Henry Cejudo got the victory in his Misfits Boxing debut, but he did so by the skin of his teeth. The former two-division UFC champ outpointed Javon Walton on two of the three judges’ scorecards to earn a split-decision victory after four competitive rounds Saturday at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, earning a win with scores of 39-37, 37-39 and 39-37.
Walton (3-1-1, 1 KO), best known outside the ring for playing Ashtray on HBO’s “Euphoria,” had speed and youth on his side, but as the fight went on Cejudo (1-0) found his comfort and his timing. Walton managed a few clean shots, but Cejudo was the one in control for most of the bout.
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Walton had stepped in as a late replacement after Misfits veteran Deen The Great withdrew with a shoulder injury. Cejudo had some strong words for Deen after the bout, questioning the validity of the injury while praising Walton for taking the fight on short notice.
In other action on the night, former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson (3-0, 2 KOs) won a strange one against Mahmoud Sebie to defend his Misfits middleweight title, picking up a second-round TKO after getting dropped himself earlier in the fight.
Sebie was another late replacement, stepping in after Ferguson’s original opponent, Kenzo Biyong, was pulled after trouble with his travel arrangements. He proved to be a game opponent early on, but lost focus late in the first round and stopped fighting prior to the bell, which resulted in him getting rocked by a Ferguson right hand.
Sebie (0-1) bounced back early in the second, spinning Ferguson in the air and dropping him to the canvas with a punch. But Ferguson got up and rallied quickly, overwhelming Sebie with punches and prompting a referee stoppage early in the second round.
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Check out full Misfits Boxing: Cejudo vs. Walton results and highlights below.
Main card
Welterweight: Henry Cejudo def. Javon Walton via split-decision, 39-37, 37-39, 39-37
Misfits middleweight championship: Tony Ferguson (c) def. Mahmoud Sebie via TKO, :42 of Round 2
Misfits lightweight championship: Fox The G (c) def. Justin “JoyBoy” Ibarrola via unanimous decision, 60-54, 60-54, 59-55
Light heavyweight: Louis Russell def. Dawson Myles Barrett via KO, :31 of Round 2
Middleweight: Dad (Nathan Barnatt) def. Cherdleys via TKO, 1;19 of Round 2
Heavyweight: Edris “ENA” Enofé def. Big Bobby The Boss via TKO (injury), Round 1
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Ben Fowlkes
Cejudo seemed shocked by one scorecard going against him, but he got the nod from two of the three judges and picked up a boxing victory in Misfits. Walton was tough, but couldn’t get going once Cejudo got his timing down.
And that brings an end to this night of Misfits Boxing. They always give you a certain kind of show, don’t they?
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Ben Fowlkes
That’s got to be Henry Cejudo’s decision. He landed the more effective punches and seemed to gradually take over the fight. Walton hung tough but couldn’t seize the initiative at any point.
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Ben Fowlkes
He’s finding Walton’s timing now and landed a few clean ones. Walton keeps showing that he can crack but Cejudo is starting to pick him apart a little bit.
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Ben Fowlkes
Cejudo looked solid and patient, but Walton has some snap to him. Cejudo looked more comfortable as the round went on, but it was a close opening round.
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Ben Fowlkes
And yet here it is. What a world of wonders we find ourselves in.
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Ben Fowlkes
If you’ve been waiting to see one of the most decorated combat sports athletes of all time take on a dude from “Euphoria,” your time has come. It’s about to go down over in Misfits Boxing.
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Ben Fowlkes
He asked like he seriously wanted to know. Like he was meeting a fan and wanted to be polite.
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Ben Fowlkes
The son of Mike Tyson is one heck of a billing in the fight world. Amir Tyson says he’ll debut in December, then engages in a heated exchange with a shirtless Chase Demoor, who tells him repeatedly “you ain’t your daddy.”
Never a dull moment, eh?
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Ben Fowlkes
Ferguson knows how to put on a show. You get caught in the corner and you better believe the storm is coming.
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Ben Fowlkes
Ferguson went from getting dropped out of nowhere in the first to battering Sebie late in the first, leading to a stoppage in the second.
Sebie was doing reasonably well right up until he seemed to zone out and stop fighting in the waning seconds of the first. Ferguson cracked him with a good right just before the bell, but Sebie came out in the second and had Ferguson hurt for a moment.
But then Ferguson turned it on and the ref jumped in at 0:42 of Round 2, giving Ferguson the TKO win.
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Ben Fowlkes
Sebie is a late replacement after Ferguson’s initial opponent was pulled less than a week out. Nothing to lose is one way to think about it. No chance to really prepare is another.
One thing we can typically count on from Ferguson: he’s willing to get weird. Always.
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Ben Fowlkes
Justin “JoyBoy” Ibarrola looked like he was happy just to make it to the final bell. Fox the G started fast and really put the pedal down in the final round. The decision was never really in doubt, with two judges having it as a clean sweep.
After the bout, “Felony” Charles Bennett seemed to materialize inside the ring so he could challenge Fox The G, who was mostly just amused by the whole thing.
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Ben Fowlkes
We’re four rounds in and former BKFC champ Joyboy is looking shaky. Fox the G has rattled him a few times and is likely way up on the scorecards. It’s nearing desperation time for Joyboy.
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Ben Fowlkes
Which is to say, it’s not technically “good” by any means, but it is weirdly entertaining. You know, in small doses.
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Ben Fowlkes
And would you believe those people are named Joyboy and Fox The G? It’s true. Somehow it’s true. Looking like a competitive fight for the Misfits lightweight title midway through the opening round.
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Ben Fowlkes
Apparently Dad thinks they are bad dads? And now he wants to fight them in a boxing match? Huh. Okay.
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Ben Fowlkes
Couple dudes swinging for the fences in the opening round leads to one totally exhausted man in the second and one merely very tired man. Dad ends up as the one with more left in the tank after dropping Cherdleys in the first, and he eventually piled on enough unanswered shots to get the referee involved.
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Ben Fowlkes
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Ben Fowlkes
Is Dad doing a classic pro wrestling psycho gimmick? He is. Did he decide to wear khaki shorts for this fight? He did. This should be interesting.
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Ben Fowlkes
The minute Dawson Myles Barrett walked out to the ring you could see this coming. And, yeah, it came.
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