Hooker defeats Flanagan by split-decision for the vacant WBO junior welterweight title.
The prospect hailing out of Dallas, Texas went across the pond and captured a world title in his first attempt.
In a very close fight that started off slow, the majority of the early rounds went to the American. Both fighters seemed weary to engage one another on the strength of protecting themselves from making crucial mistakes. The height and reach advantages seem to be evident for Hooker.
It wasn’t until the seventh round the action dramatically picked up. A clash of heads opened up cuts above Flanagan’s eye and the middle of the forehead, which prompted him to pick up the pace. From this point fourth he abandoned the strategy to box and became the aggressor, pulling Hooker into a phone-booth type of fight.
While Flanagan was able to pull himself back into the fight, it proved to be too late as he lost too many of the early rounds.
With the departure of Terence Crawford, the junior welterweight division is open for the next big name to arise. Champions like Kiryl Relikh (WBA), Jose Ramirez (WBC) and the wildcard in Regis Prograis are very intriguing matchups for the new champion.
According to the WBO rankings, undefeated American prospect Alex Saucedo would be next in line for a shot unless the fans are gifted a rematch.
The official scorecards read: 115-113 and 117-111 for Hooker. The final judge scored it 117-111 for Flanagan.
3kingsboxing.com scored the fight 115-113. With this win, Hooker improves to 24-0-3 with 16 knockouts.
By: EJ “2K” Williams
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