Bruce Carrington capped the biggest win of his career on Friday night, but his focus remained on giving credit where he believed it was due — to his faith and to his toughest challenge yet.
Carrington (13-0, 8 KOs) overcame his most difficult test to date in Sulaiman Segawa (17-5-1, 6 KOs), the WBC’s No. 3-ranked featherweight. "You're a good fighter, bro, yeah, definitely my best competitor I've had so far," Carrington said after the fight. He also credited his faith for the win, adding, "I want to thank God for my victory, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."
The fight was hard-fought from the start, with Segawa outworking Carrington early, landing more punches and briefly rocking the unbeaten contender with hooks in the second round. Carrington responded with sharp counterpunching, setting up a back-and-forth battle.
As the rounds wore on, Carrington began to take control. He landed a solid right hand in the fourth round, which energized the New York crowd, and then adjusted his strategy by focusing on body shots to slow Segawa’s pace.
A head clash in the seventh left Carrington with a noticeable bump, but he pressed forward in the final rounds, pushing the action while Segawa threw awkward, defensive shots. In the end, the judges scored the bout 95-95, 97-93, and 97-93 in Carrington’s favor.
Reflecting on the win, Carrington acknowledged the challenge Segawa presented. “I owe him a lot,” Carrington said. “This is just going to get me to the next level.”