By Mitch Abramson
Last Thursday, for the first time since he got knocked out by Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003, Flushing's Kelley was back in a professional prize fight, this time at Madison Square Garden, the place where he cut his teeth as a fledgling pro. Against Felix St. Kitts of the Bronx, a stubborn yet willing accomplice who was bigger but not better than Kelley, the former featherweight champion, after laboring for the first few rounds, picked up the pace and drove Kitts to the ropes with straight left in the eighth round, prompting Kitt's corner to throw in the towel at 1:47 of the scheduled eight-round junior welterweight bout. “I felt good about my performance,” said Kelley who weighed 132.5 pounds for the fight, almost five pounds lighter than Kitts. “I have been sparring with Wayne McCullough and Stevie Forbes. It took me a little while to rise to the occasion because I didn't know Kitts, and I was fighting at a heavier weight. It took time for my timing to come back.”At the time of the stoppage, Kelley was easily ahead on all three scorecards. It was the first fight since Jameel McCline defeated Shannon Briggs three years ago that the Theater – the Garden's smaller venue – held a pro boxing show, although only 1,890 fans attended last Thursday.Still the master of the interview, Kelley, an on-again-off-again boxing commentator needed only one reporter's question to get him going. The 37-year-old Kelley (55-6-2, 37 KO's) interviewed himself, asking and answering a series of queries that certainly facilitated the process.Why are you doing this?”My goal is to win a third world title and then retire,” he said. “I've never won a title at 130 pounds.”Who do you want to fight next?”I would love a rematch with either Erik Morales (who knocked him out in seventh round). I took that fight in 10 days notice.”How did you feel about fighting in New York again and do you think you have lost anything over the years?”When I was in the ring, I was focused, I just blocked out New York. I was having flashbacks of what Kevin Kelley used to do, but I'm not that fighter anymore. I still throw fast combinations, but now I mix in uppercuts and fight off the ropes, but I can't judge me, you guys can judge me. How do you guys think I did?”He was asking the reporters to assess his performance, a dangerous line to cross and Matt Richardson, a writer from Fightnews.com took the baton and ran with it.”Well, we want you to retire, Kevin,” he said. “We don't want you fighting anymore.”And with that, Kelley, surprised and a bit miffed by the response, cut him off and continued talking about how he can still win a title and make a dent in the 130-pound division. And after a while the discussion ceased being an interview and sounded more like Kelley trying to convince himself that he can still fight, which he certainly can against the likes of Kitts, who dropped to 12-5 with 7 KO's. But against elite boxers, Kelley the commentator would surely tell Kelley the boxer to call it a day.Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by E-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 130.
