Vancouver’s Ricky Simon’s five-fight win streak came to an end Saturday night after a technical knockout loss to China’s Song Yadong at the start of the fifth round.
After dropping Simon with a left hook in the closeout of the fourth round, Song fired the same shot at the start of the fifth, knocking Simon down again. The fight squabbled on the ground for a few seconds with Song continuing to land shots before the referee stopped the fight.
Song kept the fight in his realm: Striking, using his speed, power and strong takedown defense to mostly nullify Simon’s, a state wrestling champion at Union High School in 2010, gritty ground game.
Both fighters are known for their pace and cardio, although the fight started slow before picking up in the second, most notably when their heads clashed followed by a flurry of punches from Song, seeming to wobble Simon before he scored a takedown taking the fight to the ground.
