Godfrey Wins Close Decision Over Brown

11.08.07 - By Jeff Bastasini: Undefeated cruiserweight prospect Matt Godfrey (16-0, 9 KOs) won a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Derrick “D-Train” Brown (13-3-3, 11 KOs) at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island on Friday night to retain his NABF cruiswerweight title. Godfrey, ranked # 2 in the WBC, struggled through a fight that turned out to be about as interesting as watching paint dry. Although he appeared much more skillful then Brown, Godfrey seemed content to jab his way to victory, taking few chances to make the bout more eventful.

As it turns out, Brown, a fighter who many expected to be blown out in the early rounds, was the aggressor in the fight and forced most of what little action there was. Godfrey, however, though fighting safety-first fight, did enough to win on the scorecards. The final judge’s scores’ were 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94.

In the 10th round, Brown, hopelessly behind on the scorecards and desperate for a knockout, appeared to momentarily stun Godfrey after tagging him with a beautiful left-right combination. However, Godfrey quickly recovered and continued fighting without any other close calls to the final bell. Overall, it was a less than impressive performance for Godfrey, who hopes to challenge for a cruiserweight title in the near future.