Urango was shaky and Bailey began catching him with more heat but the champion managed to last the rest of the round.
Knowing he again needed to do something special to change the tide of the fight, Urango came out aggressively in the seventh. The action seemed to lull a bit, but in this round Urango found his footing and got himself back into the fight.
Urango had a big round in the eighth as he bullied Bailey around the ring and landed several hard shots to the body and head. Bailey remained poised and landed plenty of fire of his own but he appeared to be feeling Urango’s pressure. The ninth was a turning point in the contest as Urango dropped Bailey with a big left hand. Bailey was barely able to beat the count and was greeted by an onrushing Urango moments later. Bailey was dropped again but he fought on and bravely found a way to see hear the bell signaling the end of the round.
Urango dropped Bailey again in the tenth and the end was just around the corner. In the eleventh Urango pressed forward and continued to apply constant pressure on Bailey, who looked dead tired. After taking punishment for much of the round and not having anything to offer in return, Bailey’s corner threw in the towel, ending the contest in Urango’s favor.
With the win Urango improves to 22-2 with 17 knockouts and retains his IBF hardware. Bailey himself falls to 39-7 but left his imprint on the fight with a gutsy effort. The former champion did take a lot of punishment but hopefully he can get together with his team and figure out his next step.
Cloud Reintroduces Himself by Storming Past Woods
There is no denying that Tavoris Cloud is one of the most exciting Light Heavyweights on the planet. With a rugged, seek and destroy style, the Tallahassee native makes for excellent fights but it had been his recent spell of inactivity that was most concerning. Heading into his bout with Clinton Woods for the IBF Lightweight crown this evening, it had been over a year since Cloud last set foot in the ring and many in the sport began wondering if he was letting a great opportunity slip away. Thankfully for those watching Cloud made his presence felt against Woods and reminded everyone of the fighter he is with convincing decision win.
From the early seconds of the first round, Cloud stormed Woods and began firing away at his older foe with punishing shots to the head and body. Cloud was attempting to steamroll through his Yorkshire opponent but Woods was able to regroup and find himself by the end of the round. In the second Woods mounted a return attack of his own and even landed a few clean right hands to get Cloud’s attention. It was obvious that Woods’ experience was going to be a big factor in the contest.
The action was crisp in the third round as the men exchanged in the center of the ring but Cloud’s aggression began paying dividends near the end of the stanza. After firing away recklessly, Cloud had suddenly regained momentum back in a big way. Cloud stayed in control in the 4th and showed some boxing ability with his jab and follow up left hook.
As the fight reached the middle rounds Cloud began to dominate and began busting Woods up with crushing right hands. Despite staying game and willing to exchange, the former champion appeared to be in some trouble. The eighth and ninth rounds were especially brutal as Cloud upped his work rate and punished Woods continuously. The end seemed near but Woods miraculously found a way to survive and fight on.
Down the stretch of the fight the action lulled but Cloud still found a way to remain in charge. After twelve rounds, all three judges gave rulings of 116-112, all in favor of Tavoris Cloud, who picked up the IBF Light Heavyweight title with the win. Despite showing some flaws in the contest, such as a suspect defense, Cloud is a young and hungry fighter who can now call himself a champion and he should be in the picture for a good time to come.
Undercard Results
Joel Morales KO1 Robert Campbell
In a battle of undefeated Welterweights, Prenice Brewer decisioned Michael Jean Louis by scores of 79-73, 78-74, and 77-75. From the outset, Brewer’s speed gave Louis severe trouble and it seemed as though the bout might be a mismatch. To his credit, however, Louis remained calm and stuck to his game plan, even rocking Brewer in the third round. At the end of the day it was Brewer’s overall ability to adapt along with his versatility that lead him to the win. The future still seems bright for both men.
Rances Barthelemy TKO2 Vineash Rungea
Luis Franco vs. Charlie Serrano
Jonothan Gonzalez vs. Jason Thompson
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