‘Dirty as hell’: Aussie boxing freak Brock Jarvis dodges ‘disaster’ in US debut

Jeff Fenech’s boxing protege Brock Jarvis has claimed a win on his US debut but the Aussie's stunning comeback hasn’t won over America just yet.

Brock Jarvis before the fight. Photo: DAZN

Aussie boxing prodigy Brock Jarvis has maintained his unbeaten record by the barest of margins, dodging disaster in his international debut.

Mentored by Aussie boxing legend Jeff Fenech, Jarvis moved to 20-0 with 18 knockouts after his fight against Mexican Alejandro Frias Rodriquez was waved off in the fifth round.

Watch Boxing Live & On-Demand on Kayo. Selected international fights, classic bouts and more. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >

Jarvis’ fight on the undercard of the Mikey Garcia-Sandor Martin card was also his first international fight, taking on Frias, who generally fights at featherweight but dropped down to lightweight for the fight with Jarvis.

The 23-year-old Aussie was putting everything into his punches in the first round, even slipping onto the canvas when he missed a hook in the first round.

Going to the body, Frias was feeling the punches.

A body punching masterclass through one round for Brock Jarvis. So much power.

— Brendan Bradford (@1bbradfo) October 16, 2021

But the experienced Mexican shocked the Aussie in the second round, leaving Jarvis wobbly on his feet as he used the ropes to stay up and in the fight.

The ref even told the Aussie to “show me something” as Jarvis took plenty of punches.

The commentators said it was looking like a “disaster” as Jarvis appear to be knocked out through the ropes.

He barely scraped through to the bell in the second.

Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn, who Jarvis signed with in August, was stunned that he wasn’t KO'ed in the shock turnaround.

“How did Jarvis make it through that round?” Hearn asked.

HOW DID BROCK JARVIS STAY UP! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/RrXwYJ2iNd

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 16, 2021

DAZN commentator Chris Mannix said the second round should have been a knockdown 10-8 round to the Mexican but the bell gave Jarvis the chance to reset and comeback.

Jarvis bounced back, landing plenty of heavy punches as he recovered from the early shock.

But in the fifth round, a flurry of heavy punches to the head of Frias ended the fight as the ref waved it off.

The punch that ended the fight. Photo: DAZN

Jarvis with the win. Photo: DAZN

Despite the win, Jarvis said he had plenty to work on.

“It was an ordinary performance from myself,” he admitted. “I’ve got a lot to work on and I’ll just keep working at it.”

As for the second round, Jarvis added: “He caught me with some big shots and at times like that, you’ve got to dig deep and show what you’re made of. I hung in there and kept working to get the win. I came here to win and win at all costs, a little bit of adversity isn’t going to stop me.”

It was a stunning comeback from Jarvis who battled his way back from the verge of defeat as the commentators said it was a better win than an early KO.

Frias had plenty of fans in the crowd with boos ringing out at the stoppage and when Jarvis had his arm raised.

“This is exactly what’s going to make him a better fighter,” former WBC light middleweight champion Sergio Mora said. “This is what you want to see out of a young prospect that’s used to having so many knockouts on his resume. How’s he going to react once he gets that chin check. He almost was out but he wasn’t and that’s what’s going to make him a better fighter in the long run.”

Jessica McCaskill added: “He’s a hero now tonight because he was able to get through that second round.”

Brock Jarvis was looking good in the ring. Photo: DAZN

However, not everyone was a fan with boxing reporter Mark Ortega giving the performance a thumbs down.

“Jarvis is dirty as hell in there. I’ve seen him use his elbow and his shoulder to create separation,” he wrote.

Replying to a fan who said they didn’t like the stoppage, Ortega added: “Especially when you take into context that he let it go when Jarvis was completely out on his feet for about 30 seconds, and didn’t even rule a knockdown.”

The pair could be back in the ring however with Frias’ people asking for a rematch.

Fox Sports boxing reporter Ben Damon tweeted that Fenech told him that Hearn and Matchroom want Jarvis to fight on the Teofimo Lopez-George Kamboses Jr. undercard.

He added that if Matchroom dictate a rematch for Frias, “Fenech/Jarvis are happy to do it”.

Originally published as ‘Dirty as hell’: Aussie boxing freak Brock Jarvis dodges ‘disaster’ in US debut