Erik Bazinyan Suffers His First Defeat

By William Dumoulin

Photo Credit: Top Rank Boxing

This Friday, live from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Erik Bazinyan (32-1-1, 23 KO) finally had his big opportunity on the international stage against the dangerous Mexican Jaime Munguia (44-1, 34 KO). Munguia was coming off a unanimous decision loss to the super middleweight division king, Canelo Alvarez, in May. This fight, broadcast on ESPN in the United States, represented a golden opportunity for the Quebecer of Armenian descent to stand out among the division's elite with a convincing performance.

The first five rounds generally went in Bazinyan’s favor, as he effectively used his jab and footwork to keep Munguia at bay. The Quebecer controlled the pace of the fight, dictating the action with his technique. However, the sixth round saw a shift in dynamics: Munguia managed to close the distance and started landing powerful shots. Bazinyan was shaken in the seventh round but managed to recover by the end of it. Despite his resilience, this moment marked the beginning of the end for Erik, as the Mexican increased the pressure in the following rounds and managed to drop the Quebecer in the tenth round. Unfortunately, Bazinyan was unable to get back up.

Despite the defeat, Bazinyan proved he could compete with the best in the super middleweight division. It’s very likely that this performance, although marked by a loss, will open doors for him to other high-level fights in the United States, possibly even against an opponent like Diego Pacheco.

In the co-main event of the evening, former Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (11-0, 11 KO) faced veteran heavyweight Joey Dawejko (28-12-4, 16 KO). Torrez, aiming to maintain his 100% KO ratio after knocking out heavyweight prospect Brandon Moore in his last outing in May, set a high pace with a large volume of punches and a variety of attack angles. To everyone’s surprise, the fight ended unexpectedly in the fifth round when Dawejko was disqualified for spitting out his mouthguard five times during the bout.

In the opening fight of the main card broadcast on ESPN, Emiliano Vargas (12-0, 10 KO) faced Larry Fryers (13-7-1, 5 KO) in a scheduled eight-round bout. However, Fryers was no match for Bob Arum’s prospect. Vargas consistently landed powerful shots, finishing the fight with a knockout in the fifth round.