By Cliff Rold

DC Armory, Washington, District of Columbia - 30-year old WBO Middleweight titlist Peter Quillin (31-0, 22 KO), 159 ¾, of Brooklyn, New York, made his third successful title defense with a steady if unispiring unanimous decision over brave but outgunned 35-year old former Jr. Middleweight title challenger Lucas Konecny (50-5, 23 KO), 158 ¼, of Usti, Czech Republic.  There were no knockdowns in the contest.  The referee was Kenny Chevalier.

Quillin set right to work, touching Konecny with light left hands while the challenger followed, head down, gloves and elbows tight.  After a smattering of single power shots from Quillin, Konecny started letting his hands go to the body.

That was the shape the fight would hold for the next three rounds, the action intensifying in spots before settling into a rhthym.  Konecny would find the body and then the head; Quillin the head and then the body.  In round four, after being tagged with a hook, Quillin looked like he may have been rocked.  Instead, it became apparent he was just turned to say something to potential rival Middleweight Daniel Jacobs, seated ringside on commentary.  He continued to talk after the round ended.

Rounds five and six left the crowd in an almost library hush until the closing seconds of the latter, a big right hand stunning the challenger only for Konency to dig in and fire back.  It was the storm before the calm, the crowd again going mild in a seventh marked by a couple hard body shots for Quillin and an attempted sneaky left from Konecny.

The last minute of the eighth breathed life into the fight, Konecny firing back after a big shot drew crimson from an already busted nose.  It didn’t last and, after nine rounds of politely discussing whatever the crowd was discussing with their inside voices, the boo birds started to come out in round ten.  They emerged again in an eleventh that featured a rare highlight: Quillin leapt on the ropes to celebrate the finish, mistaking what round he was in.

Apparently, the reigning beltholder was as ready for it to be over as the fans.  He had to work through only three more minutes to get there.  A low blow to Konency drew an audible wince from the paid masses, Konecny running a lap around the ring to shake it off before returning to the fray.  The final scores were academic at a shutout 120-108 and twin scores of 119-109.  

Quillin, interviewed in the ring after the fight, said he’s like to fight either the winner of lineal World Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez vs. Miguel Cotto or the winner of a possible bout between WBA titlist Gennady Golovkin and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.  Looking to more likely immediate futures, Quillin said, “If Danny Jacobs on the menu let’s do it.  As long as (manager) Al Haymon can get me the money I want, let’s do it.”