LAS VEGAS (June 17, 2020) — “Magic” Mike Plania had an evening that was nothing short of magical. The Filipino upstart stunned WBO No. 1 bantamweight contender Joshua Greer Jr. via majority decision Tuesday evening from the MGM Grand Conference Center—Grand Ballroom.
Plania (24-1, 12 KOs) knocked down Greer in the first and sixth rounds and prevailed by scores of 94-94, 96-92 and 97-91.
Greer (22-2-1, 12 KOs) came on strong in the late rounds, but Plania’s lead was too much for him to overcome.
“This win is going to change my life,” Plania said. “I thought I could knock him out after the knockdown in the first round, but he was tough and adjusted his strategy.
“I took this fight on only three weeks’ notice, but I had faith in God that I could win.”
— Giovani Santillan (26-0, 15 KOs) extended his unbeaten record, but former world champion Antonio DeMarco (33-9-1, 24 KOs) sure didn’t make it easy. Santillan, from San Diego, edged DeMarco via 10-round majority decision in the welterweight co-feature (95-95, 96-94 2x). The three judges agreed on only three of the rounds in a fight that some experts had DeMarco pulling out.
— Bobirzhan Mominov (11-0, 8 KOs) outworked noted spoiler Cameron Krael (17-16-3, 4 KOs) to earn a unanimous decision in a six-round junior middleweight bout. Mominov was deducted a point for hitting behind the head in the sixth round. The scores were 57-56 and 58-55 2x.
— In a six-round heavyweight rumble, Hector Perez (7-2, 3 KOs) prevailed via unanimous decision over Juan Torres (5-3-1, 2 KOs). The scores were 60-54 and 59-55 2x.
— Middleweight prospect Nikoloz “The Experiment” Sekhniashvili (6-0, 4 KOs) cruised to a six-round unanimous decision over Detroit native Isiah Jones (8-2, 3 KOs) by scores of 60-54 2x and 59-55.
From Top Rank