CHICAGO (AP) — Jessie Vargas and Thomas Dulorme fought to a majority 12-round draw Saturday in a battle for the vacant WBC silver welterweight title at the Wintrust Arena.
Both fighters scored knockdowns, Vargas in the 10th and Dulorme in the final seconds of the fight. The scores were 115-111 for Vargas and two scores of 113-113. Some in the crowd booed the decision of the fast-paced, competitive fight.
Dulorme, of Carolina, Puerto Rico, opened strong, landing a big right hand in the opening seconds and then a solid left hook that buckled Vargas' knees. He was aggressive and moving forward as Vargas, of Las Vegas, tried to find a range.
Dulorme continued his assault in the second round, landing a big left hook that cut and Vargas over the right eye. Dulorme was quicker, dictating the tempo and landing first, staying just outside of Vargas' reach.
Vargas found his range in the fourth, hurting Dulorme with a right hand and adding a left hook that buckled him. Near the end of the round, they traded freely and continued to battle after the bell.
The fighters battled on even terms in the middle rounds, as Dulorme seemed to win the early portion of rounds and Vargas the end. Dulorme was the quicker, more fluid boxer, while Vargas was the more flat-footed puncher. Both landed right hands in the middle rounds, with Dulorme's doing the most damage.
Vargas woke up in the 10th round, dropping Dulorme with a tremendous counter right. Dulorme fell to his knees and looked hurt, but bounced up and finished the round with a flurry. He showed little effect of the big shot as the fight entered the final round.
Dulorme dropped Vargas with a left hook in the final seconds in a round that he appeared to be winning. Vargas got up and smiled at Dulorme as the final bell rang.
Vargas is 28-2-2 with 10 knockouts, while Dulorme is 24-3-1 with 16 KO's.
On the undercard, heavyweight contender Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller destroyed crowd favorite and former two-division world champion Tomasz Adamek, whom he outweighed by 90 pounds, with a predictable second-round knockout to remain undefeated.
Miller, 22-0-1 (19 KO's) of Brooklyn, finished his 41-year-old opponent with a left to the body and a vicious uppercut to the chin that lifted Adamek, 53-6 (31 KO's), Jersey City, New Jersey, off his feet.
The 30-year-old Miller finished it off with a flurry that left Adamek dangling out of the ropes, and the much smaller fighter was counted out at the 51 second mark.
Adamek, who weighed 227 pounds, started off by moving and going to the body of the 317-pound Miller to the delight of his Polish fans. But soon Miller began wearing him down with his significant size advantage. Miller doubled Adamek over with a left to the body at the end of the first round, then put him away in the second.
Artur Beterbiev rebounded from a knockdown to remain perfect, scoring an exciting fourth-round knockout of previously undefeated Callum Johnson to defend his IBF light heavyweight title for the second time.
The end came as both fighters were in a corner. Beterbiev, 13-0 (13 KO's) a native of Russia who lives in Montreal, unleashed a short right hand that connected to the top of Johnson's head and put him down. Johnson, 17-1 (12 KO's), of the United Kingdom, was counted out at the 2:36 mark.
It was a brawl until then. Beterbiev knocked Johnson down at the end of the first round with a right cross. Johnson came back in the second to floor Beterbiev with a sharp left hook. Both punchers continued to land heavy shots until Beterbiev ended it with his right hand.
Daniel Roman defended his WBA super bantamweight title for the third time, stopping tough challenger Gavin McDonnell in the 10th round.
The finisher was a perfect counter right hand that landed flush and hurt McDonnell. Roman, 26-2-1 (10 KO's), pursued and landed a slew of hard follow-up shots that put the challenger on the canvas. McDonnell, 20-2-2 (5 KO's) rose, but referee Mark Nelson stopped the fight at the 2:36 mark.
Roman, from Los Angeles and known as the "Baby-Faced Assassin," was quicker and landed the heavier, more telling punches throughout. The shorter Californian did his best work to the body, ripping lefts and rights to the midsection of the taller McDonnell, of Doncaster, United Kingdom. He also reddened McDonnell's face and controlled the distance with a peppering left jab.
McDonnell landed punches, especially early on. But he couldn't keep Roman at bay with the jab and his hardest shots had no effect on the defending champ.
This was the first United States show for DAZN, a subscription-based streaming app that showcases British promoter Matchroom Boxing's American content. DAZN USA made its debut on Sept. 22 with Anthony Joshua's victory over Alexander Povetkin. The Valdez-Dulorme card was one of 32 shows DAZN USA plans to stream per year.
