Jordan Gill Passes Test of Karim Guerfi
Featherweight Jordan “The Thrill” Gill (27-1-1, 8 KO) picked up his first win of 2022 in very memorable fashion. He managed this by besting Karim Guerfi (30-6, 9 KO’s) by way of ninth round knockout in an exciting action fight. This is a solid win for The Thrill who entered the match with the rankings of #6 (WBA) and #9 (IBF).
Armed with this latest victory, he is likely to enjoy a bump up a few notches. The win was certainly a good way to rebound from his December 11, 2021 draw with Alan Castillo. In his most notable loss to date, Guerfi was taken to task by a rising Lee McGregor. Now it’s unclear what he will do next.
EVEN OUT THE GATE
Gill launched out of his corner and wasted no time putting a very handy jab to work which dominated the first half of the period. By the end of the round however, Guerfi was falling into a rhythm finding success with his lead straight right and counter left hook. While nothing fight-altering landed, both fighters waged a moderately paced tit-for-tat scrap during the second.
Over the third and fourth round though, it was evident that Gill began pulling away. During these periods, his footwork, feints and effective sticking and moving was giving him a defined edge. Also, his dedication to the body was paying dividends. In the sixth, Guerfi got hurt with a sturdy left hand and spent a large chunk of time on the ropes. To get off, he essentially called his own low blow that referee Thomas Walser honored.
PHOTO FINISH
Guerfi would show signs of life and ended the sixth round on a rally that saw him taking the fight to Gill. His good fortune increased when Guerfi dropped Gill with a left hook in the final minute. Even though he made it to his feet without issue, moments later the two got in a clinch and went down. They fell in such a fashion that it appeared that Guerfi had Gill in perfect WWF styled Jake the Snake DDT. When they went down, Gill’s head crashed into the canvas and his eyes went glass. Despite this, Gill finished the round without further mishap.
Gill literally fought out of his own corner of the ring for the entirety of the eighth. Yet, it should be said that he did well doing so. At one point, he even staggered Guerfi with a hard, counter straight right. Gill began the ninth in the corner for the first minute until he momentarily drifted out. After throwing a few punches, and stumbling around drunkenly, he proved he had zero legs under him and the Thrill quickly retreated to the corner anew.
It appeared it was only a matter of time before Guerfi ended the night. Then in a stunning turn of events, Gill flattened Guerfi with one short, counter straight right! The unforeseen shift was something that Hollywood movies are made of. After getting nailed with the shot, Guerfi slowly drifted backwards before falling flat on his back where he could not beat the count.
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By: Bakari Simpson
