?HURRICANE? HERNANDEZ SHOCKS FAVORED MAGOMEDOV
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 22 May 2016
Middleweight Andrew "Hurricane" Hernandez shocked heavy favorite Arif "The Pedator" Magomedov in the main event on the "Knockout Night at the D" card under the neon lights at the Downtown Las egas Events Center outdoor venue.
The "Knockout Night at the D" series was promoted by Roy Jones Jr. (RJJ) Boxing Promotions.
In front of a sell-out crowd Hernandez who had a record of 12-4-1 with 4 knockouts pounded world-rated middleweight Magomedov (17-1, 10 KOs), winning a unanimous 10-round decision with two judges scoring a 100-89 shutout and the third judge scoring it 98-91.
With the stunning victory Hernandez won the vacant USNBC middleweight title. Hernandez hurt Magomedov in the third and seventh rounds, finally dropping the tough Russian who was ranked No.2 by the WBA, No. 3 by the WBO and No. 14 by the IBF in the 10th.
Hernandez in a post fight interview said "This fight changes everything for me. He's very good and deserves all of the accolades he's received but I now have my head on straight and I'm focused. My jab was very important tonight. He's very strong but I wanted to fight him inside because I knew he couldn't take it from me. I was very prepared. I think I may have broken my ankle in the fourth round but I kept going. I wanted to finish him, get the knockout, but he's a very tough fighter. He has heart and showed why he has all of those accolades."
Only four weeks ago Hernandez was preparing to fight as a cruiserweight. In an incredible effort he lost 40 pounds to make weight for this middleweight fight in what turned out to be one of the biggest upsets of the year.
In another action-packed bout southpaw super welterweights John "The Phenom" Vera (14-0, 9 KOs), of Fort Worth, and Phoenix' Joey "Boxer" Ruelas (10-2-1, 4 KOs) went toe-to-toe from the opening bell and they never let up in the co-feature.
Vera exploded in the 6th round battering the game Ruelas around until referee Jay Nady halted the action.Vera remained undefeated and retained his NABA-USA title.
Vera said "I knew eventually he'd put his hands down and I'd catch him. I thank him for the opportunity to fight. He's a helluva fighter, I give him that, but I know I'm a warrior. I took some shots but gave 'em, too. I broke him down and just kept throwing those lefts."
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