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Third round TKO stops ‘Silent’ Steve

November 19, 2014   ·   0 Comments

Franjic meets the canvas after lucky right

That was no knock-out punch that stopped Steve Franjic in the third round of his scheduled eight rounder against Mexico’s Alvaro Gaona on Saturday (Nov. 15) night at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

It was a wild overhand right that went between Franjic’s gloves and bounced off his upper left forehead, almost on the top of his head.

Normally a fighter could absorb a shot like that, but you never know where the sweet spot is on a person’s body and it connected in just a way to drop Franjic to the canvas – lights out – on his side with his left arm dangling awkwardly across his back.

He stirred a few seconds later then got up to take eight count, but he wasn’t fully back in the game. He took a step back then fell, sprawled out on the canvas. The ref had no choice but to stop the fight.

It was a disappointment for the Franjic camp and it was Franjic’s first loss in his professional career.

Gaona came to the arena with an impressive 13-4 record, but after the first two rounds it seemed he was no match for Franjic.

Franjic pummeled Gaona repeatedly, forcing him onto the ropes several times in the first round and delivering a salvo that had him doubled over in an attempt to absorb the blows.

It was a repeat in the second round – so much so that television commentators covering the fight didn’t question who was going to win – they wondered how long Gaona could stay on his feet.

Going into the third round Franjic had control of the fight.

With Gaona throwing and missing, Franjic would counter with his long-reach jab and stayed out of the way of anything else Gaona tried to deliver.

The end came suddenly when Gaona threw the wild, un-aimed right that just happened to connect.

“I’m pretty bummed out. It’s still new,” Franjic said of the loss. “I’m feeling fine. Physically, I’m fine. I was good later that night,” He said of his recovery after the fight.

Franjic said he was feeling confident in the ring through the first two rounds and going into the third.

“I was ahead in the first two rounds – I won those decisively. And I was leading in the third. Up to the KO, he was laying back on the ropes. I was outworking him and out-landing him. I think he was getting desperate and he swung.”

Things like this happen in the boxing world. After all, that’s the whole point of the sport – only one fighter is going to leave the ring with his arms raised.

Franjic looked in top form in the bout both physically and especially in technique. Up to the KO he could do no wrong.

It was just a lucky punch that ended this battle.

All he can do now is put this fight behind him.

He summed it up a few days after the fight saying, “I’m ready to start training.”

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