Second stoppage win in row for Archie
Croatian featherweight prospect Arijan Goricki (12-1-1, 6KO) stopped former ITalian champion Suat Laze (25-9-1, 7KO) in round eight of a scheduled 10 rounds at the Zagreb Fair in Pavilion 18, Croatia.
The fight ignited from the very first round, then Goricki was forced to fight through a hand injury as early as the second stanza, but managed to box clever and was rewarded with a knockdown in the fourth, but eventually it was an arm injury to the Italian opponent that forced referee Rico Kamberovic to halt the contest at 1:04 in the eighth.
The 24-year-old Croatian described the fight in his own words, "From the first round I started to implement the tactics I made with my coach, but I immediately shook the opponent and went to knock him out, then all the tactics fell into the water and the match turned into a real fight in which probably everyone present and people on small screens could enjoy.
"Namely, when I started throwing a lot of blows towards Laze, Laze started to return strongly and hit me hard in the counter, at that moment, at the end of the first round, the fight became extremely demanding and we exchanged a lot of blows. In the second round I tore my right fist when I hit Laze in the forehead, I just kept working and reduced the hitting with my right hand.
"In the fourth round, Laze found himself on the floor after I hit him in the liver, he was out of balance and fell and got a count. In the middle of that round, I hit Laze in the right elbow and his elbow cracked and his arm was torn but that only made Laze angry and he bit his gum shield and started fighting even harder and he didn't want to give up. Laze was a more awkward opponent with one hand than when he had both as he constantly changed his stance and threw strong punches.
"In the eighth round, I finally managed to hit Laze's right elbow again, and at that moment, the elbow completely cracked and the judge stopped the fight. Lazea was taken away by ambulance and had to have emergency arm surgery. Luckily, my fist didn't break completely and I just have to rest with it for the next 10 odd days and it will be fine.
"I think I could easily have boxed all 10 rounds and kept Laze at a distance but I always want to give people a spectacle and a good fight for ordinary people who don’t follow boxing. I am happier that the fight turned into a fight and not a boxing match because I gained a lot more experience like this than if I moved around and won all 10 rounds with my left jab. I wanted to box all 10 rounds but when the opportunity arises it should not be missed, you never know what the next round brings."
A true sport, Goriciki paid tribute to his opponent and team, "Thanks to Team Laze for accepting the fight, it was a pleasure to share the ring with the veteran. My team and I want a speedy recovery for Suat."
Archie also took time to thank his sponsors, who were integeral to making the fight happen, "Many thanks also to my friends and sponsors who have been with me all this time and supporting me on my journey to rank on the world stage, without them nothing would have been possible."
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