Photography Credit Terrell Groggins

From my Perspective

Sonny Fredrickson knew he was in for a long night, his eyes seemed to say as I photographed him during the ring walk. For me, this could be a biased view since I've been documenting Shohjahon "Sho" Ergashev during training camp. You know he's tough when one of his sparring partners is Domonique Dolton. This is what makes Kronk such a special place to train, you never know who will be in the gym on any given day. Sho came out hungry from the start of the bell and jumped all over Sonny. He was consistent with power punches and movement up until referee Benjy Esteves stopped the fight in the third round.

But who is Shohjahon Ergashev? He's an up and coming prospect fighter from Uzbekistan. He's been boxing since he was ten years old and just finished his second training camp in the United States.

Dmitriy Salita, of Salita promotions, brought Sho over and prompted him to work under the tutelage of the famous Kronk Boxing Gym in Detroit, specifically under Rick Phillips and Javan "Sugar" Hill Steward and Sho's been thriving there.

I personally document at Kronk Boxing Gym. The regimen is tough, but the fighters that come out of that camp are winners for a reason.

This rigorous and famous training was showcased on Showtime Shobox's Friday fight. Sho went at Fredrickson from the sound of the opening bell. Fredrickson has a five-inch reach and he doesn't always fight on the outside. Sho rushed him taking the reach advantage away but throwing consistent sharp punches throughout the match. Ergashev hit Fredrickson with a left in the third that hurt him and stayed consistent with power punches until Fredrickson stumbled on the ropes. Benjy Esteves stepped in to stop the bout after seeing that Fredrickson couldn't muster up the strength to protect himself.

Sho speaks: “The ref saved him. If he let him stay on his feet any longer I would have knocked him out. He couldn’t handle my power.

“At this stage of my career, I am in the best shape of my life and the best I have felt. This is my time right now, especially because I am training with Rick (Phillips) and (Javan) Sugar (Hill Steward). That’s what leads to all of my knockout power.

“I’m ready for whatever comes next. I’m ready for more fights in the U.S., and I want to keep getting more exposure to show off my skills. I’m ready to fight anybody in America.”

Sho knows he's quickly headed for the international spotlight. He was on the Uzbek national team for six years, and his record now stands at 12-0 with 12 KOs after Friday's fight. He's a southpaw and a big hitter. He's comfortable with power punches but has been working on honing his other boxing skills to make himself a complete boxing package. With his training at Kronk Boxing Gym, it's working.