Bloodied Josh Kelly overcomes horror facial cuts to sneak points win vs Caoimhin Agyarko in first world title defence

PRETTY BOY Josh Kelly needs a plastic surgeon and a new nickname after he suffered a horror gash across his nose. Caoimhin Agyarko, 29, pushed the 32-year-old champion all the way to a tense decision, leaving him with a busted nose. Josh Kelly just managed to beat Caoimhin Agyarko on points Credit: Getty Images – Getty Kelly got the win with scorecards of 115-112, 115-112, 114-113 Credit: Getty Images – Getty Pretty Boy looked like a horror show by the end of a brutal war as a huge gash across his nose left him covered in blood. But he clung on to his red and gold belt and hopes of unifying at the Stadium of Light against Boots Ennis next summer are still alive Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! The three ringside judges in the Jeddah Superdome called the cagey clash: 114-113, 115-112 and 115-112 Kelly’s first rasping three-punch combination grazed the Belfast boy’s whiskers in the first. They played a game of fencing with their lead left hands tapping in the air. Both 154lbers wanted the other man to fire first, so they should counter. And Agyarko was shoved down to the deck toward the end of the opener. Agyarko stabbed jabs to Kelly’s ribs in the second but he was punished by a right hand and a lead left hook. Kelly was confident enough to have both black gloves swinging as low down as his boots in the second round, daring Agyarko to throw. But it was the Spain-based skilster who scored with two more left hooks. The Irishman tried to push the pace more in the third but Kelly’s cat-like reflexes were too quick and slick for him to land. Most read in Boxing Kelly ate a stiff jab to the chops as soon as the fourth started but Agyarko didn’t kick on and the round felt like another stalemate in the chess match. Both men enjoyed brief attacks in the fifth but it was the champion who finished the thrilling session with a cut on his left cheekbone. BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Kelly’s trademark flashy work died a death at the halfway point when Agyarko succeeded in making it a war of attrition. And it was Kelly who was punished for roughhouse tactics when he lost a point for blatant and repeated rabbit punches. Agyarko kept using the Olympic rings tattooed on Kelly’s ribs, from the 2016 Rio Games, as a target for his right hands. But it was a lead left hook that was his best punch of the seventh. Kelly looked shattered by eighth and loading up and missing wild shots would not have helped as suddenly Agyarko looked like the matador. Kelly was left busted open against a fighting Agyarko Credit: Reuters Kelly was left completely bloodied by the 11th round Credit: Reuters And a second gash opened up on Kelly’s opposite cheekbone from the challenger’s sustained pressure. Kelly landed a low blow in the ninth and Agyarko needed a rest to recover, but the ref did not punish the foul. Agyarko scored with a jab to the gut and a right hand over the top but Kelly evened it up with a left-hook-right-hand combo. Kelly was winning the tenth with calculated hooks and uppercuts, even though his nose was oozing blood. A fighting Agyarko almost put together a stunning comeback Credit: Reuters Kelly just managed to retain the world title in his first defence against Agyarko Credit: Getty Images – Getty But in the final few seconds he dropped his guard and was rocked with heavy shots that had the potential to swing the whole course of the fight. Kelly’s gumshield flew out in the eleventh when the pair clashed heads and the Brit’s face was left a bloody mess. And Kelly’s claret-soaked face was snapped back when Agyarko leaped in with a left hook that landed sweetly. Agyarko landed a flush right hand in the final stanza bit he arrived with only eight stoppages in 18 wins and never looked like adding another. And both fellas climbed opposite corners to celebrate on the top ropes once the bell ended the bloodbath. Comment now