By Manuel Perez: Undefeated light middleweight contender James Kirkland (24-0, 21 KOs) proved to be too powerful for former ESPN2 star of ”The Contender” Brian Vera (16-2, 10 KOs), stopping him in the 8th round of a scheduled 10-round bout at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday night. Vera, 26, was dropped twice in the 2nd round and once in the 8th. The fight was stopped at 1:45 of the 8th round by referee Vic Drakulich, who stepped in and stopped the action after Vera took some brutal combinations to the head while backed up against the ropes.
Vera had been taking punishment throughout the fight, but in the last couple of rounds, it became steadily worse and he was no longer competitive in the fight. However, despite the loss, Vera fought very hard, nailing Kirkland often in the fight with huge right hands and giving him problems.
Vera seemed gleeful at times in the fight, appearing very happy when the fight turned into a war in the second round after Vera was dropped twice by Kirkland. Instead of going to pieces like most fighters would under similar circumstances, Vera looked happy, and began firing back with huge right hands to the head of Vera.
A fighter with a lesser chin than Kirkland would have likely been mowed down with the big shots that Vera was raining down on him, but Kirkland took the shots well, staying composed and continuing to batter Vera with harder left hand shots.
It’s easy to see how Vera was able to take out Andy Lee, a top middleweight prospect, in Vera’s 7th round stoppage over Lee in March, because Vera walks through practically anything he’s hit with, applies unrelenting pressure and packs a wallop with his right hand. The way he fought on Saturday night, I could see Vera once again taking out Lee if they were to fight again. Vera is too tough for the spindly legged Lee to deal with and would probably getting worn down land taken out like he was last time.
Kirkland, 24, ranked #2 in the World Boxing Association, #4 in the IBF and WBO and #14 in the WBC, came out fast in the 1st round, putting everything he had in his shots trying to score a quick first round knockout over Vera.
However, instead of taking him out, Kirkland was met with equally heavy blows from Vera, who returned fire with big right hands and causing Kirkland to have to back up and cover up at times in the round. For Kirkland, a fighter who usually fights in one gear – always forward – that must have been a new experience for him, because he’s been used to getting his way over his weaker opposition that he’s accustomed to fighting.
In the second round, Kirkland went after Vera hard from the opening bell, dropping him with a hard right hook to the head. Instead of playing it safe after the knockdown to try and recover, Vera smiled happily and began throw hard leather, hitting Kirkland with some huge right hands.
However, at the end of the round, Kirkland once again planted Vera with a right hook to the head. Vera got up without any problems and lasted out the remainder of the round. During the action, Vera was cut on the side of his right eye by a head butt that occurred just before the first knockdown.
In rounds three and four, both fighters traded heavy shots at close range, thinking little of defense. Kirkland, the harder puncher, got the better of the action with his hard left uppercuts and right hooks. Vera began to look tired, sloppy and more than a little desperate.
In the 5th round, Kirkland came out fast, putting on a furious attack on Vera, nailing him with huge shots, and snapping his head back from the tremendous blows. However, just when it seemed as if Kirkland might be close to scoring a knockout, Vera came on in the second half of the round landing some huge right hands one after another.
In the 7th round, Vera did very little, looking spent from the previous round and absorbing punishment in the round. Kirkland, too, did little in the round except for throwing a lot of harmless jabs.
In the 8th round, looking well rested, Kirkland went after Vera from the start of the round, hitting him with a huge right hook that landed to the back of Vera’s head, dropping him to the canvas for the third time in the fight. Kirkland then went after Vera hard, backing him up against the ropes and blasting him with shots until the referee stepped in and halted the fight at 1:45 of the round.