Haney Impresses/Mattice And Hamazaryan Battle To A Draw

In a rematch that settled little in the end, undefeated Thomas Mattice (13-0-1, 10 KOs) and Zhora Hamazaryan (9-1-1, 6 KOs) fought to a split draw in the Showtime televised co-feature. The judges scored the fight 77-75 in favor of Mattice, 77-75 in favor of Hamazaryan and 76-76.

Just like in the first fight won by Mattice via split decision, Hamazaryan won the statistical battle although this time the fight was much closer than the first one. Hamazaryan led 150-93 in total connects and was the more active fighter with 525 total punches compared to Mattice’s 305.

“It was a great fight,” Mattice said. “I felt I won the last three rounds including the last one. I think I did enough to get the win but I respect the judges’ decision. I thought I won by one point.”

Mattice had solid third and seventh rounds in a fight that was moved to super middleweight after Mattice failed to make the 135-pound limit Thursday.

Hamazaryan, of Los Angeles by way of Armenia, said he was thankful for the opportunity to get the rematch from Mattice. “I don’t agree with everything that happened tonight,” he said. “I’ve been fighting for a long time. I’m tough on myself. Perhaps I didn’t do enough to get the win. I’ll have to make some adjustments.”

Both fighters said they would entertain a rematch to settle the score once and for all. “With pleasure I’ll fight him again anytime,” Hamazaryan said. “I’ll give him the rematch before the end of the year. Let’s do it, Canelo-GGG style.”

Added Mattice: “I fought really hard. He wanted a rematch. I gave him a rematch. I think it was a really good fight. I went in, did my job and we’ve got a draw. If he wants a rematch, I’ll talk to my team. It’s up to them ultimately. We’ll go back to the drawing board and see what’s next.”

In the telecast opener, Cem Kilic (12-0, 7 KOs) remained undefeated winning a unanimous decision over DeAndre Ware (12-1-2, 8 KOs) in a two-way war that saw 1,418 punches thrown and 494 total connects recorded. The scores were 78-74 79-73 twice.

Los Angeles-area resident Kilic, who grew up in Germany and is of Turkish descent, averaged 91.8 total connects per round compared to Ware at 85.5. Kilic’s dedicated body attack made the difference as he led 108-48 in that category.

“I thought tonight’s performance was one of my best,” said Kilic, 24. “He gave me eight hard rounds and a shout out to him. He’s a very good fighter with good skills. It was always a dream for me to be fighting on Showtime as I watched other great fighters before me. I never thought that one day I’d be fighting on this network. I wanted to make my dream come true and it happened tonight.”

Kilic impressive four, five and six-punch combinations, strong jabs and consistent left hook were on full display. Round one alone produced a total of 228 punches and 79 combined punches landed.

The 30-year-old Ware is a Toldeo, Ohio, firefighter who took the fight on two weeks’ notice. “I thought I did enough to win the fight, but no excuses,” Ware said. “It comes with the territory and know I have to work harder in the gym. I hope Showtime gives me another opportunity, and I hope all the fans enjoyed it.”