Koen Mazoudier lost no admirers after an epic struggle with Armando Resendiz saw the Mexican star narrowly avoid a dramatic upset.
The former WBA super-middleweight title holder was pushed to the limit by the Australian across ten rounds in Las Vegas, featuring what DAZN commentator Corey Erdman described as an “otherworldly punch output”.
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Both men went hammer and tong from start to finish to justify its promotion to co-main event alongside Sebastian Fundora’s fight with Ermal Hadribeaj, with Mazoudier’s badly swollen face after a final flurry from the 27-year old telling.
The fight was put together with less than three weeks’ notice following Jermall Charlo’s withdrawal from the bout due to an injury in training camp – the second time the pair’s much-anticipated clash had been put off.
Less than two months on from a brutal encounter with Sam Beck on the Gold Coast, 31-year-old Mazoudier, who moved up two weight classes for the fight, recovered from a strong Resendiz start to threaten a major upset as the duo traded blows.
Looking the underdog throughout, Mazoudier nevertheless won acclaim for his resilience as he wore punch after punch yet remained standing.
Remarkably, he appeared to have the upper hand by the ninth round when he landed two heavy shots to the Mexican’s head.
It continued in the tenth with a series of heavier blows, before Resendiz had the last word – a savage right jab that rocked the Australian in the final seconds.
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“How is Mazoudier standing? How is he smiling?” Erdman exclaimed.
“What a fight!”
However, despite the closeness of the fight, judges unanimously awarded Resendiz the win 98-92, 97-93, 97-93.
“This was a very tough fight,” he said.
“This was an Australian warrior.
“This is a fight I wanted to give the fans. My corner was urging me I had to finish strong. And we closed out strong.”
The win improves Resendiz’s record to 17-3, while Mazoudier’s falls to 16-5-1.
It was the victor’s first fight since losing his WBA super middleweight title to Jaime Munguia in May.