Villanueva decks American foe, but loses via 4th round stoppage
Elija Pierce getting knocked down (left) in the second round. Pierce walking away after scoring a fourth-round TKO against Arthur Villanueva (right). | Screen grab from the live stream.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two-time world title challenger “King” Arthur Villanueva failed to upset American prospect Elijah Pierce in their edge-of-your-seat showdown in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on March 29 (March 30, Manila).
Villanueva was on the brink of victory after knocking down the bigger Pierce in the second round of their eight-rounder non-title bout at the Overtime Elite Arena.
The 35-year-old Villanueva of Bago City, Negros Occidental landed a vicious left hand that downed Pierce in the second round. Pierce was swerving on the ring before he got knocked down face-first.
READ: Villanueva returns to US for fight vs Pierce
Fortunately, Pierce, 27, of Oklahoma City got up and beat the referee’s count despite being wobbly and went on to survive the round.
Moreover, Pierce fought back and landed combinations in the ensuing rounds.
4th round TKO
In the fourth round, Villanueva was pinned against the ropes, dropping the latter on the canvas.
READ: Arthur Villanueva scores lopsided TKO win against Thai boxer in Bangkok
Villanueva was able to beat the referee’s count, but Pierce finished him off with powerful combinations, prompting the referee to stop the fight, awarding the technical knockout win to the American.
Despite the defeat, Villanueva did not just earned Pierce’s respect, but also that of the crowd inside the arena for his valiant efforts despite being a heavy underdog in the fight.
“Fight of the Year”
Both Villanueva and Pierce exchanged power punches in the first two rounds that put the crowd on their feet, with some even saying this could be a wonderful candidate for the “Fight of the Year.”
READ: ‘King’ Arthur Villanueva has no plans of slowing down
The defeat snapped Villanueva’s three-fight winning streak since 2021. Villanueva, who is a former ALA Boxing Gym stalwart, absorbed his fifth defeat with 35 wins, 20 knockouts, and one draw.
Meanwhile, Pierce stretched his winning streak to 10 fights. He has 19 wins with 16 knockouts and two losses.
Villanueva was Pierce’s second Filipino opponent following his knockout win against Mike Plania last August at the same venue.
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