Mike Mastovich
mmastovich@tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN —
Johnstown’s Andres Taylor won his sixth consecutive fight on Friday night with a unanimous six-round decision over Chicago’s Chris Thomas at the Monroeville Convention Center.
“It was a good fight,” said Taylor, who improved to 14-1-1 with six knockouts. “Thomas had held the NABA title back in 2004 or 2005. He has 17 wins and he lost a lot of his fights to real big names. He’s fought great fighters.”
Thomas is a veteran with a 17-11-2 record that includes 14 knockouts. The 6-foot-4 boxer’s size advantage – Taylor stands at 6-foot – initially presented a challenge to Taylor, who holds the World Boxing Foundations All Americas Cruiserweight title.
“He’s a big guy, 6-foot-4 and he’s got that long arm reach,” Taylor said. “The first round was a little shaky, a little harder to get in and work. He came out firing. He tried to catch my chin early. He got me with a good uppercut.”
Taylor lost the first round but won the next five.
“From then on, it was just body shots and working him inside,” Taylor said. “A couple times I had him out. He was wobbling, but he’s just a tough guy. He’s been in a lot of good fights.”
The midpoint of the fight was key to Taylor’s success.
“The third round really put him on the defensive,” Taylor said. “I caught him with a big overhand right. After that he was a little more tentative. He was clenching and holding and trying to tie me up. But he fought hard. The third round was a pivotal part of the fight. It turned the fight around.”
The Johnstown fighter has won four straight unanimous decisions and had two technical knockouts before that run.
He’s hoping to return for a June fight at Cambria County War Memorial Arena, but nothing has been set to date.
“I’m working on doing something at home in Johnstown,” Taylor said. “We’re not sure exactly of the date. I’ve just got to keep working. I want to work to get to that world title. I have to defend my title one more time to be eligible for a world title shot. That’s a big thing for me. This fight coming up will be a big one for me.”
