Heavyweight Anderson routs Merhy, who refuses to actually fight
Ajagba wins split decision over Vianello in entertaining battle of big men; Conceicao stops Guardado; Villa and Mason also notch victories
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Ryad Merhy did not come to fight. He came to run. He came to move, to slide along the ropes and keep his hands pinned to his head. He came to do anything but engage with the bigger, more powerful Jared Anderson.
Merhy’s mission in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Saturday night at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, was one thing — to make sure that, at all costs, he did not get knocked out.
He accomplished that goal, took home a six-figure payday he didn’t really earn and in the process probably put many who were watching to sleep. At one point in the eighth round, ESPN ringside analyst Timothy Bradley Jr., the Hall of Fame former two-division world champion, declared, “I never want to see Merhy again. Ever.”
That is how bad the fight was as Anderson, who didn’t exactly look like the future heavyweight champion many believe he will be someday, rolled to an utterly one-sided unanimous decision. He won by the shutout score of 100-90 on two scorecards while judge David Sutherland had it 99-91 by somehow giving the 10th round to Merhy, who, according to CompuBox statistics, was outlanded 18-6 in the final round. Fight Freaks Unite also had Anderson winning 100-90.
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