Brandon Mosqueda proved to be the youngest in charge.
The 21-year-old manchild from Mexico turned away a determined Mohamat Qamili to claim top honors in the featherweight bracket of the WBC Boxing Grand Prix tournament. Mosqueda prevailed by scores of 76-75, 76-75, 78-73, 78-73 and 77-74 in their 8-round 126lbs finale Saturday on DAZN from Boulevard City Global Theater in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Mosqueda sprinted out to a strong start, his power edge clearly evident as he got the better of nearly every exchange. Qamili - a 25-year-old Albanian southpaw based in Italy - never shied away, often in position to land a counter left hook though often at the expense of taking one in return from the unbeaten Mexican.
Open scoring through three rounds had the 21-year-old Mosqueda ahead on all five cards (30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28) but Qamili’s will unbroken as he believed there was plenty of opportunity to close the gap.
Both boxers targeted the body in the 4th round. Mosqueda landed the more eye-catching shots but also constantly clinched whenever Qamili returned fire or even threatened to respond. The tactic slowed down the otherwise entertaining action but proved to be an effective approach.
Qamili constantly charged forward throughout round five but paid the price on the defensive front. The stand-and-trade approach was not a match for Mosqueda’s constant in-and-out movement. Mosqueda twice slammed home a left hook across Qamili’s jaw. On both occasions, he was able to slide out of punching range before Qamili attempted to respond.
Mosqueda’s already sizable lead grew larger through six, as he led 60-54, 59-55, 59-55, 58-56 and 58-56.
Qamili emptied his tank in the final two rounds, while Mosqueda was prepared for the surge and wisely played defense. The closest that Qamili came to closing the gap was when Mosqueda was deducted one point for pushing his fellow unbeaten prospect to the canvas.
Mosqueda used constant movement to keep Qamili off rhythm in the final minute. At a point where Qamili needed to land a knockout blow, it was Mosqueda who slammed home a left hook in the closing seconds.
Qamili, 17-1-1 (8 KOs) had a tough draw in the tournament. He was the only finalist to have faced unbeaten opposition at every stage and will return to Italy with his head held high and an extra $50,000 for his second-place finish.
Mosqueda was one month shy of his 21st birthday at the start of the tournament in April. He earned a knockout victory during the Round of 32 and also produced a 5th round stoppage over South Africa’s Bekizizwe Maitse in October to advance to the finals.
The rising featherweight now heads home with the $100,000 first-place prize and the Jose Sulaiman Trophy, the youngest of Saturday’s finalists to claim the honor. The unbeaten Mexican will also land in the WBC’s top 10 126lbs rankings.
