Holts Scores Win Over Tackie

(February 7, 2008) Las Vegas, Nevada (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)

At age 34 and with 39 professional bouts on his resume, it may well be time for the veteran campaigner Ben "Wonder" Tackie to step away from the sport.

Slick moving junior welterweight Kendall "Rated R" Holt (23-2, 12 KO's) easily pounded out a ten round majority decision over the native of Accra, Ghana, to hang a third straight defeat on Tackie's fading record. Holt (143) repeatedly was able to counter the slow moving and plodding Tackie (29-9-1, 17 KO's) in nailing down the victory.

One judge, C. J. Ross mysteriously had the bout even 95-95, but he was overruled by the two other Nevada officials Richard Houck and Paul Smith, who both scored the one-sided contest 98-92, for the easy winner Holt.

--Speed and Movement--

Tackie (143) attempted to set the pace early and Holt, retreated, however, from the second round on the boxer from Paterson, New Jersey continually landed crisp hard counters that rattled off of his opponent's chin for the remainder of the evening. Tackie woke up briefly in the 3rd, but by the 4th, Holt returned to scoring with hard clean counters and effectively shutdown the African.

There were no knockdowns in the contest but that was only because Tackie, who now lives and fights out of the Bronx, New York, has a remarkable chin to go with his slowing reflexes. His ability to absorb punishment is one of the reasons why the African has lost three straight bouts to Freddy Hernandez, Alfonso Gomez and now Holt.

Holt was coming off a stunning 11th round TKO to Ricardo Torres in a bid to capture the WBO junior welterweight crown last September in Salon Jumbo del Country Club, Barranquilla, Colombia. Despite the victory over Tackie, the 26-year-old Holt still needs to let his hands go more and display passion and vigor in the ring if he hopes of getting another title shot in the junior welterweight division.

--Martirosyan Destroys Munoz--

Hard-hitting undefeated junior middleweight Vanes "Nightmare" Martirosyan (19-0, 13 KO's) easily dispatched outgunned Michi "El Matador" Munoz (20-2, 13 KO's) to score a third round TKO.

Martirosyan (155) dropped Munoz (156) at 1:30 of the opening stanza in a bout scheduled for ten rounds with a whistling counter left hook to the head. The 21-year-old Martirosyan, Glendale, California via Abovyan, Armenia was simply the classier fight and he continued to land the heavier artillery in the abbreviated contest.

Munoz, Topeka, Kansas, via Guanajuato, Mexico took a knee at the 1:20 mark of the 3rd, after the six-footer Martirosyan scored with a sharp right hand and a left jab that may well have broken his opponent's nose. Referee Kenny Bayless eventually halted the mismatch at the 2:20 mark of the third stanza.

Trainer Ronnie Shields continues to bring Martirosyan along nicely, as the young Armenian slugger repeatedly looks impressive in each outing while displaying his wealth of talent