Chris Colbert not only was much better than Tugstsogt Nyambayar on Saturday in Carson, Calif. He was also much busier, which resulted in a long night for the Mongolian.
Colbert outboxed and outworked the 2012 Olympic silver medalist to win a wide decision in a 12-round 130-pound fight and stay on course toward his first title shot.
Nyambayar took the fight on less than two weeks’ notice and moved up from 126 pounds, a double whammy that Colbert had predicted would be impossible to overcome come fight time.
However, one got the feeling that Nyambayar could’ve had three months to prepare and nothing would’ve been different. That’s how dominating Colbert was from beginning to end.
Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs) probably could’ve won the fight with his jab alone, as he threw more of that punch than Nyambayar (12-2, 9 KOs) threw total punches. Add superb footwork and plenty of power shots – including quick combinations – and you got a one-sided fight.
Tugstsogt Nyambayar (left) took three times as many punches as he landed. Esther Lin / Showtime
Nyambayar, a good, experienced boxer, had some positive moments. He landed a handful of hard, eye catching shots. However, that was the exception. He spent most of the fight chasing the nimble Colbert and eating shots for his effort.
The natural 126-pound simply had neither the speed nor the ability to turn the tide at any point in the fight. Nyambayar’s only accomplishment was that he was able to survive to the final bell, although Colbert isn’t known as a big puncher.
“I’m very slick,” Colbert said. “It’s not that easy to hit me. If you get me with one, you got lucky.”
The CompuBox numbers help tell the story. Colbert landed almost three times as many punches as Nyambayar overall (218-78) and almost twice as many power shots (106-58).
Thus, the official scores weren’t surprising: 117-111, 118-110 and 118-110. Boxing Junkie scored it 119-109, 11 rounds to one.
Chris Colbert has had his hand raised in all his fights. Esther Lin / Showtime
“He carried power for a 126-pounder,” Colbert said of Nyambayar. “Boxing is about hitting and not getting hit. I had to use my Muhammad Ali tactics and float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
“… This was a great fight and ‘Tug’ did a great job coming in off only a week and a half of training for me. I take off my hat to him and wish him nothing but the best in his career.”
What’s next in Colbert’s career?
He apparently will have to play a waiting game. He’s ranked No. 1 by the WBA, whose champion is Gervonta Davis. “Tank” is expected to fight at 135 pounds or above going forward, which means the title might be opening up soon.
Colbert has said he’d like to fight No. 2-ranked Xavier Martinez, which could be for the championship, although Rogert Gutierrez and Mark Urbanov hold secondary titles above him in the WBA’s bizarre ranking system.
He also mentioned three-division titleholder Leo Santa Cruz as a potential opponent.
One thing seems certain: Colbert will be difficult to beat no matter who he fights or what, if anything is at stake.