Last night at Soboba Casino Resort in San Jacinto, California, former Ukrainian Olympian Tsotne Rogava steamrolled to another first-round knockout, marking his third in the “Punches and Punchlines” event. It’s been a long while – nearly five years – since the casino hosted a pro boxing night, but Toro Promotions, House of Pain, and Black House Boxing made sure it was a night to remember.
Rogava, towering at 6’5″ and tipping the scales at 270 pounds, unleashed a devastating body assault on John Shipman, leaving the latter struggling to maintain any space. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in to save Shipman from further punishment, courtesy of Rogava’s overwhelming force.
Transitioning from a decorated Muay Thai and kickboxing background, Rogava, under the tutelage of the legendary Joe Goossen, has been drawing comparisons to Tyson Fury for his size and agility. With a perfect record of 5-0, all by knockout, and having spent just seven rounds in the ring across five fights, Rogava is fast becoming the heavyweight division’s next big thing.
Elsewhere on the card, Nilo Guerrero, an undefeated super featherweight from Nicaragua, delivered a knockout that’ll be talked about for ages, putting Dan Hernandez to bed with a slick left-right-left combo in the very first round.
Heavyweight Jack “The Outlaw” May also made some noise, dismantling Bryan Hall with precise punches until the referee had seen enough in the second round. Standing at 6’8″, May’s power and reach were simply too much for Hall.
Co-promoter Whit Haydon couldn’t hide his excitement, especially about Guerrero’s knockout, which he’s already tipping for knockout of the year. The local fighters also brought their A-game, electrifying the crowd and ensuring the atmosphere was charged throughout the night.
In a surprising turn, Phoenix welterweight Kenekuk De La Rosa outclassed local favorite Jimmie Nunez over six rounds, proving that underdogs can have their day too.
The card also saw victories for debutant light heavyweight Jason Lara, who dominated David Longoria, and heavyweights Ian Morgan who made quick work of Terrance Brown.