HANOVER, Maryland – Tsendbaatar Erdenebat continued his campaign toward being ranked at junior lightweight, boxing intelligently while holding off a determined Cobia Breedy.
Erdenebat was backed by a vocal contingent of Mongolian fans who had come to see him at the Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland. They cheered loudly at the beginning, and again at the end after the scores were announced: 100-89 (twice) and 99-90.
This wasn’t intended to be a one-sided showcase, however. Breedy had only lost once before – coincidentally to another Mongolian fighter, former featherweight title challenger Tugstsogt Nyambayar, by split decision in 2020.
Breedy came in muscular, looking compact and powerful. Erdenebat wasn’t intimidated, though. He controlled the range and the action. He boxed without running, moving in and out, or laterally, or ducking under shots. He landed more often, usually in combination, before giving himself a little space and time to reset. He dodged much of what Breedy threw. And he scored the sole knockdown of the fight.
Breedy, to his credit, never stopped trying, continuing to come forward no matter how much punishment he absorbed, all in the hopes that he could turn the tide.
The knockdown came toward the end of the sixth round. Breedy had briefly maneuvered Erdenebat against the ropes, but he couldn’t keep him there. Soon the southpaw Erdenebat let loose with a right hook and a left cross, sending Breedy to the seat of his trunks. Breedy rose at five on seemingly steady legs, and the bell rang seconds later to give him extra time to recover just in case.
The seventh started differently than the preceding rounds. Either Erdenebat was emboldened by the knockdown, or Breedy was energized by thoughts of revenge and hoping to promptly retaliate. They exchanged some before Erdenebat returned to the strategy he had employed before.
That’s not to say Breedy didn’t score or have his own moments, especially when he got Erdenebat to the ropes. But his constant pressure never broke Erdenebat down. Erdenebat had the skill and stamina to deal with him.
In the 10th and final round, with Breedy needing a knockout, Erdenebat continued to pop Breedy and turn. He let loose with a five-punch combination. He walked Breedy into two shots. He absorbed a solid blow from Breedy. He dropped his gloves briefly and bounced on his toes, recognizing that victory was within reach.
Erdenebat, a 29-year-old living in Paramount, California, moved to 15-0 (6 KOs). He’s now won three straight unanimous decisions. Last year, after a sixth-round stoppage over the 15-1-2 Pedro Bernal Rodriguez, he went the 10-round distance in victories over the 14-3-3 Humberto Galindo and the 23-6-1 Abraham Montoya.
Breedy, a 34-year-old from Barbados and living in Largo, Maryland, fell to 18-2 (8 KOs). After the September 2020 loss to Nyambayar, he had a cut-shortened no-contest with Sulaiman Segawa in October 2021 and then returned 41 months later, scoring three victories in 2025.
In the co-feature, junior lightweight prospect Frankie Scarboro Jnr remained undefeated with a unanimous decision over Maxwel Montes that was more competitive than the official scores otherwise indicated.
For the second straight time, Scarboro Jnr had to deal with an opponent who was like an old school horror-movie villain. Montes wouldn’t go away no matter how much Scarboro tried to fend him off, wouldn’t stop coming no matter how much Scarboro landed.
In January, Scarboro triumphed in a very tough firefight against the very durable journeyman Brandon Valdes. This time, he tried to resist his instinct of getting drawn into an extended battle. But while Scarboro sought to box in the opening rounds, he would sometimes become stationary, giving Montes an opening not only to get inside, but to stay there and land.
Scarboro scored plenty himself, and yet Montes seemed to have little respect for his power. He absorbed Scarboro’s punches and kept moving forward, getting Scarboro to the ropes and landing. A few rounds fell into a pattern: Scarboro boxing well for the first half, Montes taking over in the second half, Scarboro flurrying in the final seconds to try to end the round with an exclamation point.
But in the second half of the fight, Scarboro began to exert more control, commanding all or most of the moments in those rounds. His movement and punches were keeping Montes at bay. Montes dug down for a final sprint in the 10th round, but it wasn’t enough to end the fight early or overcome a deep deficit on the scorecards. One judge had it 99-91, while the other two scored it 98-92.
Scarboro, a 29-year-old from Cheverly, Maryland, is now 14-0 (9 KOs). Montes, a 26-year-old from Nicaragua, is now 13-5-1 (7 KOs).
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
