By Alexey Sukachev

26-year old Cruiserweight Thabiso Mchunu (17-1, 11 KO) of Cato Ridge, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, came close to a shutout of 32-year old Garrett Wilson (13-8-1, 7 KO) in earning a unanimous ten-round decision on Saturday afternoon at the Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.  Deducted a point in the tenth for holding, Mchunu had an otherwise exemplary outing.

Both men came in under the 200 lb. division limit, Mchunu at 199 and Wilson at 193.  The referee was Arthur Mercante Jr.

Mchunu buzzed Wilson at the end of the first and second rounds, both times with the same weapon.  The southpaw waited for his spots and punished Wilson with hard straight lefts.  In the second, Wilson fired back and even taunted Mchunu to bring more.  He was obliged.

Shooting the right jab and making himself a hard target when Wilson got aggressive, Mchunu built a lopsided lead through five rounds.  In the sixth, Wilson pressed harder in spots and landed some hard shots to the body.  Mchunu was nonplussed, steadily circling and countering at will.

A firefight broke out briefly at the start of the seventh, giving Wilson a chance to get back into the fight.  Mchunu shut him down quickly, outlanding the rugged banger before returning to relaxed control of the contest.  He maintained that control through the eighth and ninth, appearing to have a shutout with three minutes to go.

Wilson kept coming forward in round ten and Mchunu looked to run out the clock.  Losing a point for holding, Mchunu opened up to try to hold the round even and Wilson was able to land before the bell to keep the end fun.

There was no doubt about the outcome.  Mchunu won by scores of 96-93, 99-90, and 98-91.  Interviewed in the ring after the fight, Mchunu commended the grit of Wilson.  “I knew he was tough.  I can’t just go for the knockout.”  Closing in on a title shot, Mchunu called out all of the title holders in his class.  He went first with the man he’s closest to challenging.  “I want the WBC belt so if it’s that guy from Poland (Krzysztof Wlodarczyk), he got it.  So I’m calling for him.” 

Mchunu entered the bout rated #2 by the WBC, #7 by the IBF, and #10 by the WBO. 

The opening television bout was a tale of right hands.

29-year old Lightweight Karl Dargan (17-0, 9 KO), 134, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, proved to have the better one, coming off the floor in round three to score two knockdowns and the stoppage in round five over 31-year old Angino Perez (17-6, 15 KO), 134, of Miami, Florida.

The referee was Michael Ortega.

The bout started at a technical clip as Dargan, at 5’9, tried to gauge the distance to his 6’1 opponent.  In the third, a massive right from Perez had Dargan on the floor and in trouble.  Using his legs to get his bearings, Dargan made it out of the round and had his response in the fifth.

A lead right uppercut landed flush on the chin of Perez and he dropped to the seat of his trunks.  Struggling to rise, Perez made it up at nine and Ortega let him go on.  He wouldn’t make it another minute.  Trapping Perez along the ropes, Dargan landed a blistering right to the temple, sending Perez face first towards the floor.  Ortega didn’t count, stepping in to break his fall and call a halt to the action at 1:32 of round five.

Dargan, sporting a cap that read I ‘Heart’ Haters in the post-fight interview, gave credit to Perez for his power.  “Coming in the fight, I knew he could punch. I knew he had power.  He got like a 90% knockout ratio.  I don’t care who it is. They weren’t all bums.”  Looking to the future, Dargan stated he feels ready for a shot at a title.  “I don’t see anyone in my division, Lightweight division; I don’t see why I can’t beat any of them.”

Dargan is currently unrated by any of the major sanctioning organizations.    

The card was broadcast in the US on NBC, promoted by Main Events.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com