Oscar Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) called out former 140-lb champion Devin Haney after his 10-round unanimous decision win over Bortizhon ‘The Shark’ Akhmedov (10-4, 9 KOs ) last Saturday night at The Venue. in Riyadh.
Duarte got off to a slow start, struggling with the skills, angles, and sharp jabs of the talented Akhmedov, but came to the championship round to hurt him with left hooks and right hands from the eighth round on.
Duarte’s Power Gets Him Out on Bail
This was easily the best fight on the Latino Night card last night, as Duarte and Akhmedov were throwing nonstop power shots with neither guy backing down. Akhmedov’s moniker, ‘The Shark,’ was well-deserved because he attacked Duarte relentlessly, like a ferocious predator.
Points
98-92
96-94
97-93
The shots Duarte fired at Akhmedov in the fight were tough, and it’s admirable that he lasted all ten full rounds without collapsing. Duarte’s victory came when he hurt Akhmedov in the eighth. Duarte began to land on all of his shots from the eighth, dominating the final laps to win.
In retrospect, it’s understandable why Ryan Garcia he is still amazed by the power he threw when they fought on December 2, 2023.
That was the fight in which Ryan used the Philly Shell, trying to block Duarte’s incoming fire, and it didn’t do its job well. Duarte quickly dealt with Ryan’s uncharacteristic attempts to use this defensive position and bombarded him with non-stop power.
His breaking left hook saved Ryan from defeat, he used Duarte in the eighth and finished him off with a short salvo.
Haney on Duarte’s Radar
“Since Devin Haney is back, I would like to fight him because he is one of the best players in my division. But I’m open to fight anybody—I want to go against the best,” Duarte said after his victory over Akhmedov in the post-fight interview.
It’s doubtful that Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) will lift Duarte in his challenge because he’s a heavy hitter, and Devin is coming off a bad beating against Ryan last April. Going from a tough fight like that to a hard-hitting one like Duarte could be dangerous for Haney. Furthermore, it wouldn’t be a high-paying fight for Haney unless the Honorable Turki Alalshikh is interested in combining the bout with Duarte to headline one of his Riyadh Season events.
Oscar Duarte wants the best fight and eyes a @Realdevinhaney wake up 👀#RiyadhSeason | #LatinoNight | LIVE and FREE on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/NU10l85ny8
– DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 16, 2024
