BoxingSport

Chris Kongo promises to keep hitting gym hard after outpointing Florian Marku

Chris Kongo prevailed in his welterweight grudge clash against Florian Marku – outpointing the Albanian by unanimous decision at Greenwich’s 02 Arena last night.

The 31-year-old from Bermondsey had not fought for 14 months but had too many skills for his rugged opponent.

Marku was deducted a point for hitting on the back of the head in the eighth round, paying the price for not heeding referee Howard Foster’s warnings prior to that.

Kongo is now 15-2 in the paid ranks and also picked up the IBO Intercontinental title, a belt with very little significance.

“I trusted in the work,” Kongo told Sky Sports. “I trusted in Barry Smith, I trusted in Lee Wylie and I trusted in Ben Davison. Last year I took an L (loss) but that didn’t stop me from sticking in the gym – keep working and working.

“I knew one day it would pay off. I promised myself once I win this I’m straight back in the gym and going to work – nobody is going to stop me. I’ll keep staying disciplined – inside the ring and outside.

“I wanted to feel out the first couple of rounds. I felt his power and I went: ‘Yeah, he ain’t stopping me – no way’. In my head I was saying to keep disciplined and keep working.

“I’ve had a year out of the ring and it was really hard for me. But I stayed in the gym 24-7 and I’ve kept working. That is the main thing. I’m proud of myself for doing that.”

PICTURES: LAWRENCE LUSTIG/BOXXER

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.