By Matthew Paras – Mike Mollo (20-3, 12 KOs) returned off a year and a half lay off to gain a hard fought unanimous decision over Heavyweight Journeyman Billy Zumbrun(23-12-1, 13 KOs). Mollo had a tougher time then expected against Zumbrun, but survived Zumbrun’s late onslaught to win the decision.
The fight started off with Mollo being aggressive, dictating the pace with his aggression. Zumrbun at the start of round two threw a flurry that showed he could compete, but Mollo adapted well by going to the body and working his jab. The next two rounds were Mollo’s again by using an aggressive jab that snapped Zumbrun’s head back..
After having lost the first four rounds, Zumbrun felt an urgency to get himself in the fight. Round 5 had him not only more active, but more accurate than any of the previous rounds. Round six was another Billy Zumbrun round, but round seven was a close contest with both fighters having their moments. Zumbrun could not block the jab to save his life, but had success with his accuracy. Both fighters lacked defense to clearly win them the fight.
Round eight was a nail biting round. Could Zumbrun come back and win the round that could get him a draw? Could Mollo survive until the bell when he was clearly running out of gas? Zumbrun pressed strong and went after Mollo, chasing him to the ropes. Mollo tried to keep him off with the jab, but barely had anything left in the tank besides the roaring Chicago crowd.
With a strong finish from Zumbrun it seemed like the fight was either a draw or a close decision win for Mollo. The fighters did not have to wait long for the scorecards. 79-73, 79-73, and 78-74 were all announced for the hometown fighter, Mike Mollo. While it seems puzzling that two judges only gave Zumbrun one round, it is not to be said that this fight was a robbery nu any means. Mollo did not clearly win this fight, but he clearly didn’t lose it either. A case can be made for Mollo winning and he did. What is important now is what happens next for him. It is doubtful that Mollo will ever rise to be a top heavyweight contender, but an all Chicago showdown between him and Fres Oquendo might be interesting.