Ivan Baranchyk earned the win he sought, even if it didn’t officially come in the ring.
The former junior welterweight titlist was given a clean bill of health upon being discharged from University Medical Center in Las Vegas, where he was held for overnight observations following his Fight of the Year-level 5th round knockout loss to Jose Zepeda (33-2, 26KOs).
“Leaving the hospital with our co-promoter Tony Holden, is bruised but grateful warrior Ivan Baranchyk,” Lou DiBella, Baranchyk’s Hall of Fame co-promoter revealed on Sunday afternoon. “Last night, he lost a brutal, unforgettable boxing match.”
The two warriors scored four knockdowns apiece, with Baranchyk hitting the deck for the final time in the closing seconds of round five of their ESPN+ main event Saturday evening at The Bubble at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The 27-year old Belarusian fell straight back, his right leg bent as his head slammed against the canvas where he remained for several minutes while being observed by ringside medical staff.
Baranchyk stunningly walked out of the ring under his own power but was taken to UMC shortly thereafter for precautionary measures. ESPN’s Mark Kriegel reported at the end of the livestream that Baranchyk (20-2, 13KOs) was in good spirits and alert upon being entering the ambulance before departing the scene.
Sunday’s news leaves the boxing community breathing a sigh of relief.
“Thankfully, he’s well enough to talk about, and appreciate, the fight of 2020 with family,” notes DiBella, putting the moment in proper perspective. “God is good.”
Baranchyk—who now lives in Miami, Oklahoma and trains in Miami, Florida—hadn’t fought since a 12-round defeat to Scotland’s Josh Taylor (17-0, 13KOs) in their World Boxing Super Series semifinal bout last May in Glasgow. The defeat ended his brief title reign which began with a 7th round stoppage of unbeaten Anthony Yigit in the WBSS quarterfinal round in October 2018.
The fight with Zepeda was originally scheduled to take place in July, only for Baranchyk to suffer a rib injury and having to withdraw from the event. Zepeda went on to face Kendo Castañeda, whom he soundly outpointed over 10 rounds.
Baranchyk jumped out to a quick start in the rescheduled affair on Saturday, twice flooring Zepeda in the opening round. Both fighters were down in round two, with Baranchyk sent to the canvas in rounds three and four. The former champ rallied back hard to floor Zepeda late in round five, only to get caught moments later with the fight’s ultimate knockdown blow.
The incredible war has already garnered universal accolades as serving far and away as the leading contender for 2020 Fight of the Year.
Zepeda emerges as the number-one contender for unified WBC/WBO junior welterweight titlist Jose Ramirez.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox