Kenny Sims Jnr suffers knee injury, pulled from November 16 bill

Kenny Sims Jnr will not face Oscar Duarte on November 16 as part of the “Latino Night” card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Sims, a Chicago native, announced his withdrawal on social media, citing a knee injury he sustained in training.

The 30-year-old Sims, 21-2-1 (8 KOs), has been on a winning streak – now up to eight – since his 2018 loss to Samuel Teah. During the stretch, Sims upended previously unbeaten prospect Elvis Rodriguez and title contender Botirzhon Akhmedov. Earlier in 2024, Sims signed with Golden Boy Promotions and delivered an impressive performance in August, stopping former titleholder Jonathan Romero in five rounds.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to fight on November 16 in Riyadh,” Sims shared on X. “I’m really disappointed as I was excited to make my Saudi debut. I suffered a knee injury in training and was forced to pull out of the fight. I’ve started rehab and am making great progress.”

Sims expects to return to training by year’s end. “I was looking forward to putting on a show on this huge card, but I’ll be back stronger than ever at the top of 2025. Stay tuned. Bossman will be back.”

Last week, Lance Pugmire of BoxingScene reported that Akhmedov, 10-3 (9 KOs) – a former title challenger and Sims opponent – would step in to replace Sims and challenge the 28-year-old Duarte, 27-2-1 (22 KOs).

Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.