Evgeny Gradovich (19-0-1, 9 KOs) and Jayson Velez (22-0-1, 16 KOs) battled it out in an action packed fight for all 12 rounds to a split draw.
From the opening bell both fighters strive to implement their style on one another. Velez aimed to establish his jab and control the tempo of the fight. Gradovich tried to counteract anything Velez attempted to do to try and close the distance and land combinations. Both fighters were having moments of success doing what they do best.
In the first portion of the fight Velez was the more active fighter, really popping the jab, and throwing combinations from a distance. Gradovich was showing good head movement to not only avoid the jab, but to find openings to land his own combinations.
In the second half of the fight both fighters were urged by their trainers to pick up the activity level given the fact the bout was too close too call. Gradovich started outworking Velez, and clearly won a portion of the rounds. When it seemed that Gradovich was taking over in the fight, Velez would answer back in certain rounds, which lead to an unclear winner in the fight, thus forcing the judges to score a split draw.
Both fighters put on a great performance, and fans would probably not be against a rematch due to the fan friendly style both fighters have. Velez showed such great tenacity that he definitely deserves another title shot against Gradovich in 2015.
