Jose Pedraza and Richard Commey battled to a draw at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Oklahoma, throwing over 1000 punches between them.
The pair, competing at super lightweight having both held titles in other weight classes, were each coming off losses in their previous fights. Commey lost to Vasily Lomachenko in his last outing, whilst ‘The Sniper’ Pedraza was looking to bounce back after coming up short against Jose Ramirez.
Both fighters emerged from the 10-rounder cut and bruised after some slick work and heavy punches. It was a fight of two halves, with ‘RC’ producing most of the eye-catching work in the beginning but being outshined and out landed by the Puerto Rican as the end drew closer.
A cut above Commey’s left eye in the sixth made things difficult for the Ghanaian, allowing Pedraza to take over and sneak in some impressive shots. Although both expressed disappointment at the judges calling it a draw, fan reaction generally seemed to agree that it was a fair result.
In the aftermath, both fighters kept it classy and respectful. Pedraza said he would take the rematch.
“I’ve never turned down a fight, and I’m not going to start now. Whatever Top Rank wants for me. If they demand a rematch, I’m ready to give Richard Commey a rematch because he deserves it and I have the utmost respect for him. Ultimately, my goal is to win a world title once again. Whatever I have to do, that’s what I’m willing to do.”
Commey was looking forward to returning to Ghana before planning his next move in the division.
“It is a draw. Obviously, I have to go back home and see my people. I love my people, and I gotta go back there, do what I gotta do. I’ve got … boxing equipment I gotta take back home, give it to my young people who want to do boxing, who want to look up to me and do the great things I’m doing for Ghana.”
The official scorecards were: 97-93 Pedraza, 96-94 Commey, 95-95 Draw.
Elsewhere on the card, highly-touted heavyweight prospect, Jared ‘Big Baby’ Anderson, progressed his record to 12 wins with 12 knockouts. He disposed of his opponent, Miljan Rovcanin, in the final seconds of the round 2 after dominating early stages.