By Keith Idec
UNCASVILLE, Connecticut – Sharone Carter couldn’t pull off another upset Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena, but Rau’shee Warren was quick to admit after their fight that Carter gave him “good work.”
Warren, a former WBA and IBO 118-pound champion, built an early lead against Carter and won their 10-round bantamweight bout by unanimous decision on the non-televised portion of the Adrien Broner-Jovanie Santiago undercard. Judges Peter Hary (98-92) and Frank Lombardi (98-92) scored eight rounds apiece for Warren, who won seven rounds according to judge Anthony Paolillo (97-93).
The 34-year-old Warren (18-3, 4 KOs, 1 NC), a three-time U.S. Olympian from Cincinnati, fought for the first time since last February 15, when he easily out-boxed Gilberto Mendoza in their 10-rounder at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
St. Louis’ Carter (12-4, 3 KOs) convincingly defeated favored McJoe Arroyo (18-4, 8 KOs) by unanimous decision in an eight-rounder only four weeks earlier in the same ring, on the Stephen Fulton-Angelo Leo undercard January 23.
Carter came on in the second half of his fight with Warren, but it wasn’t enough to convince any of the judges that he had won more than three rounds. Warren got off to a strong start in the first five rounds and Carter couldn’t overcome that deficit.
Warren’s straight left knocked Carter off balance early in the 10th round. Warren began bleeding from his nose toward the end of that final round.
Carter and Warren traded hard shots early in the ninth round. Carter dictated the pace in that round and openly questioned Warren’s conditioning toward the end of it.
Carter caught Warren with a right hand toward the end of the eighth. That was the best shot of that eighth round.
Warren regained control in the seventh round, out-landed Carter and avoided most of his harder shots. Unlike previous rounds, Carter began the sixth round aggressive and landed a right hand that knocked Warren off balance briefly.
Warren was more active and accurate in the first half of their fight. He landed occasional body shots during those early rounds that made Carter back up at times.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.