Fourteen months after losing his IBF lightweight world title to Teofimo Lopez, hard puncher Richard Commey made an emphatic statement, knocking out Dominican contender Jackson Marinez in the sixth round Saturday evening from the MGM Grand’s Conference Center in Las Vegas.
In the fight with Lopez, a big right hand clipped Commey in the second round and he was never able to recover as the contest was waved off a moment later.
It was a much different performance against Marinez, who is well regarded as a skilled boxer.
Commey (30-3, 27 KOs) knocked down Marinez (19-2, 7 KOs) twice in the sixth round of a competitive fight that had the judges split at the time of the stoppage.
The first knockdown came as Marinez was against the ropes and got caught by a two punch combination. Marinez made it up and wanted to continue. But, then second knockdown quickly came, courtesy of a right hand, which prompted referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight.
“When I first started, I started very slow because I’ve been away for more than a year, so I had to take my time a little bit just to get my rhythm. My corner was telling me to do something. They saw that punch that took him down,” Commey said.
Sitting ringside was Lopez, who was standing, cheering and shouting instructions to his former foe, Commey.
“After our fight, I saw [Teofimo] in the lobby and we chatted and hugged. He always liked me, and it’s pure love. For him to come down to my corner, it was motivating. It showed tremendous love, and that’s how it’s supposed to be. We gotta love each other, regardless of where you’re from or who you are. I appreciated [his support],” Commey said.
