Lame matchmaking produces lame results.
When the undercard for Wilder-Fury was first announced, it was clear that the results were all but preordained. All three fights were extremely obvious and frustrating mismatches. Neither of the first few bouts tonight did anything to disprove the notion either.
Top heavyweight contender Luis Ortiz (30-1, 26 KOs) picked up his one sided stoppage win as expected over Travis Kauffman (32-3, 23 KOs). It did take a bit longer than most had forecast, however. The heavy underdog proved more durable and resourceful than expect coming into the bout. Despite being dropped twice before, it took an extended assault in the tenth and final round for Kauffman to be finished on his feet. Ortiz looked fine in the fight at 39 despite its length though. This one seemed to go so long not because of anything to do with the Cuban heavyweight, but because Travis Kauffman chose to fight a negative fight based on survival. He almost succeeded too. The final bell was just a minute too far away in the end.
In the opener Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce (7-0, 7 KOs) obliterated regional level foe Joe Hanks (23-3, 13 KOs) inside of a round. Hanks showed some quick hands and landed a few shots on the always stalking British heavyweight, but Joyce was able to land big shots too and carried much more power. A left hook along the ropes finished the deal shortly after a strong sequence in which The Juggernaut clearly hurt Hanks but then chose to back off. It was almost as if he was told to not finish the mismatch too quickly and then was unable to resist. Post-fight Joe Joyce stated he was ready to move up to fight bigger names. At 33 already, it might not be a bad idea.
