Kristian Prenga & Pyrce Taylor Continue Their Assault On The Heavyweight Division – Boxing News
A pair of relatively low-key, but highly formidable heavyweights, Albanian knockout artist Kristian “KP” Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) and former college basketball player Pryce Taylor (11-0, 7 KOs), of Brooklyn, recently turned in impressive victories on the same weekend.
Prenga and Taylor are both managed by Sullivan Management.
“I’m proud to be working with two heavyweights at different stages of the journey – one a contender, the other a rising prospect,” manager Keith Sullivan said. “What they share is discipline, patience, and a willingness to do hard work when nobody’s watching. That’s how real careers are built in this division.
“One fighter (Prenga) is already knocking on the door, the other (Taylor) is still climbing the stairs; the process is the same, consistent work, smart matchmaking, busy schedules and respect for their strengths.”
The 34-year-old Prenga, now fighting out of Edgewater, New Jersey, didn’t need a full round to violently take out his opponent, “Mighty” Joe Jones (16-4-1, 10 KOs), who apparently agitated Prenga in the fight buildup and ultimately paid the price.
Prenga floored Jones early in the opening round with a body shot. Jones never really recovered and he was floored two more times in round one, when referee David Francion halted the fight at the 1:57 mark. Prenga has 20 knockouts in his 20 victories.
“Same as always,” Prenga evaluated his performance. “I get in the ring to box and always give my best, but when my opponent acted like he was tough and talked too much, I didn’t like that. So, I took him out in less than 2 minutes.
“I’m ready for anyone and everyone because it’s the right time for me. I want to fight again soon. As far as opponents in my mind I want the one that holds the title, and God willing I will get there soon.”
Prenga vs. Jones was a scheduled 8-round main event on February 21 at Showboat Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The following day in Detroit, Taylor fought on a Salita Promotions card, headlined by his promotional stablemate, undisputed world heavyweight champion Claressa Shields, and viewed worldwide on DAZN.
“The Pryce Was Right” again for Taylor, 29, who destroyed James Evans (9-3-1, 7 KOs) enroute to fifth-round stoppage. A trio of effective left hooks from Taylor left Evans battered and hanging on. The punishment continued as Taylor dropped Evans again and it was only a matter of time. The onslaught continued in the fifth round as Taylor sent Evans to a knee with a sweet left uppercut-straight right. Even though Evans managed to beat the count, the referee waved off the fight for a fifth-round technical knockout triumph for Taylor.
“I put on a master class of ring cutting,” Taylor commented. “I was dominant, strong and showed a little glimpse of angles and head movement, along with a sense of future greatness. I’m more of a chess player in the ring. I don’t rush in trying to take out my opponent because I know we’re both heavyweights and it only takes one big punch. I learned who he was during the first two rounds and adjusted.
“I wasn’t sure if he could take my right. He was good with the overhand right, but I saw that he couldn’t take my straight right. I beat him with my straight right over the next few rounds until the fight ended.”
Sullivan, a former New York State Athletic Commission Deputy Commissioner, also manages 3-time, 2-division World Champion Miyo Yoshida (18-5), Bronx NYPD officer Nisa Rodriguez (4-1, 2 KOs), lightweight Fei Faiva (6-0-1, 4 KOs) and undefeated featherweight prospect Brooklyn Barwick (4-1, 4 KOs). Sullivan co-manages IBF Welterweight World title challenger Paddy “The Real Deal” Donovan (14-2, 11 KOs) and his cousin, middleweight Jim Donovan (2-0, 1 KO), alongside coach and ex-world champion Andy Lee.
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