Filed under: Boxing Rumors, FanHouse Exclusive
Severn middleweight (160 pounds) Jessie Nicklow (pictured above, at left) and Julius Kennedy (above at right) of Baltimore waged an action-packed, 10-round clash that easily won Friday night's crowd from start to finish, but neither fighter was awarded the overall victory at Baltimore's DuBurns Arena.
Nicklow looked like the winner, his face mostly clean and undamaged, even as he acknowledged that the game and relentless Kennedy hurt him twice in the fight -- once with a punch behind the head, and once with a vicious uppercut with both blows landing midway through the bout.
Kennedy looked like the loser, acknowledging that the puffiness above and below his nearly swollen shut right eye resulted from Nicklow's punches -- mostly his potent jab -- while contending that the deep and cavernous gash above his left eye was caused by an accidental head butt in about the ninth round.
In the end, however, the combatants had to settle for a majority draw, with judges Dave Braslow and John Gradowski each scoring it even at 95-95, while Don Risher had it for Nicklow, 98-92.
Nicklow-Kennedy was for the vacant WBF America's and Maryland State middleweight crowns, which remains without a claimant.
"I am the true warrior. I am the true winner of this fight, because, from the beginning to the end of every round, I felt like I dominated the fight. I was the one pushing the fight, and the one taking the fight to him all the way through," said Kennedy.
"He kept trying to hold me and trying to tie me up, but I was in shape to go the distance in my first 10-round fight. I won this fight clearly," said Kennedy. "I was never hurt in this fight at any time at all. I did all of my homework to prepare for this fight, and when you don't win the fight, you know, it's very disappointing."
FanHouse had it 97-93 for Nicklow (20-2-3, seven knockouts) based on the cleaner and more effective punches over the course of the night against Kennedy (7-1-1, three KOs), who went the 10-round distance for the first time in his career.
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