Little Caesars Arena in Detroit – A 10-round scrap between Ardreal Holmes Jr. (14-0, 5 KOs) of Flint and Wendy Toussaint (14-2, 6 KOs) of Huntington, New York was cut short when an ugly cut on the forehead of Toussaint from an accidental headbutt forced an eight-round technical decision.
Fighting for the USBA Super Welterweight Championship, Toussaint came out blazing and seldom took his foot off the accelerator. The fast pace seemed to trouble the patient Holmes, who rarely matched the Haitian New Yorker’s work rate. Toussaint’s faster hands and combination punching seemed to lock up Holmes’ output in most rounds.
Toussaint appeared to hurt Holmes with a left to the body in round five. Another extended volley in round seven seemed to have Holmes in some danger as well. Toussaint was, however, deducted one point in round four for hitting behind the head, a point that ended up costing him dearly.
The intriguing duel came to an end at 1:54 in round eight when the southpaw Holmes and orthodox Toussaint conked heads, sending blood cascading down Toussaint’s face. Referee Gerard White initially allowed the carnage to continue, but a few seconds later, the need for a stoppage was clear.
A chorus of boos greeted the judge’s decision of 77-74 and 76-75 for Holmes against one card of 77-74 favoring Toussaint.
Toussaint’s promoter, Joe DeGuardia, is hoping that a rematch will happen sooner than later.
“We hope the USBA will order an immediate rematch and we will take the necessary steps to see that through. Wendy deserved the win last night in Detroit. It’s simple as that. It is rare to see hometown arena boo a decision against a hometown fighter – that’s all you need to know about the decision, and kudos to the Detroit fans,” DeGuardia said.
“We are proud of the effort Wendy put forth. He made the fight, brought the action, controlled the tempo and exhibited a warrior mentality, begging the ref to continue the fight through a nasty cut, with his own blood pouring down his face. We feel Wendy should have been declared the winner and will look into all options available to us for him.”