Denis Grachev keeps unbeaten streak alive
San Diego's undefeated light-heavyweight hopeful Denis Grachev of City Boxing. Photo credit: Jim Wyatt
On Friday, January 14, San Diego’s Denis Grachev (9-0-1, 5 KOs) won an eight round majority decision over the formerly unbeaten Haitian, Azea Augustama (9-1, 6 KOs) in their light heavyweight main event at the Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida. Fight fans should be real familiar with the name Denis Grachev, as he competes locally in both Muay Thai/Kickboxing and Boxing and teaches these disciplines at the Downtown gym, City Boxing.
Even though Augustama, who competed for Haiti in the 2008 Olympics, held a distinct advantage with his superior hand-speed, Grachev never failed to advance on the flashier boxer who
preferred to employ a more cautious strategy of staying on the outside and potshotting Grachev with his right uppercuts and left hooks. The sixth round was marred by two incidental low blows by Grachev, who received a warning but no point deduction from referee Frank Santore Jr.Grachev, who is originally from Chaykovsky, Russia, gained his browny points by continually pressing the action and scoring with the shorter right, left combinations. The judges’ scores for this close bout, Ric Bays 78-74, Ralph Vidal 78-74 and Fred Fluty 76-76.
Grachev hadn’t competed (in Boxing that is) since December 11, 2009, when he fought Ernesto Castaneda (11-8-2, 4 KOs) of Sacramento to a draw at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, CA.
After losing his first fight, Azea Augustama knows he has to get back in the gym and work a lot harder.
Augustama, who won the Gold Medal at the US National Golden Gloves competition in Grand Rapids in 2008, last fought Reggie Pena (6-4-0) on October 19, 2010 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. He beat the journeyman fighter by TKO in the fourth round.
