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Esteban Bermudez stuns Carlos Canizales by sixth round knockout

Fighters Network
28
May

Carlos Canizales wanted his first fight in two years to be a conclusive knockout victory.

There was a knockout victory, but it was he who ended up on the floor.

Esteban Bermudez knocked Canizales down twice in round six en route to a stunning knockout victory to win a secondary version of the WBA junior flyweight title Friday evening at Foro Viena in Mexico City.

With approximately 40 seconds remaining in round six, the Mexican Bermudez clipped Canizales with an overhand right that badly staggered the Venezuelan. Bermudez then followed up with a sweeping right hand that sent his opponent crashing into the ropes.



Guillermo Perez Pineda allowed the fight to continue once Canizales beat the count. But it took Bermudez no more than two seconds to destroy him with a right hand to score the stunning upset victory.

As surprising as the knockout was, it was not an entirely unforeseen event as the 28-year-old Canizales (22-1-1, 17 KOs) had trouble establishing his rhythm for the entire fight.

Bermudez successfully connected with long right-hand shots in the first two rounds, while Canizales seemed hesitant to let his hands go.

He finally landed some right hands upstairs in the third frame, and his momentum continued into round four. Bermudez, however, had other plans. Late in the round, he hurt Canizales with an uppercut that clearly caught him by surprise.

Then came round six, where it all came to a crashing end. Bermudez caught Caizales napping with a huge right hand that immediately wobbled him and sent him crashing to the canvas with a follow-up right hand. After Pineda allowed the fight to go on, Bermudez closed the curtain at 2:39 of the sixth.

While Canizales suffered his first loss and saw his three-year secondary title reign come to an end, the 25-year-old Bermudez (14-3-2, 10 KOs) moves on to greener pastures in the 108-pound division. 

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