Kenneth Sims Jr. has arrived.
The 27-year-old Chicago fighter outboxed previously unbeaten 140-pound prospect Elvis Rodriguez to win a majority decision in an eight-round bout on the Josh Taylor-Jose Rodriguez card Saturday in Las Vegas.
One judge scored it 76-76 but the other two had Sims winning 78-74.
Sims (16-2-1, 5 KOs) controlled the fight with an incessant jab, well-timed counterpunches and intelligent footwork, which made it difficult for Rodriguez (11-1-1, 10 KOS) to land big punches.
The 25-year-old Dominican, who is trained by Freddie Roach, had his moments in a competitive fight. He simply couldn’t land consistently enough to take charge.