World Title Dream Denied as Caoimhin Agyarko Pushes Kelly All the Way
Caoimhin Agyarko proved his world credentials in Jeddah tonight but didn’t manage to get his hands on a world prize.
‘Black Thunder’ rolled confidently into his first world title fight, promising to make history by becoming Ireland’s first black world champion.
He did manage to produce a career-best performance and showed he is world-level capable with a quality display, but couldn’t get over the world title line.
The Belfast man finished the bout the stronger, forcing Kelly into a change of tact to get over the line and left him marked up to such a degree he may not be able to retain his Pretty Boy ring moniker moving forward.
But ultimately, the fight was scored 114- 113, 115-112, 115-112 in the favour of Kelly and he heard ‘And Still’ come result confirmation time.
Agyarko, who may have actually benefited from an eliminator and another learning fight before his challenge, vowed to come again and his performance suggests he is more than capable.
Kelly, who has Dublin cutman Tommy McCormack in his corner, finished the opening round with a confident bounce, flashing that Pretty Boy smile, but what proceeded didn’t really warrant the confidence.
The first three minutes were relatively even with Agyarko landing some solid jabs and looking for big right hands, and Kelly looking to draw the challenger in before putting his hand speed to work.
The champion and back-foot specialist looked to get on the front foot in the second, and while he didn’t dominate the second, that positivity and flashes of quality may have nicked him the round.
The Holy Trinity graduate responded well in the third, attempted to close the gap and put shots together in another close three-minute round.
Agyarko gave the Irish in the building something to cheer about in the fourth, unbalancing the title holder with a jab early and landing some shots of note inside. Kelly’s class was still apparent.
The Sunderland native opened a fiery fifth with a sustained attack but finished the stanza with a cut and was warned for hitting in the back of the head. He also started to hold his feet more, looking trade, something Agyarko and his team would have celebrated.
A point deduction in the sixth for Kelly was followed by a brilliant Agyarko right hand at the tail end of a round the champion’s corner were unhappy with. Adam Booth, the man who helped Andy Lee and Ryan Burnett win world titles, called for his charge to put some distance between the pair going into the second half of the fight. A left hook early in the seventh opened up another cut under the champion’s eye, and by that stage the challenger looked a gear change away from taking charge.
The Belfast man had the Englishman complaining in the seventh, the champion becoming frustrated when the Irishman put combinations together. There was Belfast success to the body and three left hooks to the head. There were still calls for more output, but the momentum seemed to be swinging the way of the champ.
Kelly tried to wrestle back the ascendancy in the ninth but a beautifully timed right hand tested the Brits chin and when he did try to put it on Agyarko he came away with a cut on the bridge of his nose.
The champ looked to fire fire with fire in the tenth. Pretty Boy upped the tempo and looked to make it ugly. Black Thunder weathered the storm and finished a round of two halfs stronger.
A blood soaked Kelly landed a brilliant uppercut as he started another round positively. The Holy Trinity man finished the round enjoying real success but there were enough flashes from the champ for him to be in with a shout of claiming the session.
The final round was similarly even and hard to score and we were set for a tense winner reveal.
