Murat Gassiev has been enjoying a groundswell of hype lately and for good reason. The contender packs a mean punch and it was on full display in the first round of the Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 main event. After digging a left hook to Shimmell’s body, Gassiev unfurled an atomic bomb of a left hook on the American’s jaw, ending the fight.
Shimmell (20-2, 16 KOs) was out cold as soon as the punch exploded on his chin. He stiffened and bounced off the bottom rope before hitting his head on the canvas on his way down; his right arm extended out of the ring. The fight was immediately waived off with six seconds left in the opening round and Shimmell had to have an oxygen mask affixed to his face.
Thankfully, Shimmell eventually regained consciousness and walked out of the ring under on his own, but the story was Gassiev (23-0, 17 KOs) and his highlight reel knockout. The cruiserweight division is loaded with elite-level European fighters and now there’s one more to be thrown into the mix.
In the co-main event of the Toe-To-Toe Tuesdays event, heavyweight journeyman Joey Abell scored a minor upset by dropping previously-unbeaten John Nofire three times en route to a third-round TKO. A series of lefts floored Nofire late in the second and the local brawler finished him off by felling him twice more in the third with a myriad of punches.
When Nofire (19-1, 15 KOs) struggled to his feet after the third knockdown covered in blood, his corner wisely threw in the towel. The end came officially at 2:12 of the third, allowing Abell (32-9, 30 KOs) to continue fighting. He had hinted at retirement if the Miami fighter beat him.
Junior lightweight Leduan Barthelemy, younger brother of Rances Barthelemy, scored a second-round TKO with a tick left on the clock after he knocked down Mexico’s Rafael Eduardo Reyes. When the right upstairs dropped Reyes (7-8, 6 KOs), he appeared to have twisted his right ankle while he fell, though he complained that his left ankle was injured. The fight was stopped at that point, giving Cuban native Barthelemy (10-0, 6 KOs) the anticlimactic win.
In the opening bout of the telecast, heavyweight prospect Stephan Shaw remained unbeaten by outpointing Danny Kelly in the opening bout of the telecast. Shaw (7-0, 5 KOs) utilized a superb jab from the outset and out-boxed his foe for six rounds, winning nearly all of them against the DC-based pugilist. In the end, the St. Louis fighter triumphed over Kelly (9-3-1, 8 KOs) via tallies of 59-55 and 60-54 (twice).