FRI, DEC 18, 2015 9pm Eastern Time / 9pm Pacific Time The Pearl, Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas
Winner 
Unbeaten Cuban star Rances "Kid Blast” Barthelemy claimed a 135-pound world title with a hard-fought victory over tough Russian Denis Shafikov.
Fight Highlights
The bout was ruled a no contest after three rounds due to a punch after the bell by Murat Gassiev that left Isiah Thomas unable to continue.
Fight HighlightsGervonta Davis scored a ninth-round knockout of Luis Sanchez to improve to 14-0 with 13 KOs.
Turns out your girlfriend was lying: Size does matter. At least in the sport of boxing, where it pays to have arms as long as your opponent’s legs, especially when you’re trying to fend off a dude coming at you like a bowling ball destined for a strike.
A long piece of masking tape lines the floor, smudged in places from errant feet producing errant fists. You don’t want to step on the thing, and Rances Barthelemy never does, his shoes crisscrossing the partition without ever touching it. Back and forth his feet go, and where they land, his punches follow, fired in the direction his toes are pointed. This is the symmetry of knocking dudes stiff.
Tiny meal portions, tinier Speedos, a strange aversion to ice cubes, an even stranger infatuation with David Hasselhoff’s singing voice: Some things are distinctly European. Add boxing’s 200-pound division to that list—just not for long, if Isiah Thomas has his way.
