OSCAR Duarte squeaked past Kenneth Sims Jr and, in doing so, has placed himself in a far stronger position to face WBA world champion Gary Antuanne Russell.
Scorecards of 115-113 and 116-112 both swung in his favour, while a third offering of 114-114 perhaps more aptly reflected their WBA title eliminator at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Yet despite the razor-thin nature of their super-lightweight contest, it was Duarte, 30-2-1 (23 KOs), who ultimately had the boxing gods smiling down on him.
Sims, 22-3-1 (8 KOs), to his credit, got off to a typically fast start, his jab firing almost like a machine gun as it created just enough distance for him to pivot around his charging target.
It was not long, however, before their matchup unfolded into a classic bull vs matador encounter, with Duarte relentlessly closing down the distance in the second round.
That pressure then saw him land a particularly promising left hook in the following frame, forcing an expression of pure urgency to appear across the face of Sims.
In response, ‘Bossman’ simply found refuge behind his jab, restoring a degree of stability after the timekeeper mistakenly drew a halt to the fourth round at two minutes.
A tidy visit in the following frame – this time, over the traditional three minutes – then saw Sims sting his aggressive opponent with several sharp counters at long range.
Yet Duarte, just as it seemed he was running short of ideas, was able to swing the momentum back in his favour with a cluster of eye-catching hooks and uppercuts on the inside.
Sure enough, the Mexican’s physical presence in the pocket represented a genuine concern for Sims, whose slick defensive manoeuvres could only do so much to control the range.
But still, the American remained elusive on the outside, with his bottomless gas tank proving a decisive factor in the championship rounds.
At the same time, though, Duarte, despite his recklessness, landed another series of potent attacks in the 11th visit, before Sims maintained his measured approach through the final three minutes.
But in the end, it was the sustained pressure of Duarte that saw him edge a majority decision and, in turn, take himself one step closer towards a shot at world honours.
“I’m ready for anybody,” the 29-year-old said in his post-fight interview. “I want the [WBA] title, and I’m ready.”
In response, Sims, perhaps unsurprisingly, demanded an immediate rematch, insisting that he had done enough to win the fight.
