- Kassim Ouma vs. Angel Hernandez
Kassim "The Dream" Ouma, of West Palm Beach, FL, made a triumphant return to the ring after eight months and scored a 12-round split decision victory over tough Angel "El Toro" Hernandez, of Chicago, to gain the No. 1 slot in the IBF world rankings.
Ouma, 152.5 pounds, started slow, but picked up the pace in the third round and pecked away at the bull-like Hernandez through the 10th round. Ouma stabbed Hernandez from mid-ring and also was able to accurately counter-punch with his back to the ropes. It may have looked to the average viewer that Hernandez' wide, sweeping hooks were doing damage. In reality, Hernandez' swings were landing on arms and elbows or were missing Ouma completely. While this was going on, Ouma was firing back with short, pin-point punches that caused Hernandez' left eye to begin swelling as early as the second round.
Hernandez, 152 pounds, made a mini-comeback late in the 10th round after a clash of heads caused Ouma problems with his forehead. Ouma slowed down the last two rounds but Hernandez still was unable to land effectively.
That the decision was split was surprising. All three judges had it 115-113, two for Ouma, one for Hernandez.
The win moves the 24-year-old Ouma to 17-1-1 (1 No Decision), 11 KOs. He had not boxed since Oct. 4 when he KOd Darrell Woods in 11 rounds in the first defense of his USBA title. After failing a post-fite drug test, Ouma was stripped of the USBA belt, dropped to No. 9 in the IBF rankings and had the K0 win changed to a No Decision. He was reinstated one month later after passing a drug test, then was injured in a drive-by shooting Dec. 1 in West Palm Beach.
While recovering from a gun shot wound to the abdomen, Ouma was dropped from the IBF rankings and not reinstated until the Hernandez match was signed. The likeable southpaw is originally from Uganda.
Hernandez, 27, drops to 25-4, 16 K0s, but remains marketable because of his crowd-pleasing style. He is a former NABF champion at 154 pounds.
In other bouts: Gary Balletto, 139 pounds, Cranston, RI, scored a K0 at 2.17 of the fourth round over Frank Houghtaling, 139, Albany, NY, junior welterweights; Daniel Edouard, 166, West Palm Beach, FL, won a six-round majority decision (57-57, 60-54, 60-54) over Romaro Johnson, 166.5, Cleveland, OH, super middleweights; Mike Oliver, 126, Hartford, CT, scored a KO at 1.02 of the fifth round over Hassan Wasswa, 124.5 pounds, New York, featherweights; Angel Luis Torres, 127, Manchester, CT, scored a K0 at 12 seconds of the first round over Gabriel Krizan, 125.5, Clearwater, FL, featherweights. Torres drilled Krizan with a left hook when Krizan went to touch gloves; Dorian Beaupierre, 161, New York, won a unanimous (39-37, 39-37, 40-36) four-round decision over Gee Cullmer, 160.75, Philadelphia, middleweights; Richard Starnino, 155, Providence, RI, scored a K0 when Bobby McAndrews, 155, Marlboro, MA, did not answer the bell for the last round of their scheduled four-round junior middleweight fight.