Mykal Fox Drops Ray Robinson, Wins Wide UD in Maryland

Under the lights at the Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover, Maryland, Mykal “The Professor” Fox used brains, reach and southpaw precision to outbox and finally drop Ray “The New” Robinson on his way to a clear ten-round unanimous decision and the WBA Continental Americas Gold super welterweight title. The tall Marylander, already UBO Continental (North America) champion at 154 pounds, delivered exactly the measured, disciplined performance this high-IQ southpaw chess match had promised in the build-up.

From the opening bell, Fox planted himself near centre ring, long arms uncoiling behind that piston jab his team talked about all week. With his 6ft 3in frame and 81in reach against Robinson’s more compact 5ft 10in, the physical geometry of the contest was obvious, and Fox made sure it mattered. He kept the right foot outside in the southpaw-southpaw battle, lining up straight lefts down the pipe while Robinson, ever the seasoned Philadelphia stylist, tried to edge his way into mid-range behind feints and little shoulder rolls. For the most part, Fox judged the distance better, getting off first and sliding half a step out of range before the counters came back.

The early rounds followed a similar pattern. Fox worked responsibly behind the jab and straight left, occasionally dropping in a right hook as Robinson circled, looking to draw mistakes and counter over the top. When the visitor did manage to close the gap and work at closer quarters, he showed flashes of the craft that once carried him into high-level company against the likes of Egidijus Kavaliauskas and Josh Kelly, picking sneaky shots to the body and clipping Fox with the odd left hand as the home man tried to escape along the ropes. But those moments were too sporadic to shift the momentum. Fox’s legs and his discipline in resetting at range kept him in control of the geography of the ring.

By the middle rounds, Fox was in full rhythm, the fight increasingly looking like a long, uncomfortable night for a 40-year-old who had been inactive at this level for years. The jab was no longer just a range-finder; it was a scoring punch in its own right, snapping Robinson’s head back often enough to draw appreciative roars from the local crowd. Fox mixed in the left to the body, then took a half step out and brought the same hand upstairs, making Robinson think twice about simply barreling forward. When the Philadelphian tried to switch angles or change direction, Fox’s long stride and tidy footwork ensured he didn’t get stranded on the ropes for long.

The one thing missing was a real dent in Robinson, who has long built his reputation on durability and nous rather than raw firepower. That changed dramatically in the ninth. After spending most of the round working patiently, Fox finally threaded the perfect southpaw textbook shot, a straight left hand delivered with full leverage as Robinson stepped in. The shot landed flush and sent “The New” Ray Robinson to the canvas, a rare sight for a man who has gone rounds with serious company at welterweight. To his credit, the veteran hauled himself upright, beat the count and, as the reports from ringside made clear, battled through the remainder of the session on unsteady legs but immense pride.

That knockdown effectively settled any lingering doubt on the cards. Fox, already ahead on volume, accuracy and ring generalship, now had a 10-8 round in his pocket. Wisely, he didn’t chase a finish in the tenth. Instead, he went back to his bread and butter, sliding around the ring, spearing the jab and dropping in lefts only when the opening was clean. Robinson, sensing he needed a minor miracle, did his best to mount one last push, but there was little left in the legs and even less in the way of sustained output. The final bell found Fox in command, unmarked and still boxing at his own pace, while Robinson, bruised and disappointed, could at least console himself with the knowledge that he had heard the bell and avoided being overwhelmed after that heavy ninth-round visit to the deck.

When the scores were read, they merely confirmed what the action had been spelling out for most of the evening: a wide, unanimous decision for Mykal Fox over ten rounds. The WBA’s official ledger records it simply as a UD over ten for the local man, enough to make him Continental Americas Gold champion at super welterweight and to underline the value of the steady rebuilding job he has undertaken since that contentious defeat to Gabriel Maestre at welterweight in 2021.

For Fox, this was more than just another tick in the win column. It was a composed, professional victory over a seasoned, awkward southpaw with a genuine pedigree, the kind of assignment that can so easily turn messy for a tall boxer who loses concentration or lets the veteran dictate the rhythm. Instead, “The Professor” stayed on script: jab, feet, distance, and a few well-chosen moments of ambition, culminating in that ninth-round knockdown. It keeps his current run of form intact and strengthens his hand in both the WBA regional picture and the UBO’s Continental (North America) hierarchy at 154 pounds.

For Robinson, this may well prove to be his last roll of the dice at this level. A career that once saw him touted as a serious welterweight threat, drawing with high-rated contenders and operating on big American and British stages, has now absorbed another decisive defeat against a younger, fresher operator in a higher division. At 40, and after years of inactivity before this opportunity, the question is no longer about whether he can force his way into a world-title queue, but whether he chooses to carry on at all after being outboxed and dropped by a man making his own case for a late-career surge.

What is beyond debate is that on this particular night in Hanover, there was nothing controversial about the verdict. Mykal Fox boxed to his strengths, kept the fight largely where he wanted it, and produced the single most dramatic moment of the contest when he sent Ray Robinson to the floor in the ninth. The hometown southpaw leaves with two regional belts and a statement victory over a name that still carries weight among boxing’s hard core, and he has done it the old-fashioned way: behind a jab, with discipline, patience and a cool head when it mattered.