Shakur Stevenson Shines But British Lionhearts Steal The Show On WSB’s Big Night In Miami

Thursday evening’s World Series of Boxing Season VI Group B curtain-raiser in Miami between two great boxing nations was always going to be an emotional affair, but at the final bell it was the British Lionhearts who took a morale-boosting first away win and left USA Knockouts reeling.

The Lionhearts got off to a strong start with European Confederation Championship silver medallist Harvey Horn managing to jab his way past US National Olympic Trials champion Nico Hernandez. Horn dominated the opening exchanges of their light flyweight bout and Hernandez’ late rally wasn’t enough to sway the judges, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

It wasn’t long before the Knockouts had drawn level on the night, their 2014 Youth Olympic Games winner Shakur Stevenson putting in an incredible display on his WSB debut to defeat rival Peter McGrail. Unbeaten at Youth and Junior level, the 20 year-old American bantamweight’s confidence was running high, landing a series of left hooks and uppercuts for which McGrail could find no answer.

The third contest of the night between another US Olympic Trial champion, the light welterweight Gary Russell, and Lionhearts’ Pat McCormack was a gripping affair, with Russell looking by far the more composed in the opening rounds. In a spectacular turnaround, McCormack was able to frustrate his opponent’s attacking instincts and took the final three rounds, lifting his team into a 2-1 lead.

Again the US got back on level terms, with Troy Williamson winning his middleweight bout against Charles Conwell and setting up a nail-biting heavyweight decider between Knockouts’ top boxer Cam F. Awesome and Lionhearts’ newcomer Lawrence Okolie, who only put his gloves on for the first time in 2010.

Shakur Stevenson shines but British Lionhearts steal the show on WSB’s big night in Miami

Awesome looked to have adjusted well to his move down from super heavyweight and was too fast for WSB debutant Okolie in the first round but the young British talent grew in confidence as he stopped Awesome’s waves of attacks, and eventually his heavy-hitting style gave a sensational Technical Knockout win to the British Lionhearts.

USA Knockouts To Get WSB Season VI Campaign Underway Against British Lionhearts In Miami

Miami is the venue for the hotly anticipated WSB Season VI Group B opener between USA Knockouts and British Lionhearts on Thursday evening, as the two World Series of Boxing stalwharts look to get their seasons off to a winning start in what is set to be an electric encounter at the Miccosukee Sports & Entertainment Dome.

USA Knockouts won their opening three matches of Season V before tailing off towards the end of the campaign, while the Lionhearts’ won 23 out of 70 bouts in Group A and finishing seventh. The Knockouts were busy during the Draft in December, however, and the revitalised squad will prove a huge challenge for the British to overcome on US soil.

Nico Hernandez was one of the stars for USA Knockouts in Season V, and the light flyweight will need to be at his very best if he is to beat Britain’s European Confederation Boxing Championships silver medalist Harvey Horn. Two red-hot bantamweights Shakur Stevenson and Peter McGrail emerged from the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships with both of their reputations enhanced, and the bout is set to be a highlight of the evening.

Gary Russell secured his place on the Knockouts’ team this season by winning the US National Olympic Trials at the end of last year, and he faces Lionhearts’ Pat McCormack, who is looking to leave his mark on the competition and push for an Olympic place. Another US Olympic Trials winner, Charles Conwell, will face Troy Williamson in the middleweight bout, with the Brit staking his claim on Anthony Fowler’s place in the Lionhearts’ squad.

USA Knockouts to get WSB Season VI campaign underway against British Lionhearts in Miami

One of the more experienced US boxers, Cam F. Awesome recently switched down a class to heavyweight, a move that paid immediate dividends as he also chalked up a first place at the Olympic Trials. He will be closing out the evening against British Lionhearts’ rising star Lawrence Okolie, who clearly has the talent to cause what could be a match-winning upset