Stephan Shaw remains undefeated in a measured outing versus Joey Dawejko in his Top Rank debut in ESPN+ main event from Tulsa, Okla.
Olympian Bruce Carrington earns spectacular second round knockout against Steven Brown in Featherweight action
TULSA, OKLAHOMA (January 29, 2022) — Stephan “Big Shot” Shaw entered the ring at a stunningly low 234.8 pounds. Joey Dawejko stood in the opposite corner.
Shaw patiently worked from outside. His length served him well as he scored easily with his lead hand – jabs to both the head and body. Dawejko closed the distance a couple times. Shaw flirted with some check hooks. In a brief moment of confusion Shaw stepped forward and landed a right hand.
Shaw’s output increased early in Round 2. He threw a flurry of shots that forced Dawejko into the ropes. Afterwards the shorter Philadelphia, Penn. native regrouped. Shaw moved back outside to operate comfortably in space. Dawejko followed him and looked to make contact where possible.
Dawejko continued to pursue Shaw in Round 3. He feinted and looked for openings when within range, but Shaw remained elusive. Neither man accomplished much in the round.
Shaw remained on the bounce through most of the fourth round. He kept some leather in Dawejko’s face. The St. Louis Heavyweight continued to be content with scoring and limiting meaningful responses from his opponent.
The action didn’t pick up much more in Round 5. Shaw flicked his jab to control matters. Dawejko managed to do little to narrow the scoring gap.
Shaw spent the opening minute of Round 6 in the southpaw stance. He switched back to orthodox for the final 120 seconds and chopped away at the Pennsylvanian. When Shaw did try to land chopping right hands, he landed slightly off target with the area beneath his thumb. Dawejko spent several instances engaging with the referee.
Early in Round 7 Shaw seemed to respond to his chief second’s insistence that Dawejko’s chatter with the referee was a signal that he was ready to go. The action slowed back down by the second minute. Shaw settled for more scoring against little resistance.
Leading into the eight and final round, Dawejko’s corner spent most of the minute discussing whether to stop the fight. The fighter had the final say and the action continued. Shaw pressed forward with a variety of shots. Dawejko survived.
Shaw’s early urgency resulted in enough landed power punches for Dawejko’s corner to instruct referee Gerald Ritter to step in and halt the fighters for the final time. The official decision was a technical knockout at 1:04.
Whether or not Shaw’s performance met expectations with his Top Rank debut, his record improved to 16-0 with his 12th stoppage. The 6-foot 4-inch 29-year old remains undefeated in a Heavyweight division with some relatively decent depth.
The broadcast’s other Heavyweight, Jeremiah Milton (4-0, 4 KOs), entered the ring to cheers from his hometown Tulsa, Okla. fans to face Dell Long (7-10-2, 4 KOs).
Milton bounced around lightly on his feet working his jab initially, but added the right hand quickly. The right hands visibly affected Long, and Milton’s finishing left hook landed flush to score the bout’s first knockdown.
Long gathered himself, beat the count and fought on but his unsteady condition motivated Milton. The Tulsa native attacked patiently, set up his offense with some foot and body feints before unleashing a short flurry that Long backed away from before going down to the canvas.
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The referee waved the fight off, wisely realizing that Long wouldn’t be able to mount any kind of comeback and reverse his fortune.
Bruce Carrington (2-0, 1 KO) versus Steven Brown (1-1, 1 KO)
Olympian Bruce “Shu-Shu” Carrington, 24-years old, showcased a lot of tools quickly versus Steven Brown. He pressed Brown, landing a number of thudding right hands up top, and also mixed in some punishing body work. Brown weathered the storm as the gap in class started to become apparent.
Carrington’s uppercuts from the first frame returned in Round 2. Brown met the Olympian center-ring and tried to reestablish himself in the fight. This decision put him in danger, and Carrington pushed forward behind his jab. Encouraged by being able to land at will, Carrington walked to Brown and fired a crushing right hand that sent Brown off balance and through the top two ropes. As he came back inside the ring the young Brooklyn, New York based tactician unloaded a crushing left hook, left uppercut and left hook combination that left Brown crumpled in a neutral corner.
Carrington picked up his second victory with the first stoppage of his young career.
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All photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images
