Ardreal Holmes Jr Snags Unanimous Decision Over Vernon Brown
There was a sense of the unknown heading into the ten-round middleweight contest between southpaws Ardreal Holmes Jr (12-0, 5 KOs) and Vernon Brown (13-2-1, 9 KOs) at the Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Holmes had been out of action since a third-round knockout of Jose Antonio Abreu in November of 2019. After dealing with fight postponements as well as serious complications from COVID-19, the 6’2” middleweight was ecstatic to get back in the ring.
A southpaw from Flint, Michigan, he faced a Brown who was a replacement opponent for Mekhrubon Sanginov, who pulled out due to injury. The Chicago, Illinois native already was scheduled to fight on this card. However, his original opponent Hushidbek Normatov also withdrew due to injury.
SHOWING HIS VERSATILITY
Seven inches taller than his opponent, Holmes began boxing behind the jab. Brown’s best hope was to get inside and work. But Holmes did an excellent job of sliding his feet, then connecting with combinations.
You could see the confidence in Holmes begin to grow. For a gangly-looking fighter, he was able to work well work on the inside. Holmes was getting away with fighting Brown’s fight as he was in control in the early rounds.
PICKING IT UP
In the middle rounds, the pace slowed as Holmes elected to fight more in close quarters. That allowed Brown to work, who upped his level and fought with more intensity. A good moment came in round seven, as he put Holmes on his heels with an excellent straight left hand to the chin. But Holmes rallied in the final three rounds, teeing off with beautiful combos up and down on Brown.
Overall, this turned into an entertaining scrap. In the end, the judges score the fight in favor of Holmes by unanimous decision (97-93, 96-94, 98-92). It was an excellent performance for the winner following such a long layoff. Going ten rounds for the first time in his career, Holmes can use this fight as a building block moving forward.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
