We likely saw the last in-ring appearance (or at least as a legitimate contender) yesterday evening of former WBO junior middleweight champion Sergiy Dzinziruk, who made an gallant stand but was ultimately overwhelmed by the power shots of Brian Vera and knocked out in the 10th round.
Vera’s signature punch of the fight was the short right hand which continually landed flush, causing Dzinziruk’s head to snap back at grotesque angles throughout the fight. In the first, Vera used the punch to almost finish Dzinziruk by scoring a knockdown, trapping him in the corner and unloading a series of power shots.
When Vera slowed down his pressure, Dzinziruk had his best success. The former world champion worked his sharp southpaw jab and scored with left hands to the body. It would be Dzinziruk’s jab that opened a cut and produced swelling around Vera’s left eye in the middle rounds.
However, Vera’s power was often the difference maker in the rounds that were competitive. Dzinziruk was hurt at several points by right hands in the eighth and ninth. In the 10th, Vera again managed to pin Dzinziruk in a corner and ripped right hooks to the head, prompting Dzinziruk to sag down to his backside for the deciding knockdown. Although he beat the count, Dzinziruk was incoherent and could not respond to referee instructions, prompting the TKO stoppage.
Vera improved to 22-6 (13 KOs) and called out Gennady Golovkin, who scored a dominant stoppage over Gabriel Rosado last week on HBO.
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I sincerely hope this is the last time we see Sergiy Dzinziruk in the ring. At 36 years old, he’s not going to improve further and if he can’t beat contenders like Brian Vera, why continue to take beatings? Yes, Dzinziruk had his moments, but more often than not his head was being made to look like a speedbag by Vera’s punches. He had a good run in Europe and made decent money getting a shot at Sergio Martinez. There’s nothing left to prove.
As for Vera, I wouldn’t mind seeing him in there with Golovkin should GGG’s team be looking to make a quick turnaround in March or April. The tough Vera would come right at Golovkin and make for an exciting slugfest for as long as it lasts. In addition, it would make Golovkin look like a monster. But that’s only if Golvokin’s team wants a stay-busy fight. If he’s not going to be active, GGG should be looking to unify the middleweight titles by facing someone like fellow title-holder Peter Quillin and then Sergio Martinez before the end of the year.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 