Dominick Reyes had to dig deep to keep his unbeaten record intact, but he did just that as he pounded out a three-round split decision over fellow light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 28-29.
It was an interesting first round between the two 205-pound standouts and a tough one to score, as Reyes got in his shots and showed off some solid defense while Oezdemir stalked and landed his own strikes while also scoring a takedown in the first five minutes.
Oezdemir and Reyes traded takedown attempts that came up empty in the second, opting then to go back to their tactical striking match. While upright, Switzerland’s Oezdemir’s experience was beginning to show, and Reyes’ nose was apparently bothering him, as he was breathing through his mouth and pawing at the nose.
Fatigue appeared to catch up to Oezdemir in the third round as Reyes got his second wind, and while there wasn’t a lot of sustained action, California’s Reyes was the busier of the two, and two of the three judges agreed.
