Last-minute Lipinets steps in and dominates Figueroa to put himself back into title picture
From early undercard participant to main event show-stealer, Sergey Lipinets capitalized on the upgrade of opponent and fight slot.
Lipinets scored a technical knockout victory over Omar Figueroa Jr. in the showcase bout of a boxing card late Saturday at Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood.
A former super-lightweight champion, Lipinets overwhelmed Figueroa with punishing power shots throughout the bout. The punch buildup and Lipinets’ lopsided advantage on the scorecards prompted Figueroa’s trainer and father, Omar Sr., to stop the match at the end of the eighth round.
“I had a good fighter in front of me,” Lipinets said. “My hat’s off to Omar for being a warrior.”
Lipinets originally was scheduled to face Carlos Manuel Portillo in Saturday’s show. The bout was not even accommodated for the card’s televised segment of the Showtime network’s broadcast.
However, Lipinet’s fate changed after Adrien Broner, Figueroa’s original opponent, withdrew five days before the fight. Lipinets became the late replacement. Elevated in the card’s billing, Lipinets, 33, proved he is ready for another title opportunity.
Lipinets (17-2-1, 13 KOs) set the tone to his dominant performance, when he floored Figueroa (28-3-1) with a right to the head in the second round.
Before the fight, Figueroa welcomed Lipinets’ aggression but couldn’t respond to the native of Kazakhstan’s arsenal. Lipinets outscored Figueroa 172-44 in landed shots, according to punch stats. Two judges had Lipinets ahead 80-71 and the third had it 79-72 at the fight’s stoppage.
“I was too focused on protecting myself,” Lipinets said. “I was concerned about him answering my punches, but it was not my job to stop the fight.”
Figueroa, 32, lost his third consecutive bout and immediately announced his retirement. The native of Weslaco, Texas, and ex-lightweight titleholder admitted to his problems with mental illness in the lead-up to Saturday’s fight.
“My body has reached its limit,” Figueroa said. “I’ve been doing this for 27 years, and my body has finally said enough. I’m just sorry I’ve disappointed the fans.
“The change of opponents didn’t affect me. Lipinets was tough, he’s a tough fighter. He’s really strong and he came to fight. My body just didn’t respond.”
Earlier, Hector Garcia defeated defending champion Roger Gutierrez by unanimous decision and captured the WBA super-featherweight title. A native of the Dominican Republic, Garcia (16-0) was the busier fighter throughout the first half of the bout, frustrating Gutierrez (26-4-1) with combinations.
The huge early advantage enabled Garcia to win on two judges’ scorecards 117-111 and 118-110 on the third.
Garcia’s compatriot Alberto Puello won the vacant WBA super-lightweight belt with a split decision victory over Batyr Akhmedov. Two judges scored the fight for Puello 117-111, while the third had Akhmedov winning 115-113.
In other bouts: Miami heavyweight Lenier Pero knocked out Joel Caudle in the first round; super-lightweight Brandun Lee won by unanimous decision over Will Madera; super-featherweight Francisco Pedroza won by unanimous decision over Rau’shee Warren; super-lightweight Ismael Barroso knocked out Fernando Saucedo in the fourth round; Fiodor Czerkaszyn scored a fourth-round TKO over Gilbert Venegas; light-heavyweight Abif Oberlton won by unanimous decision over Robert Burwell.