Kieran Molloy gets up off the floor to win Irish v Mexican classic
Kieran Molloy got up off the floor to win a Fight of the Year contender in Rotherham tonight.
Mexican Sergio Garcia Herrera took everything Molloy threw his way and also gave everything of himself in an attempt to upset the former amateur standout on the ‘Coming of Age’ card.
As a result, the Galway fighter had to show a real warrior mentality to win a typical Irish v Mexican war.
Dropped in the sixth and under pressure from start to finish, the 25-year-old faced real adversity for the first time in his career but passed a massive gut check to eventually secure a 76-75 points win.
Molloy cut a disappointed figure post having his hand raised, but his team will be happy with the character shown in a fight with more learnings for the Loughborough University trained welterweight title hopeful than a PHD.
It was patient to start from Molloy as he had a look at what Herrera had to offer. Two left hands down the middle did widen the eyes of his opponent, but to the Mexican’s credit, he continued to show ambition across the opening three.
That aggression continued into the second as Herrera pushed forward letting some big shots go. Molloy did stiffen ‘Cheko’s’ legs, walking him on to some well-timed shots but the away fighter continued to trust his powers of recovery, shook them off and came as close as anyone to winning around against the EU Championship medal winner.
The Oughterard BC graduate started to invest in the body in the third before using his amateur pedigree to make his foe miss and pay.
The Turicato native drew Molloy into a fight in the next session leading to a very entertaining stanza.
It also meant the Mexican had some success but in truth, he took more than he dished out and the fact his chin was being complimented come the end of the round said it all.
However, just when it looked like the Mexican was about to wilt he had his best round, the 26-year-old marched forward, showing a massive heart and a sensational chin. Molloy was still landing but looked to be feeling the ferocious pace Herrera was setting.
By the sixth Molloy found himself in the trenches and found himself on the floor for the first time in his career, as the typically Mexican-styled Mexican dropped the Irish fighter with a body shot.
The Galway man got to his feet and weathered a strong storm to see out the round. Indeed, he punched the air at the end of the session as if to suggest he knew he’d taken the Mexican’s best and was about to regain control.
‘Cheko’ continued to press in the seventh until Molloy landed a left hand clean on the chin and by the end of the three minutes, the tide had turned. Now it was the 25-year-old who fancied the finish.
It appeared as if the Westerner could have went into cruise control and taken a safety-first approach in the last. However, he ensured the sensational fight had the brilliant finish it deserved. He picked every shot in the book and landed them clean on his brave foe’s chin. The talented and battled hardened away fighter somehow took them and they stood trading right until the end.
The wins see’s Molloy improve to 8-0 and there was serious talk of a Galway July show in the minutes after.
