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Ivan Baranchyk outpoints Keenan Smith in ShoBox main event

Photo by: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime
Fighters Network
14
Jul

Ivan Baranchyk continues to impress on “ShoBox: The New Generation,” but it’s clear he has a long way to go.

The undefeated Russian scored a sixth consecutive victory in his adopted hometown of Miami, Oklahoma, and it wasn’t even competitive. Keenan Smith, a Philadelphia native, had no answers for the hard-charging fighter, save for the final round of the scheduled eight-round bout.

Baranchyk won a unanimous decision via scores of 80-71, 78-73 and 79-72. Smith was penalized one point for holding.

Baranchyk (17-0, 10 knockouts) used aggression and power to win round after round, but his wild style shows it’ll be some time before he graduates to contender status.



The raw 24-year-old missed with haymakers over the top on many occasions, but when he did connect, the punches scored. The 140-pound prospect was able to control the action with his overhand left and a nice jab to the body.

Smith (11-1, 5 KOs) was never able to find his footing in an ugly fight that featured lots of in-fighting and few clean punches landed.

“The Beast” is a work in progress, but there’s talent there. It just needs to be molded.

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