Olympic silver medalist Ben Whittaker celebrates a dominant TKO victory in Brooklyn, while Emiliano Vargas knocks out Bryce Mills on the Ennis-Zayas undercard
English light heavyweight prospect Ben Whittaker put on an impressive performance during his U.S. debut last night. The Brit fought on the undercard of the Jaron Ennis vs. Xander Zayas bout at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The 2020 Olympic silver medalist made short work of Richard Rivera, stopping the 35-year-old American within two rounds.
Whittaker (12-0-1, 9 KOs) sent Rivera (27-3, 20 KOs) to the canvas at the end of the first round with a short, precise right straight to the head. Although Rivera got back to his feet quickly and didn’t seem to be seriously shaken by the knockdown, that first knockdown was already a clear sign of how the rest of the fight would unfold.
At the start of the second round, Rivera was sent to the canvas again after taking a left hook at close range. Although the American was back on his feet quickly this time as well, it’s debatable whether the referee stopped the fight too soon. Even though Rivera was standing, the referee called off the bout and declared Whittaker the winner by technical knockout.
On the undercard as well, Emiliano Vargas made a big impression in the super lightweight division, stopping Bryce Mills within four rounds.
Mills (22-2, 9 KOs) hit the canvas for the first time in the third round after a quick right hand from close range by Vargas (18-0, 15 KOs). He quickly got back to his feet and began counting along with the referee.
In the fourth round, Vargas sent his opponent to the canvas once again with a straight left to the chin. Mills got back to his feet quickly and was given the opportunity by the referee to continue fighting. Vargas immediately followed up with a flurry of punches, prompting the referee to intervene and stop the fight. With that, Vargas secured a somewhat controversial TKO victory.