Mikhailenko Handles Perez in Eight Rounds

Two action packed fighters in Dimitry Mikhailenko (20-0, 9KOs) and Venezuelan-born, Johan "El Teribble" Perez (20-3-1, 13 KOs) faced off on August 8th 2015 at Fantasy Springs Casino.

It was a "must win" for both fighters, however, Perez probably has more to lose given he’s 32 and recently went up in weight from 140 to 147 (usually one of the last stages in a declining career). Perez looked to shine against a heavy handed undefeated Russian fighter, who, at 29, is coming into his own as a welterweight.

In the early rounds Perez looked good. He moved around the ring well and was not affected by the Russian's power, even landing a few combinations to keep him off. However, unlike Perez, Mikhailenko relied on brute force with no finesse moving forward throughout. It was clear whoever dictated their style in the fight would win.

In what was a deviation from the game plan, Perez stopped moving in the center of the ring and tried to exchange starting in the third round. Perhaps the over-confident Perez thought he could sustain the Russian's power throughout the fight. In the fifth round Perez suffered a nasty cut from a punch; his corner seemed worried and all confidence was lost shortly thereafter.

In what reminded me of an Antonio Margarito style fight, Dimitry “the Technician” simply wore down his opponent. The Russian kept moving forward and wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Perez looked to be the more polished fighter but his game plan was poor and eventually was worn down.

I would have liked to see Perez make more concerted effort to attack the body from the start. It was really his only chance to win, slowing down his opponent and taking a little off his power punches as the fight wore on. Mikhailenko's defense was not stellar but he did a good job of keeping his hands up even after attacking, blocking some of Perez counters from landing cleanly.

The referee stopped the fight in the 8th round saving Perez from taking too much punishment. It was clear he was overpowered.

Congrats to Mikhailenko for doing what he had to do. This guy is a fun fighter to watch and look forward to seeing him against bigger and better.

For Golden Boy, every “L” hurts right now. Oscar needs his group of fighters to win and build a name for themselves. If Perez could have beat an undefeated machine like Mikhailenko, it would've caught the attention of many. Instead, his corner will have to assess whether "El Terrible" has the power to stay at 147 before choosing his next fight. .