northernquest

Banner Promotions and

ESPN2

Northern Quest Casino

Airway Heights, Washington

June 18, 2010

Story by Ricardo Ibarra

Photos by Tracy Leal

As the influx of talent from the former soviet bloc increases in the American fight game, a few of these fighters are increasingly vying to separate themselves from the pack as future notables on the world stage. Last night at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway Heights, Washington, two of these hopefuls were showcased to a national audience on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights.

Headlining the Banner Promotions show, former two-time Olympian Sherzod Husanov (15-0-1 7KO's 153 ½ lbs.), of Ekaterinburg, Russia, defeated Montera, Columbia's Jhon Berrio (15-7 11KO's 156 lbs.) in a highly entertaining ten round fight by way of unanimous decision. Husanov got off to a fast start early, stepping in behind his jab and following up with consistent straight right hands. He maintained control throughout the first three rounds with steady pressure. While Berrio took a lot of flush shots from his opponent in the opening portion of the fight, he remained resilient, aggressively looking for an opening for his own power shots.

In the fourth round Berrio began to find his rhythm as Husanov slowed, seemingly tired from the fast pace he set early on. Berrio pressed forward, closing the distance and landing hard power shots on the inside. He maintained his work-rate throughout the next three rounds, out-landing Husanov.

In the eighth round Husanov regained control of the fight with an increased work rate, highlighted by hard right hands. A snapping right to the chin left Berrio in serious trouble to close out the round.

Husanov closed out the fight strong, continuously peppering his opponent with jarring combinations, hurting him on numerous occasions. Berrio proved himself to be a tough fighter, though, fighting back gamely until the final bell. The official scorecards read 95-95, 98-92, and 96-94.

The performance of the night belonged to up and coming super middleweight prospect Maxim Vlasov (18-0 9 KO's 166 ½ lbs., who needed just three rounds to dispose of former contender Jerson Ravelo (20-5 12 KO's 167 ½ lbs.). Vlasov, of Samara, Russia, asserted control of the fight from the start, pushing Ravelo back with long jabs. Working in combinations, Vlasov walked his opponent down with an aggressive output and maintained control in the first two rounds, hurting Ravelo with a hard right in the second.

In the third round Vlasov ended matters with a picture-perfect right hand to the chin. Ravelo made an attempt to continue, but he was clearly in no condition to do so. The referee stopped the bout at 1:12 of the round.

Northwest heavyweight prospect Jonte Willis (7-0 3KO's 214 ½ lbs.), of Tacoma, Washington, remained undefeated with a four round decision over tough journeyman Leo Bercier (8-13-1 4KO's 211 lbs.). Bercier, who took the fight on short notice, had a good first round as he was able to land well to the body with his left hook and find an opening for his right up top. But in the second round Willis took control with effective combinations in close and effective defense. In the third a series of uppercuts forced Bercier to take a knee. Willis stepped up his aggression in the last round, repeatedly knocking his opponent's head back with hard uppercuts, seemingly looking to end the fight, but the always tough Bercier weathered the attack and came back with his own attack. The two fighters closed out the fight trading heavy punches along the ropes, giving the crowd an exciting end to the fight. All three judges saw the fight 40-35 for Willis.

In a scheduled four round cruiserweight bout, Qualicum Beach, BC's Aubrey Morrow (5-1 3KO's 177 lbs.) stopped Dave Courchaine (0-1 183 lbs.) in three rounds. Morrow spent the majority of the first two rounds on his toes, jabbing and working from a distance. That all changed late in the second round after his opponent managed to land a hard right hand to Morrow's chin. Morrow stepped up his tempo and began to open up with wild rights over the top of his opponent's guard, trading in close.

Morrow maintained his aggressive pace in the third, knocking his opponent back repeatedly with a hard uppercuts to the chin. Mid-way through the round an overhand right dropped Courchaine for an eight count. Courchaine was dropped once again at the end of the round, prompting his corner to stop the bout.

Seattle, Washington's Rob Diezel (2-1 1KO 128 lbs.) added his second win as a pro with a dominant victory over Auburn's Ramon Santos (0-2 129 lbs.). Diezel used good lateral movement and a quick jab to maintain control throughout the first three rounds. In the fourth Diezel picked up his aggression and floored Santos with a series of body shots. After a mandatory eight count Diezel pressed, forcing the referee to stop the fight at 1:43 of the fourth.

In a wild three round affair, Portland, Oregon's Michael Birthmark (2-5 1KO 161 ½ lbs.) scored a three round TKO over Rafael Umarov (1-4 161 ½ lbs.) of Kent, Washington. Both fighters opened up from the start with looping power shots, neglecting their defense and focusing solely on offense. Birthmark took the lead early with a wild right that sent Umarov down for a mandatory eight-count. After the count Umarov tried to avoid the onrushing Birthmark with movement but he was simply not quick enough to do so. Another big right dropped Umarov hard to close out the round. Birthmark continued to knock Umarov around the ring throughout the second round; continuously snapping his head back with thudding blows. Umarov came back in the third round with his own barrage, but as soon as Birthmark began to land, the difference in power and defense was evident. After a sustained attack from Birthmark, the referee wisely stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:29 of the round.

The Northern Quest Ring Card Girls Entertained the crowd Between Rounds

Banner Promotions and ESPN2 Northern Quest Casino Airway Heights, Washington	June 18, 2010 Story by Ricardo Ibarra Photos by Tracy Leal
As the influx of talent from the former soviet bloc increases in the American fight game, a few of these fighters are increasingly vying to separate themselves from the pack as future notables on the world stage. Last night at the Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Airway Heights, Washington, two of these hopefuls were showcased to a national audience on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Headlining the Banner Promotions show, former two-time Olympian Sherzod Husanov (15-0-1 7KO's 153 ½ lbs.), of Ekaterinburg, Russia, defeated Montera, Columbia's Jhon Berrio (15-7 11KO's 156 lbs.) in a highly entertaining ten round fight by way of unanimous decision. Husanov got off to a fast start early, stepping in behind his jab and following up with consistent straight right hands. He maintained control throughout the first three rounds with steady pressure. While Berrio took a lot of flush shots from his opponent in the opening portion of the fight, he remained resilient, aggressively looking for an opening for his own power shots. In the fourth round Berrio began to find his rhythm as Husanov slowed, seemingly tired from the fast pace he set early on. Berrio pressed forward, closing the distance and landing hard power shots on the inside. He maintained his work-rate throughout the next three rounds, out-landing Husanov. In the eighth round Husanov regained control of the fight with an increased work rate, highlighted by hard right hands. A snapping right to the chin left Berrio in serious trouble to close out the round. Husanov closed out the fight strong, continuously peppering his opponent with jarring combinations, hurting him on numerous occasions. Berrio proved himself to be a tough fighter, though, fighting back gamely until the final bell. The official scorecards read 95-95, 98-92, and 96-94.
	The performance of the night belonged to up and coming super middleweight prospect Maxim Vlasov (18-0 9 KO's 166 ½ lbs., who needed just three rounds to dispose of former contender Jerson Ravelo (20-5 12 KO's 167 ½ lbs.). Vlasov, of Samara, Russia, asserted control of the fight from the start, pushing Ravelo back with long jabs. Working in combinations, Vlasov walked his opponent down with an aggressive output and maintained control in the first two rounds, hurting Ravelo with a hard right in the second. In the third round Vlasov ended matters with a picture-perfect right hand to the chin. Ravelo made an attempt to continue, but he was clearly in no condition to do so. The referee stopped the bout at 1:12 of the round.
Northwest heavyweight prospect Jonte Willis (7-0 3KO's 214 ½ lbs.), of Tacoma, Washington, remained undefeated with a four round decision over tough journeyman Leo Bercier (8-13-1 4KO's 211 lbs.). Bercier, who took the fight on short notice, had a good first round as he was able to land well to the body with his left hook and find an opening for his right up top. But in the second round Willis took control with effective combinations in close and effective defense. In the third a series of uppercuts forced Bercier to take a knee. Willis stepped up his aggression in the last round, repeatedly knocking his opponent's head back with hard uppercuts, seemingly looking to end the fight, but the always tough Bercier weathered the attack and came back with his own attack. The two fighters closed out the fight trading heavy punches along the ropes, giving the crowd an exciting end to the fight. All three judges saw the fight 40-35 for Willis.
	In a scheduled four round cruiserweight bout, Qualicum Beach, BC's Aubrey Morrow (5-1 3KO's 177 lbs.) stopped Dave Courchaine (0-1 183 lbs.) in three rounds. Morrow spent the majority of the first two rounds on his toes, jabbing and working from a distance. That all changed late in the second round after his opponent managed to land a hard right hand to Morrow's chin. Morrow stepped up his tempo and began to open up with wild rights over the top of his opponent's guard, trading in close. Morrow maintained his aggressive pace in the third, knocking his opponent back repeatedly with a hard uppercuts to the chin. Mid-way through the round an overhand right dropped Courchaine for an eight count. Courchaine was dropped once again at the end of the round, prompting his corner to stop the bout.
Seattle, Washington's Rob Diezel (2-1 1KO 128 lbs.) added his second win as a pro with a dominant victory over Auburn's Ramon Santos (0-2 129 lbs.). Diezel used good lateral movement and a quick jab to maintain control throughout the first three rounds. In the fourth Diezel picked up his aggression and floored Santos with a series of body shots. After a mandatory eight count Diezel pressed, forcing the referee to stop the fight at 1:43 of the fourth.
	In a wild three round affair, Portland, Oregon's Michael Birthmark (2-5 1KO 161 ½ lbs.) scored a three round TKO over Rafael Umarov (1-4 161 ½ lbs.) of Kent, Washington. Both fighters opened up from the start with looping power shots, neglecting their defense and focusing solely on offense. Birthmark took the lead early with a wild right that sent Umarov down for a mandatory eight-count. After the count Umarov tried to avoid the onrushing Birthmark with movement but he was simply not quick enough to do so. Another big right dropped Umarov hard to close out the round. Birthmark continued to knock Umarov around the ring throughout the second round; continuously snapping his head back with thudding blows. Umarov came back in the third round with his own barrage, but as soon as Birthmark began to land, the difference in power and defense was evident. After a sustained attack from Birthmark, the referee wisely stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:29 of the round.
The Northern Quest Ring Card Girls Entertained the crowd Between Rounds