A Victorious Michael McKinson Delivers Lackluster US Debut Against Alex Martin
Unknown was the underlying theme heading into the ten-round welterweight battle between Michael McKinson (22-0, 2 KOs) and Alex Martin (17-4, 6 KOs) at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. McKinson was due to fight the highly touted Vergil Ortiz Jr. However, Ortiz had to withdraw after being hospitalized and treated for rhabdomyolysis.
Originally, Jesus Antonio Perez was to be the replacement opponent for Ortiz. However, he was nearly 30 pounds overweight and deemed unfit to fight. After an all-out dash by Golden Boy Promotions, they found Martin, who agreed to take the fight on 36-hours’ notice.
The question coming in was, how would McKinson handle the chaos and multiple changes of opponents? Ranked second by the WBO at 147 pounds, the 27-year-old from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England didn’t want to let go of the opportunity to fight in the United States for the first time. He faced a Martin who was riding a four-fight winning streak.
A TEDIOUS AFFAIR
Because both fighters like to counter-punch, this was a calculated and tactical affair from the opening bell. McKinson was the more aggressive fighter in the early rounds, leading with the right jab to setup the follow-up left and combinations. Despite the late notice, Martin was competitive. There were moments in the first four rounds when the Chicago-born lefty landed with counter lefts.
But overall, the action was very tedious as Martin employed plenty of movement and potshots. The crowd voiced their displeasure as they booed both men at the end of round five.
NOT A HAPPY AUDIENCE
The middle rounds saw McKinson pick up his work-rate, using his feet to close the gap. He was the more active fighter and landed the shots, but could not consistently penetrate his opponent’s defensive shell.
Martin was doing a decent job of making McKinson miss but didn’t do nearly enough to make him pay. He was a cutie to a fault, as he refused to let the shots flow. That made for less than exciting action. The crowd continued to boo during the second half of the contest.
In the end, McKinson did enough in the judge’s eyes. They scored the fight in his favor by wide, unanimous decision. 99-91, 98-92, 97-93. A win is a win, but McKinson was far from impressive in this one.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
