Uncasville, CT – Elijah Pierce established himself as a legitimate contender in the super bantamweight division Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in what was undoubtedly the biggest win of his career.
Headlining CES Boxing’s Championship Jackpot card on Spectation Sports, Pierce struck gold with a unanimous decision win over former world-title contender Tramaine Williams in the 10-round main event to capture the vacant WBC Silver Super Bantamweight Championship – a title Pierce held last October until he was stripped by the WBC for failing to defend the crown.
This time, Pierce (17-2) figures to be more active as he attempts to parlay last night’s win into a major opportunity in the 122-pound weight class. Williams (20-2), the 30-year-old New Haven, CT, native and hometown hero in last night’s main event, heads back to the drawing board after what turned out to be a nightmarish weekend in and out the find; Williams missed weight on Friday and was subsequently denied the opportunity for the belt, then got overwhelmed in the middle rounds Saturday, leading to just the second loss of his pro career.
Pierce, the Oklahoma City native who’s promoted by ex-fighter Tony Jeter, fell behind early on the scorecards as Williams used his speed and aggressiveness to swipe the first three rounds. Then Pierce’s size and strength took over. At 5-foot-8, Pierce is a much bigger super bantamweight than most of his peers. Williams, by comparison, is only 5-4, and that difference in height made the difference in the middle rounds once Pierce developed his rhythm. The taller, stronger Pierce – he entered the fight with 14 knockout wins in 18 pro bouts – simply walked down Williams rounds 4, 5, 6, and 7, backing Williams against the ropes and unloading with effective two- and three-punch combinations.
Williams rebounded nicely toward the end of round 8, but couldn’t build on the momentum over the final two rounds. Pierce was simply too strong and too dominant down the stretch.
In the co-main event, Stamford, CT, super welterweight Chordale Booker (19-1, 8 KOs) brought home the vacant WBC USNBC title with a fourth-round knockout win over Ghana native Daniel Aduku (15-3-1), knocking Aduku face-first through the ropes with a stiff left hand that prompted referee Johnny Callas to stop the bout. After suffering his first career loss in April of 2022, Booker has now won back-to-back fights and earned his first title in last night’s co-feature
Also at Championship Jackpot, Springfield, MA, super welter Anthony Velazquez (12-0-1) fought to a majority draw with Rashid Stevens (6-1-2) of Gardena, CA, and Texan Dominique Griffin (5-3-2) scored a unanimous decision upset win over previously-unbeaten super bantamweight Carlos Venagas Nunez (6-1) of Port Chester, NY, who was making his CES debut.
Fast-rising super lightweight prospect Mike Kimbel (2-0, 2 KOs) of Waterbury, CT, continued to tear through the region, knocking out Pawtucket, RI, native Dahvon Shelton (1-2) with a hard overhand right in the first round of their scheduled four-round bout. Kimbel is now 3-0 in 2023, including a win in mixed martial arts at CES 72 in March.
Welterweight Stevie Jane Coleman (5-1, 2 KOs) of Columbia, CT, won her fifth consecutive fight via first-round knockout when Sarah Click (1-4-1) of Bourne, MA, was unable to continue due to a leg injury and Poland’s Slawomir Bohdziewicz (1-0, 1 KO), who now lives and trains in Stamford, won his pro debut with a second-round knockout win over debut Max Weslei Da Silva (0-1). For more information, follow CES Boxing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @CESBOXING.
INFORMATION
CES Boxing is one of the top promotions in the northeast and one of the few to successfully promote both mixed martial arts and professional boxing. Launched in 1992 by longtime boxing judge Jimmy Burchfield Sr., the promotion is the only in professional boxing to boast two reigning WBC Youth world champions in lightweight Jamaine Ortiz and featherweight Irvin Gonzalez. CES Boxing recently teamed with UFC FIGHT PASS, the world’s No. 1 streaming platform for combat sports, to showcase its events to a worldwide audience, and worked as a promotional consultant for the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. pay-per-view event in November of 2020. Mohegan Sun Arena is one of the busiest Arenas in the United States and is ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena finished 2021 with its first "#1 Indoor Arena" ranking for its capacity in the world according to Pollstar and VenuesNow, ranked among the top 10 venues in the United States regardless of size based on ticket sales, and was named "2021 Innovator of the Year" by Celebrity Access for its ViacomCBS residency. In recent years, the award-winning venue has also been the "#1 Casino Venue in the World," "#1 Social Media Venue in the World" and a seven-time national award winner for "Casino of the Year – Arena" by the Academy of Country Music. For more information on concerts and other great events, visit MoheganSun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
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