Ephraim Bui Scores Highly Controversial Unanimous Decision Victory Over Yusniel Abrahante in Co-Main Event on DAZN
HOUSTON, Texas – September 6, 2024 – In a battle of undefeated welterweight prospects, Thanjhae "The Tiger" Teasley (11-0, 5 KOs) overcame an early knockdown to score an impressive eighth-round TKO victory over Selassie "Bang" Bey (8-1, 8 KOs) in a thrilling back-and-forth bout on Friday night in the main event of Red Owl Boxing's BOXFEST X on DAZN from the "Owl's Nest" in Houston.
The 26-year-old Bey, fighting out of Louisville, KY, started strong, pressing the action and landing powerful shots before sending Teasley to the canvas with a vicious right hand in Round 2.
"I learned a lot," Teasley said following the fight. "I learned how to stay disciplined. No matter how loose I get in the ring, I have to be careful. As we know, Bey is a hard puncher. No disrespect, I have felt harder punches. He just caught me with a really good shot and I lost my balance."
Bey then landed a big left hook in the third round, but Teasley remained composed, beginning to battle back and landing combinations of his own. Then in the fourth frame, "The Tiger" turned the tide in a massive way, seemingly hurting Bey towards the end of the round and overwhelming him with a barrage of shots.
The 25-year-old Teasley, a two-year pro, took control from there, throwing with more volume and picking Bey apart with combinations before sending him to the canvas in the sixth round as a result of a combination followed by a solid right hand.
"The Tiger" continued to push the pace in the seventh round, bloodying Bey and overwhelming him with a relentless attack. This proved to be the beginning of the end, as Teasley poured it on a tired and worn down Bey, battering him with combinations and knocking him down in the final round of the fight, forcing the referee to halt the action.
"I am grateful for this opportunity and I can't wait to get back in the ring," Teasley added. "We're gonna go back, go back with my team, figure out what's gonna go next, and whatever happens from there, happens from there, but just know, you're gonna see me again."
In the co-main event of the evening, 24-year-old Ephraim Bui (10-0, 8 KOs) scored a highly controversial unanimous decision (77-74, 77-74, 79-73) victory over four-time Cuban Amateur National Champion Yusniel Abrahante (6-2, 1 KOs) in a super flyweight bout.
The fight was fought at a furious pace from the opening bell with both men coming out firing and landing big shots over the course of the opening rounds.
As the fight moved into the middle rounds, both men continued to land, but it appeared as if the 23-year-old Abrahante was getting the better of the action, overwhelming Bui with high-level footwork and pressure and making it a rough and rugged fight.
In the eighth-round, Bui, who was coming off a triumphant knockout victory over Ernie Cuevas at BOXFEST IX in May, was awarded a knockdown when Abrahnate hit the canvas, although it was a controversial call at best. The Cuban quickly went back on the attack after the knockdown, throwing and landing a high volume of shots and seemingly closing out a victory as the final bell sounded.
In the end, however, it was Bui, who to his credit remained durable and continued to land powerful shots of his own at an impressive rate, the judges felt deserved the nod.
Also on the main card, 21-year-old Elijah "The Bully" Williams (9-1, 3KOs) picked up his third-straight victory, securing a majority decision (57-57, 59-55, 58-56) victory over Najeem Johns (5-1, 4 KOs) in the second bout of the Shadow FightGoods four-man 140-pound tournament, earning his place in the finals.
Following a quiet first round, the action took a turn in round two after an accidental clash of heads left both men cut and bloodied. Williams, a native of Newburgh, New York, seemed to pick up the pace after the clash of heads, however, pressing the action and landing some solid shots to close out the round.
"When I see blood, it makes me want to go," Williams said in the ring following the bout. "Definitely, when I got cut, it made me want to push my foot on the gas."
As the rounds went on, Williams continued to push the pace, working behind a strong jab and varying up his attack as he looked for openings. The 28-year-old Johns, who seemed to be hindered by the cut on his forehead, continuously looked to counterpunch, but never seemed to mount much of a sustained attack, ultimately leading him to fall short on the judges' scorecards.
Looking ahead, "The Bully" now has his sights set on winning the Shadow FightGoods tournament in November.
"It feels amazing," Williams said. "To be back here on DAZN again and definitely, fighting in my first tournament. So, it feels good."
Earlier on DAZN, 26-year-old Dion "Primetime" Jones (7-0, 6 KOs) scored a split-decision victory over Randy Zazueta Medina (4-1, 2 KOs) in the opening bout of the four-man Shadow FightGoods 140-pound tournament.
"Little disappointed [that] I didn't get the knockout, but he came in real tough, so hats off to him," Jones said following the bout. "It feels good to always walk away with a victory."
After a closely contested opening two rounds that saw both men find success, Jones, a native of Las Vegas and a sparring partner of rising contender Curmel Moton, pulled away a bit in the third, rocking Medina with a powerful left hook followed by a strong right hand.
Despite being at a height disadvantage, Jones, trained by Jeff Mayweather, the uncle of the legendary Floyd "Money" Mayweather, proved to be the faster and more athletic fighter, and continued to find a home for big shots as the round came to a close.
"Just being in The Mayweather Gym, you get all kinds of top level sparring, so I was prepared for this today," Jones said. "You got the best fighters in the world all come over to The Mayweather Gym to get some sparring in, so I was prepared for this."
Over the course of the final three rounds, "Primetime" stuck to his gameplan, switching stances and mixing up his attack to the head and body, while landing a few more noteworthy left hooks. The 22-year-old Medina, who also fights out of Las Vegas, remained tough, continuously pressing forward, looking for openings, and even landing a few shots of his own, but in the end it wasn't enough as Jones walked away the victor.
Jones will now take on Williams in the finals of the Shadow FightGoods 140-pound tournament at the "Owl's Nest" in November.
"Oh that's gonna be action-packed," Jones said. "If you're here today, be back in November. It's gonna be a hell of a fight."
Opening up the main card on DAZN, 20-year-old Lyndon Patricio (1-0, 1 KO) made quick work of Corian Hawkins-Powell (0-2), scoring two knockdowns before forcing referee Alejandro Leon to stop the action, earning a first-round TKO victory.
"Very excited," Patricio said in the ring following the bout. "Waited a long time for this one. [I had] a lot of setbacks throughout this year, but we got it done."
Coming out firing, Patricio, a native of Waianae, Hawaii, quickly put Powell on the back foot and began landing heavy shots to the head and body. After briefly dropping Powell once, "The Lion" put his opponent down again following a vicious attack to the body. Patricio then pressured Powell into the corner and began unloading a barrage of unanswered shots, leading to the stoppage victory.
Calling all the action from Houston was two-time world champion Shawn Porter, who serves as expert analyst for Red Owl Boxing's BOX FEST series, joined by blow-by-blow commentator Corey Erdman who has called fights around the world ranging from professional debuts to world title fights. Veteran ring announcer Lupe Contreras handled all in-ring duties while Sofia Gutierrez provided viewers at home with real-time insights as Red Owl Boxing's roving reporter.
Tonight's full five-fight telecast will be available to watch on-demand on DAZN with subscription.
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