Fri Sep 13 04:35:59 UTC 2024: ## Flint’s Ardreal Holmes Jr. Wins Homecoming Bout, Calls for Top Competition

Flint, Michigan – Ardreal Holmes Jr. secured a dominant victory over Hugo Noriega in a ten-round junior middleweight bout on Thursday night at the Dort Federal Event Center. Though the outcome was expected, the close scorecards (97-93, 97-93, and 96-94) belied the dominance Holmes displayed throughout the fight.

Holmes, fighting in his hometown, controlled the bout with his signature southpaw jab and fluid movement. He rarely threw more than one punch at a time, content to keep Noriega at bay with his powerful jab and check hook. Noriega, on the other hand, seemed unable to break through Holmes’ defensive strategy, walking forward without any head movement, making it easy for Holmes to counter and escape.

“It meant everything to me,” said Holmes, who remains undefeated at 16-0 with 6 knockouts. “Wish I could do it again, I’ll do better. Back to the drawing board. Wasn’t the best performance but we got it.”

While Holmes’ performance was less explosive than his previous knockout victory, it was a strategic and calculated display of boxing mastery. He showed a clear desire to move up in the rankings, calling out top contenders such as Erickson Lubin and Jermell Charlo after the fight.

“Anybody in the top ten. They see this wasn’t my best performance. Come get me. I’ve been screaming at the top of the division for the longest,” declared Holmes.

In the co-main event, Joseph Hicks of Grand Rapids, Michigan, defeated Ronnie Austion of Las Vegas by unanimous decision in a junior middleweight bout. Hicks, now 11-0 with 7 knockouts, outworked Austion throughout the fight, earning scores of 80-72, 78-74, and 79-73.

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