Doghouse Boxing - Dog Pound

McCloskey snatches dramatic comeback win

ESPN staff
September 10, 2011  



Amir Khan stopped Paul McCloskey in the sixth round when they last met © PA Photos

Paul McCloskey moved closer to a rematch with Amir Khan, the WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion, by outpointing Breidis Prescott in Belfast.

Prescott dominated the early stages before fading dramatically from round eight onwards, allowing McCloskey to complete an unlikely comeback victory. The judges called it 114-113, 115-113 and 114-113 in his favour.

Khan is expected to face Lamont Peterson in December, and it is unlikely that the narrow, unconvincing nature of McCloskey's win will force him ahead of Peterson in the queue.

Prescott was the livelier in the opening round, connecting cleanly with a few right hands, and forced a knockdown with 30 seconds left after catching McCloskey with an awkward-looking left hook. McCloskey's malaise deepened in the second when, having again walked straight into a punch, he was cut badly around the nose.

Although the Ulsterman has a reputation for starting slowly, this was sluggish even by his standards - and he struggled again in the third, standing within Prescott's range and lacking the head movement to avoid what was coming his way.

McCloskey fared far better throughout stanzas four and five, showing more vibrancy in his footwork and forcing Prescott onto the back foot - but the home favourite was by no means dominant, still wearing an unhealthy amount of punches.

He took a concussive right hook in the sixth, his legs wobbling alarmingly, confirming that Prescott was once again in the ascendancy. In the eighth McCloskey sowed the seeds of his comeback as Prescott appared to tire, dropping his left hand and being peppered by the southpaw jab, and McCloskey was again impressive in the ninth, with Prescott's reflexes dulled by fatigue.

By the 11th the momentum was firmly behind McCloskey, who clearly had more energy than his opponent, fuelling home hopes of an unlikely recovery mission. And he made sure of the win with a stirring, blood-and-thunder 12th that sent Prescott on the road to defeat.

Earlier in the evening, Irish prospect Carl Frampton clinched the vacant Commonwealth super-bantamweight title with an impressive fourth-round stoppage of Mark Quon. Frampton, who is managed by Barry McGuigan, said after the fight that he will now target a European title shot.

terrible decision, watched this before the vits-adamek fight and prescott clearly won.

I thought so too, especially with the knock down (even although it wasn't a knock down.)

watson748, on 10 September 2011 - 05:33 PM, said:

those sky announcers wore me out after the fight.

they knew it was a bad decision but after the scores were read they were like "he did it! he completed the improbale comeback!" and shit when it was clear the judges just gave him a gift. they were talkin like he actually earned the W.

fuckin sky has bigger cheerleaders than HBO.

they scared prexcott gonna knock out khan again.

i had prescott by 1.

his form went dodge for 4 rds.

8 thru 11.

did enough though.

krisntims, on 10 September 2011 - 05:38 PM, said:

Turbo and HH1 are apparently. They are trying to play down the fact that hes dangerous and suggest khan has nothing to prove. I disagree and I think prescott probably does flatten khan again. McCloskey has one hell of a chin and it was his sheer toughness that got him through that fight. I do not think Khan could stand up to Prescotts punches the same way.

i don't give a shit.

in the words of nick nolte in 48 hrs.

i believe in the merit system  and so far u ain't built up enough points boy.

and that sums up prescott's form ever since starching khan.

hitman_hatton1, on 10 September 2011 - 06:10 PM, said:

starching khan in the first place is all the merit points he needs. Its Khan who has to prove that hes better than Prescott. At the moment the answer is no, not until he fights him. To say yes is BS and the type of shite hype that FMJ uses to avoid fighting anyone. Just because you can beat others doesn't mean your going beat this guy, especially if hes already proven to the world hes got your number.

You can go on about how great Wlad is etc but as far as I'm concerned Wlad would never have beaten Sanders. He will always have that defeat (as well as others) no matter what and he never avenged them. He simply had no answers for the sheer power of Sanders. The man even wobbled Vitali in there fight, something Lennox wasn't able to do. As a result he can never go down in history as a true great.

So, imo, yes, Khan does need to prove hes better than Prescott or he will be always be haunted by that video every time hes being interviewed about an upcoming fight.

Prescott sucks. He'd have no answer for Khan's in and out combos and upper body movement at this stage. Pauly Mac just outboxed him ffs.

Didn't see this fight.  There's far too much sport for me to watch at the moment, I have to pick and chose.

It sounds like the sort of fight that annoyed the people who did watch it.

The Legendary BoxingFan, on 11 September 2011 - 06:34 AM, said:

i know what u were watching.

hitman_hatton1, on 10 September 2011 - 05:40 PM, said:

only matters if macs form stepped up but it didnt.

even in the rounds that prescott slogged around he did enough to maybe win the round.

it was a home decision.

i thought mccloskey did close things up.

i had prescott well ahead after 7.

but he hit a brick wall.

mccloskey was the one scoring in those rds.

i agree with your essential point.

prescott should have got the decision.

hitman_hatton1, on 11 September 2011 - 12:29 PM, said:

you would think that prescott-khan 2 would be easy money.

khan fans paying to see him easily avenge a loss.

be more interesting than seeing mac get the piss beat out of him again.

i said my piece on a prescott rematch.

khan has world titles to defend now.

prescott on form don't deserve a shot.