Bakhodir Jalolov Beats Mulowayi to Usher in Boxing’s Hall of Fame Week
- Unbeaten Olympic champion Bakhodir Jalolov preserved his knockout run with a scary finish Friday.
- Jalolov defeated Jack Mulowayi on Friday at the Turning Stone Resort Casino.
- Earlier in the show, George Arias and Chann Thonson scored victories of their own.
VERONA — The 2021 Olympic gold medalist in the super heavyweight division Bakhodir Jalolov returned to the ring Friday to headline a seven-bout DiBella Entertainment card at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona.
The event, which aired on Showtime Sports, helped usher in a historic weekend for pro boxing as the sport’s illustrious Hall of Fame inductions returned after a two-year, COVID-induced hiatus in nearby Canastota.
This weekend saw three classes inducted, including modern male boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr., Roy Jones Jr., and Bernard Hopkins.
Maybe, one day, Jalolov will join them.
He still has it all to do, but is starting on the right foot as he bulldozes through his early career opponents, showcasing his bruising power against Belgium boxer Jack Mulowayi.
Photo by Getty Images
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Jalolov boxed at a slow pace, leaving his left jab out seemingly like a pawing attempt to measure distance rather than as a means of defense, or to set up an attack.
His defense was mainly built on movement, as he evaded Mulowayi’s power punches with ease, while retaliating with counter shots — hooks, primarily — when the moment felt right.
The Olympian generated raucous boos from the crowd when he held Mulowayi in the fourth, even earning a one-point deduction from the referee.
The way Jalolov uses his right hand is interesting. Occasionally, it’s low, ready to stick into Mulowayi’s face should he get too close.
Then, rather than throw it, he straightens it and uses it to maneuver Malowayi into positions he can throw his vaunted left.
And throw the left he did, with venom, in the fifth round as he landed it with such force the punishing thud could be heard distinctly from press row.
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The moment Jalolov’s fans had been waiting for arrived at the end of the sixth when he scored his first knockdown of the night just moments before the bell, putting Malowayi on the floor with that powerful left of his.
As soon as Malowayi came out of his corner in the seventh, Jalolov laid it on him and laid it on him thick.
“The Big Uzbek” wanted to close the show, extended his knockout-winning run in the pro ranks, and hit him with all kinds of shots that he hadn’t really been throwing earlier in the fight.
Photo by Showtime Sports
The brutal finish arrived in the final round as Jalolov cracked him with an uppercut before that left hand of his sent Malowayi back to the canvas for a second and final time.
The way Malowayi lay on the canvas was concerning, as he was there for quite some time, before eventually receiving medical attention and help on his stool in the corner.
Watch Jalolov’s knockout right here:
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With victory, Jalolov advanced his pro boxing record to a perfect 11 wins with 11 knockouts and no defeats.
Muhammad Ali imitator George Arias won his eight-round fight
Photo by DiBella Entertainment
Flashy heavyweight George Arias, in a part of the country that once enshrined Muhammad Ali permanently in boxing’s Hall of Fame, boxed with a hairstyle similar to ‘The Greatest’ while moving and shaking like Ali once did during his 1960s prime.
Arias fought Cleveland fighter Alante Green during an inside battle that appeared destined to go the distance despite the grueling nature of the bout, one in which both guys threw slugs at each other that were so heavy, they frequently boxed the sweat off of each other’s domes.
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Bronx boxer Arias doubled his jab up in the fourth and started landing his clubbing punches more cleanly but as the rounds wore on, Green connected with blows of the own.
However, as Arias was more athletic, active, and because of his shades of Ali, he was likely doing enough to have earned the attention of the ringside judges.
—SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 11, 2022
Those judges, though, seemed to have it closer than Insider, awarding Arias the victory by split decision with scores of 78-74 and 77-75 in his favor, outweighing the sole score of 77-75 for Green.
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Emerging star Chann Thonson excelled
Earlier in the show, Chann Thonson finished Tyler Tomlin in style at the start of the fifth round as he kept clobbering the Tennessee boxer with heavy shots.
Photo by DiBella Entertainment / Showtime Sports
Thonson began the bout as a boxer, moving around the ring and taking his time to figure Tomlin out, who favored hook shots, and varied his guard by keeping his hands held high when in close range, but lowering his shield when fighting from a distance.
The 30-year-old Thonson upped the pressure at the end of the third by throwing relentless flurries of punches — all with bad intentions — as he rocked Tomlin’s head back before the bell.
The 60-second break was one Tomlin desperately needed, however, there was no respite in the action as a firefight broke out in the fourth, seemingly leading to damage on Tomlin’s left eye.
—SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) June 11, 2022
Thonson’s huge right hand in the fifth spelled the beginning of the end for Tomlin, who had been struggling for many rounds to match Tomlin’s power. And so the referee called a time-out so that a ringside physician could examine his eye, before eventually pulling the fighter out of the bout.
By the fight’s end, Thonson landed 102 of his 326 shots for a 31.3% punching accuracy, according to Compubox data sent to Insider. Tomlin, by contrast, was limited to 39 from 328 attempts for an 11.9% accuracy.
With victory, Thonson advanced his unbeaten pro boxing record to 11 wins (eight knockouts).
