Makes you want to scream. I did. Kendall Holt went down twice in the first 35 seconds of the 1st round. Seconds after knockdown #2, on shaky legs, he landed a monster overhand right that left Ricardo Torres slumped against the ropes out cold. Real cold. Eyes not moving for a good long minute cold.
It’s definitely the Round of the Year, and a candidate for Knockout of the Year and even Fight of the Year, in a junior welterweight (140 lbs.) title bout that, unlike the first time Holt and Torres fought, left zero questions about whether somebody got KO’d. No whacko stoppages on Torres’ home turf, no rowdy fans disrupting anything. Just unbelievable action for a little more than a minute — 61 seconds — and a rally of a scope that is almost unheard of in boxing.
Now, are there still questions about this one? You bet. On the replay, it looked like Holt landed a huge head butt just before scoring the knockout punch. It forced Torres to stumble backwards and he appeared stunned by it. While he was off balance, Holt finished him. (And Holt, who didn’t seem to be trying to land the head butt, was lucky in another way; after the second knockdown by Torres, Holt leaped back up and Torres landed an even cleaner left hook than the one that sent him down, putting him further along queer street.)
Holt said after, “I may go down, but I get back up.” That’s an understatement. He’s now been put on the canvas eight times in his 26-fight career — tons for a boxer who aspires to greatness. But he does get back up. When he was throwing back hurt against Torres, I thought, “Dummy, hold on!” Holt has been a little cautious at times in previous fights, but he threw it to the wind and it paid off.
Showtime’s commentators were clamoring for a trilogy. It should happen, all the more because of the head butt question. In the meantime, I’ll be buzzing on the adrenaline rush of such a stupefying battle.
An Astounding Turn Of Events As Holt Scores Amazing KO In Round Of The Year
Posted by Tim Starks on Jul 6, 2008 05:27
