Fight Night in Canada: Joshuah Lupia Ends Things Early

TORONTO, April 21 – Joshuah Lupia (14-0, 12 KOs) made quick work of Bartlomiej Wanczyk (15-3, 7 KOs) in a showcase of his knockout power.

The Canadian fighter won via technical knockout, with the stoppage coming in the opening round. Lupia-Wanczyk was an eight-rounder and headlined a Lee Baxter Promotions event at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto, Canada. Originally, Kelvinyer Salazar was to face Lupia. However, visa issues meant that Wanczyk stepped in instead.

Joshuah Lupia Makes Quick Work of Bartlomiej Wanczyk

Joshuah Lupia Showcases His Power

The fight began tentatively, with Wanczyk trying to come forward but getting hit with the jab. Not long after, Lupia found a home for his right hand, knocking down his opponent within the first minute with a hook. Wanczyk got up but was soon hit by a barrage of punches that made the referee stop the fight.

Read more – Heavyweight Action in Canada: Split Decision in WBC World Title Clash

This was Lupia’s ninth consecutive bout since being shot in the leg in October 2020. The incident kept him out of the ring for nearly two years. Since making his comeback, Lupia remains active in the hopes of getting a world title shot soon.

Post-Fight Interview

“We had an opponent change a week out so we didn’t really know what to expect with this opponent,” said Lupia to Big Fight Weekend after the event. “He’s got 15 wins and only two losses [going into the fight] so we knew he was going to be a little bit tough and have the experience.”

“Maybe something in the next month or so,” he said regarding his future plans. “I’ll probably have two or three more fights by the end of the year.”

Undercard Results

Just before the main event, Mohamed Zawadi (9-1, 8 KOs) won a technical knockout against Gi Sung Gwak (5-2, 3 KOs) in a six-round light heavyweight fight. The time of stoppage was 1:18 of round four. Gwak struggled to deal with the power shots throughout the fight. In the fourth, Zawadi landed a left hook that sent his opponent down. Gwak got up, but the referee saw him unable to continue.

In a six-round super middleweight clash, Nick Fantauzzi (13-1, 5 KOs) won a majority decision against Mikhail Miller (3-9-2, 0 KOs). While one judge saw it 57-57, the other two had it 59-55 and 58-56 for Fantauzzi. Miller had his moments, landing clean shots from time to time. However, Fantauzzi was doing more between those punches, giving him the win on two of the scorecards.

Mathusan Mahindas (7-0-1, 3 KOs) stopped Viacheslav Shulevskyi (3-2, 2 KOs) in round two. The time of stoppage for this six-round welterweight bout was 2:33. Mahindas bloodied the face of his opponent, who was not responding late in the second, causing the referee to end proceedings.

Tania Walters (6-3, 1 KO) won a majority decision against Lindsay Garbatt (9-11-2, 3 KOs) in an eight-round bantamweight fight. While one judge saw it 76-76, the other two had it 77-75 and 77-76 for Walters. A clash of heads caused blood to pour from the head of Garbatt towards the end of the fight. Both women had faced each other in May 2022, a fight that saw Walters win another majority decision.

Opening the card was a four-round super middleweight contest that saw Nawid Zaman (4-0, 1 KO) win a unanimous decision over Abraham Gomez (23-41-5, 11 KOs). Scores for the fight were 40-36 and 39-37 (x2). Both fighters struggled to land clean in a bout that saw a lot of holding and head clashes. Gomez had a cut by the left eye due to a clash of heads. In the end, the judges saw Zaman do the cleaner work.