Bailey Tops Figeuroa with Highlight Reel KO

Andrew Fruman recaps last night's FNF main event.

Randall Bailey can still crack.

Just ask Frankie Figueroa. The southpaw battler was the victim of a picture perfect straight as an arrow right hand. The punch landed flush on the jaw and sent Figueroa crashing backwards to the canvas where he was counted out at 1:46 of the 4th round. He was down for several minutes, before being helped to his stool and eventually to his feet.

It was a spectacular finish to an entertaining fight that saw both fighters floored during the opening two frames.

Bailey scored the first knockdown less than a minute into the 1st round, catching Figueroa with a straight right hand along the ropes. Luckily for Figueroa, the punch was only a glancing blow, and he was up almost immediately.

Despite tasting the canvas early, Figueroa showed no fear of his power punching rival, and stood in there looking to land his own shots. His moment came a little before the halfway mark of round two, when he caught the taller Bailey with a glancing right hook on the side of the head. Bailey stumbled into the ropes, before going down and while he wasn’t badly hurt, he didn’t look completely steady when he got up.

Figueroa tried to follow up, but the experienced Bailey slipped a hook and forced a couple clinches. If there were any ill-effects from the knockdown, they didn’t last long, and after a relatively uneventful 3rd round, Bailey ended matters midway through the 4th with the stunning straight right.

With the highlight reel knockout, the resurgent 34 year old has earned himself another shot at a strap, as he’s now owns the mandatory spot for Juan Urango’s title. With the rugged Colombian moving up to challenge Andre Berto next month, just who Bailey might face for that belt is very much up in the air.

e-mail Andrew Fruman