The right hand hammer belonging to Richard Commey separated Jackson Marinez from his senses in round six at the MGM Bubble in Las Vegas, topping the Top Rank show Saturday night.
Richard Commey got encouragement pre-fight from a man who stopped him, Teofimo Lopez. A blinding jab and a right follow, with another right hand tap for effect sent Marinez to the mat. He rose and soldiered on, but not for long. An even filthier right hand landed clean and sent Marinez to the mat; he was declared out without a count.
A Joe Smith light heavyweight fight against Maxim Vlasov, the original Top Rank main event, got scratched because Vlasov got COVID.
Here is the release sent out by Top Rank, for the fights which screened on ESPN+ and ESPN.
LAS VEGAS (February 13, 2021) — Welcome back, Richard Commey. Fourteen months after losing his IBF lightweight world title to Teofimo Lopez, Commey made an emphatic statement, knocking out Dominican contender Jackson Marinez in the sixth round Saturday evening from the MGM Grand Las Vegas Bubble.
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 second knockdown, courtesy of a right hand, prompted Kenny Bayless to call off the fight.
Sitting (and standing) ringside cheering on Commey was Lopez, the undisputed lightweight champion.
Commey said after the Top Rank main event, “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.
“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}.
Lopez Edges Sanchez
Adam Lopez is known for his all-action slugfests, but this time, he boxed, moved and ultimately picked up the most significant victory of his career. After dropping the first three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards, Lopez adjusted and edged former world title challenger Jason Sanchez (15-3, 8 KOs) via majority decision (95-95, 96-94 and 97-93) over 10 rounds to retain his NABF featherweight title on the Top Rank undercard.
Lopez (15-2, 6 KOs; read more about him in this pre-fight report) has now won two straight since a controversial TKO loss to Oscar Valdez, while Sanchez dropped his second consecutive Bubble bout.
Lopez said, “I was 100 percent confident that I had won the fight. I felt l won most of the rounds. I noticed he tried to get the momentum, and I picked it up and got back to what was working. {Trainer} Buddy {McGirt} had to snap it out of me and get me back to my game plan, and once I did, it was like butter. It was easy.
“I know I have defense. I can box. I wanted to show that tonight. Jason is a tough opponent, but I wanted to show I could control things by moving and boxing more.”
Anderson Ices Ibeh
Top Rank heavyweight hopeful Jared “The Real Big Baby” Anderson had never been pushed as a professional. Enter Kingsley Ibeh (5-2-1, 4 KOs), the Bubble veteran who had designs of pulling off the upset. But in the sixth and final round, Anderson (8-0, 8 KOs) hit the sweet spot of Ibeh’s chin with a left hook and knocked him out cold
Prior to the Ibeh bout, Anderson had never been past the fourth round. In round six, he made his statement, loud and clear.
Anderson said, “We worked day and night for this. While they sleep, we’re working.
“We will keep fighting prospects and people who say they can’t be beat. I am here to fight the best. Since everyone wants it, why not give it to them?
“I wanted the Ibeh fight because I saw him push many prospects. The knockout came, and I made a statement.”
In undercard bouts from Top Rank:
Lightweight: Eric Puente (5-0) UD 4 Sergio Vega (2-1-1, 2 KOs), Scores: 40-36 3x. San Diego native Puente cruised to his fifth unanimous decision in as many pro fight, topping the previously unbeaten Vega in his third Bubble appearance since last July.
Welterweight: Jahi Tucker (3-0, 2 KOs) TKO 2 Eric Rodriguez (1-2, 1 KO), 1:50. Tucker, the 18-year-old prodigy from Long Island, put forth his most devastating performance to date, knocking Rodriguez down for the 10-count with a left hook to the liver.
Middleweight: Troy Isley (1-0) UD 4 Bryant Costello (1-2, 1 KO), Scores: 40-36 3x. Former U.S. amateur standout Isley turned pro with pound-for-pound great Terence “Bud” Crawford in his corner and shined en route to the shutout.
The Top Rank prospect Isley said, “It felt good to get in there and get it out of the way, get some rust off. Going four rounds lets me know that we rehabbed properly {from shoulder surgery} and did everything we needed to do to get back.”
Bantamweight: Floyd Diaz (1-0) UD 4 Fernando Macias (1-2), Scores: 40-36 3x. Las Vegas-born prodigy Diaz flashed the blinding hand speed that made him a social media sensation and shut out Macias in a crowd-pleasing professional debut.
Founder/editor Michael Woods got addicted to boxing in 1990, when Buster Douglas shocked the world with his demolition of the then-impregnable Mike Tyson.
The Brooklyn-based journalist has covered the sport since for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com, Bad Left Hook and RING. His journalism career started with NY Newsday in 1999.
Michael Woods is also an accomplished blow by blow and color man, having done work for Top Rank, DiBella Entertainment, EPIX, and for Facebook Fightnight Live, since 2017.
