Martin, Kennedy draw

Ringside by Anthony Springer Jr. & Andreas Hale
Photos by Chris Cozzone

It was a battle of quality versus quantity at The Joint inside of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and neither was able to get the upper hand.

In the main event of ESPN's Friday Night Fights, Teon Kennedy's higher work rate and Chris Martin's sharpshooting led the judges to a stalemate as the ten round super bantamweight bout was declared a majority draw. Although judge Al Lefkowitz saw it in Kennedy's favor 93-97, he was offset by judges Dave Moretti and Robert Hoyle who both saw it 95-95. You couldn't really complain about either fighter having the upper hand any way you looked at it.

Kennedy (17-1-2) started out strong has he pressured Martin into the ropes and threw punches in bunches when the two were in close quarters. Early on it appeared that Martin (23-1-3) was content with sitting in the pocket and cutting loose a few crisp combinations in between lulls in Kennedy's assault. It was not only difficult for the judges to figure out who had the upper hand, it was difficult for the fans as well.

Depending on what your taste was, you either sided with Kennedy's punching volume or Martin's more telling blows. Scoring was like splitting atoms depending on who you asked as the judges only agreed on the third and fifth round going to Kennedy. Outside of that, it was a mixed bag as the two combatants continued with their constant ebb and flow war waged between the ropes.

Martin began to mark up Kennedy's face as he put his foot on the gas and ripped Kennedy with power shots in the sixth. Despite what appeared to be his best round, only two of the judges gave him the round. It was a close fight that could have been blown wide open had referee Jay Nady ruled a grazing left hook that appeared to clip Kennedy on his way to the canvas a knockdown. Instead, it was ruled a slip that could have swung the pendulum in Martin's favor on the scorecards.

An entertaining 10th round say both fighters let their hands go as fight fans cheered them on in appreciation. Martin landed a hard left hand but Kennedy again wouldn't go away as he tucked his chin to his chest and continued to throw punches and kept Martin from launching into a full scale attack.

When the final bell sound, both fighters raised their hands and it was hard to argue which was wrong. Although the crowd booed the decision, it was fitting for such a closely contested contest. - Andreas Hale

Urgas Coasts To Easy Victory

A boxer is in for a long night when his opponent’s first shot plants him on the canvas. Eseban Almarez was nearly shut out by the still unbeaten Yordenis Ugas (11-0). A stiff right hand midway through the first planted Almarez on the canvas. He never recovered. Urgas switched up his attack in the third and jabbed the body to keep Alamarez off balance. Down on the score cards, Almarez got aggressive in the latter half of the fight, but was quickly backed up as soon as Urgas started swinging. An accidental clash of the heads in the eighth and final round temporarily halted the action. Both men finished strong but there was no question who the victor was. Urgas claimed all three scorecards by scores of 79-72, 79-72. - Anthony Springer Jr.

Lenk Pleases Hometown With Knockout

Las Vegas' very own Anthony Lenk scored a resounding first round stoppage over previously undefeated Wendel Henley in a scheduled six round lightweight showdown. As the final moments in the first round ticked off the clock, Lenk (13-1, 7 KOs) slammed a straight left hand into Henley's face. As Henley (8-1-1) stumbled backward in an attempt to regain his bearings, Lenk pounced on his dazed foe and tore into Henley until referee Joe Cortez called a halt to the bout at the 2:53 mark. - Andreas Hale

Hot Prospect Magdaleno Pitches Shutout

Rising super bantamweight prospect Jesse Magdaleno (8-0, 5 KOs) put some much needed rounds in the bank by picking apart the game but overmatched Shawn Nichol (5-8) en route to a unanimous decision in six round action. Unlike his previous two opponents, Nichol wouldn't be taken out in the first round and proved to be a sturdy opponent for Magdeleno to get some work in on. But Magdaleno proved to be too fast and too sharp as he cruised to a 60-54 clean sweep on the judges' scorecards. - Andreas Hale

Garcia & Saenz Battle To Second Draw Of The Night

When was the last time you saw back to back draws in a fight? We assume not very often. On this night, after Martin-Kennedy battled to a majority draw, Gil Garcia (5-2-1) and Gabino Saenz (6-0-1) followed that fight with a stalemate of their own in a scheduled six round featherweight bout. Both Garcia and Saenz were busy serving each other their Sunday's best, on a Friday no less, but neither was willing to wilt under the other's pressure. It was a crowd pleasing bout as both sides elicited oohs and ahs from the crowd as they tore into each other. Judges ultimately saw the fight 58-56 for each fighter with the third scoring it 57-57 resulting in the draw. - Andreas Hale

Wilson spoils Flores return

Rohan Wilson (6-5-1) topped hometown hero Angel Flores (10-5) in a four round unanimous decision super lightweight tilt. Flores was dropped with right hands in each of the first three rounds. He landed a big looping left in the second, but was unable to put together much offense against the oft back pedaling, wild punching Wilson. The judges scored it 38-37, 38-37 and 39-36 - Anthony Springer Jr.

Bonus shots