Evan Sanchez had to put in more work than is normally the case, though was able to produce the same result in the end.
The unbeaten welterweight prospect had his way with Issouf Kinda, scoring a six-round unanimous decision Friday evening, live on DAZN from a crowdless Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California.
Judge Edward Hernandez Jr. had the bout the closest, scoring the contest 58-55 for Sanchez, who also won 59-54 on the card of judge Max DeLuca and 60-53 in the eyes of judge Pat Russell.
Sanchez worked his jab and straight left hand through an active yet low contact opening round. Kinda remained in the pocket, looking for an opening to drop his right hand but Sanchez didn’t give him that opportunity.
At least not for another round.
Kinda enjoyed his best moment of the fight, landing a sharp right hand as Sanchez came in overzealous looking to connect with a straight left. The 22-year old took the shot well, though prompting him to tighten up his defense.
The lesson didn’t always hold, as Kinda found his range in round three. The 32-year old utilized ring movement to keep his desired space, connecting with another right hand which caused swelling under the left eye of Sanchez. The power shot was a singular moment in frame that saw Sanchez put in work to the body, connecting with left hooks downstairs.
Sanchez scored the bout’s first knockdown, although Kinda protested whether a legal blow caused the damage. An overhand right forced Kinda to his knees, though signaling to referee Ray Corona that the shot landed behind his head. He didn’t prove persuasive enough, as he was forced to take a mandatory eight count.
Despite his opponent fading, Sanchez didn’t rush in the follow-up, shooting his jab and picking his spots for much of the rest of round four. Apparently, he was saving up for a strong finish.
Sanchez stepped up the pace in round five, continuing with that attack in the sixth and final round. Kinda circled around the ring to avoid the incoming, drawing in Sanchez and connecting with a left hook. An attempt to follow up resulted in a clash of heads, with Sanchez stung but able to box his way to the finish line.
CompuBox statistics had Sanchez landing 43 of 242 total punches (18%). Kinda was more accurate, landing 34 of 172 total punches for a 20% clip.
The distance win is the first for Sanchez since his second pro fight more than two years ago. A five-fight knockout streak comes to a close, though he still improves to 8-0 (6KOs). The bout was his first since a two-round knockout of Daniel Evangelista Jr. this past February, as part of the last show presented by Golden Boy prior to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
With boxing action back to being a regular thing, the hope is for greater ring activity moving forward.
“I felt a little rusty in there,” admitted Sanchez. “But I’m honored to be opening up for Golden Boy. I know a lot of people were watching. I hope to get a two-week break and come back very soon.”
Kinda (18-5, 7KOs; 1NC) is now just 2-5 with one No-Contest over his last eight starts. Two of the losses came to Jose Ramirez and Ismael Barroso, both of whom went on to win major titles after beating the veteran gatekeeper.
The bout served in supporting capacity to the evening’s headlining act between unbeaten welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr. (15-0, 15KOs) and Canada’s Samuel Vargas (31-5-2, 14KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
