Curtis Stevens Blows Out Patrick Majewski in AC

Photos by Rich Graessle for Main Events

by Gautham Nagesh

It didn’t take Brooklyn middleweight contender Curtis Stevens long to get over his November knockout loss to Gennady Golovkin.

Stevens flattened Patrick Majewski three times in 46 seconds to earn a first-round TKO victory on NBC Sports Network from Resorts World Casino in Atlantic City on Friday night. Stevens quickly put to rest any notion that the Golovkin fight would have a lingering effect on his career.

The first punch Stevens landed was a stiff left jab that put Majewski on his backside quickly. A quick flurry against the ropes dropped Majewski for a second time, then a final left hook-right hand series forced the referee to save the Polish transplant from further damage. Majewski has been stopped before, but Stevens is another class of puncher.[[MORE]]

While Stevens is probably not quite world-class, he has one-punch knockout power, especially with the left hook. That means he won’t have any trouble finding work on TV, especially in a middleweight division that’s loaded with possibilities. His promoter Kathy Duva at Main Events has done a great job with rebuilding Stevens career, and he could do worse than notching up a few more wins on basic cable.

At 34, Majewski should probably start thinking about life after boxing. There are easier ways to make a living than getting hit in the face.

The co-feature saw South African cruiserweight Thabiso Mchunu (right) out-box former Nigerian Olympian Olanrewaju Durodola soundly over ten rounds. Durodola is a huge and imposing physical specimen, while Mchunu is compact and explosive for the 200-lb weight class. A southpaw counterpuncher, Mchunu keeps his right hand low and moves his head well, relying on his excellent reflexes to avoid punches.

Durodola also holds his hands too low, but his style is more basic and plodding. That left him wide open to Mchunu’s lightning-quick counter-left hand. Durodola also tends to paw with his jab, and pull it back slowly if at all. Mchunu was quickly measuring him for explosive combinations, always throw with bad intentions.

Durodola reached with his right hand to the body in the 2nd round, and Durodola responded with a rapid right hook-left hand combination that caught the Nigerian off-balance and put him down. Durodola rose, apparently OK, and tried to go back to fighting at distance. From then on he seemed tentative, wary of his opponent’s superior speed and timing.

The fight continued in that pattern, with Durodola unwilling to commit to his attack or take the lead despite his reach advantage. Mchunu used the shoulder roll to avoid most hard shots then responded with a right hook that found home seemingly at will. The left was also there for Mchunu, and he was always able to duck out of danger before Durodola was able to respond.

Durodola rallied in the later rounds, but he never had Mchunu in any real danger. The unanimous decision for Mchunu was a foregone conclusion. The South African looks like he could be a real factor at the top of the cruiserweight division, which hasn’t featured a real star in many years.

The opening bout on the untelevised undercard featured Suitland, Md. heavyweight and sometimes promoter Venroy “Hardwork” July (right)  winning a unanimous six-round decision over Sevdail Sherifi. According to the release from Main Events, Sherifi took an early lead but July rallied over the final four rounds.