Adrián Hernández Reclaimed His Crown
Adrián “Confesor” Hernández became WBC light flyweight champion on April 30, 2011, stopping Gilberto Keb in Texcoco, Mexico. He later regained the same championship after losing it to Thailand’s Kompayak Porpramook.
Career highlights
Against Keb, Hernández applied sustained pressure in a physical fight at the Coliseum Don King. The contest was stopped before the eleventh round began, bringing Hernández the championship.
Porpramook took the belt from him by tenth-round knockout in Bangkok in December 2011. Hernández reversed the result in their October 6, 2012, rematch in Toluca, winning by sixth-round technical knockout to begin his second reign.
The second reign and the Inoue challenge
Hernández’s subsequent defenses included victories over Dirceu Cabarca, Yader Cardoza and Atsushi Kakutani. Naoya Inoue ended the reign in Tokyo on April 6, 2014, winning by sixth-round technical knockout in only his sixth professional contest. The defeat closed Hernández’s second period as WBC light flyweight champion.
The Keb championship fight renewed an earlier rivalry: Hernández had already stopped him in four rounds in 2008. Their title meeting featured sustained exchanges at close range, with few clinches to interrupt the action. Hernández repeatedly pressured Keb against the ropes during the later rounds. The champion’s corner protested the eventual stoppage, but the result gave Hernández his first world championship.
Sources
- BoxingScene: Hernández’s first WBC championship victory
- BoxRec: Hernández’s two reigns and championship defenses
- World Boxing Organization: official record of Inoue’s title victory over Hernández
