The 25-year-old was slated to face WBC middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo this month but the fight fell through after a disagreement between Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions, which promote Munguia, and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and Showtime. In his most recent bout, on February 19, which took place in his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico, Munguia stopped D’Mitrius Ballard in the third round. ![]() Munguia recently fought at the Honda Center on November 13, defeating Gabriel Rosado by unanimous decision. A barrage of punches dropped Kelly in a corner and, while he barely beat the count, referee Thomas Taylor saw enough and waved off the fight at 2:57. Kelly beat the count and tried to fight back but Munguia was relentless, letting go of his hands as he had Kelly backed up against the ropes. Kelly beat the count and engaged in the center of the ring with Munguia but was dropped a second time, this time from a right uppercut to the head. After action resumed, Munguia hurt Kelly, dropping him to the canvas with a left hook to the head. Midway through the fifth round, Kelly was again warned for holding. Kelly continued to outbox Munguia, who looked puzzled at times despite receiving instructions in the corner from trainers Erik Morales and Fernando Fernandez. While Kelly was able to connect repeatedly, he was also warned several times by referee Thomas Taylor for holding. Near the end of the second round, Kelly landed a left-right combination, snapping Munguia’s head back. He was able to utilize angles, slip punches and counter with left hooks to Munguia’s head. I’m up for any challenge.Kelly, who was coming off a majority decision victory over Kanat Islam in his previous fight, on February 25, was effective early on against Munguia. “I’m ready to go back to 160 to fight for the world title or to grow to 168 pounds. “I think it helped me a lot,” he said of the extra weight. He said he felt good at the weight, which gives him an alternative if he can’t secure a title fight at middleweight. Munguia came in for the fight at 165 pounds, five more than the middleweight limit and the former junior middleweight champion’s heaviest weight ever. “He was trying to work out his plan of attack but I had to do my job, slow him down a bit and work on the body.” ![]() “It was difficult in the beginning because he is a slippery, tough fighter who can really take some punches,” Mungia said. ![]() The official time for stoppage was 2:57 of Round 5. Once again he rose but eventually fell under a barrage of punches, which prompted referee Thomas Taylor to stop the fight. Kelly got to his feet and was mixing Mungia punch for the punch but he went down the right uppercut. About halfway through Round 5, Munguia landed a left hook as Kelly pulled back, hitting the back and hurting her. ![]() Munguia looked somewhat lost in the fourth round, as if he was looking for a way to slow down his fleet rival. Munguia suggested that the clever Kelly (26-3, 10 KO) could give him trouble early in the fight with his boxing ability and movement.Īnd thus it played out for four-plus rounds, as the Irishman pulled out his jab, fired lightning shots here and there and then moved or held on to avoid anything Munguia turned in. “We hope to finish that fight by the end of this year.” “I think it will be a big fight for everyone. “I want to say what Oscar said to Germale Charlo, to come out of here, to show me some balls and stop hiding behind Fight Al Heman and me,” Mungia said through a translator after his victory.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |