Michael McKinson defeated Chris Kongo by unanimous decision with scores of 97-93, 96-94 and 95-94 in their welterweight clash on the undercard for Dillian Whyte's heavyweight rematch with Alexander Povetkin
Sunday 28 March 2021 12:08, UK
Michael McKinson claimed a breakout victory over Chris Kongo as he floored his British welterweight rival to seal a unanimous decision win in Gibraltar.
The Portsmouth southpaw stunned Kongo with an aggressive start and edged a closely-contested encounter to secure the WBO Global title with scores of 97-93, 96-94 and 95-94.
Darting into range, McKinson rocked Kongo back onto his heels with sharp punches, then scored a knockdown with a cuffing left hand in a lively opener.
McKinson was enjoying success with his awkward style, unloading a lighting left hook in the second round, while Kongo was knocked off balance by another marauding attack in the third.
Behind on the cards, Kongo showed more urgency as he landed a right hook in the fourth, but McKinson appeared to edge the fifth with an eye-catching counter.
The pace dropped, with neither man wanting to make an error, although Kongo did land a crisp right hand in the sixth.
Another spearing right hand caught McKinson in the seventh, prompting a fiery response from the 26-year-old, who tagged Kongo with left hands in the eighth.
Both men traded at close quarters in the corner during the ninth, but McKinson finished strongly, firing in more accurate left hands in the final round.
Watch Povetkin vs Whyte 2 on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office, from 6pm. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here. Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it here.
