Jelena Mrdjenovich vs. Erika Cruz Hernandez | Ring City USA - April 22, 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jelena Mrdjenovich-Erika Cruz Hernandez Now Tops April 22 Ring City USA Show

Ring City USA enjoys its second consecutive main event featuring a female title fight.

Long-reigning featherweight titlist Jelena Mrdjenovich defends her WBA strap versus Erika Cruz Hernandez. The bout has been elevated to headlining act Thursday evening on NBC Sports Network from U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

The move was made in the wake of Jermaine Franklin (20-0, 13 KOs) testing positive for COVID-19, forcing his withdrawal from a scheduled heavyweight clash versus Stephan Shaw (14-0, 10 KOs).

Mrdjenovich’s second straight network appearance comes four months after her most recent title defense. The 38-year-old Edmonton native outpointed Iranda Paolo Torres over ten rounds last December at Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood.

The bout was intended to set up a three-belt unification clash with record-breaking seven-division titlist Amanda Serrano (40-1-1, 30 KOs) due to take place earlier this spring. Those plans were abandoned when Mrdjenovich withdraw from negotiations following the passing of Milan Lubovac, her longtime trainer and mentor dating back to her pro debut in 2003. The WBC—whose title Mrdjenovich held on three occasions—downgraded her to "Champion Emeritus" status, while upgrading Serrano from interim to "World" champion, in addition to holding the WBO title.

Serrano wound up facing Argentina's Daniela Bermudez, whom she stopped in the 9th round of their Ring City USA headliner on March 27th in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Mrdjenovich—a two-division titlist who previously reigned at junior lightweight—will now attempt the 5th defense of her WBA featherweight title, though her first since breaking up her unified WBA/WBC title reign.

Cruz Hernandez (12-1, 3 KOs) has won 11 straight bouts heading into her first career title fight. The Mexico City native is coming off of an eight-round shutout of Leticia Uribe in his most recent bout this past February in Tijuana.

Also on the show, Mexico City's Juan Pablo Romero (13-0, 9 KOs) makes his U.S. debut in a scheduled 10-round junior welterweight bout versus Colombia's Deiner Berrio (22-2-1, 13 KOs). The bout is among the changes endured on the show, with Berrio replacing an injured Jonathan Navarro.

Added to the NBC Sports Network telecast, Kazakhstan’s Bobirzhan Mominov (12-0, 8 KOs) will face Tijuana's Angel Ruiz (16-1, 12 KOs). The scheduled eight-round welterweight fight scheduled will open the televised tripleheader, preceded by a three-fight undercard which will stream live on Ring City USA's Twitch channel beginning 6:30 p.m. ET.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Jelena Mrdjenovich defends the WBA belt against Erika Cruz Hernandez this Thursday

Jelena Mrdjenovich will defend her WBA featherweight title against Erika Cruz Hernandez of Mexico City Thursday night, it was announced Monday afternoon.

The 10-round bout will take place at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and will headline a three-bout Ring City USA telecast (NBC Sports Network, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).

The clash between Mrdjenovich and Cruz was elevated to main event status after the heavyweight bout between unbeaten Stephen Shaw and Jermaine Franklin was postponed after Franklin tested positive for COVID-19.

Mrdjenovich (41-10-2, 19 knockouts) last fought on December 17, defeating Mexico’s Iranda Torres by unanimous decision. The fight took place 15 months after Mrdjenovich defeated another fighter from Mexico, Marisol Corona, by majority decision.

The 38-year-old suffered her last defeat to Edith Matthysse in August 2015, but avenged the loss to the Argentine fighter over seven months later, winning the WBA title in the process. Mrdjenovich has since gone unbeaten in her next six fights.

Mrdjenovich is on a collision course with WBC/WBO titleholder Amanda Serrano, who stopped Daniela Bermudez on March 25 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Serrano and Mrdjenovich, who resides in Edmonton, Canada, are ranked No. 1 and 2 at featherweight, respectively, by The Ring.

Cruz (12-1, 3 KOs) defeated Leticia Uribe by unanimous decision in her last bout on February 20. Cruz scored a knockdown in Round 6 in the one-sided victory. The 30-year-old has not lost since her second pro fight, which was by majority decision to Alondra Gonzalez Flores in June 2016.

In the co-feature, junior welterweight prospect Juan Pablo Romero will square off against Deiner Berrio (22-2-1, 13 KOs) of Colombia in a 10-round bout.

Romero (13-0, 9 KOs) was scheduled to face unbeaten Jonathan Navarro in an intriguing clash of unbeaten fighters, but Navarro reportedly pulled out of the fight with an undisclosed injury. Romero, who is promoted by Promociones del Pueblo, will be making his U.S. debut.

Romero notched a lopsided-decision victory over Sergio Torres in his last bout on November 28 in Mexico City, not far from his hometown of Villa del Carbon. The victory over Torres snapped a string of four consecutive knockout victories.

Berrio, who resides in Santiago de Tolu, Colombia, has won his last two bouts by knockout after back-to-back decision losses to Pavel Malikov and Zaur Abdullaev.

In the opening bout of the NBC Sports Network telecast, welterweight prospect Bobirzhan Mominov (12-0, 8 KOs), who is originally from Kazakhstan and now resides in Bermuda Dunes, California, will face Angel Ruiz (16-1, 12 KOs) of Tijuana, Mexico, in an eight-round bout.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Start Time: 9pm ET (Main) | 6.30pm ET (Undercard)
Location: United States Military Academy - West Point, NY, US
TV: NBCSN
Streaming: Twitch (Undercard)

Main Card (NBCSN and Twitch, 9pm ET)

WBA World Female Featherweight Championship
Jelena Mrdjenovich (41-10-2, 19 KOs) vs. Erika Cruz (12-1, 3 KOs)

10 Round Welterweight Bout
Juan Pablo Romero (13-0, 9 KOs) vs. Deiner Berrio (22-2-1, 13 KOs)

8 Round Welterweight Bout
Bobirzhan Mominov (12-0, 8 KOs) vs. Angel Ruiz (16-1, 12 KOs)

Undercard (Twitch, 6.30pm ET)

8 Round Super Middleweight Bout
Christian Mbilli (17-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jesus Antonio Gutierrez (27-4-2, 14 KOs)

6 Round Featherweight Bout
Jalan Walker (8-0, 7 KOs) vs. Angel Antonio Contreras (11-4-1, 7 KOs)

4 Round Junior Lightweight Bout
Daniel Bailey (3-0, 2 KOs) vs. Luis Alvarado (1-2, 0 KOs)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Erika Cruz Upsets Jelena Mrdjenovich By Technical Decision, Wins WBA Featherweight Title

Erika Cruz realized her dream Thursday night in West Point, New York.

The unknown Mexican featherweight came to the United States Military Academy and upset Jelena Mrdjenovich to win the WBA women’s featherweight title. Cruz won a technical decision because their fight was stopped 25 seconds into the seventh round due to a cut over Mrdjenovich’s right eye.

Judges John Basile (70-63), Glenn Feldman (70-63) and Robin Taylor (70-63) all scored their scheduled 10-round, 126-pound championship match for Cruz in the main event of this “Ring City USA” tripleheader on NBC Sports Network.

Mexico City’s Cruz (13-1, 3 KOs) has won 12 straight fights. Before Thursday night, Mrdjenovich (41-11-2, 19 KOs), of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, had lost just once in the past 8½ years.

Heavyweights Jermaine Franklin (20-0, 13 KOs) and Stephan Shaw (14-0, 10 KOs, 1 NC) were supposed to meet in the main event, but Franklin contracted COVID-19 and withdrew from their bout late last week. The Franklin-Shaw fight could be rescheduled for a later date.

Before their fight was halted early in the seventh round, a left by Cruz buzzed Mrdjenovich with just over a minute to go in the sixth round. Referee Benjy Esteves called for a break to look at Mrdjenovich’s cut later in the sixth round.

Cruz’s left hand connected barely 10 seconds into the fifth round. Cruz continued to press the action in the fifth round. Another straight left by Cruz backed Mrdjenovich into the ropes with 45 seconds to go in the fifth.

Cruz’s right-left combination caught Mrdjenovich with just over 30 seconds on the clock in the fifth.

A left hand by Cruz connected with about 35 seconds remaining in the fourth round. Mrdjenovich caught Cruz with a right hand just before the fourth round ended.

A straight left by Cruz backed Mrdjenovich into the ropes 50 seconds into the third round. Mrdjenovich bled from a cut around her right eye in that round as well.

Mrdjenovich’s straight right landed 15 seconds into the second round. Neither fighter appeared to land a consequential punch in a sloppy opening round.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Mrdjenovich: I'm Super Disappointed Fight Was Stopped, I Feel a Bit Cheated

Mexico’s Erika Cruz won the biggest fight of her career with a dominating technical decision upset over long-reigning WBA Featherweight World Champion Jelena Mrdjenovich in Thursday night’s Ring City USA main event on NBC Sports Network and live from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Cruz (13-1-0, 3 KOs) cut short the title reign of three-division world champion Mrdjenovich (41-11-2, 19 KOs) as she attempted to make her sixth defense of the WBA crown. Cruz, 30, came out fast and overwhelmed the champion with wide, yet effective, power punches and a barrage of combinations. This wa s the first time that Cruz did not have her father and lead trainer Guillermo Cruz in her corner.

“I told you yesterday, Mexicans are warriors and I demonstrated that,” said Cruz. “Every single round that went by, I thought of my father and this victory is for both of us. I couldn’t come this far and disappoint him. I didn’t and now I will bring this title back to him.”

As predicted by both fighters during fight week, the righty vs. lefty matchup led to numerous head clashes early in the fight. In the third round, the commission ruled that a cut over Mrdjenovich’s right eye was caused by a clash of heads, but a Ring City USA replay showed that the initial cut opened as a result of a thunderous right hand from Cruz.

“At first I was nervous but as I saw that my punches were more powerful, I realized that this was my strongest weapon,” explained Cruz. “She endured because she has experience. She connected on me a few times and I realized I couldn’t get too close, I had to be careful. But my power is what carried me forward.”

Referee Benjy Esteves called a halt to the fight at :25 of round seven due to the deep cut over Mrdjenovich’s right eye from earlier in the fight. The fight went to the scorecards where all three ringside judges saw the fight identically as a clear shutout victory for Cruz at 70-63.

“She came to fight and go to war,” said the former champion Mrdjenovich. “I am super disappointed that the fight was stopped. I got away from my game plan and it’s disappointing to lose my world title. I fight well in the later rounds and I am disappointed I didn’t get to show that. I have been known to drop my opponents in the later rounds. I felt I was starting to find my groove and I am just disappointed.”

For Mrdjenovich, 38, of Canada, the fight marked her second fight on Ring City USA and her first time fighting a southpaw in more than 13 years. Her face was bloodied in the later rounds and she was ruled unable to continue. Following the fight, on Ring City’s post-fight show Inside the Ropes on Twitch, she called for a rematch.

“Sometimes it doesn’t go your way,” added Mrdjenovich. “I am going to lick my wounds a little bit and get back to the drawing board. We will see about a rematch. I feel a little cheated tonight.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Ring City Press Release - Undercard Results

Angel Ruiz W8 Bobirzhan Mominov... Angel Ruiz (17-1, 12 KOs) and Bobirzhan Mominov (12-1, 8 KOs) met in a ten-round welterweight fight on the Ring City show at West Point, New York. Ruiz, 23, a Mexican who now resides in Los Angeles, met the early pressure of Mominov with crisp counterpunching and earned a close unanimous decision on the scorecards. The three ringside judges saw the bout 75-74 and 76-73 (twice). Unofficial ringside scorer Steve Smoger also scored the fight 76-73 for Ruiz.

“I’m back, baby,” exclaimed Ruiz following his hard-fought victory. “I was working for seven months for this fight. I was working with my coach Manny Robles. I just have a great team and we worked so hard for this opportunity.”

Mominov, 29, of Kazakhstan, worked the body throughout the fight but his punches often ventured below the belt line. In the second round, referee Charlie Fitch warned him for a low blow and in the fifth round, he was deducted a point for another low blow. This was the third time in four fights that the Kazakh was docked points. Following the break in the action for the point deduction, Ruiz immediately floored Mominov with a left hand. Another looping crisp left hand from the 23-year-old southpaw sent Mominov to the canvas again in the seventh round.

“Bobby is a warrior. A real Kazakh warrior,” said Ruiz’s trainer Robles, who used to train Mominov. “But with Ruiz, the work isn’t done. He hasn’t fought in well over a year, but we still took on a tough test because we wanted an opportunity. We were knocking at the doors of different promoters and we thank God that Ring City gave us an opportunity on this huge stage. Hopefully, we will be back on a big stage soon.”

Juan Pablo Romero W10 Deiner Berrio... Juan Pablo Romero (14-0, 9 KOs) earned a unanimous decision over veteran Deiner Berrio (22-3-1, 13 KOs) in a ten-round welterweight fight. Romero, 31, was the far more active fighter throughout the fight and dealt well with Berrio’s unconventional style. In the second round, an accidental clash of heads resulted in a deep cut above the right eye of the undefeated prospect from Mexico.

“The key to winning this fight was managing the long distance and doing what we trained for,” said Romero. “He was a very strong and complicated opponent. Without a doubt, he put up a great fight tonight.”

Colombia’s Berrio, 30, countered well early in the fight and neutralized the three-inch reach advantage of Romero but it was the 2016 Mexican Olympian who was far busier throughout the fight and flashed his deep amateur pedigree as he cruised to victory. Ruiz was humble in victory and reiterated his goal of becoming a world champion.

“The next thing is to recover and continue training,” added Romero. “We are going to look for another victory. The road to the world championship is very long and every day we get closer. The results are not the work of chance, they are a result of perseverance and discipline. There is much to learn and much to improve.”

Christian Mbilli TKO5 Jesus Antonio Gutierrez... Earlier in the evening, in the main event live on Twitch, Christian Mbilli (21-0 including the World Series of Boxing) remained perfect with a fifth-round technical knockout over Jesus Antonio Gutierrez (27-5-2, 14 KOs) in a super middleweight fight. France’s Mbilli, 25, continued his ascension up the 168-pound division rankings. “This fight was a message,” said Mbilli after his emphatic finish. “I am ready for all the fighters and this was a message to all the middleweight fighters in the United States. I am coming for everyone. Canelo (Alvarez), (Daniel) Jacobs, (Edgar) Berlanga, Caleb Plant. I am ready for anyone.”

MORE RESULTS

Also featured on the Twitch undercard, touted 19 year-old Jalen Walker (8-0-1, 7 KOs) was tested by Angel Antonio Contreras (11-4-2, 7 KOs) in a six-round featherweight fight that resulted in a split draw...

Junior lightweight U.S. Army veteran Daniel Bailey (4-0, 3 KOs) opened the show with a first-round knockout against Luis Alvarado (1-3).

Opening the evening from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Ring City USA delivered four instrasquad scrimmages between Academy cadets.

Calling all the action from West Point was former two-time welterweight champion Shawn Porter joined by NBC Sports blow-by-blow commentator Bob Papa. Brian Campbell served as fight night analyst with Curran Bhatia reporting from ringside. WBO Super Featherweight World Title Jamel Herring, the only active world champion who is a military veteran joined the broadcast booth as a guest commentator. Herring served two tours of duty in Iraq as a proud member of the United States Marine Corps.

The executive producers of tonight's presentation of Ring City USA: Mrdjenovich vs. Cruz on NBC Sports Network were Eric Weinberger, Jeff Huggins & Frank Samuel. The telecast was produced by David Gibson and directed by Matt Celli.