Palmetta Secures Competitive Decision Over Bocachica, Angelo Leo Makes Stylish Return
In a highly competitive main event on ProBox TV in Florida, Janelson Bocachica and Alberto Palmetta engaged in a back-and-forth battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Throughout the fight, neither fighter managed to gain complete control, resulting in a closely contested matchup. Bocachica (17-2-1, 11 KO) struggled to maintain a significant lead, which limited the impact of his punches. On the other hand, Palmetta (19-2, 13 KO) showed his aggression by constantly closing the distance, but struggled to find clean opportunities for his power shots. Scoring this fight proved to be a challenging task. Bocachica appeared to land cleaner punches when he threw, while Palmetta displayed higher intensity and activity. Although unofficially, I scored it 96-94 in favor of Bocachica, it was reasonable to see it scored as wide as 98-92 in either fighter's favor. The official judges rendered scores of 97-93, 96-94, 96-94, all in favor of Palmetta. Bocachica may regret taking the 9th round off, as it allowed Palmetta to secure one of the few clear rounds of the fight. A stronger effort in that round, or more focus on offense during the rounds in which he taunted and mimicked his opponent, could have altered the outcome to at least a draw. In the chief support, Angelo Leo and Nicolas Polanco engaged in a thrilling contest with minimal breaks. Leo (22-1, 10 KO) had been absent from the ring for nearly two and a half years but returned with a flurry of powerful hooks. Polanco (20-5-1, 11 KO) responded with crisp counters whenever possible but found little room to breathe or operate. Leo's relentless attack held up against Polanco's sporadic return shots. However, the fight took an unexpected turn when Polanco injured his left arm, possibly dislocating his shoulder. The referee stopped the fight after a medical evaluation, despite Polanco's objections, making it a sound decision. Polanco had not secured a victory since 2021 and was unlikely to change that trend in this bout. Nonetheless, the match provided fantastic action and is well worth a rewatch. Additionally, Mykell Gamble (6-0, 4 KO) delivered a quick and decisive victory over Carlos Rocha (3-2, 2 KO) with a perfectly timed counter left hand in the first round. Rocha made valiant efforts to continue, but he stumbled and fell, resembling a classic knockout animation from a video game. In the world of boxing, these matchups brought excitement, drama, and memorable moments to the fans.
