Oscar Duarte (28-2-1, 22 KOs) called out former 140-lb champion Devin Haney following his 10-round unanimous decision victory over Bortizhon ‘The Shark’ Akhmedov (10-4, 9 KOs) last Saturday night at The Venue in Riyadh.
Duarte began to slow down, struggling with the skills, angles and sharp jabs of the talented Akhmedov, but came into the championship rounds to hurt him with left hooks and right hands from the eighth round.
Duarte’s power bails him out
This was easily the best fight on the Latino Night card last night as Duarte and Akhmedov threw non-stop power shots with neither guy backing down. Akhmedov’s nickname, ‘The Shark’, was perfect for him as he attacked Duarte relentlessly, like an apex predator.
The scores
98-92
96-94
97-93
The shots that Duarte landed in the fight against Akhmedov were heavy, and it is admirable that he withstood them for the full ten rounds without crumbling. What sealed the win for Duarte was that he hurt Akhmedov in the eighth. Duarte started to sit on all his shots from the eighth and dominated the final rounds to win.
In hindsight, it’s understandable why Ryan Garcia is still in awe of the power he threw when they fought on December 2, 2023.
This was the fight where Ryan used the Philly Shell, tried to block Duarte’s incoming fire, and didn’t do a good job of it. Duarte quickly dismantled Ryan’s rudimentary attempts to use this defensive stance, bombarding him with non-stop power shots.
His left hook saved Ryan from defeat, which he used to stun Duarte in the eighth and then finish him off with a short salvo.
Haney on Duarte’s Radar
“Now that Devin Haney is back, I’d love to fight him because he’s one of the best in my division. But I’m open to fighting anybody—I want to go up against the top fighters out there,” Duarte said after his win over Akhmedov in the post-fight interview.
It’s doubtful Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) will take Duarte up on his challenge because he hits too hard, and Devin is coming off a bad beating against Ryan last April. Going from such a grueling fight to a matchup with a heavy hitter like Duarte will be risky for Haney. Plus, it won’t be a fight that will pay much for Haney, unless His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is interested in putting this match up with Duarte for a headliner at one of his Riyadh season events.
Oscar Duarte wants to fight the best and eyes a @Realdevinhaney attack 👀#Riyadh Season | #LatinoNight | LIVE and FREE on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/NU10l85ny8
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 16, 2024
 called out former 140-lb champion Devin Haney after his 10-round unanimous decision win over Bortizhon 'The Shark' Akhmedov){kind=link}