Sulaiman Segawa Triumphs Over Ruben Villa in Las Vegas Showdown

LAS VEGAS – Sulaiman Segawa showcased his fearlessness and skill, defeating contender Ruben Villa by unanimous decision in front of a rowdy crowd at The Pearl, Theatre at The Palms Resort Casino on Saturday night. The judges scored the bout 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94 in favor of Segawa, who improved his record to 17-4-1 with 6 knockouts.

Despite Villa being the betting favorite and ranked No. 10 by The Ring in the featherweight division, Segawa dominated, particularly in the latter half of the fight. Both southpaws started actively from the opening bell, engaging in back-and-forth exchanges. Segawa opted to stay in close quarters with Villa, where he effectively landed looping left crosses to Villa’s head, often connecting consecutively.

As the fight advanced into the middle rounds, Segawa found success with uppercuts to Villa’s head, while Villa responded with body shots and hooks. In Round 6, Villa landed two solid right hooks to Segawa’s head. Segawa rebounded in Round 7, landing lead straight lefts and right hooks, but Villa countered with a series of combinations.

Midway through Round 8, Segawa stunned Villa twice, although Villa managed to hurt Segawa with a right to the body, forcing Segawa to hold on until the round ended. In the final rounds, Segawa and Villa exchanged hooks and crosses, with Segawa skillfully avoiding significant damage while landing uppercuts and focusing on body shots until the final bell.

Originally from Kampala, Uganda, and now residing in Silver Springs, Maryland, Segawa was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Mirco Cuello on March 30. The 33-year-old had been unbeaten in his previous four fights since a knockout loss to Jamaine Ortiz in November 2020.

Villa, hailing from Salinas, California, saw his record fall to 22-2 with 7 knockouts. Prior to this bout, the 27-year-old Villa had defeated Christian Cruz Chacon by unanimous decision on April 13 and had won his previous four fights since losing to Emanuel Navarrete in October 2020. Villa was ranked No. 1 by the WBC heading into Saturday’s fight.

Undercard Highlights

• Junior Lightweight Jonathan Lopez scored a first-round knockout over Leonardo Padilla. Lopez, now 16-0 with 12 knockouts, ended the bout at 1:43 with a devastating left hook to the body.
• Junior Welterweight Charlie Sheehy of Brisbane, California, defeated Ricardo Quiroz by unanimous decision with scores of 77-75, 77-75, and 78-74. Sheehy improved to 10-0 with 5 knockouts.
• Welterweight Art Barrera, Jr. dominated Javier Mayoral, knocking him down in the first and fourth rounds to win a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the bout 60-52. Barrera’s record now stands at 6-0 with 4 knockouts.
• Junior Lightweight Albert Gonzalez from Moreno Valley, California, stopped Conrado Martinez in the sixth round after a barrage of punches forced the referee to halt the fight at 1:23.
• Junior Welterweight Israel Mercado of Pomona, California, secured a unanimous decision victory over Dondrell Haynes, with scores of 59-55, 59-55, and 60-54, improving his record to 11-1-1 with 7 knockouts.
• Junior Lightweight Javier Zamarron defeated Mikey Bracamontes by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 59-55 in favor of Zamarron, who remains unbeaten at 9-0 with 4 knockouts.

The event showcased several promising fighters and thrilling matchups, with Segawa’s victory over Villa being the highlight of the night.