By Mark Vester
BoxingScene.com's Keith Idec reported in the Herald News that Kendall Holt (22-2, 12 KOs) has once again been denied a rematch with WBO junior welterweight champion Ricardo Torres (32-1, 28 KOs).
The Sept. 1 bout between Holt and Torres, took place before a hostile crowd in Torres' backyard of in Barranquilla, Colombia. During the bout, Torres fans were pelting the ring with bottles, cans, ice cubes and other objects, creating a hazardous condition for both fighters. Holt was stopped in the eleventh-round, while ahead on two of the three judges' scorecards.
Holt protested the loss to the WBO, demanding a rematch with Torres and presenting a laundry list of mistakes made by the referee Genaro Rodriguez, including an early stoppage of the fight, not calling two separate knockdowns for Holt, giving Torres additional time to recover from a knockdown in round six and never calling a timeout to clean up the liquid being thrown in the ring by fans. The WBO denied the protest, which Holt appealed and the WBO denied.
Holt will not stop here; he plans to pursue his rematch. Torres is supposed to face hot prospect Victor Ortiz, but Top Rank has been having trouble getting that fight together. If Top Rank is unable to make Torres-Ortiz, Holt has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Torres. Holt is not going to hold his breath and told Idec he's more than willing to fight another eliminator to get the rematch.
"(If) Top Rank can't get us the rematch, we'll petition the WBO the same way Mike Arnaoutis did," Holt said. "Let me fight the No. 1 guy and I'll see Ricardo again in six or seven months."
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