Vladimir Shishkin stops Oscar Riojas in 9 to remain unbeaten
Vladimir Shishkin remained unbeaten with a ninth round technical knockout of Oscar Riojas on Thursday at the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit, Michigan. The bout was live-streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
Shishkin’s pure boxing skill and Riojas’ unorthodox style were on display in the first round.
Shishkin (11-0, 7 knockouts), 29, a Russia native who trains out of Kronk, landed a hard right hand late in the round that knocked Riojas into the ropes. He followed up with a left hook to the head that grazed Riojas’s jaw.
The 36-year-old Riojas, of Monterrey, Mexico, began to slow down in the latter moments of the second round. Shishkin advanced, finding the target with a short left hook and another right hand that momentarily stunned Riojas.
A massive right hand late in the eighth round badly buzzed Riojas, who stumbled against the ropes. But Riojas complained to Garza that Shishkin had landed a punch behind the head, which caused a temporary delay in the action. Riojas ended the round with a lunging left hand.
Shishkin finished the job in the ninth round. He steamrolled Riojas with a hard right hand after coming up short on a left jab. Riojas beat the count, but continued to take a beating on the ropes, until Garza casually stepped in to wave off the action.
The time of the stoppage was 1:43.
Shishkin was coming off a hard-fought 10-round unanimous decision win on January 17 over Ulises Sierra. Shishkin cruised to the win despite suffering an injury to his left arm early in the fight.
Riojas (21-13, 10 KOs), 36, who was born in Laredo, Texas, dropped his second fight in a row after having previously won three straight.
Undercard
It took middleweight Marlon Harrington just over a minute to demolish his opponent.
Harrington dropped Ricardo Medina three times en route to a first-round stoppage.
Harrington, who improved to 2-0 with two knockouts, came out firing from the opening bell, backing up Medina with a flurry of hard punches, flooring him with a big left hand.
Medina beat the count but found himself on the canvas just seconds later from a left hook. He rose before the count of 10 a second time, but staggered across the ring, and was battered to the finish.
Harrington, who made his pro debut last December with a first-round knockout of Salome Flores Torres, only had 25 amateur fights.
The time of the stoppage was 1:02.
Morris Young scored a second-round stoppage in his professional debut over an extremely limited Jader Alves de Oliveira.
Young, who captured a 152-pound National Golden Gloves title in May 2019, battered de Oliveira, who swung wildly and missed just as badly throughout the bout.
When Young hit de Oliveira, he often turned his back and ran in the opposite direction, earning him multiple warnings from the referee.
In the second round, Young trapped de Oliveira against the ropes and pounded him to the body with left and right hooks. The fight was stopped as de Oliveira was bent over and not punching back.
The time of the stoppage was 1:59.
Danielle Perkins made the most of her professional debut with a unanimous decision victory over Monika Harrison in a scheduled four-round cruiserweight affair.
All three judges had it 40-35 for Perkins.
In the first round, Perkins connected with a series of right hooks. She then backed up Harrison with a straight left to the body and rattled her with a right hand over the top.
Perkins, a four-time amateur national champion, 37, dominated the second round behind a precise body attack.
Perkins abandoned her slick boxing style in the third round and walked Harrison down with hard left-right combinations to the head.
Near the end of the frame, Harrison grabbed her left eye and tried to bide time. However, the referee ruled the move a knockdown.
Both women fought to the finish in an overall sloppy fight, but it was Perkins whose pure boxing skill was enough to impress the judges.
Harrison, 37, who suffered her first pro loss, dropped to 2-1-1 with one knockout.
