Heavyweight Brandon Moore made his Salita Promotions debut, though it wasn’t the first impression he probably wanted.
Moore, from Lakeland, Florida, won a ninth-round disqualification victory over Skylar Lacy at Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. The bout served as the co-feature to Claressa Shields-Danielle Perkins.
The fight came to its bizarre conclusion at the 51-second mark, as Lacy, who had already lost three points for holding, tackled Moore through the ropes, sending both crashing to through a ringside broadcast table.
Moore, who returned to the ring by 18 of referee Steve Willis’ count, was declared the winner.
Stylistically, the fight unfolded awkwardly, as neither fighter had a traditional boxing background, both having transitioned to the sport from collegiate athletics later in life. Neither established a consistent jab, but Moore’s forward aggression was more effective than Lacy’s attempts to land right hands.
The theme of the fight was clinching. Referee Willis intervened in the second round, yet the round ended in a clinch. Moore landed a significant right hand in the third round, momentarily backing up Lacy of Indianapolis, Indiana.
The fourth round saw Moore penalized for holding and Lacy later lose a point for holding in the closing seconds. The points would continue to be deducted as Lacy would lose another point for holding in the fifth round. Moore adjusted in the sixth round by targeting the body with constant forward pressure, taking control of the fight as the referee repeatedly warned Lacy not to hold. As the boos echoed from the stands in the seventh round, it was clinches rather than punches that were connecting.
Moore improves to 17-1 (10 KOs) and now is on a three-fight win streak since losing to Richard Torrez Jr last year. Lacy suffered his first professional loss and fell to Lacy 8-1-2 (6 KOs).
Lucas Ketelle took an unconventional path to boxing, eventually finding his stride in gyms and media. For the past decade, he has hosted the “Lukie Boxing” podcast, filmed training camps for fighters like Arnold Barboza Jnr, Mikey Garcia and Caleb Plant, and worked with top professionals such as Mike Bazzel. Ketelle is also an author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for ProBox TV, BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @LukieBoxing.
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