Machado decisions Raphael Mensah to retain title

Accra, July 22, GNA
  Ghana’s Rafael Mensah failed in an
attempt to win the World Boxing Authority (WBA) title, as he was handed a 12
round unanimous defeat by Super Featherweight Champion Alberto Machado.

All the three judges
had it 120-107.

It was an exchange
of the heavy leather at the start of the first round as Machado landed a huge
right hook that sent Mensah down.

He was badly hurt,
but the round was already over and Mensah able to recover by the start of the
second round.

Though he recovered,
he was still out-punched by the bigger and stronger Machado, whose dominance
remained in the third and fourth round, with Mensah having no answers to deal
with the height and reach of the champion.

Machado worked him
over in fourth round as they traded punches on the inside and Mensah was once
again badly hurt as Machado hit him with a number of hard shots in the closing
seconds

At the start of the
fifth, Machado went right after Mensah and was looking for the finish.

He subjected Mensah
to a lot of punishments and this slowed down his pace in the sixth, with
Machado taking total control.

Machado delivered
more hurtful punches in the ninth, while Mensah was defensive and same was
exhibited in the tenth and eleventh, with Machado controlling the majority of
the action from start to finish.

Mensah did a little
more work in the twelfth, which was mainly in part to Machado being tired.

Machado landed 234
of 780 (30%) total punches and 170 of 392 (43%) of his power shots, compared to
just 90 of 441 (20%) total punches from Mensah and 59 of 277 (21%) power shots
from the Ghanaian.

Machado, now stands
20-0, 16 KOs, whilst the previously undefeated mandatory challenger Rafael
Mensah now stands at 31-1, 23 KOs.

GNA

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