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By Mark Eisner: In a seesaw battle, Sergey Lipinets (16-1-1, 12 KOs) and Custio Clayton (18-0-1, 12 KOs) finished in a disappointing 12-round draw Saturday night in their battle for the interim IBF. welterweight title at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
The judges had it 15-113 Clayton, 114-114, 114-114. Boxing News 24 scored it for Lipinets 116-12. He had the best power and landed the cleanest shot compared to Clayton, who hit lighter.
Lipinets dominated the first six rounds and Clayton entered the final quarter of the fight. Rounds 7, 8 and 9 were close and difficult to score. But the last three were clearly Clayton rounds. Lipinets looked worn and weak in the end.
Lipinets faded in the championship rounds
Neither fighter proved to be a threat to IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr, who would be a nightmare for them.
Former IBF light welterweight champion Lipinets had a chance to win the fight, but was not consistent in the championship rounds. He allowed Clayton to work harder than he did and to participate in important later rounds of the contest.
Clayton finished strong in the twelfth round by beating Lipinets, but it wasn’t a big deal on his part. Clayton, 33, landed a lot of punches and had a big advantage with them over Lipinets.
What we saw from Lipinets were mainly power shots. He was trying to rip Clayton’s head off with every shot and it wasn’t going to work. But if you, boy, for which of the two fighters landed the harder punches, Lipinets was the clear winner. Judging of fights is never consistent.
Lipinets has not shown himself to have the right style to win a world title at 147. He was better when he fought at 140. In that weight class, he was able to get away with his flat-footed fighting style. His power was much lower compared to 147.
A rematch would be in order for Clayton and Lipinets. Hopefully the second fight is a bit more interesting to watch than tonight’s fight. Sometimes it wasn’t exciting and it lacked drama.
Xavier Martinez defeats Claudio Marrero
Undefeated Xavier Martinez (16-0, 11 KOs) defeated Claudio “Marrero (24-5, 17 KOs) by unanimous decision in 12 rounds in a eliminator for the WBA super featherweight title on the undercard.
In the eighth round, Martinez was knocked down twice by Marrero. However, he was exhausted and allowed Martinez to come in and take over the fight. The judges rated it 115-111, 114-112, 114-112.
Subriel Matias defeats Malik Hawkins
Hard-hitting light welterweight ubriel Matias (16-1, 16 KOs) defeated Malik Hawkins (18-1, 11 KOs) by stoppage in the sixth round. Hawkins was knocked down in the sixth. After the round ended, Hawkins decided not to continue.
