Carrington Impresses with Dominant TKO over De Gracia in New York
On Saturday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, rising Brooklyn featherweight contender Bruce Carrington (12-0, 8 KOs) delivered a dominant eighth-round TKO performance over replacement opponent Brayan De Gracia, impressing boxing great Naoya Inoue who watched from ringside.
The 27-year-old Carrington, ranked No. 4 by the WBO and No. 7 by the WBC, displayed his impressive boxing IQ and finishing ability, stopping the tough Panamanian De Gracia (29-4-1) after a barrage of unanswered punches prompted the referee’s intervention.
“He came to watch me,” Carrington said, referring to undisputed junior featherweight champion Inoue, who was seen waving to the victorious boxer after the fight. With speculation that the Japanese star Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) may move up to featherweight by 2025, Carrington’s impressive performance only strengthened his case as a rising contender to watch in the division.
Despite De Gracia’s dangerous knockout power, with 25 KOs in 34 bouts, Carrington was able to neutralize his aggression and wear him down over the course of the fight. A fifth-round knockdown from a right hand shot followed by a sustained assault in the later rounds proved too much for the replacement opponent, who was summoned after Enrique Vivas was unable to secure visa clearance.
Carrington’s ability to adapt and break down his opponent showcased his growing maturity and experience as a professional. The Brooklyn fighter was content to let De Gracia come forward early, before unloading his own power shots, including a series of hard left hands and a head-jarring right hand in the third round.
By the seventh round, De Gracia was backpedaling and his trainer urged him to hold more to avoid further punishment. However, Carrington continued to press the action, landing a combination that nearly sent De Gracia through the ropes to end the round. The eighth-round stoppage was a fitting conclusion to Carrington’s dominant performance in front of the legendary Inoue.
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