Lejerraga Dominant in Stoppage Win Over Flatley
At the Bilbao Arena in Bilbao, Spain, hometown hero Kerman Lejerraga (34-2, 26 KOs) defended his EBU European junior middleweight title against England’s Jack Flatley (17-2-1, 4 KOs) in a twelve-round contest. Lejerraga wanted to win impressively in front of his adoring fans put an exclamation point on what has been a fruitful 2021.
It included scoring the biggest win of his career in his last outing. In September of 2021, Lejerraga scored a technical decision win over Dylan Charrat to win the vacant EBU European belt. As a result, he’s now ranked third by the WBA at 154 pounds.
For Flatley, this was the biggest bout of his career. On paper, the resume didn’t come close to the opponent he was facing in Lejerraga. The 29-year-old had hopes of silencing the local crowd.
CLEARLY THE BETTER MAN
Lejerraga’s professionalism was on display from the jump. He patiently worked behind a shotgun jab that kept Flatley at bay and in his place. Late in round one, one of those hard jabs stunned Brit and put him down on one knee. Round two saw the Spaniard add in the right hand as well. It seemed the end was imminent.
Flatley was able to steady himself in the middle rounds. However, the power of the man from Bilboa surfaced yet again. Midway through the eighth, a series of punches from Lejerraga put Flatley down for a second time in the fight. Twenty-five seconds into round nine, the local hero finished matters off with a beautiful right hand that put Flatley down and out.
Overall, the experience, skill, and power of Lejerraga were way too much in this contest. Up next is likely a rematch with Charrat, who the EBU mandated would be the next title defense for the winner.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
