Mathieu controlled much of the contest with his speed, movement and sharp combinations, though Falcao enjoyed moments of success with his southpaw attack during the middle rounds. The former world title challenger remained competitive, but Mathieu’s youth and activity gradually took over.
The finish came late in the eighth round when Mathieu landed a left hook before following up with a sustained assault that dropped Falcao. Although the Brazilian beat the count, referee Steve St-Germain brought the fight to a halt at the conclusion of the round.
Falcao fell to 32-3 (21 KOs), while Mathieu added another notable name to his growing résumé as he continues to climb the super middleweight ranks.
In the co-feature, Mehmet Unal remained unbeaten after battling Yoann Kongolo to a majority draw in their ten-round light heavyweight contest. Kongolo often landed the heavier punches, while Unal’s higher work rate kept the fight close throughout. The judges returned scores of 96-94 for Kongolo and two identical cards of 95-95.
Moreno Fendero also preserved his undefeated record, stopping Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz in the eighth round of their super middleweight bout. Fendero dictated the action behind a steady jab and scored a knockdown in the sixth before referee Martin Forest intervened after Gonzalez-Ortiz absorbed a series of unanswered punches.
Former world title challenger Leila Beaudoin captured the WBA interim title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Paulina Angel. Despite suffering a cut from an accidental clash of heads in the second round, Beaudoin controlled the action throughout, earning three identical scores of 100-90.
Thomas Chabot claimed the vacant WBC Continental Americas featherweight title with a majority decision victory over Jose Antonio Sampedro in one of the night’s most entertaining encounters. Chabot weathered a spirited challenge from the Mexican before securing the decision by scores of 95-95, 96-94 and 97-93.
Elsewhere on the card, Erik Israqyelyan improved to 6-0 (4 KOs) with a first-round stoppage of Johan Guzman. Israqyelyan scored two knockdowns before the bout was waved off at 2:51 of the opening round.
Jordan Dzaba closed the evening’s action by earning a majority decision victory over Daylen Pepin in a four-round lightweight contest. After surviving a difficult opening round, Dzaba’s aggression proved decisive as he picked up his third consecutive win.
Read the full article here