Results from Edmonton: O’Connell, Surmacz, Braidwood Victorious

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Eric Taylor, Stephan ZeaOn June 17th, Edmonton, Alberta based KO Boxing Promotions gave boxing fans and exciting night of boxing that was action-packed and full of drama as many hometown fighters looked to advance their careers to the next level.
In the opening bout Eric Taylor (4-1, 3 KO’s) and Stephan Zea (1-2) provided great action from the opening bell in a give and take battle. Taylor was able to land the better punches and put Zea down twice but would begin to tire from trying to take his opponent out which gave Zea a chance to work his way back into the fight, but he was unable to and allowed Taylor to get a unanimous decision victory. The scorecards read 39-35 x 2 and 40-34.
The second bout of the night featured former CFL player, and former Edmonton Eskimo Adam Braidwood (4-1, 3 KO’s) take on former MMA fighter Todd Stoute (0-1). In the opening round, Stoute was able to get the better of Braidwood and bloody his face and wobble him with a hard shot, but Braidwood was able to clinch until the round ended, regroup and come back in a big way in round two.

Braidwood went on the attack from the start of round two and was able to catch Stoute with hard shots as he was in between the ropes (an illegal move) on two occasions with the second incident forcing the referee to call the fight. Stoute’s corner protested what had transpired and rightfully so, but that did not change the outcome and Braidwood was awarded the stoppage victory.
Brad Switzer (1-0, 1 KO) had a very successful debut as he took on and stopped Patrick Graham (6-8-1, 5 KO’s) within the first round. Switzer used his height and reach to keep Graham at bay, but Graham was determined and able to land an occasional clean punch, but Switzer was able to land cleaner, more effective punches and put Graham found twice with Graham not making it up before a ten count from the second knockdown.
Stan Surmacz Ahumada (5-0, 4 KO’s) went the distance for the first time in his pro career as he took on Craig Hudson (0-3). The bout would have plenty of action, but Hudson’s awkwardness would make it a chess match at certain points of the fight but that didn’t stop him from tasting the canvas. Ahumada fought hard to put Hudson away but fatigue set in as he would miss punches and he ended up settling for a unanimous decision victory.
The co-main event between Mike McWilliams (5-0-3, 2 KO’s) and Andre Byrd (3-2-1) left many fans disappointed. It wasn’t due to the lack of action but more because of the outcome. Both fighters fought hard in a see-saw battle, but the judges were all split on how the bout ended.
Cam O’Connell (11-0-1,7 KO’s) made his return to the ring after a six-month layoff and was forced to work in an entertaining fight against Bence Molnar (16-8, 9 KO’s) of Hungary. O’Connell attacked the body early and often which paid off later in the fight. Molnar at times took the fight to O’Connell with quick shots, but the power difference showed as O’Connell would walk through many of the punches to deliver his own. O’Connell was able to really work over Molnar in the seventh round, but it wasn’t until the eighth and final round that everything came together, and O’Connell was able to finish off his opponent.