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It wasn't much of a fight, which frankly was expected. Carlos Molina won the IBF junior middleweight from Ishe Smith tonight by split decision, taking the belt on scores of 116-112, 117-111, 112-116. BLH had it 116-112 for Molina in a fight where neither man looked very good.
It was a sloppy, ugly bout between a couple of guys who are rarely exciting and both work best as spoilers against more aggressive fighters. Referee Jay Nady was the most noticeable factor in the fight, which isn't new for Nady, but this time, he was also about the only thing worth noticing.
In fairness to the fighters, both of whom are solid pros, this was really just a styles make fights thing. From the moment this fight was signed this spring, it looked like a bad action fight. It turned out as expected, serving more as a buffer before we get to the meat of this card.
For Molina (22-5-1, 6 KO), this is his first world title on his first world title shot, dethroning Smith (25-6, 11 KO), who won his first world title earlier this year.
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