Michael McKinson takes unanimous decision over Chris Kongo
In his twentieth fight, Michael “The Problem” McKinson (20-0, 2 KO’s) defeated Chris “2Slick” Kongo (12-1, 7 KO’s) by way of unanimous decision. The win will stand as the first blemish on Kongo’s record. Prior to the prizefight, at the weigh-in, there was a great deal of tension. In fact, during the face-off, the two men would have to be separated. Unfortunately, little of that moxie found its way into the actual prizefight.
TEN ROUNDS OF TEDIUM
Technically, there was not too much to see in the opening round, or much of the fight for that matter. Both McKinson and Kongo started the fight behind their jabs in standard feel-out fashion. Unfortunately for Kongo, he was charged for a knockdown when their feet got tangled and his glove touched the canvas. A punch was landed but it was grazing and did not actually hurt him.
Rounds two and three were completely forgettable fluff. Kongo pressed the action in a twitchy stance with his lead left-hand generally on his hip. McKinson slowly back peddled behind a high guard. 2Slick threw the most punches and connected with very few. Neither man landed anything of any consequence. In the first minute of the fourth, McKinson’s accuracy appeared to improve. He was able to land a couple good body shots and a left and right hook to Kongo’s chin. The punches were absorbed well but they landed all the same.
Midway through the fourth though, Kongo appeared to mildly buzz McKinson with a left hook. The fifth round resumed the flavorless format of the second and third. Overall, the sixth was rather dreary as well. Outside of a stiff straight-right that jarred McKinson’s head back in the opening 45 seconds, there was no significant action. There was a notable shift though. Now it was Kongo backpedaling and circling the ring. This forced McKinson to come forward. He did not seem to be as comfortable in ‘seek-and-destroy’ mode.
McKinson once again came to life in the eighth. He found a cozy home for a short tight left hook that he threaded through incoming fire. In the final minute, he landed a crisp straight left on the tip of Kongo’s chin. While none of the shots truly shook 2Slick, he was not able to score anything as big or meaningful. The ninth was more physical drivel.
Seeming to realize it was a close fight, both fighters came out determined to start the round. The first two minutes of the period were the most exciting of the fight. McKinson and Kongo threw hard shots with regularity and put defense a bit on the back burner. As had been the case throughout, neither manage to hurt or notably stun the other. Sadly, for the final twenty seconds, both men opted to pose and engage a hardy staring contest. When the cards were read, McKinson walked away with an unanimous decision win.
With the win, McKinson is hoping to continue his rise up the rankings. Going into the prizefight, McKinson held the #6 spot. Now that The Problem has collected Kongo’s scalp, he will turn his attention to the top five in the division. Outside of #5 Egisdijus Kavalauskas and #4 Custio Clayton, the top five in the division would all be major fights for McKinson. The question then becomes is he ready for #3 Mikey Garcia, #2 Vergil Ortiz Jr or #1 Shawn Porter? Well ready or not, those are the shark-infested waters that he is now swimming in!
By: Bakari Simpson
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