Super lightweight John Joe Nevin ended a nearly five year layoff with a six round points decision over Jose Hernandez Flores at Salon Rosas in Jiutepec, Mexico, last Saturday.
“Comeback completed. [It] wasn't my best performance, but I wasn't expecting to be world title material after a four and a half-year absence from the ring,” Nevin, whose previous fight was a 10 round shutout of Freddy Fonseca in Nov. 2019, said. “ A tough six rounds [with] a tough, hard Mexican. Delighted with the win, and delighted I didn't get things easy.”
He said he hurt his wrist off Flores’ head, in the first round, and his shoulder in the second round.
“Things [weren’t] going my way but you struggle through it to get the win. Most of all, thank God me and my opponent walked away healthy from the fight,” he added. “I'm delighted to be back and will have news on my next fight in the next couple of weeks.”
Nicknamed “The Mullingar Shuffler,” Nevin remains undefeated as professional with a 14-0 [4 KO] ledger. Based in Philadelphia before his inactivity, nine of his 14 fights have been in the United States.
A highly decorated fighter in the unpaid ranks, Nevin was a two-time World Championship bronze medalist [2009 & 2011], and a 2012 Olympic silver medalist at the London Games.
