Ali Eren Demirezen enjoyed a far more memorable trip to the United States than was the case on the last occasions.
The 2016 Turkish Olympian picked up the biggest win of his pro career, batting Gerald Washington en route to an eighth-round stoppage . Demirezen pushed past the long jab of Washington to impose his will in forcing the stoppage at 0:27 of round eight Saturday evening on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Washington controlled the opening round largely on the strength of his long left jab. The 39-year-old heavyweight used his height and reach advantage while trying not to expend too much energy in his first fight in nearly two years and at a near-career heaviest 253.8 pounds. It didn’t quite work out that way, as the U.S. Navy veteran and former title challenger was already breathing heavy by the end of round two.
Demirezen came on strong in round three. The 2016 Olympian for Turkey—who is now based out of Hamburg—took advantage of Washington’s reluctance to exchange, coming forward and catching the 6’6” American with a right hand. Washington stepped back to regain his senses but spent the rest of the round on the defensive. Demirezen landed a three-punch combination that forced Washington to cover up.
Hall of Fame former two-division champion and current top trainer Buddy McGirt gave an earful to Washington in between rounds, demanding he stand his ground and fight back. It didn’t always work out that way in round four, as Demirezen doubled up the Vallejo, California-based heavyweight in landed punches (20-10).
Things only got worse for Washington as the fight progressed. Demirezen took the lead during nearly every exchange, dismissing Washington’s jab—which had significantly less steam by this point—and landing nearly at will in rounds seven and eight. Washington was all but out on his feet, prompting McGirt to signal for referee Frank Santore Jr. to stop the fight.
Washington falls to 20-5-1 (13KOs), with all five losses coming in his last seven points and at a point in his career where there is simply nothing left.
Demirezen improves to 15-1 (12KOs), earning his fourth consecutive victory. The lone loss of his career came in a ten-round decision defeat to then-unbeaten Efe Ajagba, at the time being the first to force the Nigerian to go to the scorecards.
The Fox Sports PPV show is headlined by top-rated contender Luis Ortiz (32-2, 27KOs) and former IBF titlist Charles Martin (28-2-1, 25KOs) in a title eliminator.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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