Gibbs is on title trail after classy display

Cori Gibbs on Saturday night: Pictures: Sam Round Photography @samroundimagery

CORI Gibbs looked pin sharp in taking every round from tough and stubborn Cesar Ignacio Paredes at the Eastside Rooms, Birmingham.

On Anthony Manning’s Saturday night show, the Peruvian provided Gibbs with the perfect back-to-action bout after over a year away from the ring.

Max McCracken – the man plotting Gibbs’ rise to major titles – said: “He boxed well and got the rounds in, which is what we wanted to do. He (Paredes) was a tough lad, fighters like that are cagey and dangerous. You have to stay switched on for the entire six rounds. Cori was levels above the kid.”

Paredes, a veteran of over 40 contests, was certainly made of stubborn stuff and threatened, but lacked the speed and reflexes to deliver.

The southpaw did connect with a left hook in the fifth – a rare success in a six rounder dominated by the Birmingham lightweight, referee Peter McCormack scoring a 60-54 landslide.

It was a clear case of a boxer going through the gears. Gibbs is a former fine amateur blessed with sublime skills and he showcased his complete repertoire against Paredes.

He controlled the opening action behind textbook jabs, sometimes spearing Paredes with the shot, sometimes touching with leads before landing stinging rights.

Gibbs upped the pace in the second and boxed with more spite, introducing left hooks and harpooning the visitor’s midriff with rights. He touched, feinted, then unloaded the heavy stuff.

Gibbs nails tough Paredes with a right hand. He dominated the action

Paredes tried to scuffle back in the third, only to be tamed by leads and by the fourth was being repeatedly nailed by rights.

I felt Cori head-hunted a little too much in the fifth: the body punches that landed had taken their toll on his opponent.

The last was all Gibbs as he closed the show in style. A succession of rights knocked Paredes head back and when he tried to respond, Cori landed two left hooks.

It’s good to have 31-year-old Gibbs back. When he won the prestigious 2021 Boxxer tournament, very big things beckoned.

Yet he appeared to lose his way after that glorious night and has fought only five times since. Both he and McCracken are eager to make up for lost time.

Max added: “I want to get him out again as soon as possible. There’s talk of a (big) show in Birmingham in September and we’ll push for that.

“He’s very talented and I think he’s worthy of an eliminator or British title shot. He’s 31, but there are not a lot of miles on the clocks. He’s got three, four, possibly five years left, it’s up to him. He’s ready to move up.”

Both boxers scaled 9st 10lbs.