Brant Stops Hloros with Body Shot and Defends WBA-NABA Championship in Hinckley

On Friday, January 20, in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 3000+ at the Grand Casino’s Events & Convention Center in Hinckley, Minnesota, WBA #3-, IBF #13- and WBO #5-rated middleweight contender Rob “Bravo” Brant stayed busy and defended his WBA-NABA Middleweight Championship by stopping Detroit’s Alexis Hloros.

With a possible title-shot opportunity on the near horizon, the Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Brant (22-0, 15 KOs) wasted no time in dispatching Hloros at 2:33 of the first round. A huge body shot dropped Hloros for a count of nine, but he arose still wincing in pain, and was in no condition to continue.

“I was happy with the way the night ended up,” said Brant. “When you get a guy last minute like Alexis Hloros, you have to treat them like they have been training to be the best version of themselves. Overlook them and you can get beat. I feel like I am ready for a bigger name now and am ready to showcase myself at the top level.”

The event, presented by Greg Cohen Promotions in association with David Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions, also featured GCP’s always exciting super welterweight KO artist Skender Halili.

Halili (13-1, 13 KOs) kept his KO percentage at 100% by stopping Wichita’s Romon Barber (7-13, 6 KOs) in the fifth round.

The anvil-fisted Halili landed some bombs early that Barber was able to absorb. However, Halili’s power eventually wore him down. In the fifth, he caught Barber with an uppercut that staggered him backwards into the ropes where he then pounded him relentlessly until the referee stopped the fight. It was a spectacular show of brutal punching power.

“I was very impressed with both our fighters tonight,” said Greg Cohen. “Rob Brant is clearly at the top of his game and ready for a big opportunity. Despite the opponent change on short notice, he handled it the way a future champion should. And Skender Halili continued his run as one of the most exciting punchers in boxing with another fan-friendly win. It was a great event in front of a huge crowd of fans. I am proud to have been able to promote it.”