Kennedy puts setbacks in past, aims to get fight career back on track

Teon Kennedy was close to getting the big-money fight he had dreamed of since he began boxing at age 6.

Then his life took a couple of wrong turns during the summer. Now the 25-year-old super bantamweight from Philadelphia is virtually starting his career over, instead of fighting Nonito Donaire next month as he had hoped.

Kennedy (17-1-1, seven knockouts) faces Chris Martin tonight in the main event of Top Rank's card at the Hard Rock Hotel. For Kennedy, who lost his last fight to Alejandro Lopez on Aug. 13, the 10-round bout televised on ESPN2 (Cable 31) is a virtual must-win if he hopes to position himself for a title shot this year.

"It's something that hopefully I can get over," Kennedy said of the career setbacks. "I don't know if it's about starting over. I look at it more like a bump in the road. But I know this is a very important fight for me and I've trained really hard for it.

"My mind is right and I feel good. I'm ready to go."

Things were going well for Kennedy. Then, in June, he was arrested in Philadelphia for attempted murder and aggravated assault. His freedom and career hung in the balance. But just before he was to appear in court, the man who allegedly was assaulted recanted, resulting in Kennedy's release. He was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

The experience behind bars left emotional scars on Kennedy. He took the fight against Lopez on two weeks' notice and it was clear that Kennedy's head wasn't in the fight. Lopez won a 12-round unanimous decision at Bally's Atlantic City that left Kennedy's face a mess and his record with its first blemish.

"Looking back on it, I probably made a mistake in taking that fight," Kennedy said. "Mentally, I thought I could get through it, but I wasn't right. The whole legal thing I went through was very distracting."

Kennedy, ranked No. 7 by the IBF, insists he's ready to get his career back on track.

"It's totally different this time," he said. "Everything that happened is in the past and I'm just focused on winning this fight."

It won't be easy. Martin (23-1-2, six KOs) is ranked No. 9. He lost a 10-round split decision to Jose Beranza on Oct. 1 at the MGM Grand and, like Kennedy, is seeking redemption.

"Anything I did in the past doesn't matter if I don't win this fight," Martin said. "I need to establish the jab and start quicker."

Martin also paid a visit to Lopez in Tijuana, Mexico, to get some pointers on fighting Kennedy.

"He said to watch out for the right hand-left hook combination," Martin said. "He also said if I box (Kennedy), he'll get frustrated."

Kennedy, fighting in Las Vegas for the first time, said he isn't concerned.

"(Martin's) going to be facing a different fighter than Lopez did," he said. "I don't think it'll help him."

First bell for the card, which features Las Vegas super bantamweight Jesse Magdaleno in the first bout, is 5 p.m. The ESPN2 telecast starts at 6 p.m.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.