LAS VEGAS – Preventing a late substitute and at a weight six kilos greater than he anticipated didn’t influence Kenneth Sims Jr.’s efficiency Saturday.
Chicago’s Sims broke down Rock Myrthil and stopped him within the fifth spherical of their eight-round welterweight battle on the Frank Martin-Michel Rivera undercard inside The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Sims bombarded a drained Myrthil with energy punches, which prompted referee Celestino Ruiz to step between them and halt the motion at 1:12 of the fifth spherical.
Sims, a junior welterweight contender, improved to 19-2-1 and recorded his seventh knockout.
The Haitian-born, Los Angeles-based Myrthil (17-2, 13 KOs), who took this battle on 4 days’ discover, was stopped in a second straight bout. Kevin Johnson (12-2, 8 KOs), who’s scheduled to battle on this card later Saturday night time, defeated him by ninth-round technical knockout in his earlier battle, which happened in November 2021 at Park MGM’s Dolby Stay.
Sims sensed initially of the fifth spherical {that a} fatigued Myrthil was inclined to getting knocked out. He wasted little time unloaded laborious rights and lefts, which prompted
Myrthil appeared fatigued by the beginning of the fourth spherical. Sims cracked him with back-to-back proper fingers that buzzed Myrthil within the opening minute of that spherical.
Sims knocked Myrthil into the ropes with one other proper hand later within the fourth spherical. Sims then bombarded Myrthil with energy punches, which appeared to stagger Myrthil as he backed into his personal nook.
Sims countered Myrthil with a proper hand simply within the first minute of the third spherical. A counter proper by Sims knocked Myrthil off steadiness later within the third spherical.
By then, Sims’ switching from an orthodox stance to a southpaw stance neutralized Myrthil, who had a robust first spherical.
Sims switched to a southpaw stance a number of occasions within the second spherical. He landed a tough proper hook in a kind of situations in the course of the closing minute of the second spherical.
Sims began the second spherical working effectively off his jab.
Myrthil landed the more durable punches with extra regularity within the opening spherical. Myrthil drilled Sims with a proper hand within the closing minute of the primary spherical, however Sims took that flush punch effectively.
Within the bout earlier than Sims’ victory, Ray Ray Robinson defeated Victor Saravia by unanimous determination in Robinson’s four-round professional debut.
The left-handed Robinson, a southpaw from Cincinnati, gained by the identical rating on all three playing cards, 40-35. Saravia (1-4-1, 1 KO), of North Hollywood, California, is 0-4-1 since he gained his professional debut by knockout.
Keith Idec is a senior author/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He may be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.