Fradimil Macayo wins hard-fought unanimous decision over Idalberto Umara in Orlando
After closing out 2023 with an impressive victory, Fradimil Macayo is looking forward to 2024.
Macayo won a hard-fought unanimous decision over Idalberto Umara by unanimous decision late Friday night at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. Scores were 97-92, 96-93, and 95-94 for Macayo, who improved to 17-1, 13 knockouts.
The win by Macayo was a significant upset as Umara was an 8 to 1 favorite going into the fight.
The southpaw Macayo was busier during the first three rounds, mixing his attack that allowed him to connect more from in the pocket and distance. Macayo began working from the center of the ring during the fourth round, continuing to mix his attack behind a steady jab.
Umara finally began letting his hands go during the middle rounds. Umara was able to connect more, finding success with straight right hands to the head of Macayo, but this was done in spots and not consistently.
Macayo began asserting himself more during the seventh round. The tactic rewarded Macayo, as he scored a knockdown about a minute left in the round, throwing and landing a left hand to the body. The knockdown seemed to push Macayo to walk Umara down, forcing him to fight off his back foot or against the ropes. At times, Umara looked confused, never consistently throwing combinations and looking defeated as Macayo continued to throw and land combinations.
The 31-year-old had not fought since February 24 of last year, defeating unbeaten prospect Armando Ramirez Almanza by unanimous decision. Macayo had at least one fight fall through in recent months, and had to return to Venezuela, where he still has family, after training in Mexico. Promoter Shane Shapiro boldly predicted before the fight that Macayo was going to have a breakthrough performance at the expense of Umara.
“(Friday) in Orlando, we witness the culmination of Fradimil’s journey – a true testament to grit, determination, and the fighting spirit of Venezuela,” Shapiro, who is promoter of Shapiro Sports and Entertainment, told The Ring Wednesday night. “From the streets of Carupano to the main spotlight of DAZN, this is more than a fight. It’s a story of resilience, a narrative of triumph over adversity.
“As his promoter, I stand alongside every fan who believes in the indomitable spirit of Fradimil Macayo. (Friday), we don’t just watch a boxer; we witness the embodiment of a dream, a journey that started in the heart of Venezuela and now unfolds under the bright lights of Orlando. I hope every boxing fan tunes in (tonight) for a night of raw talent, determination, and unwavering support for a fighter who has earned every step of his incredible journey.”
Umara (11-1, 8 KOs), who is originally from Holguin, Cuba and now resides in Miami, Florida, scored a second round knockout win over fringe contender William Encarnacion in his previous bout on July 28.
The 22-year-old has now lost since a split-decision loss to Hector Garcia in his pro debut in March 2021.
In the co-feature, amateur standout and junior welterweight prospect Kevin Hayler Brown battered Marcos Jimenez, forcing Jimenez to quit on his stool after round five.
Brown, who is originally from Camaguey, Cuba and now living and training in Las Vegas, Nevada, improved to 4-0, 3 KOs.
Jimenez was game and willing to stand in the pocket to trade, but Brown connected with the more-effective and harder punches.
Midway during the fifth round, a left hook to the body, followed by a left hook to the head dropped Jimenez to the canvas. Jimenez beat the count, but was dropped again to the canvas from a left hook to the body. To his credit, Jimenez beat the count, and fought back valiantly. Prior to the start of round six, Jimenez’s corner told referee Frank Gentile to stop the fight.
Jimenez, who is originally from Higuey in the Dominican Republic and now resides in Cupey Alto, Puerto Rico, falls to 25-11, 17 KOs.
Junior middleweight prospect Jeovanny Estela of Orlando stopped Juan Egana Elizalde in the opening round, improving to 14-0, 5 KOs.
Estela was on the attack from the opening bell, winging hooks and crosses to the head of Elizalde. Estela dropped Elizalde early in the round, and looked like he scored a second knockdown, but referee Massimo Montanini ruled Elizalde went down from a punch below the beltline.
Moments later, a sweeping right cross staggered Elizalde into the ring ropes, prompting Montanini to immediately step in and wave the fight off at 1:39.
The 43-year-old Elizalde, who resides in Tijuana, Mexico, falls to 11-3, 11 KOs.
Fringe junior featherweight contender Israel Rodriguez Picazo of Mexico City defeated journeyman Wilner Soto, winning by knockout after the fifth round.
With about a minute left in round four, a right hand followed by a two-punch combination dropped Soto to the canvas. Rodriguez followed up after Soto beat the count, but was not able to score another knockdown. Rodriguez continued to batter Soto during the fifth round, forcing Soto to remain on his stool after the conclusion of the round.
The 25-year-old has now won his last 15 bouts and is trained by Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Beristain.
Soto, who resides in Canalete, Colombia, falls to 23-15, 12 KOs. The 32-year-old has now lost eight of his last nine bouts.
Middleweight prospect Euri Cedeno notched his most impressive win to date as a pro, dropping Yoanki Urrutia once in round one to win by decision. Scores were 80-71, 80-71, and 79-72, for Cedeno, who improved to 7-0-1, 7 KOs.
The 24-year-old southpaw from the Dominican Republic effectively outboxed the Cuba-born Urrutia (13-1, 5 KOs) throughout much of the fight. Cedeno represented the Dominican Republic at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Junior lightweights Leonardo Padilla (23-5-1 1 NC, 16 KOs) of Petare, Venezuela and Jeremy Hill fought to a split-decision draw in a close fight. Each fighter won 96-94 on a judge’s scorecard while the deciding judge scored the bout 95-95.
Hill, who resides in New Orleans, Louisiana, goes to 19-3-1, 12 KOs.
In the opening bout of the DAZN stream, junior welterweight Aaron Aponte of Hialeah, Florida dropped journeyman Roberto Almazan (11-22, 4 KOs) of Mexico once, late in the opening round, to win by unanimous decision. All three judges scored the bout 59-54 for Aponte, who improved to 8-1-1, 2 KOs.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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