Boxing Challenge: Kowacki outworks Arreola, Pascal stuns Browne

The largest part of the boxing weekend was brought to you by PBC on Fox from their unofficial home base at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, and entering the evening, the card looked very much like a less than stellar set of fights.
Instead, PBC provided a pretty strong evening of fun boxing and left me wishing that they would offer more nights like this in the future.

In the main event, heavyweight Adam Kownacki took a unanimous decision over Chris Arreola to continue his movement towards what might eventually see Kownacki face Deontay Wilder for Wilder's WBC title.
The fight was filled with more action in the first half of the fight than in the latter, but each fighter landed plenty in a fight that the Fox broadcast stated that records were set for punches thrown and landed for a heavyweight fight.
Neither fighter used a lot of movement, but it was Kownacki landing the bigger shots and forced the veteran Arreola backward for most of the fights.
There were no knockdowns scored and the first seven to eight rounds had toe to toe exchanges that had the crowd roaring with approval.
I wouldn't rate this as an all-time classic, but it was an excellent fight and any fight fan had to enjoy this one with a possible rematch being worth signing.
With that said, I wouldn't be against this fight standing alone either as PBC is building Kownacki as a future opponent for Wilder, yet his limitations could get him defeated in any fight and possibly blow a big crowd in Brooklyn for Kownacki, who lives in the area.
At the same time, as well as Arreola fought, it is also possible that this was the last stand for the veteran from California and a rematch could see a lopsided win for Kownacki.

The semi-main event between Marcus Browne and Jean Pascal for one of those pesky minor WBA belts looked to be all in the corner of Browne, who dominated the 36-year-old former champion for five of the completed seven rounds and looked the part of the best PBC light heavyweight as he fought for the first time since dominating Badou Jack earlier this year.
The problem was that Browne's chin considered a question since being knocked down twice by Radivoje Kalajdzic in an even more questionable split decision win, couldn't hold up as Pascal knocked Browne down in the fourth and twice more in the seventh with the bell perhaps saving Browne.
With the bout even on my card, Pascal jumped on Browne to start the eighth round and during that flurry, a clash of heads opened a horrendous cut over Browne's left eye and resulted in the fight being stopped shortly thereafter.
The decision by Pascal to attack resulted in his winning the fight, as the partially completed round still had to be scored and with Pascal winning that round on all cards, resulted in his winning the fight via the unanimous decision.
The fight screams for a rematch and with the dearth of PBC contenders in the division makes it likely to happen.
For Browne, it not only was his first loss, but it also showed his vulnerability to right hands as Pascal isn't known as a big puncher as he had never scored a knockout over a top ten contender in his career and makes one wonder how Browne would fare against a really big hitter.
For Pascal, who fought surprisingly well, the win should give him another payday or two as his career winds down and with luck, perhaps a few more.

The opening fight saw another upset as middleweight Wale Omotoso crushed former middleweight title challenger Curtis Stevens in three rounds.
Stevens, who has made his career in beating fringe contenders outside the top ten, attacked in his normal manner, but was knocked down once in the first and twice in the second, appearing to be in big trouble in round two.
Stevens came out strong in the third and seemed to be Omotoso hurt and prepared for a come from behind victory before Omotoso dropped Stevens to end the fight after Stevens just barely rose and the referee ended the fight.
Stevens should likely retire and Omotoso will remain a fringe contender in the middleweights.
Considering the spectacular win, I would not be at all surprised to see Omotoso in against WBC champion Jermall Charlo, with the weak condition of 160 pounders on the PBC side.

The other challenge fight is one that I have not seen yet as featherweight prospect Michael Conlan stopped Diego Antonio Ruiz in the ninth round.

In the boxing challenge, I outscored Ramon Malpica 2 to 1 to move my lead to 200-174

Lemieux crunches Stevens-Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica and I each earned four points over the weekend in the boxing challenge on a three fight weekend.
I lead the challenge 26-24..

On the HBO stage,fight fans were thrilled and bored on the two fight card.

The thrills came from the expected slugfest between middleweight bombers David Lemieux and Curtis Stevens.
For two and a half rounds,it was all you could want from a fight until Lemieux shook off a Stevens right hand and replied with a left hook that nearly sent Stevens out of the ring and did send him down and out cold in the third round.
Stevens was carried out of the ring on a stretcher and taken to the hospital,where his test results were fine.
What a fight and Lemieux's hook has given his stoppage the lead for knockout of the year.
This KO was so vicious that it is going to be very difficult for Stevens to retain contending status and he may never be the same fighter again.
As far Lemieux,he might have made himself the likely opponent for Canelo Alvarez,assuming Alvarez defeats Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and would wish for another fight before (Or instead of) Gennady Golovkin.
Ramon and I each scored two points for the Lemieux knockout.

Ramon and I each scored a point for the tedious comeback win of Yuriorkis Gamboa,who was reluctant to engage against journeyman Rene Alvarado on his way to a unanimous decision win.
Alvarado scored a flash knockdown on Gamboa in the 10th in the only remotely interesting portion of the fight.
I scored Gamboa a 97-92 winner.

In a non-televised junior middleweight fight from Germany,Demetrius Andrade started quickly,slowed in the middle before hitting the gas late and winning a split decision over Jack Culcay for a lesser title.
The judge that scored the bout for Culcay must have been asleep or scored the fight before it started.
Simply an atrocious scorecard.
Andrade might be the best talent in the division,if he would just fight more often.
The win sets Andrade up for as the mandatory contender for WBA champion Erislandy Lara.
I had Andrade a 117-111 winner and Ramon and I each added one point in the challenge.

I'll be talking about these three fights and a preview of Gennady Golovkin-Daniel Jacobs next weekend on Monday night in the latest edition of Fightheads....