Photos: Murodjon Akhmadaliev Fights Off a Game Jose Velasquez

SNHU Arena, Manchester – WBA, IBF super bantamweight champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev (10-0, 7 KOs) had to work very hard to win a twelve round unanimous decision over Jose Velasquez (29-7-2, 19 KOs). (photos by Ed Mulholland)

All three judges scored it 119-109.

Akhmadaliev came out firing with punches in the first round with Velasquez covering up. Velasquez began to get more active and land in the second and third. Akhmadaliev was throwing back the harder punches. Velasquez was making things competitive, but Akhmadaliev still had the clear edge in the first half of the contest. 

At the start of the seventh, Velasquez seemed to rock Akhmadaliev to the body and was unloading with hard punches to the head. Akhmadaliev had to weather the storm, allow Velasquez to punch himself out, and then was firing back. Akhmadaliev did a lot better in the eight and ninth, with Velasquez making it competitive and kept coming.

More of the same in the final three rounds. Akhmadaliev was landing a lot of big shots, with Velasquez taking the shots, always coming forward, and attempting to return fire with heavy punches.