The last time fight fans saw Levan Ghvamichava prior to Tuesday night, the hirsute Eastern European was doubled over on his right knee and being counted out after getting tagged with a fifth-round shot to the liver.
Ghvamichava vs Prescott Highlights: July 12, 2016
That loss to 140-pound contender Sergey Lipinets at Robinson Rancheria Resort & Casino in Nice, California, snapped Ghvamichava’s five-fight winning streak and left him eager for redemption.
Fast-forward nearly four months, and Ghvamichava returned to the scene of the Lipinets defeat to take on hammer-fisted veteran Breidis Prescott—only this time “The Wolf” exited in an entirely different manner.
Answering his Colombian opponent’s renowned power with power of his own, Levan Ghvamichava (17-2-1, 13 KOs) dropped Breidis Prescott (29-8, 21 KOs) twice en route to a dominating seventh-round stoppage victory in a 148-pound clash at Robinson Rancheria Resort.
“People remember me losing here by knockout, and tonight, I won here by knockout,” said Ghvamichava, who outlanded Prescott 134-110 in overall punches. “He came and attacked me to the body because of my last fight, but he never hurt me.”
The win was especially sweet in that Ghvamichava had less than a week to prep for Prescott after the first two fighters he was scheduled to face—left-handed Felix Diaz and right-handed Domonique Dolton—pulled out for different reasons.
“First you’re ready for a southpaw guy, then you find out you have a right-handed guy, and then a week later, it’s Prescott,” said Ghvamichava, who was born in Poti, Georgia, on the border of Eastern Europe and Asia, but now makes his home in Hayward, California. “But I’m the type of guy who is ready for anybody. Tonight, it was Prescott. Another night, it will be somebody else.”
The 5-foot-11 Prescott entered the contest with a two-inch height advantage and used it to dictate a double-fisted attack—mostly to the body—while sweeping the first round. Then in a hotly-contested Round 2, Prescott thrice drove the smaller Ghvamichava to the ropes.
However, by the end of the stanza, it was Prescott who was picking himself up off the canvas after a ruled slip, although it appeared Ghvamichava landed a grazing left as his 33-year-old foe was falling.
It wouldn’t be the last time Prescott’s backside would hit the deck.
Motivated by a between-rounds pep talk from trainer Virgil Hunter, “The Wolf” went on the attack in Round 3, using a stinging jab and calculated power shots to force Prescott into retreat. Ghvamichava continued to dish out punishment in the fourth, eventually flooring a bloody-mouthed Prescott with a late-round, left-right combination.
From there, the 30-year-old Ghvamichava took complete control of the fight, dominating the fifth and sixth rounds. Then early in Round 7, Ghvamichava landed a big left hook that staggered and dropped Prescott. A fatigued Prescott barely made to his feet, then soon hit the deck twice more from ruled slips.
Knowing his opponent was on unsteady legs, Ghvamichava went for broke late in the round, throwing six unanswered punches that forced Prescott into a corner. A final right-left combination landed flush to Prescott’s head, leading referee Michael Margado to step in and stop the contest at the 2:37 mark.
In rebounding from the Lipinets loss, Ghvamichava improved to 6-1 (5 KOs) in his last seven bouts. Meanwhile, Prescott saw his two-fight winning streak halted and dropped to 8-8 in his last 16 outings.
“Virgil kept telling me to work the jab, and the jab destroyed him and set up the rest of my punches,” Ghvamichava said. “That’s when I came with my power, which is much better at 147. I felt much stronger at this weight.”
Said Hunter: “The key was beating [Prescott] down with that jab, weakening, disorienting and knocking him back. I told him that [Prescott] was going to come after the body based on Levan’s last fight, but I told him to remain calm, take his time and go to work.
“The difference is that we didn’t kill ourselves going down to 140.”
In other televised action, 23-year-old Mark Anthony Hernandez (8-0, 2 KOs) of Fresno, California, earned a unanimous decision over 22-year-old Thomas Hill (6-1, 1 KO) of Las Vegas in a 154-pound, eight-round clash. Also, rising 160-pound prospect Malcolm McAllister (8-0, 8 KOs) of Long Beach, California, remained perfect with a seventh-round stoppage of Brazilian Gilberto Yoruba (7-3, 4 KOs).
For complete coverage of Prescott vs Ghvamichava, hit up our fight page.
Levan Ghvamichava drills Breidis Prescott with a sweat-spraying right cross to the temple Tuesday night. Ghvamichava powered his way to a seventh-round TKO victory. (Andy Samuelson/Premier Boxing Champions)
