Uncasville, CT – Elijah Pierce established himself as a legitimate contender in the super bantamweight division Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in what was undoubtedly the biggest win of his career. The scores were 96-94, 97-93 and 97-93.

Headlining CES Boxing’s Championship Jackpot card on Spectation Sports, Pierce struck gold with a unanimous decision win over former world title contender Tramaine Williams in the 10-round main event to capture the vacant WBC silver super bantamweight championship – a title Pierce held last October until he was stripped by the WBC for failing to defend the crown.

This time, Pierce (17-2) figures to be more active as he attempts to parlay last night’s win into a major opportunity in the 122-pound weight class. Williams (20-2), the 30-year-old New Haven, CT, native and hometown hero in last night’s main event, heads back to the drawing board after what turned out to be a nightmarish weekend in and out the ring; Williams missed weight on Friday and was subsequently denied the opportunity for the belt, then got overwhelmed in the middle rounds Saturday, leading to just the second loss of his pro career.

Pierce, the Oklahoma City native who’s promoted by ex-fighter Tony Jeter, fell behind early on the scorecards as Williams used his speed and aggressiveness to swipe the first three rounds. Then Pierce’s size and strength took over. At 5-foot-8, Pierce is a much bigger super bantamweight than most of his peers. Williams, by comparison, is only 5-4, and that difference in height made the difference in the middle rounds once Pierce developed his rhythm. The taller, stronger Pierce – he entered the fight with 14 knockout wins in 18 pro bouts – simply walked down Williams rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7, backing Williams against the ropes and unloading with effective two- and three-punch combinations.

Williams rebounded nicely toward the end of round 8, but couldn’t build on the momentum over the final two rounds. Pierce was simply too strong and too dominant down the stretch.

In the co-main event, Stamford, CT, super welterweight Chordale Booker (19-1, 8 KOs) brought home the vacant WBC USNBC title with a fourth-round knockout win over Ghana native Daniel Aduku (15-3-1), knocking Aduku face-first through the ropes with a stiff left hand that prompted referee Johnny Callas to stop the bout.

After suffering his first career loss in April of 2022, Booker has now won back-to-back fights and earned his first title in last night’s co-feature

Also at Championship Jackpot, Springfield, MA, super welter Anthony Velazquez (12-0-1) fought to a majority draw with Rashid Stevens (6-1-2) of Gardena, CA, and Texan Dominique Griffin (5-3-2) scored a unanimous decision upset win over previously-unbeaten super bantamweight Carlos Venagas Nunez (6-1) of Port Chester, NY, who was making his CES debut.

Fast-rising super lightweight prospect Mike Kimbel (2-0, 2 KOs) of Waterbury, CT, continued to tear through the region, knocking out Pawtucket, RI, native Dahvon Shelton (1-2) with a hard overhand right in the first round of their scheduled four-round bout. Kimbel is now 3-0 in 2023, including a win in mixed martial arts at CES 72 in March.

Welterweight Stevie Jane Coleman (5-1, 2 KOs) of Columbia, CT, won her fifth consecutive fight via first-round knockout when Sarah Click (1-4-1) of Bourne, MA, was unable to continue due to a leg injury and Poland’s Slawomir Bohdziewicz (1-0, 1 KO), who now lives and trains in Stamford, won his pro debut with a second-round knockout win over debut Max Weslei Da Silva (0-1).