Mack Wins USBA in the 13th, Calls Out Tavoris Cloud and Chad Dawson

ByRobert Brizel

In the co-main event and the final bout of the evening on an eight bout card at Resorts Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Yusaf Mack won the vacant USBA light heavyweight title, his fifth USBA win in six opportunities, and called out for a rematch with IBF champion Tavoris Cloud, or a match with Chad Dawson. Scoring was 119-107, and 118-109 twice with Sheika winning only two rounds on two judge’s scorecards.

Sheika fought nearly the entire bout with Mack in a telephone booth, and gave a brilliant accounting of himself. The bout was exciting and far closer than the scoring indicated. Sheika scored with wild left and right hooks on occasion, and remained ‘in the house’ with counter flurries, but got hit too much in close, which prevented him from winning rounds.

Sheika was unsuccessful for the second time in a year trying to win a USBA belt, having lost a twelve rounder for the vacant USBA cruiserweight title to Garrett Wilson in Atlantic City at Caesar’s Casino last April. Sheika entered this bout after winning

solid ten round decisions over Anthony Ferrante and Charles Hayward in 2012.

Mack dominated opponent Omar Sheika over twelve rounds by landing right hooks

and uppercuts which caused long run vision problems for Skeika. The right hands bruised Sheika’s right eye, eventually cutting it and creating vision issues. Sheika’s game plan-to stand in front with Mack on the ropes, counter with flurries and then hold-did not work. Sheika was warned for hitting behind the head in round three.

It made for an exciting fight, but by late in the twelfth and final round-the action had to be briefly paused as too many right hands were being landed by Mack and Sheika’s left eye was clearly in trouble. The ringside doctor allowed the bout to continue, which was almost over, Mack knocked down a weary Sheika with a left hook into the ropes for a three count near the end of the bout to seal the USBA victory.

In the crowd noise and pandemonium surrounding the knockdown at the very end of the bout inadvertently forced it to continue into a 13tth round for 20 to 30 seconds after it was supposed to have ended, as the referee was unable to hear the final bell. Sheika tried to get the attention of officials but had to box on due to the oversight. Strangely, the same situation occurred in the previous bout, the co-main event between middleweights Derrick Webster and Sabou Ballogou, after Webster knocked down Ballogou near the bell of the eighth and final round.