Boxing Result: Grano Shocks Kauffman, Avalos Impresses

While many within the boxing community will argue for the artistry and science of the sport as its true appeal, one must admit that sometimes, a plain old dirty brawl between two bruising heavyweights can be so much fun.

That is exactly what we got on Friday night from the Chumash Resort and Casino in Santa Ynez, California as heavyweight Tony Grano, 16-1-1 (13), shocked the well regarded Philadelphia prospect Travis Kauffman, 18-1 (15), via fourth round TKO.

While it wasn’t the prettiest of fights that we will see this year, it sure was exciting.

From the opening bell, both fighters were throwing bombs with Kauffman’s speed and technical skills appearing to be the difference. He was landing crisp hard right hands and moving well around the ring in complete control of the bout.

In the opening seconds of the fourth round, Kauffman appeared determined to end the night early and landed a series of hard shots that sent Grano stumbling towards the ropes.

Unable to get any space from Kauffman’s barrage of combinations, Grano landed a well placed low blow that earned him a stiff warning from the referee, but more importantly, a much needed break in the action.

When the fight resumed, Kauffman continued his assault, landing huge shots from both sides, prompting Grano to spit out his mouthpiece and once again obtain a stoppage in the fight and time to regroup.

This time when the fight continued, Kauffman appeared gassed. Grano jumped all over him and he didn’t let up, landing shot after shot to the head of the weary Kauffman.

Kauffman stammered around the ring as Grano chased after him, throwing everything in his arsenal. Kauffman’s glove touched the canvas after a vicious right hand but the referee failed to see it and the Philadelphian took two more Grano rights before finally falling for good.

The official time of stoppage was 2:56 of round four.

The fourth was the round of choice tonight as 19 year old undefeated bantamweight Chris Avalos, 12-0 (10), scored a brutal TKO victory over Giovanni Caro, 12-9-3 (11).

The bout was all back and fourth action as both men landed big shots throughout the contest. While the right hand of Avalos proved to be the deciding factor in the fight, Caro managed to dig to the body effectively, giving Avalos his toughest test to date.

In a somewhat interesting twist, all three of the official scorecards had Caro winning the bout at the time of the stoppage.

The official time was 2:15 into the fourth round.