Josh Kelly vs Gabriel Corzo Card Is A Dud!
WBO International junior middleweight Josh Kelly (14-1-1, 7KO) easily defeated an over-matched opponent in Gabriel Corzo (18-1, 3KO).
This was a glorified sparring session, as Kelly did whatever he wanted throughout the entire fight. After tasting the first hard shot, Corzo went into retreat mode and never gained any kind of offensive momentum. His undefeated record was nothing more than an illusion for his skill set did serve justice for a WBO #9 ranking.
Until the final bell, Kelly came forward with his hands down before ripping off hard left hooks to the body as the Argentinian was up against the ropes. This fight was so uneventful that the fans started to leave the arena in the middle rounds.
In being honest, Kelly probably could have gotten the knockout if he put forth the effort, but he seemed comfortable with pot-shotting the challenger until the final bell.
Kelly scored a ruling of 120-107 by two judges as one saw it 117-110. In the post-fight interview, he called out Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn, which are good domestic level fights. Yet, fights with WBO #1 ranked Bakhram Murtazaliev or interim titlist Tim Tszyu would come with championship implications.
FRANKLIN IGNATIUS GETS A SOLID WIN OVER STEVE ROBINSON
In a heavyweight showdown featuring two prospects, Franklin Ignatius (6-0-1, 1KO) gets the upset victory over Steve Robinson (6-2, 4KO).
Fighting in front of the home crowd, Robinson couldn’t find the range and looked sluggish early. In addition, his chin was high in the air resulting in Ignatius landing different variations of the right hand. The fight turned into a clinch-fest as Robinson would miss and walk into a counter shot before holding.
Ignatius took advantage of his opponent not using the height and reach properly by landing a stiff jab before attacking the body. Furthermore, he started to take a half step back to create space and land a barrage of left hooks.
In the final round, Robinson let those hands go and landed a thunderous left and right hook combination that momentarily stunned Ignatius. Looking to close the show, he continued to pour on the attack, but it was too little too late, as Ignatius managed to make it to the final bell.
The referee ruled it 77-74 in favor of Ignatius. Realistically, both fighters need more work if they want to be considered “serious” contenders.
DILLON CONTINUES TO THRIVE ON THE DOMESTIC LEVEL
In a battle for the vacant British junior lightweight title, Liam Dillon (13-0-1, 3KO) dug deep for the victory over Qais Ashfaq (12-2, 5KO).
It was an all-action contest from the first ding of the bell as Dillon came charging forward and quickly found a home for the right hand. Ashfaq adjusted by using angles to slide out of the way before delivering crisp counter left and right hooks that stunned Dillon momentarily.
In round four, Dillon beat the body of Ashfaq, who was trying to hold on before dropping to the canvas.
Over the next several rounds, it was a phone booth fight. In round nine, Ashfaq made a critical mistake by allowing his glove to touch the canvas up against the ropes resulting in the referee ruling it a knockdown.
Down the stretch, Dillon kept up the aggression by fighting off the front foot. Ashfaq fought smartly by looking to counter with hooks to the body and head.
One Judge scored it 115-112 for Ashfaq with the other two scoring it 117-110 and 115-112 in favor of Dillon. 3kings Boxing agrees with the last scorecard as Dillon continues to have success on the domestic level.
