Kevin Kelley-Story of the Flushing Flash

His nickname might seem like it was taken from a bad 70's porn or blaxploitation movie but Kevin Kelley was no joke. He was one of the most entertaining fighters of the 90's and can well be considered one of the most entertaining in history. His classic battles against Naseem Hamed, Alejandro Gonzalez, Derrick Gainer and Gregorio Vargas are really stuff of legend. A hard-hitting, 5'7 southpaw, Kelley was known for his one punch ko power but also as a very determined and durable fighter with plenty of heart. He was no slouch in the boxing department either. So, without further redue, I give you the story of Kevin Kelley-The Flushing Flash!

The Flushing in his nickname comes from the neighborhood where he was raised, Flushing in Queens, NY. He was born in Brooklyn however, on 29 June 1967. As amateur, he won the 1985 119 pound sub-novice Golden Gloves championship and the 1986 119 pound open championship. In 1988 he advanced to the finals of the 125 pound open championship but couldn't fight because he had gotten injured. He then turned pro in September that year and won his first fight by TKO 2. After winning his first 20 fights, in June '91 he won the New York State featherweight title with a TKO 6 against Job Walters. He defended it with a TKO 4 against Rafael Zuniga five months later and then vacated it the following year to fight for the WBC Continental title against hard-hitting Troy Dorsey, the former IBF champion. He won by a clear decision over 12 rounds to capture that title. He then set his sights on conquering a world title. After winning 9 more fights, he was finally given his shot against Gregorio "Goyo" Vargas of Mexico, who held the WBC featherweight title, on 4 December '93. It was a hard fight where Kelley was knocked down once in the 9th but outworked and outpunched Vargas enough to get a unanimous decision. He made his first defense 6 May next year and defeated Jesse Benavides by another UD. He then took on the Dominican Jose Vida Ramos and stopped him by TKO 2 on 24 September to make his second defense of the belt. He had a non-title fight at the end of that year against Pete Taliafferro and stopped him by TKO 10.

And then, on 7 January '95, he met his match. Alejandro "La Cobrita" Gonzalez was his opponent, a hard-hitting brawler like Kelley, only 21. It was an unforgettable war where Kelley was down in the 6th from a left-right combination but came back to drop Gonzalez with a left hook in the 8th. Kelley took tremendous punishment in the last three rounds and his right eye was completely shut. His left eye was also swollen and after the tenth round ended, Kelley told his trainer he had trouble seeing. His trainer then told the referee to stop the fight. After 41 consecutive victories, he had finally tasted defeat. The Flushing Flash didn't mope after this courageous but also gruelling defeat, he went straight back in action after 2 months against Ricardo Rivera. He was dropped for a flash knockdown in the second and took a standing eight count in the sixth, but then took control and stopped Rivera in the 9th round. In the next fight against Tommy Parks, he was again down in the first round but in the second there was a clash of heads and neither fighter could continue, making it a technical draw. On 9 September he faced the future WBA super bantam champion Clarence "Bones" Adams in a fight for the vacant World Boxing Union title. The fight was scored a majority draw after 12 rounds, one judge giving it to Adams but the other two scoring it even. His comeback for now looked unsuccessful but soon it would get better, as he again fought for the WBU title, but now against former two-time WBA super bantam champ Louie Espinoza, 2 February '96. This would turn out to be a very good year for Kelley as he beat Espinoza clearly on points, outlanding him 280 to 140. He then squared off for the first time against the taller boxer-puncher Derrick "Smoke" Gainer on 8 June in Jacksonville, Florida. Gainer was from Pensacola himself so he had the crowd on his side. It turned out to be one of the best fights of the year as the two fighters went at eachother from the opening bell, exchanging shots frequently. Gainer was another southpaw and frequently tagged him with combinations which made Kelley's right eye swell badly. But Kelley knocked him down twice, in the 3rd and the 5th and was himself knocked down once in the 4th, before ending the fight in the 8th with a spectacular left hook.

After this he would defend the WBU belt three more times, beating the undefeated Edwin Santana by UD, yet another former WBA superbantam champ Jesus Salud by another UD and finally knocking out Orlando Fernandez in 10. He then signed to fight his yet biggest fight against the WBO champion "Prince" Naseem Hamed on 19 December '97. Hamed was a big favorite for the fight, being undefeated and 7 years younger, with an enormous punch. However, it was the older Kelley that got off best, sending Hamed to the canvas in the first round. The second round was the most entertaining, as both fighters were down once. In the third they seemed to be taking it easier but again in the fourth they exploded, first Kelley knocked Hamed down again but then Hamed stormed back and put him down twice before the fight was over. Next year Kelley had one tune up fight before signing to fight Gainer again, on 18 July in Madison Square Garden. The fight was competitive but Kelley was dropped once in the first and once in the seventh and subsequently lost on points after ten rounds. Gainer's higher output as well as youth prevailed this time. Kelley moved on, beating Jorge Ramirez by KO 9 and Hector Velazquez by UD10 but he then again hit a bump after losing to a 30-31 fighter called Benito Rodriguez by a UD10. In January 2000 he however produced another good victory against the 18-0 Frankie Archuleta, whom he knocked out in 9. This victory got him a fight with Erik "El Terrible" Morales for the vacant interim WBC title, on 2 September. Kelley put up a brave fight but was ultimately worn down and stopped in the 7th round by the 9-years younger Morales.

He took a year and a half off from boxing before returning in 2002 and then made his last hoorah when he defeated the up and coming Humberto Soto by a close majority decision. Soto would of course go on to win world titles in 2 divisions. The fight was for the vacant WBA-NABA super featherweight title. After knocking out the green Johnny West in 5, he was given a fight against the second great Mexican fighter of his era-Marco Antonio Barrera. On 12 April 2003, Kelley looked like an old fighter and was easily stopped in 4 rounds by the 29-yearold and still prime Barrera. He then took almost 2 more years off before returning in March '05. On 17 February '06 he knocked out the former Luisito Espinosa challenger Joan Carlos Ramirez in only 2 rounds, showing some signs that he might be returning to form. But those signs quickly faded as he was knocked out in his next fight by Bobby Pacquiao in 4 rounds. He still managed to beat the former IBF champion Carlos Hernandez by decision, knocking him down once, three months after the Pacquiao debacle. On 11 November he fought the great technician Manuel Medina and lost to him by a razor-thin majority decision. But like Hernandez, Medina was already past his prime and Kelley could now only beat guys that were past their best, like he was. He finally retired in 2009, after getting knocked out in 2 rounds by Vicente Escobedo, a gatekeeper. He was now 42 and had fought for well 20 years, with only 2 short layoffs. His final record is 60 (39)-10-2.

After retirement, Kelley worked as a color commentator for HBO. He was also the lead on the HBO's short lived KO Nation show, a hip-hop based boxing broadcast. He now lives in Las Vegas and works as a timeshare salesman.

Re: Kevin Kelley-Story of the Flushing Flash

Good fighter

Re: Kevin Kelley-Story of the Flushing Flash

Good fighter

Yeah. :) Just liked to slug it out a little too much.

Re: Kevin Kelley-Story of the Flushing Flash

Yeah. :) Just liked to slug it out a little too much.

If you offered me a ticket to see K Kelley or Floyd Mayweather in the ring ill take kk everyday

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: Kevin Kelley-Story of the Flushing Flash

Good post Boz, thanks :thumb:

Re: Kevin Kelley-Story of the Flushing Flash

Good post Boz, thanks :thumb:

;-) You welcome.