Vladimir Shishkin (12-0, 7 KOs) continued his development into a serious contender in the super middleweight division with a near-shutout victory over Ghana’s Sena Agbeko (23-2, 18 KOs).
The 29-year-old Shishkin fought with a large cut over his left eye for the majority of the fight but was able to comfortably control the action in the unanimous decision win. The judges scored the fight 98-92 and 100-90 twice.
Shishkin, who is now 3-0 on the acclaimed prospect developmental series, was effective with his jab, landing 116 of 351 thrown, and was never truly troubled by Agbeko despite the cut. Shishkin landed 222 of the 596 punches he threw (37 percent), while the 28-year-old Agbeko connected on just 20 percent (109 of 555). In the 10th and final round, Shishkin pressed for the knockout but Agbeko stood tall until the final bell.
“I did have to overcome adversity tonight with the cut,” said the Russian Shishkin, who fought for the first time under new trainer L.J. Harrison. “But I have been cut many times in my career so I was able to deal with it. It affected me a little bit but that’s boxing.
“It was good to go the distance. I felt like I got a lot of good work in tonight and learned some things. I will improve a lot because of this fight and fix my mistakes. I am ready for a big fight after this.”
