Commey Gets KO Over Luna

By Marc Livitz at ringside in San Antonio, TX: Richard Commey pounded his way to a sixth round technical knockout victory over Alejandro Luna in the opening contest of a Showtime Extreme telecast at the Freeman Coliseum in an elimination bout for the IBF world lightweight title.

Luna’s jab set the pace early until Commey (26-2, 23 KO’s) landed a fine right without about a minute to go. Punches were exchanged in the closing seconds, which delighted the crowd and those who were filing in. The second opened with the sense that the playing field was moving towards level ground. Commey connected with a nice 1-2 combination, after which Luna (22-1-0, 15 KO’s) answered with a hard right cross which sent the Ghanaian’s to the side. The third began with an all-out firefight. One after the next, each man charged towards his opponent and forced him into the nearest corner. Commey nearly had Luna down to one knee. His left hook was beginning to find steam. Whittier, California native Alejandro pushed Richard to the ropes to end the period and landed a few shots high and low.

The fourth was a bit different in the sense that was slightly more tactical. Southpaw Luna was looking to time Commey’s movements and connect to the body, which allowed Richard to return the favor with head shots. He used the ring for much of the fifth and looked to score points and not just heavy punches.

The first knockdown of the contest came midway through the sixth. A combination of shots sent Luna to the canvas and although he beat the count, he was penalized one point by referee David Fields for intentionally spitting out his mouthpiece. Just moments later, Commey scored another knockdown, which would prove to be the final of the contest.

Successive uppercuts caught Alejandro flush on the face. He was sent backside first to the floor and then he appeared to roll on to his back in order to perhaps catch his breath as he held his hands up a shoulder height. This would prove to be a mistake, as Fields abandoned the count and called the bout to a close at the 1:54 mark.

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