Underdog Antonio Hernandez remains determined after disappointing ruling against Kiante Irving
Far too often in our beloved sport, we see fans and fighters alike going home unhappy because of the scoring in a particular fight. The latest example being this past Saturday (September 18) in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Surging underdog Antonio Louis Hernandez (5-11-2) took on the much bigger Kiante Irving (9-0-1) in a six-round war. At the end of the fight, it was obvious to everyone in the building that Hernandez had won the fight. Unfortunately, the three judges ringside scored it a draw.
Surprising results are nothing new for Hernandez. He has spent the last two years turning around his career and making a name for himself. Often times on regional shows, the “B-side” is brought in and expected to lose, but no one told Hernandez that. He continues to come into hostile territory, and exceed expectations. At this point he has a case for being the best sub .500 fighter in the nation.
Hernandez began boxing at age 12, and trained under former USA Boxing President John Brown. Brown is well known for training Tommy Morrison. After roughly 80 fights in the amateur rankings, Hernandez turned pro. The Kansas City, Missouri native says he was mislead and misguided early in his career. At just 18 years old, he would take risky fights on short notice because he wanted the money.
PARADIGM SHIFT
After two years of the “anyone, anywhere, anytime” attitude, Hernandez decided it was time to take things more seriously. He put together a solid team of people around him and began training like a mad man. So far, the results have been great. In his last six fights, his only loss is a decision defeat to highly touted undefeated prospect Lorenzo Simpson; a fight Hernandez took on just a few day’s notice. Since then, he’s rattled off three KO victories including a win over 9-0 former National champion Destyne Butler.
All of this lead to Saturday in Pittsburgh where Hernandez took on another 9-0 former National champion, Kiante Irving. Although he was giving up significant size and reach advantages, Hernandez was able to bully his larger opponent, almost stopping him on multiple occasions. Yet when the announcer read the result, it was ultimately declared a draw. The crowd met the result with boos. Even though Irving was the hometown fighter, fans couldn’t wait for the chance to tell Hernandez they thought he deserved the victory.
“Tony is a unique story. There’s not many fighters that can turn things around the way he has. He went from being an opponent brought in and expected to lose, but now he’s coming in and whooping legit undefeated prospects. That’s why we call him The Spoiler because you see his record and it doesn’t tell you just how good he really is. I’m super proud of the kid and look for him to keep proving people wrong. The official result may have been a draw but we know he won that fight Saturday.”
Tanner Gill, Advisor to Antonio Hernandez
Regardless of Saturday’s judging mishap, one thing is clear and that’s that Tony Hernandez has some solid momentum for a guy who was once written off. At just 22 years old, the man they call “The Spoiler” will be looking to build on his recent success and land even bigger fights where he can continue to rock the boat and prove he’s here to stay
