At the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, cruiserweight knockout artist Efetobor Apochi (11-0, 11 KOs) keeping his perfect record intact with a third-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Deon Nicholson (14-1, 13 KOs) in their WBA cruiserweight title eliminator.
Apochi is now in line for a world title shot, but it’s unclear which WBA champion he’s bound to fight.
The WBA, known for having numerous champions in a single weight class, currently has three champions in the division, with Arsen Goulamirian as the ‘super’ champion, “regular” champion Ryad Merhy and “gold” champion Alexey Egorov.
Trained by renowned coach Ronnie Shields, Apochi broke through in round two, stunning Nicholson with an uppercut before putting him down for the first time in his career with a combination later in the round.
While Nicholson was able to make it through the round, he came out in round three on wobbly legs and was dropped again by Apochi, prompting referee Jerry Cantu to waive off the bout 1:12 into the round.
“After the first round I said to Ronnie Shields that he’s going to quit,” said Apochi. “Ronnie said, ‘make him quit.’ I saw it in his eyes. When I punched him, I saw his eyes going in and out. He’s a tough guy, but toughness will get you hurt.
“Ronnie says that if I listen to him, I’ll become champion. When a master of the sport like Ronnie Shields is telling you that you have something special, you have to accept it and take it and use it. I’m here for the title. Bring it on. I want the strap.”