Jose Pedraza and Richard Commey fight to a draw

Saturday night, from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma,  former world champions Richard Commey and Jose Pedraza battled in the main event on ESPN.

With both fighters coming in off of a loss, they knew that a win would put them back in a good spot for a big fight, but a loss would be a big-time setback at this stage of their career. 

In the pre-fight press conference, Commey made it clear he wanted to erase the memory of his last fight and show he has indeed arrived at junior welterweight. 

“This fight is very important because I lost my last fight in December. It’s an opportunity to get back to winning ways, and this is my first fight at 140. I just want to announce myself”, he said. 

And while Commey knew he had a difficult assignment in the experienced Pedraza, he felt he was ready. 

"I’ve been back in the gym since I got back from Ghana in March. I always train hard and work on myself because I know boxing is not an easy sport. You have to be ready before you get in the ring, so I always make sure I’m 100 percent ready”, he said. 

Pedraza, also coming off a loss, expressed that he needed to shelve some of his natural boxing instincts to get more aggressive in the fight. 

“Same as Richard, I’m coming off a loss. I’m looking for a big win and to stay among the top names in the division”, said Puerto Rico’s Pedraza. “I believe I need to be more active, to be more offensive in this fight."

Pedraza knew a win put him back in line for a possible title shot, but the respectful former champion knew it wasn’t an easy assignment. 

"A big win on Saturday against a great fighter like Richard Commey will put me a step closer to a world title opportunity. That’s what we’re looking for”, he said. “I’m expecting a tough fight against a strong fighter." 

Main Event 

With two talented boxer-punchers, often the fight can quickly evolve into a chess match. But on this night  - it was a fight that saw both fighters have strong moments in the bout, with each having success at different times.

Commey seemed to control the first half of the fight, but Pedraza rallied back and seemed to have more moments of success in the second half of the bout. 

In the end, the judges saw it even, with one judge for Commey, one for Pedraza, and one even. Pedraza moves to 29-4-1, 14 KOs. while Commey goes to 30-4-1, 27 KOs. Scores were 96-94 Commey (David Sutherland), 95-95 (Gary Ritter), and 97-93 Pedraza (Henry Gueary).

After the fight, Pedraza said, “Whatever Top Rank wants for me. I’m ready to give Richard Commey a rematch because he deserves it. Ultimately, my goal is to win a world title once again. Whatever I have to do, that’s what I’m willing to do.”, he stated. 
 
In his post-fight interview, Commey stated, “It is a draw. Obviously, I have to go back home and see my people. I love my people, and I gotta go back there, do what I gotta do.”

While a win certainly would have elevated the winning fighter to a big bout later in the year, neither fighter did anything to diminish their stock in a good, back-and-forth competitive bout.