Mbilli Stops Murdock After The Sixth; Moloney Retains His WBO Bantamweight Belt
Christian Mbilli made Rohan Murdock quit on the stool after the sixth in a comprehensive win during their super middleweight clash in the co-main event of the Beterbiev-Smith card.
Mbilli entered the fight with an unbeaten record of 25-0, with 22 knockouts. He is seen as one of the rising prospects in the super middleweight division alongside David Morrell Jr. From the start, Mbilli’s quality was clear. He backed up the Australian, who played into his hands by boxing on the inside.
The Australian’s best chance was to box at range, given the huge power difference at show. By the third round, Murdock was staying in the fight, having taken much punishment, typified by Mbilli’s explosive right hand. The Australian took the shots well, but the writing was on the wall.
The Frenchman knocked out Murdock’s mouthpiece in the fourth, giving him some momentary respite as the referee called time to allow him to put it back in. On the odd occasion Murdock connected, his power failed to earn Mbilli’s respect.
Murdock’s corner told their fighter at the end of the fifth that the bout would be stopped if he took more damage. With the challenger’s nose pouring with blood, his team stopped it at the end of the sixth. The Frenchman has set his sights on a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
Post-Fight Comments
“Murdock is strong. He took all of my good punches. But for me, I thought I would finish him in one more round. But his team ended the fight. He’s a good fighter, but I’m the best today. Tonight, I sent a message. I am the future of the division. That’s what the message was today. Canelo is the best. Everyone knows that. But now I want to show that I’m the best in the division. My goal is to fight him. I would do anything to fight him," Mbilli stated
Jason Moloney Retains Title
On the same card, Jason Moloney kept his WBO bantamweight belt with a controversial majority decision over Saul Sanchez.
Sanchez took the fight to the champion as he had Moloney on the ropes. That set up the theme of the fight as both boxers traded blows. The challenger appeared to have the upper hand, as Moloney had a cut over his right eye by the third round.
By the halfway stage, Sanchez buzzed Moloney in the sixth. Sanchez followed that up with a strong seventh round, but Moloney landed to the head and body in the ninth. As the fight entered the final round, both fighters exchanged combinations in an enthralling spectacle.
Moloney won the decision, but the crowd responded with jeers, as the card did not tell how close it had been: 114-114, 116-112 and 116-112.
Post-Fight Comments
“Saul Sanchez is a warrior. I am proud to be the WBO bantamweight champion, and I was going to do whatever it took to keep my title. The era of ‘Mayhem’ is only beginning. And the fans here in Quebec City were incredible. I felt like I did enough in the later rounds to retain my title," Moloney said
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