By Joe Harrison

On Friday night, former light heavyweight champion Montell Griffin (49-7, 30 KOs) completely shut out his opponent, Corey Cummings (16-3, 12 KOs), by winning every round on his way to a 10-round unanimous decision at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL. Griffin continuously connected with his jab throughout the bout and even floored Cummings in the fourth round as he fought in his hometown for the first time in nine-years.

Cummings used his own jab to try and develop an attack but came up short.
For most of the bout, Griffin was able to block most of Cummings’ punches while landing his jab to set up an occasional straight right. There were even a few flurries to bring the fans some excitement, but overall it was Griffin epitomizing the meaning of “boxing lesson.” By the end, all three judges had it scored 100-89 in favor of Montell Griffin.

After the fight, Griffin shared his thoughts with BoxingScene.com on his performance. “I felt good, I got the ten-round win. A couple times I thought maybe I would take him out, but I don’t know if he was playing or just messing around. This is only my third fight in three years and just wanted to take my time. I just felt good.”

“I’m glad to be home, everyone came out to support me. It’s been nine years, it’s a dream come true. Now I’m looking to get another tune-up bout. Whoever, I’ll fight anybody. Jones, Tarver, but Tarver’s going for the big money right now. I’m here. Roy Jones, Glen Johnson, Antonio Tarver, those are the three guys. Whatever opportunity I get, I’m going to take it. Maybe I can get a fight in September, then maybe a title-shot.”

“I’m still here, the past is behind me. I’m ready to move on. Everything that’s happened in my past, I’ve had some good times and bad times, I’m trying to move on. I’m 38 and I feel good.

Also on the card, lightweight Almazbek Raiymkulov (26-1-1, 15 KOs), also known as "Kid Diamond," defeated Leo Martinez (13-12, 6 KOs) at the time of 0:01 in the fourth round by TKO when Martinez could not continue due to a shoulder injury. The bout started off slowly as each boxer utilized their jab and searched for openings. By the second round, Raiymkulov was landing with both hands and had Martinez on the run. During the third round, Raiymkulov continued to pound Martinez and chase him around the ring. Between the third and fourth rounds, Martinez was complaining about his shoulder and the match was brought to an end. For Raiymkulov, it had been a year since his last boxing match, a controversial split decision victory over Miguel Huerta.

Afterwards, Raiymkulov spoke with BoxingScene regarding the bout. “He (Martinez) is a good kid, but I was getting warmed up,” said Raiymkulov. “Maybe I’m a slow-working fighter. I was just taking it easy and working on my technique. My next fight will be much better, that will be July 26th, and to my fans, I’m back.”