On short notice, Breedy loses split-decision
Featherweight Cobia Breedy, known as “The Soldier,” was told he was fighting Tugstsogt Nyambayar in the most important fight of his career five weeks ago.
He was the standby fighter in case the original fighter came down with the COVID-19 virus. He did, and Breedy was put in as the co-feature of the Erickson Lubin, Terrell Gausha Super Welterweight fight on Showtime Boxing on Sept. 19 at Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Breedy dropped a split decision. The judges saw it 115-111 for Breedy and 114-112 and 114-113 for Nyambayar.
It is no surprise that Breedy, 28, from Barbados, fighting out of Clinton, Md., would be a little nervous in the beginning of the biggest fight of his career.
He went down in the first two rounds. Once with a left, right combination in the first round and a sweeping left hook in the second round.
“It was a little lack of experience and did not respect his opponent like he should have,” said his trainer Floyd Seymour. “We were winning the round. It was five seconds left, and he got caught with a right hand.”
Breedy fought hard in the next few rounds and got himself back in the fight. It is hard to dig out of a hole for any fighter from two knockdowns in the first two rounds.
“I was up in the round, and I got careless and got caught with a punch,” said Breedy. “In the second round, it happened again, and I figured I was down on the scorecards, and I could not give any more rounds away.”
Breedy was the more active fighter. Nyambayar, known as “King Tug,” would go into lulls, and Breedy kept on putting pressure but never seemed to hurt the Mongolian fighter, who won the Silver Medal in the 2012 Olympics.
“It was a tough fight,” said Nyambayar. “I have a lot of respect for Breedy; he’s a great fighter.”
From the sixth round on, Breedy (15-1) was fighting with one eye. His left eye was practically closed, and the ringside doctor saw him at one point in the fight.
Once again, Breedy’s inexperience got him.
“I did not feel like I got hit. I blew my nose, and my eye swelled up. I was told never to blow my nose during the fight, but I had already done it,” said The Soldier. Breedy was in the military in his home country of Barbados.
“I felt that I hurt him a few times,” said Breedy. “He hurt me on the first knockdown.” At 28-years of age, Nyambayar’s (12-1) only loss was to world champion Gary Russell, Jr. He hopes to get a rematch with Russell.
