Krael KOs Kenyan and McCarter Marches to 20th Straight Win in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS-Cameron Krael crashed any hopes of Michael Odhiambo with a knockout win in the first round of a welterweight clash on Thursday.

With a large contingent of fans screaming his name, Krael (15-13-3, 4 KOs) wasted no time in destroying Kenya’s Odhiambo (15-11, 12 KOs) with a left hook that sent him crashing within 30 seconds of the opening round at the MGM Grand.

It was supposed to be Odhiambo who was the slugger, but he ran into a left hook and was sent slamming to the floor harder than a hammered rusty nail. The Kenyan would hit the deck three more times before the fight was stopped at 2:03 of the first round by referee Robert Byrd.

Krael was declared the winner by undeniable knockout.

In the co-main event, Layla McCarter (43-13-5, 11 KOs) used her guile and experience to out-maneuver the determined Argentine fighter Yamila Reynoso (11-6-3, 8 KOs) over 10 rounds to win by unanimous decision. The welterweight fight featured no knockdowns but plenty of action.

“I let her get her confidence and that was a mistake,” said McCarter. “She was very aggressive and she fought hard all the way.”

After 10 rounds one judge scored it 99-90 and two others 98-91, all for McCarter. It was the Las Vegas fighter’s 20^th consecutive win. She has not lost a fight in more than 11 years.

Other Bouts

Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins (7-0, 3 KOs) survived a flash knockdown in the seventh round against southpaw Tre’Sean Wiggins (10-4-1, 6 KOs) to win by unanimous decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight fight. Hitchins nearly had Wiggins down in the fourth round but tired from the effort. That allowed Wiggins to rally back into the fight. But Hitchins won with a spirited last round against the Pennsylvania fighter.

Andres Cortes (10-0, 6 KOs) scored a knockout at the end of round three over Mexico’s Eder Fajardo (9-7, 4 KOs) in a super featherweight fight. No knockdowns were scored in the fight but Cortes never allowed Fajardo to get a foothold. A welt developed around the left eye of Fajardo and the fight was stopped by the corner.

Mexico’s Antonio Rodriguez (15-23-2, 6 KOs) rallied from behind to overwhelm New Jersey’s Dylan Price (7-1, 5 KOs) and win by split decision after six rounds in a bantamweight contest. It was an action-packed fight that featured little defense and a lot of big blows. Still, both fighters heard the final bell and Rodriguez won 57-56, 58-55 and 56-57.

A super middleweight clash saw Travis Reeves (17-3-2, 7 KOs) score knockdowns in the first and sixth rounds behind strong right hands and march to victory over Lanell Bellows (18-4-2, 11 KOs) by unanimous decision after 10 rounds. The scores were 99-94 and 97-91 twice for Reeves who fights out of Baltimore. Bellows is a Las Vegas resident.

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