LAS VEGAS: Ohara Davies aimed to impress in his Golden Boy Promotions debut Saturday at the swaggy Virgin Hotels, an off-strip property in Las Vegas.
But, on a week in which Golden Boy boss Oscar de la Hoya announced grand plans to enhance the boxing landscape in the city, and in the wider US, Davies endured one of the most disastrous US debuts from a foreign fighter — perhaps ever.
Against Ismael Barroso it could not have gone any worse for the Londoner.
Barroso dropped Davies with a left hook, one in which he tried to bounce back up from the floor. But he never truly recovered.
The fight should have been waved off there and then but the referee gave Davies another chance to show something, anything.
But Davies didn't even have the ring IQ to buy some time — to spit the mouth piece out, to grab and hold, to take a knee.
Barroso showed no mercy as he battered Davies around the ring and dropped him once again, forcing the referee to administer another count. This time, though, it was one he wasn't allowed to continue from. It was all over.
Ismael Barroso bulldozes Ohara Davies 😲@VergilOrtiz returns to the ring NEXT on https://t.co/FoiaUucafv 🥊#OrtizLawson pic.twitter.com/hy97Fn6dQF
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 7, 2024
When Anthony Joshua made his US debut, he at least floored Andy Ruiz Jr. — and, at least, landed shots.
Davies, in contrast, failed to land anything. Per Compubox data sent to ProBox TV, Davies landed 0 shots from 9 thrown, with Barroso landing 8 from 14 — two of which resulted in knockdowns.
Davies' compatriot Amir Khan showed a route back to success after getting destroyed in a single round when he lost in stunning fashion to Breidis Prescott. And the only way Davies can really save face and make his Golden Boy career a good one is if he shows similar fortitude, winning ability, to climb back to the rankings.
Earlier in the show, Raul Curiel administered a beating during his welterweight bout against Elias Diaz, knocking the Californian fighter out in the eighth round.
One of Curiel's best moments came in the fifth when he countered Diaz's left hook with a hard straight right of his own. Bang. Down went Diaz.
The 29-year-old got to his feet to carry on, but the ending came a few rounds later, when Curiel, mid-flurry, caught Diaz with a chin-checking uppercut, continued to throw more shots, but a hook forced the referee to step in and wave the contest off.
Curiel out-landed Diaz in seven of the eight roundes, found the target with 44.6% of his 269 shots, and limited Diaz to a meager 18.9% from 318.
Victory advanced Curiel's unbeaten record to 14 wins (12 KOs).
And, finally, Arnold Barboza retired Xolisani Ndongeni in the eighth round, after Emiliano Gandara defeated Isaac Matamoros on his pro debut.
