Woods Defeats Muriqi

By Boxing News - 02/15/2009 - Comments

woods4456By Dave Lahr: Former IBF/WBC light heavyweight champion Clinton Woods (42-4-1, 24 KOs) defeated Elvir Muriqi (35-5, 22 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision in the IBF Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator at the Jersey, in Channel Islands, United Kingdom. Woods, 36, dominated the entire fight, battering the over-matched Yugoslavian who goes by the nickname “The Kosovo Kid.” The final judges’ scores were 119-109, 117-111 and 117-111. The win sets the 36-year-old Woods up in the number #2 spot in the IBF, just behind #1 Tavoris Cloud.

Woods, ranked #3 in the IBF, easily defeated Muriqi, punishing him with hard uppercuts, hooks and right hands to the head. Muriqi’s face was bloodied and his right eye swollen up from the punishment that he absorbed. Woods’ win was even more impressive in that Muriqi had battled Tarver in a tough fight in June 2007, losing by a 12-round majority decision in a fight that many people felt that Muriqi should have won.

Woods was coming off a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision loss to Tarver in April 2008, a fight in which Woods lost his IBF light heavyweight title. The loss was a bitter one, because Woods fought poorly, rarely throwing punches and looking as if he wasn’t mentally prepared to fight. Tarver controlled the fight as if he were dealing with a sparring partner rather than a champion, making it look easy in beating Woods.
It was thought that Woods might retire from boxing if he had lost to Muriqi.

Woods has an open schedule as far as future opponents go. He could face another top 15 light heavyweight or dip down into the 2nd tier to fight an opponent. However, Woods would do well to face someone like Thomas Ulrich, Jurgen Brahmer or Alejandro Berrio, in stay busy fights while he waits for his chance at another title shot against Dawson or Tarver.