It was billed as a rematch in which all the questions after their first fight would be answered. And those questions were answered with a thunderous left hand that may have been the Knockout of the Year.
Seeking a more emphatic ending than the split decision victory he earned over Marcos Escudero nine months ago, Joe George delivered a savage left uppercut that Escudero probably never saw, but certainly felt.
#SHOBoxingReturns with a BANG 💥
Joe George KOs Marcos Escudero with a massive uppercut in Round 9. pic.twitter.com/dVdWogdfwe
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) August 2, 2020
“I was setting him up with the jab to the body and had him leaning over a little,” George explained. “I wanted him to get relaxed and that’s exactly what he did. He was relaxed, I slipped over and shot it. Really, he gave it to me and I had to take it and put him down.”
As CBS Sports reports:
Escudero, 27, initially ducked a right hand from George but was caught clean on the chin with a massive left hand he never saw coming as he stood up tall. Referee Dan Schavoine began the count before eventually waving the fight off as Escudero covered his face and laid prone.
George trailed 97-93 on two scorecards at the time of the stoppage and led by the same score on the other card. The two fighters squared off for their first meeting last November in Sloan, Iowa, when George took home scores of 97-93 and 97-94, with the third judge scoring it 96-94 for Escudero.
‘I don’t have to say nothing [to those who thought he lost the first fight,]” George said. ‘I am prepared for whoever is in my way.’
The bout was Showtime Championship Boxing’s first card since March from the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.
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