Janibek Alimkhanuly dominates Vincenzo Gualtieri

Janibek Alimkhanuly dominates Vincenzo Gualtieri

In front of a boisterous Kazakhstani contingent, Janibek Alimkhanuly added another belt to his collection with a dominating performance against German-Italian Vincenzo Gualtieri. This was the first sporting event of the Fort Bend Epicenter just out of Houston, Texas. Fort Bend County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, and the sparkling new arena didn’t have a speck of dust for opening night.

To coronate the occasion, “Qazak Style” put on a show of accuracy, speed, and power in front of a crowd that traded thundering chants of “Zhanibek” and “Vincenzo.” Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KO) looked very good under new trainer Brian Viloria, a former world champion. His performance was the epitome of a boxer that doesn’t waste punches. However, the punches he did throw had an impact. In each round, he had a strong, memorable moment. In the first round, Alimkhanuly made Gualtieri (21-1-1, 7 KO) stumble with a strong left. In the second round, an uppercut made the crowd ooh and aah. In round 3, a 1-2 caught the attention of Gualtieri. The thudding power of Alimkhanuly’s punches could be felt at ringside, but it was the speed and accuracy that gave Gualtieri issues, as he simply could not see the punches coming. In Round 4, Alimkhanuly landed a series of double-digit hard jabs to show off his boxing prowess. In round 5, a counter uppercut hurt Gualtieri. Gualtieri finally landed a few strong punches in round 6, but all this did was wake up the bear as another uppercut sent Gualtieri reeling. Referee David Fields almost stopped the fight but seemed to change his mind halfway, an odd uncertainty from a veteran referee. However, another strafing combination along the ropes from Alimkhanuly confirmed his instinct and the bout was stopped after one minute and twenty-five seconds passed in the round. 

In the co-feature bout, Olympian Keyshawn Davis faced a spirited challenge from a determined Nahir Albright. Albright spoke in the press conference of his expectation to win, and his performance showed he meant his words, as he did not come to simply collect a paycheck like opponents sometimes do. In a chess match, Davis (10-0, 6 KO) picked his spots, but Albright (16-3, 7 KO) used deft head movement and speed to land punches of his own. At the end of round eight, they both traded hard right hands in the closing seconds, the first time Davis has been hit hard in his professional career. Going into the tenth and final round, Albright’s corner told him to let loose, and towards the end of the round, he did as he forced Davis into a firefight. His performance impressed one judge enough to call it a draw 95-95, but the other two overruled with scores of 96-94 and 97-93.

Davis’s fellow Olympian, Richard Torrez (7-0, 7 KO), overwhelmed Tyrell Herndon (21-5, 14 KO) and stopped him in just the second round after a performance that can simply be described as a barrage. Torrez has the look of a seventies disco icon but has the strength and energy of a young man of any era. His herky jerky motion and nonstop energy will give any opponent problems, as he continues to grow. Torrez is now

Yet another Olympian, Guido Vianello of Italy out hustled crafty veteran Curtis Harper over eight rounds to score a 80-72, 79-73 (x 2) unanimous decision. Vianello (11-1-1, 9 KO) was coming off a stoppage on cuts, so was cautious against Harper (14-10, 9 KO). Harper, infamously known for walking out of the ring against Efe Ajagba years ago, appeared out of condition but caught his wind in the fourth round and had good enough defense to last the distance. In the sixth, he even hurt Vianello with a left hook. Alas, that was his highlight for the bout, as Vianello landed enough counters while circling to win the bout. 

Giving the card a local flavor was Giovanni Marquez, son of world champion and Olympian Raul Marquez. He faced veteran Donte Strayhorn, who hails from Dallas, just a few hundred miles up interstate 45. Strayhorn had just held another undefeated prospect to a draw three months earlier, so he was considered a good test for Marquez. This showed immediately as they both showed flashes of brilliance in the first round. In the second round, they again traded body punches but an uppercut from Marquez (7-0, 5 KO) sent Strayhorn (12-5-1, 4 KO) to the canvas, and a follow-up barrage against the ropes forced the referee to stop the bout at two minutes, forty-seven seconds of just the second round. Managed by power broker David McWater, Giovanni seems to be the son of “El Diamante” who has the most potential for professional success.