WBA interim super-featherweight champion Chris ‘Primetime’ Colbert unleashed a power show, dropping Panamanian contender Jaime Arboleda three times en route to an impressive 11th round victory at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Saturday night.
Colbert (15-0, 6 KOs) scored knockdowns in the ninth and eleventh (twice) before referee Steve Willis intervened with an outgunned Arboleda not firing back.
“I dominated the whole fight,” said Brooklyn’s Colbert. “I probably gave him two rounds, but that was by choice. I just wanted to build his confidence because I knew I was going to stop him in the later rounds. I came to show the 130lbs division that I can punch. I’m here and I’m here to stay.
“I’m more than just a flashy boxer. I can stand in there and bang. I know there were close rounds in the fight, but I understood that as it was happening. It was part of the game plan. I knew what I was doing. I was wearing him down to knock him out late. I did what I said I’d do.”
Photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime.
In an eye-catching performance, ‘Primetime’ dropped Arboleda (16-2, 13 KOs) with a left uppercut and left hook in the ninth as he shrugged off his reputation as a slick boxer with a welcome dose of power.
The flashy New Yorker cranked up the pressure in the 11th, riddling his Panamanian foe with sharp blows, dropping him once more with a left-right volley 41 seconds into the round. Arboleda barely beat the count, but was soon dropped again with a blistering left-right-left combination. He rose for more but was unable to fend off the incoming blitz as referee Willis stepped in.
Switch-hitter Colbert was deducted a point for a low blow in the eighth and, at the time of the stoppage, all three judges had him ahead 98-90.
Photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime.
In the co-main event, rising 140-pounder Richardson Hitchins (12-0, 5 KOs) passed his biggest test to date, registering a split-decision win over former world title-holder Argenis Mendez (25-6-3, 12 KOs). Scores were 98-92 and 99-91, overruling a lone and wayward 97-93 nod for Mendez. Hitchins’ jab proved a pivotal weapon and he repelled a late Mendez rally to prevail on the cards.
“I rate my performance a B-plus,” said Brooklyn’s Hitchins, a Mayweather Promotions fighter. “I think I might have lost one round. I could have gotten an A if I put a little more hurt on him, but I knew his defence would be tight. I’ve watched him since I was a kid. I knew he was a smart fighter. With the amount of experience I have compared to him, it was a great performance.
“Now I have my first world champion under my belt just 12 fights in. It’s a tremendous honour. I haven’t been boxing as long as he’s been professional. I’m proud of myself.”
Former world middleweight title challenger Matvey Korobov (28-4-1, 14 KOs) suffered his second straight injury stoppage, losing in the fifth round to Ronald Ellis (18-1-2, 12 KOs) after hurting his left Achilles. Last December, Korobov suffered a fight-ending, left shoulder injury in the second round against Chris Eubank Jr.
Korobov picked up the injury in the fourth and the bout was stopped on the advice of the ringside physician before the start of the fifth. The Russian was ahead on two cards and even on another, but at 37 injuries seem to have got the better of him.
Main image and all photos: Amanda Westcott/Showtime.