Richard Commey is back.
The hard-punching Ghanaian, coming off a second-round knockout loss to Teofimo Lopez that cost him his 135-pound title in December 2019, took out his frustration on Jackson Marinez on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Commey broke Marinez down, put him on the canvas with a right hand and then ended the show with another, more-brutal right 2:35 into Round 6 of a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout.
“When I first started,” Commey said, “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.”
Commey (30-3, 27 KOs) was devastated by the loss to Lopez, which put an instantaneous stop to momentum that had built over years.
However, he didn’t fight like a man who was gun shy. He started firing off his vaunted right hand from the beginning of the fight.
Marinez, a good boxer who was coming off a disputed loss to Rolando Romero, coped fairly well for five-plus rounds. He used his jab, movement and slick defense to avoid taking a shot that could hurt him and landed enough of his own punches to keep it close.
Commey led on two cards after five rounds (48-47 and 49-46) while Marinez led on the third (48-47). Boxing Junkie had Commey leading 48-47.
All that became moot in Round 6, when Marinez (19-2, 7 KOs) seem to begin wilting under Commey’s pressure and power.
The Dominican went down the first time with around 45 seconds remaining in the round. He was able to get up and continue. However, moments later, Commey darted across the ring and landed a second vicious right hand that sent Marinez crashing into the ropes and down, prompting referee Kenny Bayless to end the fight.
One of the happiest onlookers was Lopez, who was standing near the ring at the time of the knockout. The two apparently became friends during their promotion and the aftermath.
Commey said he fed off the undisputed lightweight champion’s presence.
“After our fight, I saw him in the lobby and we chatted and hugged,” Commey said. “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].”
Commey’s goal is earn an opportunity to fight for another title. He took a significant step in that direction with a vintage performance on Saturday.
In other fights, 21-year-old heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson (8-0, 8 KOs) turned in a knockout-of-the-year candidate.
The gifted 6-foot-4, 249-pounder was in the process of dominating Kingsley Ibeh when he landed a monstrous left hook that knocked Ibeh (5-2-1, 4 KOs) flat on his back and out at 2:19 of the sixth and final round.
Anderson won the first five rounds on all three cards.
“We worked day and night for this,” said an excited Anderson, who is barely old enough to be in the MGM Grand casino. “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.”
And, in a 10-round featherweight fight, prospect Adam Lopez (15-2, 6 KOs) defeated Jason Sanchez (15-3, 8 KOs) by a majority decision.
