A bloody undercard war between Bektemir Melikuziev and Pierre Dibombe ended early last night (Sat., April 20, 2024) live on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, after both fighters suffered equally-gruesome cuts.
Melikuziev was a heavy favorite for this 160-pound clash, but Dibombe came into this fight with a 20-0-1 professional record. The French fighter is not familiar with losing and put up a good fight early. That was until a clash of heads created a cut about his right eye. It was checked on by the ringside doctor, but Dibombe was cleared to continue.
Melikuziev continued to score well heading into the middle rounds, but another accidental clash of heads in the fourth round left him with a nasty gash above his left eye. That was also checked on by the ringside doctor, but again the action resumed. Both men would have their moments over the next few rounds as their faces bloodied even more.
Eventually, Melikuziev’s cut became too much of an issue. The doctor checked it again in the beginning of the eighth round and ultimately deemed Melikuziev unable to continue. Luckily, enough rounds were fought to go to the judges’ scorecards. It was a pretty lopsided decision for Melikuziev as he walked away with scores of 79-73 x2, 78-74.
As for the two cuts that caused so many issues, check them out below:
That’s a NASTY cut to Bek #HaneyGarcia live on @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/JNCawlnR1k
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) April 21, 2024
Bektemir Melikuziev and Pierre Hubert Dibombe both suffering serious cuts during their fight on the Devin Haney vs Ryan Garcia undercard… pic.twitter.com/4Xv7Iamg93
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 21, 2024
For complete Haney vs. Garcia results, coverage and highlights click HERE.