PAUL MCCLOSKEY snatched a fortuitous win over Colombia’s Bredis Prescott in Belfast last night to re-establish himself as one of the top contenders in light welterweight boxing.
On his first outing since his controversial defeat by WBA champion Amir Khan in April, the Dungiven man scored a points decision over Khan’s only conqueror, winning narrowly on all three scorecards.
Two of the ringside judges gave McCloskey victory by a single point, 114-113, while the other scored it 115-113 in Dudey’s favour.
Before falling to only his third career defeat, Prescott controlled the opening rounds of last night’s WBA title eliminator, scoring a knockdown within two and a half minutes of the opening bell.
The 28-year-old continued the early pressure in the second, landing a powerful straight jab which left McCloskey reeling with a bloody nose.
Prescott’s early dominance wasn’t enough to score a knockout, though a crashing right hook in the sixth briefly threatened to do the job. And as the bout wore on, the visitor tired as the Odyssey Arena crowd roared a resurgent McCloskey back into the contest.
A defiant rally across the final four rounds was enough to eke out the narrowest of victories for the Northern Irishman, paving the way for a potential rematch against Amir Khan.
Though the Briton hinted at a future meeting after McCloskey’s win last night, such a contest is unlikely to take place before Khan defends his title against Lamont Peterson, with that contest expected to take place in December.
“Great win for Paul McCloskey,” the WBA champion tweeted last night. “He stuck in there all the way and turned it around. He deserved the win.
McCloskey got great support. Let’s hope he goes all the way and wins a world title. A rematch will be huge, he really impressed me tonight.
