Ismayl Sillakh gave boxing enthusiasts reason to believe that he’s an elite rising star following an impressive beatdown of highly regarded Yordanis Despaigne in the main event of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights from the Jostens Center in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
Sillakh violently decked Despaigne with a huge right hand shortly before the bell to end the second and was mostly in control from that point forward. The California based Ukrainian displayed excellent punching power, good ring smarts, precise timing and solid footwork, making it difficult for Despaigne to develop a rhythm.
Bloodied, bruised and battered over both eyes midway through the contest, Despaigne had a few moments of success however he was unable to surmount a consistent attack. Perhaps looking to end the show early, Sillakh finished the bout by landing hard shots in the final two rounds, but the knockout never came.
Scores were 98-91 twice and 99-90. 15rounds also scored the bout 99-90.
Sillakh improves to 15-0 with 12 KO’s and is clearly a fighter to keep an eye on. Despaigne, of Coral Gables, FL by way of Cuba, slips to 8-1 (4 KO’s).
In a bout between two fighters that appeared many weight classes apart, junior welterweight contender Ray “The Emperor” Narh shutout former featherweight titlist Freddie Norwood over ten one-sided rounds. The tall and lanky Narh dominated the bout from start to finish and was the only fighter that landed meaningful punches. Outgunned, out of shape, over the hill, and looking to survive, Norwood reverted to dirty tactics and lost two points in the ninth for hitting behind the head.
Scores were 100-88 twice and 99-89.
Narh, of Pittsburgh, PA via the fighting city of Accra, Ghana, improves to 25-1 (21 KO’s). Norwood, a St. Louis, MO native who defeated future great Juan Manuel Marquez in 1999, falls to 43-4 (23 KO’s) and would be wise to call it quits.
